Caverns of Chaos [D&D Next]

[Meltheim]

“It was horrible” the shopkeeper says, his voice ragged and weary. “They came like a nightmare – swords and maces flashing in the moonlight. They just smashed the lock and came on in. Didn’t even try to sneak about like proper thieves.”

Shaking his head in dismay, he turns to the bartender. “I’ll have another, I guess.”

Sliding a full mug back toward the man, the bartender says, “It ain’t right, you know? Honest folk like us being raided on by scum like them. Wasn’t the tribute enough? What else do they need? It’s like getting water from a stone at this point.”

----------

Conversations like this happen throughout the town – in the inns, shops, even the temples. The town of Talysgrove has been ransacked month after month for nearly a year. While the people are hearty folk, and continue to plow their fields and rebuild their stores, the attacks have taken their toll. Where once tribute was enough, it now seems that the raiders are greedy, and that simple offers of food, gold and resources are not enough anymore. Something has changed in the past year.

----------

Maor Bangredge stands near a raised wooden platform, looking off into the forested area outside the town limits. As he watches sacks of flour, bits of coin and wineskins get loaded up on to the platform, he sighs to himself. A nearby farmer mutters to himself, “I’d give my best 2 sheep to avoid tribute month after month.” A similar sentiment is echoed by a shopkeeper, then the miller. The Maor turns around, “Would you, Clem? Would you really?” he asks of the farmer. After a moment of consideration, Clem nods his head, slowly at first, then with much more vigor as the idea resonates with him. “Yes, yes I would."

“I’d give a sword’s worth of silver to the man who ended this thing” says the blacksmith, and “Free drinks for a year!” shouts the barkeep.

“Fine, that settles it!” the Maor says, “We’ll gather a reward and look to hire some adventurers. Sound good?” the townsfolk cheer in response to his question. “Come by my office today and tell Millie what you’d be able to donate. I’ll pen a letter and we’ll send for help.” The cheers get louder as people get excited about a possible end to being terrorized by the raiders. The townsfolk move with an energy, a purpose, the likes of which haven’t been seen in several months.

[Meltheim]

Whether from Talysgrove or a nearby town, you find yourself in possession of a letter promising a substantial reward, with an indication to appear before the Maor at a specific date to discuss the terms. The reward is pledged to the person or group of people who can stop the raids on Talysgrove.

One by one, you all find yourself in line with about 10 other individuals outside of the Maor's office. It appears he is taking 'applications' as it were, or at least making arrangements with all who have come to answer his call for assistance. A few who have already been in to see the Maor have left with a small sack of coins, a map, and a grin on their face.

The line slowly moves forward, each person taking only a few minutes to make their way through.

"NEXT!" a gruff man's voice calls from within the office.

(obviously, feel free to use this as an opportunity to introduce your character)

[Ravian]

Tonis Montanak, enterprising prowler
The door opens and slams but the man at the desk does not notice anyone come in, after looking around a few moments he shrugs and prepares to call out next again when a small, copper tanned hand snaps at him from under the table.
Hey! Hey! You do not ignore me! You got that roachbait? an angry foreign sounding voice calls below.
Looking down the man sees a copper skinned halfling with dark hair kept in a ponytail down the back with a grey brimmed hat slightly too big for him. He wears dark leather armor and tosses a dagger deftly into the air.

Are you here to apply? the man at the desk asks, puzzled by the strange foreigner.

The halfling rolls his eyes No, I'm looking for the gods damned queen of the crystal fairies. She's late on her latest shipment. OF COURSE I'M HERE TO APPLY, ROACHBAIT! he nimbly hops up upon the desk and gets about 3 inches of his face
Do you know who I am? I'm Tonis Montanak! You mess with me, you messin with the best!

He begins pacing the desk, cleaning his fingernails with the dagger in his hand.
So what is this gig anyway? And more importantly what's the pay like? I ain't no gods damned Social worker, okay? You Remember that.

[Meltheim]

"Um" the Maor begins, "this gig is you safeguarding our town from the vile raiders who have been attacking us this past year." Sizing up the small man, the Maor stands up to his full height of nearly 6 feet tall, bringing him eye level with the rogue.

"Each person who takes the chit will receive a small amount of money for expenses and a map of the area. We've had our best scouts try to map where we think the bandits are hiding out, but it's a large ravine with over a dozen caves in it, so we can't be sure."

Seeing that the halfling's interest piqued when money was mentioned, the Maor continues, "And, if you bring back proof that the bandits have been defeated or driven out, you will receive a more handsome reward. Plus, I suppose, less competition?" the Maor adds, hedging his bets that the diminutive pickpocket was involved in some sort of criminal enterprise of his own.

The Maor gestures to a nearby table. There is a list of some sort, a large bowl full of small leather sacks, a tray covered in rolled up parchments, and another bowl full of small wooden 'coins' each depicting a different animal.

"Just write your name down on this register along with your token's symbol. Bring this back," he says, handing the halfling a coin bearing a blue dragon's head," if you want your reward. We can't have just anyone coming in claiming things here."

Extending his hand in agreement, the Maor says, "Oh, and for proof . . . something definitive. If they have a leader, I want that leader's head. If it is a cult, I want ears, or a relic, or something that shows you have done more than wander in the woods for a few days making demands of shrubbery."

Looking past the small man, the Maor shouts, "NEXT!" to the open doorway.

[Ravian]

Tonis Montanak, enterprising prowler

The Halfling smirks looking at the token. So what's the pelican for? Easier ID? You sure being picky if you need some Gods-damned system for your sellswords.
Flipping the wooden coin in the air, Tonis catches it and deposits it in one of his many pockets. Still on the table he signs his name and token on the list with a slight flourish
Whatever, not my problem, you just be sure to keep that reward nice and shiny for me. You hear roachbait? he snatches up one of the bags and scrolls before hopping down and proceeding out the door
Ok you wannabes, the roachbait's ready to see the rest of the peanut gallery. Try and keep up.

[Dimers]

Kurgan the Tongueless

The dwarf swaggers into the office, ironclad boots making the oak floor resound. "Are you here to apply?" asks the Maor as this latecomer approaches. Kurgan clumps the rest of the way to the desk, sets down his frame pack, pulls out a water-stained sheet of parchment, and points to the paragraph regarding the township's needs.

"Yes, yes, very good, and your name?" asks the Maor shortly.

Kurgan opens his mouth wide, displaying broken teeth along with his cut tongue. Again, he points to the relevant area.

"Eaugh -- ohh! You'd be Kurgan the Tongueless, then. So good of you to respond!" The Maor starts to launch into his spiel again. "Each person who takes the chit --" Kurgan waves a hand to stop him, points to his own ear with one hand while jerking a thumb over his shoulder toward the doorway. "Heard," he slurs roughly.

Kurgan takes a chit from the table and shows its face to the Maor so he can record it. He bows a little, pockets the token and grunts something indeterminate on his way out.

"NEXT!"

[Dimers]

Kurgan and Tonis

Outside the office, a gaggle of adventurers is busy telling each other lies about how heroic they are. Kurgan ignores the whole blathering lot, shading his eyes from the sun and looking for the halfling who came before him. Montanak is now lounging atop a barrel, picking his teeth with a dagger that looks sharp enough to slice a hair lengthwise.

Montanak eyes Kurgan coolly as the dwarf stumps toward the barrel. He stops him several feet away by spitting quite accurately at the ground in front of the dwarf's feet. "Whaddya want, putz?"

Kurgan gives his trademark tight smirk. He points to himself, then to the halfling, lifts his warhammer, and smacks it down into his other palm, which is holding his copy of the map. Not minding Montanak's lack of encouragement, he hops up onto the next barrel over and keeps a half-lidded eye on the Maor's front door. When the next adventurer shows up, Kurgan elbows Montanak to get his attention, then jerks his chin toward the door. "Looks okay," he grunts.

Post count: 2
Spoken word count: 3

[Ravian]

Tonis Montanak, Enterprising Prowler
The Halfling raises an eyebrow at the taciturn dwarf before Kurgan shows him his half tongue. He laughs. A mute eh? Well ain't that a stroke of genius? Nothing I hate more than some gods damned chatterbox that doesn't know when to stop running his gods damned mouth. he further regards the clearly battle hardened dwarf Oh yes I think we have something here. Brains and Brawns, best pairing there ever was, 'specially when Brawns knows when to shut his gods damned mouth.
Looking on to the next adventurer out from the office, Tonis takes a few moments to regard him. Ok we check this new putz out, but I do the talking, got that? Shouldn't be to hard to do that, that's why I like you ehh... he snatches the application out of the dwarf's hand and reads the name Kurgan. Gods all you dwarves have the strangest gods damned names. he hands Kurgan back his paper and adjusts his hat before walking up to the applicant.

4 posts 235 words :smallamused:

[Dimers]

Kurgan grins in a sort of scarred and sarcastic way -- a "grinace", if you will. The larger smile reveals that two of his upper teeth have been replaced with yellow gemstones, presumably after having been punched out of his mouth.

Post count: 3
Spoken word count: 3

[Dakaran]

Gawain

Gawain opens the door to the waiting area leading to Maor's office. The tall young man steps through the opening and moves quickly past the halfling and dwarf that are staring at him. Gawain's excitement to assist the village seemingly makes him forget his manners and simply walks into Maor's office. After several minutes Gawain returns from the office with a large grin on his face, happily taps the end of his staff on the ground several times and holds a coin with a lion on it up to better examine it.

[Meltheim]

All - [Talysgrove]

"Millie!" the Maor shouts to his assistant in the adjacent room. "How many is that so far? 13 or so?" The Maor looks over the remaining map and sack of coins on the desk. He had thought there would be more of a response, but he didn't doubt that these were hard times on lots of folk.

His town wasn't rich by any means, but his people had pooled their resources together, even items designated for next month's tribute, in order to get rid of this threat. They were gambling with their futures - leaving their fate in the hands of a few mercenaries and one well-intentioned cleric.

Ok, just waiting for Tegu's Elf Wizard to join the IC.

[Ravian]

Tonis Montanak, Enterprising Prowler

The Halfling frowns at the young priest grinning at his coin. The kid looked far too green and looked like he might get moralistic on them. Leaning back towards Kurgan he mutters First time he starts yapping about mercy, chivalry or the teachings of some gods damned god you smack him in the back of the head and we'll split his stuff, ok?
Walking up to the priest Tonis snaps a few times to get his attention
Hey Friar! You gonna stand there looking stupid or are you gonna join up with the winners over here?
He casually tosses his dagger into the air, catching it without having to watch it
Way I figure, you look the type who wants to help these poor villagers and slay the injust and all that gods damned crap. Yeah that's terrific, anyway you basically got a few options before ya. One, you go out solo and we find your head on some stake in the camp. Two, you join with a bunch of other gods damned idealist knights so noble they piss marble, and we find you all on gods damned stakes cause some one thought it might be rude not to announce their prescence beforehand. Or Three, and this is the important one, you can join with a few guys who know what their gods damned doing out there, and you might make it outta there alive. You interested? Cause me and the chatterbox dwarf? We are option three, take it or leave it putz.
He watches and waits for the young priest's response.

[Tegu8788]

Altorn

The elf walks through the village, looking around at everything, in a manner that would be best described as frantic if not for the lack of concern on his face. Seeing a group of people lining up, Altorn falls in line, and when asked questions, he promptly gives them. And a bit of extra, not so relevant, information.

Maor, in frustration, directs him towards some of the other applicants. Altorn walks over, and just stands there for a moment listening to the short being's rant. The instant he stops talking, the elf chimes in. "I don't want my head on a stake. That would require my head to be taken off of my body, and that would be painful. I don't like pain. Do you like pain?" He turns to look at the heavily scarred dwarf. "You look like you have had a lot of pain. Do you not feel pain. My feet do not feel pain anymore. They used to, but when I walk for a long time they do not feel small things like they used to. When I was younger my feet were softer. But now my feet are strong. Are your feet strong?"

[Meltheim]

All - [Talysgrove]

The Maor wipes his brow as the belltower chimes, indicating that most of the farmers would be ending their work for the day soon. "Well Millie, looks like that's the last of them. 14 adventurers, all working to stop the raids. If that doesn't help us, I don't know what will."

With that, the Maor helps himself to a small beer and puts his feet up on the desk, glad to finally have the day's business done. "Hopefully they'll get on with it. I'm not so sure I like having all this rabble in our town. Especially that pint-sized pilferer . . ." he says to nobody in particular.

I'm assuming the party is in the town square or some general area outside?

[Ravian]

Tonis Montanak, enterprising prowler
Tonis looks surprised by the elf that had suddenly joined them. He looked him up and down, seeing that his garb showed him to be a wizard, sage or scholar or some sort. The Halfling disliked such university educated pomfs to begin with, but this one seemed stupider then the lot of them.
Yeah elf, my feet are plenty strong, work um every day kicking the gods damned asses of idiots and cuckoo birds to the nine hells and back. looking over the three adventurers he had seemingly collected, Tonis sighs and begins nursing a migrane
Well ain't I just the luckiest gods damned guy there ever was? I got a mute, a friar and a cuckoo bird. Think of the money, Tonis, just keep thinking of the money. he jumps atop a nearby barrel to address the lot of these rag tag adventurers
Ok, listen up you gods damned sons of barghests! Seems to me the only way you lot, this village, and most importantly my sanity are going to survive this is if we lay down some gods damned ground rules. Rule number 1: By virtue of being the only one with a brain in this outfit, you lot do whatever I gods damned tell you to do. Rule number 2: you follow rule number 1 or you're gonna die in a gods damned hole somewhere. Any questions? No? Good.

[Dimers]

Kurgan the Tongueless


"Or Three, and this is the important one, you can join with a few guys who know what their gods damned doing out there."

While Tonis tries to intimidate the Pelorite into joining, Kurgan swaggers up behind the halfling's shoulder to silently add his own commentary. Pointing at Tonis, he rolls his eyes and makes a "yap yap yap" gesture, then pulls up his own holy symbol and displays it proudly. To be sure his "I am also a cleric of The Good Guys" message gets across, he adds a gesture common among monks with oaths of silence but unfamiliar to most laity. The hand gesture means "this is the will of the Divine", more or less. By the time Tonis is done with his pitch, Kurgan's face has resumed its hard, egotistical cast.


"When I was younger my feet were softer. But now my feet are strong. Are your feet strong?"

At this point in the wizard's ramblings, Kurgan prods him with a finger, testing his balance. Then he grabs the elf's jaw and looks in his mouth for a moment, lifts up one of his arms and lets it drop, pulls the robe tight around his chest to scrutinize the build of his torso. Seeming satisfied with his inspection, Kurgan turns back to Tonis and delivers a combination shrug and nod. Then he gives Altorn a "come on in" wave.


"Rule number 1: By virtue of being the only one with a brain in this outfit, you lot do whatever I gods damned tell you to do."

Kurgan responds by tapping his skull a couple times and pointing at Tonis: "the Brains is You", he seems to say. He then turns as if to glower at the wizard and Pelorite, but actually winks at them where Tonis can't see.

Post count: 4
Spoken word count: 3

[Dakaran]

Gawain, despite a strong desire to chuckle, holds his tongue while the halfling tries to badger him into joining him and the dwarf beside him. Gawain had a good friend that lived in the village near his monastery that the halfling greatly reminded him of. As the dwarf beside secretly greets and exchanges with Gawain he makes up his mind to join the two of them. Gawain waits patiently until the halfling seems to finish talking. "You are a loud one aren't you? Big talker too I can see. I'd be willing to bet that gets you tossed outta quite a few... shall we say 'fine establishments', if not get your ribs kicked in. Here's the way I see it. Option 4 is I join you and try to keep you and your friend here alive as your mouth will undoubtedly nearly get the two of you killed. Then we work together to put an end to these fine people's problem. As for being the brains of this outfit, I'm willing to let you have that for now as you're obviously still alive despite that mouth of yours, which means you're doing something right." The young man lets a big grin beam across his face. Ha! he thinks to himself, I bet he didn't see that coming out of a young, what did he call me... 'friar'?

[Ravian]

Tonis Montanak, enterprising prowler
Tonis glares at Gawain, clearly indignant
Well looks like we have a wise guy here.
lacking any barrels to help level the playing field in terms of height, the halfling has to settle with trying to make his own 4'5" physique as impressive as possible.
Well listen, wise guy, I got a news flash for ya. This is the real thing. You know all those gods damned stories about noble champions of all that's good and pure? Forget about them, you'll live longer. You ever kill a guy, friar? I have, and believe me when I say I'm gonna kill more before I'm done. So you better believe I'm doing something gods damned right, so you might want to take some gods damned notes. You got that wise guy?

[Meltheim]

All - [The Caverns of Chaos]

The ragtag group of adventurers finishes up their purchases and collect their belongings. Using their respective maps, they manage to make their way down a long and winding road over some hill country.

For the first half hour of the journey, Tonis manages to keep up a steady stream of conversation, mostly with himself, about his past exploits, his vast array of deadly abilities, and his future conquests. Kurgan, on the other hand, balances this out with the almost deafening silence, rarely even grunting or nodding along with the halfling's rambling.

While travelling, the party comes across a couple of maps, identical to their own, lying on the side of the road, fluttering in the wind or crushed underfoot. Clearly those individuals were only interested in the small sack of gold and nothing else.

After another 20 minutes of travel, the party sees the landscape become more wild and untamed. Though they have been travelling due south the entire time, the road itself veers east as the ground simultaneously rises and falls to the west, creating a vast ravine. According to their map, it appears that this is where the bandits have been seen, and what the locals have dubbed the Caverns of Chaos.

From their vantage point, the party sees that the valley floor is about a quarter mile long and about an 1/8 mile wide, creating the impression of a large 3-sided bowl. The ground level of the ravine slopes gently downward about 50 feet, leading into a flat area with clusters of trees. Several cave entrances can be seen in the 'walls' of the valley, with more entrances found at higher elevations. Getting up the 'walls' looks to be tough travel, going nearly 25 feet in elevation from cave to cave over rough screed and loose rocks.

The bowl creates a bizaare echoing effect, amplifying sounds and giving them an eerie, otherworldly quality.

[Dakaran]

Hearing the unusual echoes, Gawain closes his eyes for a moment and focuses solely on what he can hear.

OOC
Exploration/Perception check to see if Gawain can hear any voices or other sounds of possible interest: [roll0]. Hopefully that's right. I added my Wisdom bonus to the check.

[Meltheim]

All - [Outside the Caverns]

Gawain's normal abilities to focus his senses are somewhat overcome by the constant stream of chatter from Tonis nearby. Unfortunately, he cannot discern the sounds in the ravine from the sounds of his companion, and fails to recognize anything of note.

Appropriate check, but not a high enough roll.

[Dakaran]

"Oy, Tonis! While we appreciate the everflowing stream of wisdom that you dispense, would you mind holding your tongue for a minute so I can actually tell if I there's anything worth hearing?" Tonis hopefully stays quiet long enough for Gawain to listen, either from shock or for taking a moment to think up a proper wave of insults for Gawain.

OOC
Perception: [roll0]

[Meltheim]

Gawain - [Caverns of Chaos]

The clerics ears, now finally unassailed by the halfling's wisdom discover a light 'yipping' sound coming from the north, while a sound of a much lower register emanates from the southern wall of the ravine.

In the lull of silence, the entire party hears a very human scream from one of the higher levels, followed shortly thereafter by a head gracefully rolling and bouncing down the walls. Tonis recognizes the man as one of the "idealist knights" from earlier that afternoon.

[Ravian]

Tonis Montanak, enterprising prowler
Tonis glances at the head, a look of disgust crossing his face before he covers it with more bravura. He gestures at the head lying on the ground See? What I tell ya? You lot are better off sticking with me. he begins working the cogs in his brain on what to do, before deciding on the favored strategy he called "not risking his own gods damned hide" Alright boys let's see whether we're we getting paid gods damned enough. he loads a rock in his sling, throws it in the general direction of where the head came from, and immediately dives for the nearest concealing piece of terraign he can find, in this case a small bush.
OOC:
We have wifi at the place I'm staying tonight so I figured I should post. This is basically my favorite tactic when playing a rogue, lure the opposition out by throwing something disruptive in their general area, last time it was firecrackers though.

Stealth check to hide himself when the inhabitants hopefully arrive [roll0]

[Meltheim]

All - [Caverns of Chaos]

Despite his best efforts, Tonis' bullet falls several hundred feet short of the intended target. The sound of the rock clattering against the side of the ravine echoes throughout, but nothing appears to come to investigate.

Diving into the bushes, however, does give Tonis a moment of pure quiet to contemplate the ravine and the dozen caves within it, as well as the head that so casually was tossed out of one of the upper caves. As he runs the numbers in his head, he figures that there are probably another half dozen adventurers in the various caves, some of whom apparently have a decent lead on his own party.

You're completely hidden (giving you Advantage as well as Surprise on any attacks that would happen), but there's nobody to hide from at this point.

[Dimers]

Waitaminute, the other adventurers got here faster than us? Ridiculous! As our fearful surprise at the decapitation clearly shows, we got a :smallsmile: ------> :smallcool: head start. YEEAAAHHHH

Kurgan the Tongueless

Kurgan follows Tonis' lead, getting out of sight as well as he can. Pointing on his map and then up the ravine's north slope, he croaks out "Safer."

Wisdom check to find the best place to not be seen? [roll0] If I have to use Dex, just subtract four. And the cavern Kurgan is pointing to is B. If we hit that one first and have to run away from it, at least there won't be any caves we have to run past on the way.

Also:
Post count: 5
Spoken word count: 4

[Meltheim]

All - [Caverns of Chaos]

Kurgan easily finds room behind the bush next to Tonis, though he generally misjudges the amount of room needed to hide the both of them.

From the distance, a flock of ravens ascends to the sky, cawing loudly. The echoes in the ravine magnify the sound into a terrible cry. It is then that the party notices that much of the 'landscape' is actually littered with the bones of humanoids, animals and other creatures.

Looking up toward the elevated cave entrance (B), Kurgan estimates it wouldn't be too difficult to get up there, but it would be hard to do it quietly.

Kurgan believes himself to be hidden :smallbiggrin:

To get up to cave B from the outside would require a DC 11 Strength check. To do it with minimal landsliding would require a DC 10 Dexterity check as well. Failure to meet the Strength check just slows your movement to 1/2 speed. Failing the Dex check means that you don't do it stealthily (dislodging lots of rocks, making noises, etc.).

[Tegu8788]

Altorn

With a flick of his wrist, the elf lifts the head from where it feel, and levitates before him, looking into the dull eyes, then turning both heads to look at the group hiding behind bushes. "Why are you all hiding? Is it because of the head? My head does not come off, but his head came off. Do you think his body is going to come find his head. I would tell my body to come find my head if I lost my head.

My mommy told me I would lose my head if it was not attached to my body, but this man's head is not attached to his body, so he lost it. Are you afraid that you will lose your heads? All you have to do is do what I do. I told my momma, I told her, 'Momma, I will not lose my head because I have my neck. I would have to lose my neck before I can lose my head, and I can not lose my neck because it is between my head and my shoulders Momma!' That is what I told her. Just keep your neck and you can not lose your head. Some one should have told this man to keep his neck, because he has lost his head.

Do you think his body is nearby? I think his body is nearby. We should find his body, and see if he lost his neck. If he still has his neck, we can fix him. Is his body where the rock went? I can do better than a rock. Watch this! Are you watching? Do not miss it, you have to watch! I am about to do it! Here I go!"

The head drops as the odd elf changes his focus, channeling his arcane energy through around his pointed finger, before emitting a pulse of raw magical energy, flying through the air and smashing into the ground near the rock Tonis threw.

[Ravian]

Tonis Montanak, enterprising prowler
Tonis can hardly believe his ears as the elf begins ranting about heads mothers and necks, at numerous times he tries to interrupt, preferably with a curse word or three, but finds himself cut off by the mage's continued rambling. When he finally ends with an explosion the Halfling can't stop himself from shouting.
What in the gods damned nine hells do you think you're gods damned doing, you stupid elf!? Are you trying to get us gods damned killed? Are ya? Because you're doing a gods damned good job about it! At this rate we're gonna have every gods damned son of a barghest down here... the Halfling suddenly realizes that his own shouting has no doubt alerted every other son of a barghest that Altron hasn't. He slowly listens to his voice echo around the canyon. Gods damn it all... he mutters to himself. He was no tactical expert but he knew that a bottom of a canyon littered with caves and crawling with all sorts of monsters was not the ideal position for one to be in. Eyes darting he quickly spots a nearby cavern and rushes towards it, one cavern full of bandits was far better then a ton of them.
Against his better judgement he gestures for the rest of the party to follow.
What are you idiots waiting for? An invitation? We gotta hide, but I swear if that elf does that again he's gonna have less of a tongue than Kurgan.

Hotels have Wifi, hooray!

I'm picking the cave closest to the entrance of the canyon

[Meltheim]

Tonis - [Cavern B]

As he makes his way up the hillside, Tonis causes miniature rockslides of pebbles and dirt to go skittering about, sliding down on his allies. The noice is minimal, however, and is not even audible when compared to the halfling's shouts or the caw of crows from the far side of the valley where the elf's magical bolt hit.

From his vantage point up the hillside, Tonis has a much better view of the valley floor below him. He can see that there are a dozen similar caves spread throughout the valley, at least 2 of which appear concealed by trees or shrubbery (though he's not sure if it is intentional or concidental).

While waiting for the others to climb up after him, Tonis sees across the ravine to the opposite side, where the head made its debut. Crows are descending on the area, most likely to feast on the body of the poor adventurer.

Turning around to examine the cave nearest him, Tonis sees that the sunlight does not penetrate far into the cave, but that there appears to be some shelf-like display with large pots or trophies of some kind. The rough-hewn tunnels lead to the east and west. There are harsh, gutteral voices coming from both the east and west, though it is louder to the west.

Tonis awaits his companions at the mouth of the cave.

Edit: here's the grid map for the encounter (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiQVkOA2NPRAdE5qMjY3cGtwa2NWaGJPdVUtZlZBN 2c#gid=0). Since this is just playtest I'm not going to whip up minis unless you reeeeeeeeally want them (or Dakaran is feeling bored and wants to make them)

[Meltheim]

Tonis and Gawain - [Cavern B]

Gawain follows Tonis up the slope to the mouth of the cavern, where he, too, notices the odd display of something down at the end of the hall. Unfortunately the lighting and distance make it difficult to see what exactly is displayed, but it is obvious to both men that there is something there.

Gawain also hears the voices from down the hall, and notes that they sound somewhat orcish in nature. The tone of the voices does not seem to indicate that the speakers are yet aware of the party's approach.

Ok, what does the party want to do? You guys are basically at the mouth of Cavern B - are you going in?

[Dakaran]

Despite Gawain's training and experiences, he still feels pangs of fear coupled with anticipation. Tightening his jaw in an attempt to hide this, Gawain holds his quarterstaff at the ready. Looking at the others, he gives an over-exaggerated nod and mouths "Let's do this!" in an attempt to compensate. Gawain moves into the mouth of the cave. Upon reaching an internal "crossroad" Gawain slowly peers down the pathways to see what he can see.

OOC
Cleric to G8! I'll use perception to inspect the shelf and the pathways that I presently can't see. [roll0]

[Meltheim]

Gawain - [Cavern B]

Gawain extends his keen elven senses out to the corridors of the cavern as he approaches the back wall. When his eyes adjust to the light, he finally sees what is displayed there.

Heads. Big ones. Small ones. Elven, dwarven, human, gnoll, goblin, and a few others of undetermined origin. Each in its own little niche carved out of the cave wall. Some of the heads are quite decayed, while others appear more fresh. One head, that of an orc, appears so fresh there isn't even any blood dribbling down the alcove.

Gawain turns to look down either hall and sees large chambers on either end, and what appears to be a small hallway moving north, around the wall of heads. When he glances back at the wall, he can't help but feel as if something is off. Where he would have *sworn* was an orc head is now a quite dead, quite decayed goblin head.

Gawain hears the orcish voices go quiet, and can faintly hear a sound like steel sliding on leather.

[Dimers]

Kurgan tromps forward as quietly as he can tromp, hammer and shield ready for action.


Move to K12, beside Gawain. Ready an action to attack anything that comes into my melee range and DOESN'T attack Gawain. My theme gives me the ability to react to someone attacking Gawain, so I can use either that or my readied action.

Stealth check ... I have disadvantage from wearing heavy armor, so take the lower of these two: [roll0] and [roll1]

I presume Gawain has a light out, so I can't use my low-light vision. Kurgan isn't carrying a torch, of course -- doesn't need it.

Post count: 6
Spoken word count: 4

[Meltheim]

Kurgan - [Cavern B]

Kurgan's approach, far from stealthy, looses quite a bit of rubble and sends small pebbles and bits of dirt cascading down toward the elven wizard, who is still babbling away about heads and necks and the like.

As Kurgan gets up next to Gawain, he instantly smells orc. Just as he has that realization, he hears a brutal war cry as several large, greyskinned beasts come rushing around the corner.

Combat time!

Roll up your initiative in the OOC thread and we'll get this going.

[Meltheim]

Encounter 1 - Round 1

Four spear-wielding orcs come tearing around the corner when they hear Kurgan stomp into the cave.

Gawain, who had been straining his senses for any signs of enemies in the cave, finds himself limber and ready for the attack.

Tonis, who had stayed out of sight of the orcs, also finds himself ready for combat.

Kurgan, caught somewhat flat-footed by the war cry, takes a moment to steel himself for battle.

Altorn, still waxing nonsensically outside the cave, doesn't notice that combat has started until he sees Tonis jump into action.


Initiative order:

Group 1: Tonis and Gawain <--- Your turn!
Group 2: Orcs
Group 3: Kurgan and Altorn

Remember, you can go in any order you wish while it is your group's turn.

Tonis has Advantage (roll twice, take the better roll) for his first attack because he is hidden from the orcs. Because of this, he can Sneak Attack (add 1d6 extra damage) on his first attack.

[Dakaran]

Gawain - Human Cleric

Time seems to slow for Gawain as the orcs come into view. Pangs of panic are quickly suppressed as Gawain's training snaps to the forefront of his mind. Gawain has spent years of his life dedicated to training for exactly this kind of situation. Tightening his grip on his staff, Gawain chants nearly inaudibly for a mere second when a bright flash illuminates the hallway, leaving behind a large, golden-opaque hammer hanging in midair in front of the orc nearest to Gawain. Without warning the hammer swings down at the orc.

OOC
Quick question - is taking actions in any order within your initiative group a part of the D&D Next rules, or just your DM preference?

Gawain doesn't move.
Gawain attacks Orc 3 with Spirit Hammer (1d20 + 4 [Wis] + 2 [Magical attack from character sheet]): [roll0]
Damage roll: [roll1]

Spirit Hammer:
Effect: You evoke a floating, spectral hammer that appears and attacks a creature you choose within 50 feet of you. Make a melee attack with the hammer. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 force damage.

Once during each of your turns for the next minute, you can move the hammer up to 20 feet and make another melee attack with it. You do so as part of your action.

[Meltheim]

Encounter 1 - Round 1

The orc staggers under the hammer blow, but appears more startled than injured. He bellows in response.

The attack hits! Ravian - it is your turn for Tonis to go.

Group 1: Tonis and Gawain <--- Current group
Group 2: Orcs
Group 3: Kurgan and Altorn

Map link (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiQVkOA2NPRAdE5qMjY3cGtwa2NWaGJPdVUtZlZBN 2c#gid=0)

[Ravian]

Alright you gods damned son of a barghest, open wide! Tonis hisses as he moves in and slings a bullet at the nearest Orc

move to k13

Ranged attack at Orc 1 with sling (advantage)
+3 (dexterity) and +2 from the sling right?
[roll0] and [roll1]
damage [roll2] and [roll3] for sneak attack

[Meltheim]

Encounter 1 - Round 1

Startled by Tonis' harsh words and sudden appearance, the Orcs all turn their heads. One of the Orcs looks ready to pounce on the halfling when a bullet hits him dead in the forehead. He stands, completely stunned for a moment, before collapsing in a heap as blood gurgles out from his mouth.

This shakes the other three Orcs awake and scream a war cry as they charge the party with their spears. From behind the party, they can hear a responding war cry and the sound of boots on stone coming closer.

Orc 2
Move: Move to L12

Action: Attack Tonis (with Disadvantage, due to Kurgan's "Defender" feature)

Attack: [roll0] or [roll1]
Hit: [roll2] damage

Orc 3
Move: Move to M13

Action: Attack Gawain with Furious Charge (grants Advantage to enemies until start of next turn)

Attack: [roll3]
Hit: [roll4] damage

Furious ChargeAs an action the orc can move up to its speed in a straight line and attack. On a hit, the target takes 1d6 extra damage. The orc then grants advantage until its next turn starts.
Orc 4
Move: Move to M12

Action: Attack Gawain
Attack: [roll5]
Hit: [roll6] damage

Initiative
Group 1: Tonis and Gawain
Group 2: Orcs
Group 3: Kurgan and Altorn <--- Current group

Map link (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiQVkOA2NPRAdE5qMjY3cGtwa2NWaGJPdVUtZlZBN 2c#gid=0)

[Dimers]

Kurgan the Tongueless

Kurgan finishes adjusting his grip on his hammer and shifts around to the other side of the battle, putting himself between the orcs and Altorn. As he moves he grunts loudly to get the nutty wizard's attention. "HRNnrgh!" Then he takes a swipe at the idiot whose charge left him open to reprisal.

Move to L13 and attack Orc3

Attack: higher of [roll0] and [roll1]. On a hit, deal [roll2] damage.

Post count: 7
Spoken word count: 4

Kurgan's blows go wild. He looks at his hammer for a moment in confused disgust, tapping it with the edge of his shield as if to say, "Hello? Anybody home in there?"

[Meltheim]

Encounter 1 - Round 1

The Orc is so off-balance from his previous attack that he doesn't even notice the flailing hammer of the cleric to his side.


Remember that you all have the ability to use an Action at any time during your movement. This means you could move 3 squares into melee, make an attack, then move another 3 squares away. There are no opportunity attacks or flanking in D&D Next.

Initiative
Group 1: Tonis and Gawain
Group 2: Orcs
Group 3: Kurgan and Altorn <--- Current group

Map link (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiQVkOA2NPRAdE5qMjY3cGtwa2NWaGJPdVUtZlZBN 2c#gid=0)

[Tegu8788]

Altorn

He follows behind the group, trying to behave like his cohorts. "Are these the bad men that took the other man's head from his body. It is not nice to separate a person's head from their own bodies. That is a very, very mean thing to do to a person. I do not like people that are mean. Mean people should be punished!" Altorn cups the end of his staff in his hand, charging it with arcane magic, before thrusting his staff like a spear at the orc, firing off an energy pulse.

Move: K14
Magic Missile[roll0] O3

Not sure if the advantage gives Magic Missile a second roll.

[Meltheim]

Encounter 1 - Round 2

The wizard's arcane ball of energy smacks the orc full on in the face, staggering him a bit. Looking frustrated, the Orc braces himself for impact again, unsure of the attacks.

From the distance, the party hears more bellowing and feet coming down the hall towards them. Tonis also notices that one of the heads on the shelf next to him has somehow moved.


Initiative
Group 1: Tonis and Gawain <--- Current group
Group 2: Orcs
Group 3: Kurgan and Altorn

Map link (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiQVkOA2NPRAdE5qMjY3cGtwa2NWaGJPdVUtZlZBN 2c#gid=0)

[Dakaran]

Gawain - Human Cleric

With a moment's thought Gawain compels his summoned hammer to continue to bludgeon the orc before him.

Spiritual Hammer lets me once per turn (for the next minute) move the hammer up to 20 feet and make another melee attack with it. It says you do so as part of your action, which I'm presently interpreting as "I can attack again with this and still do something else". Please let me know what you think about that, Meltheim. If you agree I'll still take another action of attacking Orc 3 if it's still alive or Orc 4 if it's dead. To save time I'll include rolls below so that you can either take it into account or ignore it.

Spiritual Hammer vs Orc 3: [roll0] or [roll1] (Advantage)
Damage: [roll2]

--- Possible action rolls ---
Radiant Lance vs Orc 3 if still alive: [roll3]
Damage: [roll4]

Radiant Lance vs Orc 4 if Orc 3 is dead after Hammer attack: [roll5]
Damage: [roll6]

[Meltheim]

Encounter 1 - Round 2

Gawain's hammer continues to threaten the orc, smacking him about the head until it gets him into just the right position. When the orc has been battered enough, he stands up straight, looking Gawain in the eyes, saying in Common, "Now you die!"

At that moment, a lance of pure radiance shoots out of Gawain's outstretched hand, piercing the Orc in the chest and dropping him to the floor.


Orc 3 dead!

I will rule that the Spiritual Hammer "part of your action" works like the 4e "sustain minor" sort of situation. That is probably the intent since it's a one-time power that you can't use encounter after encounter.

Initiative
Group 1: Tonis and Gawain <--- Current group
Group 2: Orcs
Group 3: Kurgan and Altorn

Map link (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiQVkOA2NPRAdE5qMjY3cGtwa2NWaGJPdVUtZlZBN 2c#gid=0)

[Meltheim]

Game 1 finished.

If people are interested we can start a new game. See the OOC thread for info.