[IC] Title of Game

[RFLS]

You find yourselves in the town of Rayacre. It's a relatively quiet settlement; composed of a variety of Belis' races. It's located along the foothills of the Inner Rim mountains, along the Ray River, a slow, meandering river fed by snowmelt out of the mountains. Elves, dwarves, and gnomes all live here, with the odd human thrown in. It's been overlooked for the entirety of Belis' history, and probably will continue to be so for the rest of its existence. It's home to a small guild of alchemists, which provide most of the town's income. They harvest local plants and minerals to make into poultices and alchemical mixtures, and sell them to the traders that periodically come through town.

The six of you have, from the corners of the world, arrived here separately or in groups. All of you are looking for work as adventurers, seeking either pay or excitement; possibly both. One of the town's alchemists has posted fliers around town, seeking a group of mercenaries to assist him in some unspecified task. He told anyone interested to come to this inn, saying that he would go into the specifics in person. So far, though, he hasn't yet arrived.

Describe yourselves, describe what you're doing. If you're there with someone, make small talk, whatever. This is mostly a chance to introduce yourselves; I'll bring your employer in shortly.

Also, it helps a lot if you choose a color to indicate your character's speech. Break speech up with line breaks from the rest of your descriptive text, and things get much easier to read.

When I call for a roll, you write it like this, minus the spaces: [ roll ] # d # + # [ /roll ] . The first # is how many dice you're rolling. The second # is how many sides the die you're rolling has. The third is whatever your modifier to the roll is. If I wanted to roll an attack, and my bonus to hit was +8, I'd type [ roll ] 1 d 20 + 8 [ /roll ] , minus the spaces.

Any OoC chatter and rolls should be done in a spoiler tag, such as this one.

Any questions?

[Grigglypuff]

During Eli Mactyr's childhood, his parents told him stories about the fearsome brutes known as trolls. Standing twenty feet tall and with a hunger for the flesh of children who stayed up too late, trolls took the place of bogeymen in Eli's village. He later realized that nobody in the village had ever seen a troll, or any other race for that matter. Toran's Hamlet cut itself off from the rest of the world around the time humans were being slaughtered en masse. The few who ventured outside the confines of their valley never returned, and his fellows took that as proof of their status as the last bastion of humanity. Needless to say, when Eli's thirst for adventure overcame his sense of community around the age of 18, he found the world to be quite a different place than he expected. Humans, though not exactly accepted, lived in relative peace with the other races. No extermination squads swept the land searching for his kind. And trolls stood ten feet tall with no particular feelings on bad children.

Eli recalled all this nine years later with a wry smile, his brown eyes showing his amusement from under shaggy black hair. The corner of the inn where he and his companions sat had an excellent view of the rest of the room. This gave Eli ample opportunity to indulge in his favorite hobby of people watching. Though, in this case, the tables had turned. The other occupants kept casting curious glances towards his party, and not without reason. It's not every day you see a human and a gem troll walking together, much less a human as scrawny and pale as Eli. However, he made up what he lacked in brawn with brains, and Grash'mar knew this well. The future "King of the Trolls" took an immediate interest in Eli's psychic abilities when they first met some years ago. Now, Eli served as his second in command.

Idly plucking at his mithral chain shirt, Eli leaned over to Grash'mar to tell him what information he'd discovered about the alchemist who had yet to arrive.

Diplomacy to gather information about the alchemist's guild in town: [roll0]

Using purple for my dialogue.

[Smellybluesocks]

Paix "le Guettelf" Hier
Post 1

It was mostly like him, not to talk to anyone, since he would trip over his own mouth... sort to say... That is how the saying goes anyways... he thinks. Unbothered by the thought, he pushed it away and continued peering out around the inn. Normally, he'd take more care with his glances, but not in this small town. His frail composure and despite being shadowed by a hooded cloak, his pale white face, would have normally marked him as a sickly elf, maybe even a beggar... and while it is harder to overlook his colorfully feathered arrows and composite bow and keep the same frame of mind. Even still, he might just be a simple farmer or hunter for the town. Then again, he supposed, these features are what led many to recognize the young elf, or, his lips peeled slightly out to smile, maybe more of a smirk really, think that he was a ghost of the forest...

For those who take a closer look, some of his gear appears expensive, but nothing outlandishly places him as an adventurer... Especially nothing as ridiculous as a troll and a human traveling together. Now that was outlandish, he again smirked. He supposed very briefly that he could introduce himself now rather than later, but unsurprisingly, that line of thought was very brief and Paix decided against it. He took a sip of his funnily colored water, and took in its dank taste... He wasn't a fan of iron-water, but good water was good water, he always said. No one else seemed to like that phrase... He, almost nervously, looked over his mug, which seemed larger than he was, again into the room, holding the position and sipping occasionally.

Elvish speakers will know that le geuttelf roughly translates to "the watchelf"

[corly]

Battal--Centaur Barbarian/Witch

Frey-- Monkey/Familiar


It is a wonder how much dust Battal’s fur managed to accumulate on long trips. A full hour after removing her saddlebags and still she stood by the water pump outside the inn and dumped another pail of well water onto her aching back, twisting her spine about to comb through the matted clumps with a bone comb to no avail. Her monkey familiar, Frey, laughed at her from atop the pile of saddlebags where she had been chasing flies.

<You look foolish, just roll in the dirt for a bath like me>

“Oh yeah? You smell like a poorly dug latrine. I’m not letting you sleep inside till you get a real bath.”

<We may only be here for a night, what’s the point in getting clean when we might be on the road again tomorrow?> The familiar grumbled, nevertheless walking obediently over to her master to be washed.

“His highness doesn’t know yet what the alchemist wants us to do for them. Might as well be clean for as long as we have the chance.”

Another hour of soap and water and Battal reluctantly accepted that whatever small measure of clean she had accomplished would have to do. Gathering up their gear in her arms she deposited all but her coinpurse in the room and entered the main room of the inn to join her companions. After a half-second of really awkward accidental eye-contact with some skinny bowman sitting by himself she located Eli and Grash’mar in the corner. The tables in the room were a little too close for someone of her size to maneuver easily but there were few enough patrons she simply lifted out of the way what couldn’t be walked around.

“You haven’t started without me right?” She asks the human and troll, flicking a stray dreadlock out of her face.

[Alokue]

Octupue

Over in the corner, you see two men staring intently at a group of halflings who are quite boisterous, and much thicker than the skinny halfling elf sitting alone. One of them is hooded, the hood casting a shadow over his eyes, but you can just barely see long, greasy hair and what appears to be at least a week of stubble. He's the one actually sitting in the corner, and looks to be by far the more dangerous of the two. You're told his name is Springer, and though you don't ask, the bartender tells you that's all she has to tell you and that, should you want to know more, you'll have to ask the halflings, the leader of whom you're told is called Downstream or Sacks or something. She appears to be attracted to the hooded man.

Since the hooded man looks dangerous, and a bit creepy, you decide to spend more time observing his friend, the one who looks away from the halflings once in a while, and whose eyes you can see. If you were paying attention and came in before five-thirty, you saw him come in with the skinny halfling elf earlier, but they went to separate tables, so you're not sure about how they're related. The unhooded man has sun bleached brown hair, eyes that seriously, you can't see from halfway across the room in the dim light of a pub, and a cleanshaven face with a super cliche grim look on it. He seems pretty skeptical of your group, but then, these days humans can't be too careful, so that's probably fair, especially considering the monkey, horse-troll thing, and gem-monster. You're not exactly an approachable group.
http://www.cosplayisland.co.uk/files/costumes/358/53464/jaime-lannister-1024.jpg

He's friendlier than Jamie, but his face doesn't show it right now.
He's obviously wearing armor (this isn't exactly the ritz) but he wears clothes over the armor because he's an adventurer, not a moron. His clothes are pretty normal human clothes. Burlap shirt, leather pants and whatnaught. He's got a long sword at his side and a pack sitting next to him. If you're accustomed to stealing things, you realize that he's less willing to part with that pack than might seem prudent, given its appearance. It's got holes in it that designate it not a bag of holding, or a haversack from that ridiculous designer Heward, who has no sense of style, much less prudence, but holds a patent and enough gold to kill anyone who infringes on it...but the holes are not large enough for you to tell what might be inside.

The bartender says the unhooded man and the skinny halfling elf are both waiting on the alchemist, which puts you somehow distantly related to him socially. They wandered into town a few days ago, wouldn't say where from, but looking for work, which she says the human seemed more interested in than the halfling elf. She's stopped at his table (one of the times Unhooded has looked over at you -- the hooded man never takes his eyes off the halflings, one of whom is playing with his ring of invisibility like a child. Idiot. Likely to get himself mugged) and you assume during these stops she's told Unhooded and Hooded the same about you, but neither makes any move to approach you.

[EmoQuesadilla]

Grash'mar bore all the features that gave his race the appearance of stupidity; a sloped brow over small, glittering peridot eyes, and a jutting lower jaw with large alexandrite tusks. In fact, many assumed he was as simple as he appeared. Only his companions knew the ruthless cunning that made him so formidable.
A large, emerald-skinned hand never left* the hilt of a long, single-edged, curved broadsword with nine heavy rings along the spine, a weapon designed for powerful slashes with an excellent defense. The most unique feature, though, was the black, shimmering metal his weapon seemed to be made of. His eyes would occasionally dart down to the blade, and stay a moment, before moving back to survey the room.
He wore a chain shirt over a large, black cotton shirt and under a well-fitted black brocade vest. He was exceptionally well dressed, and the details in his vest* matched the emerald green of his skin. He intended to be king, as his weapon had told him long ago when he had first discovered it, so he should at least dress the part.
As his first leaned over and spoke, he listened intently, the look of focus on his face giving him a rather silly appearance, though no one would dare remark on it. When he spoke, his voice was deep and rumbling, akin to the sound of stones grinding against each other, "We will recruit any others that try to take this assignment. I will need you to watch them, Eli." A grim smile stretched around his tusks and he murmured, "We always need more soldiers."
**** As his centaur bodyguard moved to the table, he grinned broadly, "Of course not, my friend. I may be a troll, but I do have manners." He waved the barkeep over and ordered a round of drinks for his warriors, for truly that was what they were, his comrades-in-arms in his venture to unite the troll tribes under one banner.

[Smellybluesocks]

Paix "le Guettelf" Hier
Post 2

Paix slouched down, sliding his water forwards. Octupue's sharp glance out towards the other table merely confirmed what he already knew. Without turning his head from his hunched-over-the-table position, he took a longer another look at the group, a centaur added to their ranks now.

Humans have always been interesting. As a nomadic group that didn't typically enjoy the lifestyle forced upon them, Paix appreciated their company the most. Still, he had travelled with all the races and most, even the ritualistic trolls and centaurs accepted his presence well enough. This group would bgood, if only any would believe him.

The mages didn't know or pay much attention to genetics. Most people knew that a boy looked most-like his father and a girl looked like his mother, and that was pretty much left at that. A new thought that maybe the gnomes knew more, struck Paix, but not many people knew or talked with the gnomes... They were disconnected... Uhh, right. The trolls... The trolls knew another, deeper meaning to these aesthetics, and Paix stared at the peridot-eyed troll, marking his features. They would get along the best, he thought, shortly discarding the human. The simple trolls often did not mistake his often simple meanings. He frowned, remembering the human's whisperings and the centaur reporting to the troll... In a single lifetime and a single tribe, a group of trolls might never learn differently; Paix knew better. Aesthetics didn't mean everything. Paix removed his attention from the group.

Still, he had the human and centaur to look forward to, he decided. He finally flipped his cup over, though no water spilled out, and slouched over to the unhooded man... The hooded man had left after a brief discussion with the halflings, apparently in a hurry.

[Grigglypuff]

Eli Mactyr

Eli grinned at the almost cartoonishly serious troll. "Of course," he said with a slight nod of his head, and then with a mischievous wink, "But do we really need more soldiers when we have the mighty Battal?" Eli thought about how that was only half a joke considering the centaur's abilities in battle, and nearly groaned out loud at the prospect of planning around her in future skirmishes. Her rage was not something to be controlled. Still, he acknowledged her necessity in the coming years and her company in civilian situations was not unpleasant.

Looking away from the centaur and the earnest attempt at passable ale that now sat in front of him, he quite openly studied their future compatriots in this job. Even with his long absence from the sheltered life of his village, seeing other humans still surprised Eli, though the man he looked at now seemed rather dull. Hopefully he just had one of those faces. Maybe he likes puns? As much as Eli respected Grash'mar, he could be a stick in the mud at times, and it would be nice to add some more mirth to the group. Eli turned his attention the skinny elf that now approached frown-man. He made note of the composite bow the elf carried. Some type of ranger maybe? If so, then they sorely needed him. A good ranger who knows the terrain could make all the difference in battle. Eli decided he'd focus his recruitment efforts on the elf first. He turned to Grash'mar, gave his shoulder a friendly squeeze, and stood up saying, ""I'll be right back." Putting on his most friendly smile, Eli began making his way toward the man and the elf.

[corly]

“Not to be contrary your highness but you’ve got your weapon at the dinner table. Matem would smack you upside the head if she saw that, king or no king.” As she spoke she swiped a smattering of crumbs off the table into her hand and offered them to Frey on her shoulder.

<I’m getting real food tonight, right?> the monkey complained, all the while plucking crumbs out of Battal’s hand and eagerly devouring them.

<When the King decides we are dining here you’ll get some of mine, so long as you don’t try to steal it off my plate before I offer it.>

<Ugh, maybe you should use some of the gold we have left to get something decent to eat, Trolls have **** taste.>

<Maybe I’ll just repeat all the rude things you say about him out loud and he can roast you over a spit.>

<I’d taste better than that rancid mutton-stuff he likes so much> Battal chuckled aloud.

“Frey respectfully inquires what and when we will be dining tonight, Grash’mar.”


https://38.media.tumblr.com/7fda2ea7ee58b56e83222c2583b8fc72/tumblr_na5z5tzGtl1rnun58o2_500.png
She doesn't wear armor or weapons when in a hospitable environment. Also I haven't finished drawing her in armor yet so this is her townclothes.
And without clothes cause I actually painted out the muscles and everything:
https://33.media.tumblr.com/c84948a883de2a11050a3896ca36f4c4/tumblr_na5z5tzGtl1rnun58o1_500.png

Matem is Battal's Mother. (10/10 Atlanteans found this hilarious)

[RFLS]

As pleasantries, or whatever passed for pleasantries were exchanged, a slight gnome entered the bar, unnoticed by most and heeded by none. He wore a grubby jacket with more pouches than a troop of kangaroos and pair of pants to match. His eyes were twitchy, giving him a lapin appearance; he looked as though he was generally having a bad hare day.

The bartender stooped as the gnome approached him, listened for a minute, and then gestured at the two groups. The gnome nodded, and, if possible, looked more nervous than before. As he approached the tables, he fumbled with items in his pockets, occasionally giving rise to a puff of strange powders.

"I-I'm Isaak Rowan, the- I posted the fliers around town. I'm gue- I assume you're here about them?"

Without even pausing for breath, he pushed onward, staring at a space about two feet above your heads and six inches to the right, meticulously avoiding eye contact with the six of you.

"I'm loo- I'd like you to find a specific sto- kind of rock for me. It's a bit- it's rather rare, but there's a cave system nearby whe- that you can find it in. I'd go mys- on my own, but a gro- some bandits have taken up resi- started living there. They don't ki- attack on sight, most of the time, but I'd rat- I don't want to get hurt. I don't thi- they probably wouldn't mess with you, and I'm pre- I could teach you what you need to look for. I'm aft- I need a rock known as glowstone. It's- it looks like quartz, but tends to glow a light blue, or sometimes red. I don't thi- it's not dangerous, and it's fairly easy to mine, but you'll hav- you'll need to negotiate your way past the bandits first, as- since it's at the back of the cave. I ne- I'm looking for about one hundred pounds of it, in as dec- as good a condition as you can manage. I can pay each of you two hundred gold pieces, or in alchemical goods, or in some mix- some combination of the two. Is that acc- does that sound fair?"

All of this comes out in a rush, as though it were bottled up inside him and had been released into the world at top speed.

[Smellybluesocks]

Paix "le Guettelf" Hier
Post 3

Paix stared blankly at the gnome while he stuttered his way through his not-so-well prepared speech... or maybe too well prepared... That was often the case too he found. Stuttering wasn't really the right word... More like he was trying to go back to a guideline he'd already set out.. The gnome was worse at speeches than him it seemed like. He waited for the speech to end and waited for his old friend to speak first, or the others. They seemed outgoing... A troll, centaur, and human all together? Pretty hard not to be outgoing with a group like that... There's not really any other way to get that sort of group together. Paix pulls his focus back... It's eerily quiet... Rather... It's been quiet. How long since speech had ended? He sorta darts his eyes around the group, trying not to turn his head or be obvious. None of them seem like they're about to speak.... Paix only recalls the last thing he heard... something about fairness... aggreableness? "Yeah... Great. Sounds... good. Fair..." He murmurs out awkwardly, starting to lower his eyes... Well, maybe someone would come to save him.

[EmoQuesadilla]

When the gnome motioned for all assembled to gather to him, he stifled a sneer and stood crisply, before striding with purpose to the small creature.

*Such strange creatures, gnomes are. Quick to trust, quicker to trick.*

His right hand gripped the hilt of his sword tightly once, in response to the thought projected into his head. He knew better than to trust any of these newcomers; a frail elf and a human. Eli had proven his strength time and again, and was indeed deserving of his position. As was Battal, his fierce protector. They were his only friends in the world away from his tribe. They were soft and squishy, but still strong in their own ways. They would help bring stability to his dream of a united troll people.

He looked to the elf and his hesitant words... possibly weak of will. Grash'mar despised weakness, and he would condition these new men to ensure they were fit to fight for him.

"Very well, we accept your task. Would you prefer these bandits disposed of or brought back alive?"

*Disposal is so much easier than taking prisoners.*

His eyes darted down to his weapon at the thought projected into his head, frowning slightly before thinking back, *Justice tempered with mercy is the mark of a great ruler.*

[Grigglypuff]

Eli Mactyr

Though a bit put off by the alchemist's preempting of his recruitment efforts, Eli nevertheless kept his smile on and nodded in agreement with Grash'mar's question. The job itself seemed simple enough, and would probably require little brainpower to work through. He noted some degree of relief on the sickly elf's face that Grash'mar had come forward to speak... though, Eli could be imagining it. The elf's cowl made it difficult to see his already inexpressive face.

"And another question, do you have an estimation of the number of bandits we'll need to get past?" Eli realizes how the question sounds and quickly adds, "You know, just in case things go south." He tried to recall anything he might know about the local bandits.

Knowledge (Local) for info about bandits: [roll0]

[RFLS]

The gnome looks mildly horrified at Grash'mar's suggestion. "Why would I want them dea- killed? That's horrible. I don't think they've killed anyone, they just ste- take people's stuff."

You've heard talk in the tavern and marketplace of this particular groups. It's not an especially large group; no more than a dozen all told.

Addressing Eli, the gnome states that he thinks there's only about "a score of them, no more."

[Smellybluesocks]

Paix "le Guettelf" Hier
Post 4

The elf mostly nods throughout the conversation, although you think hear a splashing noise in his cup as the gnome mentions there are maybe even as many as twenty bandits... though nothing else is said from his area.

[corly]

Battal was neither surprised nor displeased when Grash'mar ignored her in favor of the gnome with the job for them. Food would come soon enough and making an ill impression on an employer would only endanger the possibility of food in the future. As far as the conversation around her went, there was little interest for her in diplomacy and bargaining. Why trip over her own tongue when some puny elf could look like an idiot in her stead?

[Grigglypuff]

Eli Mactyr

"Oh, don't worry, a few bandits will be no trouble, and we're not in the business of killing people who don't deserve it," Eli said, raising his hands in a gesture of placation. He'd heard of these bandits when they arrived. Judging from talk around town, there weren't more than a dozen, despite the alchemist's claim of a score. Eli doubted there would be any fighting. Even if diplomacy failed... well, scratch that, there's no way for that to fail. A suggestion planted in the right brain would guarantee that.

Glancing at their unknown companions, Eli decided this might be an excellent opportunity to test the waters. He gestured at himself and his two friends, saying, "At least, I know we're not. Do you have any qualms with a nonlethal approach, gents?" He directed the question towards the elf and the human. Their application to the Troll King's army would begin here.

[Smellybluesocks]

Paix "le Guettelf" Hier
Post 5

Having already fumbled over himself enough, Paix is content to merely pull a gray feathered arrow out of his quiver and hold it up. You can see there is no arrowhead, but instead a rounded wooden tip.

[RFLS]

"Excellent! If there are no- if you don't have any more questions, you can get- you can start right away. The cave is in a small copse about five miles due east of here. Do you- Would you like anything before you go? Some beer, maybe?"

[Smellybluesocks]

Paix "le Guettelf" Hier
Post 6

Paix puts the arrow back in his quiver, and if you're looking you'll notice several more differently colored feathers within, and the obvious ease with which Paix reaches behind him, even while sitting, to put it back in place with the rest of the gray feathers.

Paix nods a little more as the gnome speaks and... It might just be you, but it seems like he's sitting up a little straighter, and his mouth's peeling just a touch higher, and his tipped elf ears are just slightly back, in a more relaxed position... His recent verbal follies and first impressions apparently already are behind him as he thinks of the open roads ahead.

[corly]

Battal's (and Frey's) heads turned swiftly at the mention of nourishment from the gnome.

"I'd like a beer, if you're buying."

<Oh, oh, I want a lemonade! Tell him I need a lemonade!>

"Um, and a lemonade for my familiar...please."

changed the color of Frey's speech to be less close to Mike's

[RFLS]

Drinks are purchased and passed around to those who want them; the monkey is exceedingly excited with its lemonade while the rest of you are somewhere between indifferent and appreciative, depending on mood and disposition.

Isaak pulls a few of you aside to show you the crystals in question and teach you how to mine them from the cave walls. He leaves briefly and returns carry a few picks and some heavy bags for you to take along the way.


Like he said, the crystals are stupidly easy to recognize. Hexagonal cross section, pyramid at one end, transparent apart from the faint blue glow they emit. To pull them off of the cave walls, he tells you to just carefully tap around the base with the pick until you can pull it loose; the bedrock in the area is fairly soft.


After Isaak has stepped you through the process, he departs, headed back to his laboratory. One by one, the rest of you head to your rooms.

Day breaks, and you begin rising from sleep and preparing for your trip. Maybe an hour or so after dawn, you've assembled outside the inn, belongings packed and ready to go. Isaak has told you that the cave system is in a forest about five miles east of where you are, but was rather vague on the specifics of its entrance.


If any of you have K(Geography) trained, you can roll it to see if your character is aware of the location of the cave entrances. Be sure to put your roll into spoilers. DC 20.

[Grigglypuff]

Eli Mactyr

Eli barely paid attention to the alchemist's instructions on retrieving the stones. Not due to apathy, but rather because that's all he needed to remember the information. He frowned a little bit at the frustratingly vague description of where the cave's entrance is. Maybe he'd took note of it while looking over the maps before they arrived.

Knowledge (Geography) check for cave entrance: [roll0]

[RFLS]

The entrance to the cave system is about a mile along the path into the woods. It's two or three hundred yards north of the path when you get there, and is marked by a large outcropping of rock that crosses the trail at that point. Following the rock leads you straight to the cave entrance.

[Grigglypuff]

Eli Mactyr

Eli addressed the group, his face deadly serious, "The cave entrance is about a mile into the woods and two or three hundred yards north of the path. There should be a rock outcropping that will mark where we need to turn." He suddenly cracked a smile. "Everyone ready for a grand adventure?" Eli looked toward the two unknowns to gauge their reactions. If he remembered right from their brief introductions before heading to bed, the elf's name was Pai and the human's name was Octupue. Both had been frustratingly quiet thus far, but then again he wasn't testing them for their social skills.

[Smellybluesocks]

Paix "le geuttelf" Hier
Post 7

Paix face sorta froze as he felt the air around him fall silent... Was it his turn to talk? He had been a little separated from the group, checking his arrows and bow and thinking about Octupue... He had not been there in the morning. It was unlike Octupue to disappear right before a job (or at all really), and he had been with Paix for longer than he could remember, which is more than he can say anyone but his mentor... There were no signs of struggle. He was just gone. It saddened Paix a little bit, but... wait... There was something going on, before he had even reached back towards these thoughts...

He looked up to see the other human, Eli, looking funnily at him. His face chilled over again; it felt as though it had goose bumps all over. He gave a small smile back as he searched his mind for the last words spoken... It had been some time now, at least several seconds. After a moment more of hesitation, a result of not remember what was said, Paix just gave a slight nod to the human, hoping he had not been asked a question requiring more than that. Paix returned to his arrows and his thoughts on Octupue.

Paix had gone to sleep early the last night, neither accepting the drinks nor the small talk with the gnome. Paix had travelled a vast majority of the caves in the nearby lands and was fairly certain he knew where those which the gnome spoke of were as well as the not uncommon stones he was interested in.

[roll0] geog knowledge to know where the caves are.
[roll1] dungeoneering knowledge to know about the crystal the gnome is asking for.

[Smellybluesocks]

[roll0] geog knowledge to know where the caves are.
[roll1] dungoneering knowledge to know about the crystal the gnome is asking for.

apparently the forums are dumb.

[RFLS]

The group travels uneventfully through the rough foothills that cover much of the area, pausing only once for a brief rest. The clouds overhead are gray and dreary, heavy stuff unspent rain. Shortly before you enter the forest, it begins to drizzle, seeping through clothes and bags quickly.

The forest is made of sparse pines surrounded by low underbrush and patches of rock. The rain trickles down through the branches, plopping to the ground in large drops a few at a time.

Just as Eli stated, about a mile in you come across a large patch of rock that crosses the path. To the north, the ground rises slightly, and you can see the rock crest at the top of a small hill. Presumably, the caves in question have their entrance just on the other side.


I've labeled spoilers below. Only open them if you have the roll or ability specified in the label. To roll before writing your action, you can either use the dice rolling thread located here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?370529-Dice-Title-of-Game&p=18070049), or you can post your roll in this thread and edit your action in after reading the relevant text.



A few dozen yards off the track, you see a scrap of fabric hanging from one of the low bushes that make up the undercover here.



You catch a faint whiff of blood.


In a few places in the dirt surrounding the rock, you see footprints that indicate a large number of people have been here recently. The footprints are very light, and point in all directions.

A hundred yards to the northwest, a slight figure is barely visible against a tree trunk, standing on a branch nearly two thirds of the way up a hundred foot pine. You can make out the outline of a bow and see the faint glint of its eyes.It stands motionless as it watches the party.

[EmoQuesadilla]

Grash'mar had also passed on the drink, though he had paid close attention to the instructions the gnome had given regarding the crystals and their recovery. He had been one of the first to retreat to sleep as well for the night, rising early and retreating from the others to go and prepare his spells for the day. He had a quiet conversation with his partner as to the best way to disable the miscreants in the cave without causing permanent harm, and had come up with an effective plan for most any situation.

As they approached the caves, he motioned for another to take a closer look. His eyes would be more keen in the caves than out of them.

[Grigglypuff]

Despite the rain, Eli's spirits remained high. The elf, though skittish and more socially incapable than anyone Eli had ever met, seemed to be warming up to him slowly. Strangely enough, the human had disappeared, probably during the night of their stay in town. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. The discussions with Grash'mar on how to deal with the bandits left Eli with little doubt of their forthcoming success.

As they reached the rock outcropping that marked the turn, the Troll King directed Eli and their centaur companion to look around before they moved on. The psychic's eyes scanned the underbrush, coming to rest on a scrap of fabric hanging from one of the nearby bushes. Eli pointed at it, making sure his companions saw. He couldn't tell if it was a territorial marking or a sign of struggle. Hopefully it was the former.

[Smellybluesocks]

1d20+10h perception check
[roll0] survival check

[Smellybluesocks]

[roll0] perception

I CAN DO THIST GUYS!

[corly]

"Smells like blood, too" Battal adds, wrinkling her nose.

[Smellybluesocks]

Paix "le Geuttelf" Hier
Post 8

Paix had already seen the rag the human was now gesturing towards, but didn't really know what to make of it and so had not said anything. While the rest of the group looked on, Paix studied the ground and the trees. Broken branches and footsteps everywhere, but that wasn't very surprising, he supposed, since the bandits were supposedly living in the cave.

He listened to the centaur, who seemed to have been avoiding him... Centaurs weren't renowned for their ability to smell, but it wasn't unheard of. Still he pondered the thought for a moment, looking at her... He couldn't remember her name... Maybe someone else would use it, he thought, and returned to the ground. The footsteps were in all directions... Blood was in the air, torn clothing was in the brush. It was hard to doubt at this point. ""No bodies, despite a huge scuffle right here. " Paix hesitated a moment here... Was a scuffle too small a fight to call huge? Maybe he should have used another word. Was it really "battle" size though? They were really only just on a rock here, but the torn clothing was some yards away. "Umm... I'm not... sure what I was saying, but the forest is floor is littered with footprints here. They aren't more than a day old." Oh, that was a good word --- "A skirmish, no doubt, of some... sort" His proudness changed to hesitation as he realized he'd already said all of this.

"I do not know what they would fight, but are we really surprised that the bandits are finding them?" It seemed obvious to Paix, but the group had already stopped in wonder at the fight long enough "Although... it is very odd that such a fight would not leave any bodies, and that no bodies would not leave a larger trail from those carrying them off." Paix scanned the dirt leading away from the rock outcropping for better trails and spoke just a little more "I'm not sure this changes our plan to enter the caves... Perhaps we should go on?" He looked up to Eli, rather than the troll.

[Grigglypuff]

Eli listened intently to, as far as he could remember, the first full sentences Pai had spoken. He didn't know how the elf could tell so much from the mishmash of impressions in the ground, but then again the wilderness had never been Eli's forté. Impressive, and further proof of Pai's usefulness to the Troll King's cause.

"You're right, it doesn't change our goal," Eli said, patting the elf on the back, "But, it does change how we approach it. Be careful, and until we see a bandit alive and well, assume we're no longer dealing with the expected enemy here." He looked each of the party members in the eyes, driving home how serious he was.

[Smellybluesocks]

Paix "le Geuttelf" Hier
Post 9

Paix wasn't sure why, but he felt the need to check again... It was in his subconscious. A matter of practice... experience. True experience from living in a forest for years. Something was amiss.

Paix lowered his voice "Do not look. To the northwest." he said, as he nonchalantly faced his group mates now, walking and placing his hand on a nearby tree, stretching, and then placing his back to the tree for rest, slumping down a little into a more comfortable position... If they were looking closely, the already pale elf might have seemed a little paler, but his calm seemed to have returned as he reached the tree's south side. "One figure in the tree with a bow. Pretty high up."


For pomfret please:
[roll0] knowledge dungeoneering to have id'd the figure as a drow --> normal id mechanisms if not a drow? :P

[corly]

"Good sight, elf."

Battal said quietly, spotting the figure out of the corner of her eye. At only 40 feet up it would not be difficult to climb. A few seconds to the base of the tree, a few seconds to reach the branch, a few seconds to snap wrap that bowstring around a thin little archers neck and drag them down to kneel before the King. With what felt like a solid plan formed in her mind she looked to Eli and Grash'mar for approval.

"Shall I take care of them?"

[EmoQuesadilla]

A cursory glance toward the tree line out of the corner of his eyes where the elf indicated revealed that they were indeed being watched. He nodded in agreement at Battal's comment, but thought of something different. "He should be dealt with, but quietly. Eli, can you handle him from here? If not, perhaps out newest recruit can handle him." He placed much faith in his subordinates, and knew Eli was especially adept at removing nuisances without a lot of attention being drawn.

[Grigglypuff]

Eli knelt down and pretended he was looking at something on the ground as he said, "From this range? The only options I have available would kill." He glanced towards Pai, adding "I know you have nonlethal options. Can you do it in one shot? If not I can split from the group and sneak closer to make an attempt. Or, if we're sure he's an enemy, I'm certain Pai and I can kill him if we attack simultaneously." This job was becoming more complicated by the minute. Eli suppressed the urge to smile at the challenge.

[Smellybluesocks]

Paix "le Geuttelf" Hier
Post 10

"The shot is not impossible with my blunted arrows, but their aerodynamics are not as good. It would be an extremely difficult shot. I could probably make the shot with some of my more lethal arrows." Paix shrugs, tilting his head slightly to the side and looking at Eli.

[EmoQuesadilla]

Grash'mar nodded to the two, before motioning for Battal to follow him. "We will head for the cave entrance. As we do, keep an eye on our friend. If he makes an unfriendly move for us, take him down, by any means necessary. " He looks between the two, knowing Eli would exercise discretion while still protecting him. He is still unsure of the elf, but this entire venture would be a great test of his skills.
The would-be troll king drew his broadsword with a flourish, buckler already strapped to his opposite forearm, before turning and heading for the cave entrance at a slow, measured pace.

[corly]

Battal tried hard not to look at the shooter in the distance while they approached the cave, but the thought of a well placed arrow in her hide made her nervous. Not enough to do her job badly, but enough to make averting her eyes difficult. As they got closer she attempted to casually speed up, so as to place herself between her King and any chance at foul play.

<I hate non-violent gigs> she grumbled mentally to Frey

<Killing people always pays better too, why is that?>

[RFLS]

The watcher makes no move as you grow closer to the cave entrance. If anything, its shape seems to grow more and more indistinct against the trunk of the tree, until it's nothing more than a shadow.

The entrance to the cave is set into the face of a small rise, facing north. It's about ten feet tall, and the ground within slopes sharply downwards, twisting away from the mouth of the cave. Only a dozen or so yards within are visible. The surrounding area is relatively bare, and shows signs of a small camp recently being made; pieces of firewood in a pile and a few logs in a circle about it.

The survival checks are separate checks, not the same one.

The camp is about three days old.

There are a few sets of tracks leading into the cave; none are visible leading out.

[Smellybluesocks]

Paix "le Geuttelf" Hier
Post 11

Paix is a little unsettled at the fading of the creature in the tree. He's not sure if he should mention it or not... It's not like the group had decided against allowing it to alarm whatever was here. Paix freezes in place.

Did that sentence make sense? He thought so? He looks up, his new comrades seemingly unsettled, he calms himself a little bit.

"Their fire is cold and the footsteps are weak... maybe three days old. He walks a few steps more with them and gestures weakly with his hands "Trail leads into cave. Not out."

[corly]

"Shall I enter first to ensure no surprise attack from within, or remain behind to protect against an ambush to flank us?" Battal asked quietly.

[EmoQuesadilla]

A slight smile stretched around his tusks as Grash'mar looked to Battal. "Ladies first. You know how your mother insists on manners." He would have laughed aloud, had he not been wary of the increasingly hidden man in the trees.

[corly]

<What does your gender have to do with the order of passage? Trolls are strange.> Frey curled her tail around Battal's neck as they strode into the cave, holding tight with unease.

<I think Trolls have myths about women being better in battle, Frey. Which in our case is not untrue. I agree though, Trolls are strange.>

[RFLS]

The inside of the cave is dark, rough stone that's clearly never been worked. Moisture drips down from above the opening and curls around the walls to pool on the floor, creating a patch of mud at the entrance. One set of tracks is clearly visible through the mud, headed inwards.

You can see faint illumination from around the bend in the cave.

[corly]

"There is definitely someone in here already, prepare yourselves." Battal whispered back to her companions. Moving forward at a measured pace she made an effort to remain quiet, hugging the wall to one side and relying on Frey's low light vision to search for movement ahead.

sneak check: [roll0]

[Grigglypuff]

Eli watches the centaur slowly creep forward, doing something he thinks might be the centaur approximation of sneaking. He stifles a laugh, and taps Battal on the shoulder. "Perhaps you should leave the scouting to those with half the legs to make half the noise," he says, playful mockery bouncing in his tone. Pulling ahead of her, Eli crouches low and peeks around the corner to find the source of the illumination.

Stealth check: [roll0]
(Use if needed) Perception check to listen for anything while approaching corner: [roll1]
Perception check around corner: [roll2]

[Smellybluesocks]

Paix "le Geuttelf" Hier
Post 12

Paix didn't mind and already knew the forward actions the centaur would take upon entering the cave. It's not that he minded. He was not someone who wanted to be so far forwards anyways. He was just a bit surprised upon her attempt to move stealthily but not so much by the result. A nervous smile on his face turned a bit more to relief as Eli picked up the slack. Relieving his shoulder of his bow, he strings two yellow feathered arrows, and turns to act as a rear watchelf, now sighting the cave entrance, rather than the blue glow the rest of the group seems so interested in.

[EmoQuesadilla]

Grash'mar watched his allies attempt to scout ahead, but did not try moving as quietly as they. A king did not skulk in shadows, he strode proudly at the front.of his men, though he knew at this moment he should not simply announce his presence. His eyes adjusted swiftly to the darkness and he gazed about warily, preparing a display of strength against any who would stand against them.

Prepare an action for someone to appear.

[RFLS]

Around the corner of the cave lies a simple oil lantern, placed upright on the ground. Its flame is flickering, and, upon close inspection, appears to be on its last dregs of oil. In the slight illumination, you can see ahead. The cave splits into two paths - one leading to the right, and fairly level, terminating in a large, wooden door. The other leads to the left and continues the sharp downward slope, twisting and turning out of sight.

[corly]

"The crystals are more likely to be down that way" Battal whispered, pointing to the downward sloped path. "And the bandits are probably in there." she continued, gesturing to the closed door. "I know we aren't supposed to kill 'em but I don't know how comfortable I am with having miscreants twix us and sunlight."

She looked to Eli, as he was more of a strategic mind than she. "Would it be better to incapacitate 'em now when we got a definite escape route?"

[Grigglypuff]

Eli eyes both paths and turns to answer the centaur, ""At the very least, it's worth checking what's behind the wooden door. Considering what we found outside I don't want to leave anything to chance." Eli addresses the rest of the group, "Are we agreed?"

[Smellybluesocks]

Paix "le Geuttelf" Hier
Post 13

Paix briefly looks down the two corridors and thinks for just a moment, nods curtly to Eli, and puts his back to the group again.

[RFLS]

You open the door slowly, waiting to see if anything happens. Inside, you see crates and assorted....well, stuff. Buckets, ropes, picks, weapons, barrels. And finally, you see a body. A young man, clad in a simple tunic and chain mail, lies facedown over one of the crates. A pool of sticky, congealing blood is spread in a pool around him.

[EmoQuesadilla]

A frown came to Grash'mars face as he took in the sight of the would be brigand, obviously long dead by the nature of the blood around him. "I do believe we are not alone here... or in taking this venture. Eli, Battal... we need to enter the other room. We may find this man's slayer below."
His hand gripped the hilt of his blade tightly as an all-too familiar voice rang cryptically in his mind, *Perhaps the archer had friends.*

[corly]

"Should'a killed the son of a lich when we were out there." Battal swears, kicking a crate with one hoof. It slid across the floor to hit a wall but didn't break.

<At least maybe these crates have some of the crystal stuff in them. Wouldn't hurt to look>

"You're right." She grumbled to the monkey as it leaped from her back to search through the crates. "Before we leave this room we should check to see if they did our mining for us." She continued with a shrug to the rest of the party. A pickax sat on top of a crate near to her. Hefting it above her head she swung down at the crate's lid to open it.

To hit: [roll0] and I don't know how much damage I'd deal with a random pickax but my strength modifier is +6

oh my god I missed the crate or something. goddamn I have bad luck even on the internet.

[RFLS]

Inside are some more basic supplies - in this case, tins full of dried meat. Others of the crates had more - food, some small explosive devices, nails and other hand tools, and finally, in a small box towards the back, a handful of glowing crystals.

[corly]

Battal squints at one of the crystals, taking care to be gentle with the potentially delicate mineral. "Well, well, well. How much of this stuff did the little man want?"