Utopia - The Cave Expedition

[gr8artist]

It is the morning of the third day in the new land, and a band of colonists are gathering together to make the journey to a nearby cave. They are a varied group, with varied interests and reasons, but all seem eager to explore and make the most of their skills and professions. Shaira is carrying a knapsack full of elven bread, some waterskins, and a great deal of parchment. She's also packed a curious device that she claims will help her calculate elevations, distances, and coordinates. The Un'drstons, Yangrit and Oberick, with their adopted son Shalan, are carrying heavy packs laden with all manner of tools, from pickaxes to pulleys. They offer to carry the majority of the supplies, as the extra load won't bother them as it would the taller, leaner races. Oberick's also carrying the basic supplies he'll need to build a small hut, as a place to stay while they're at the cave.
They're primarily hoping to find ore for the crafting of tools and building materials, but they're certainly excited about the prospect of finding gems for more... intricate creations. There's been no discussion of monetary value, commerce, or traditional value for otherwise "expensive" items, but gems are always a useful reagent for the crafting of magical items. Yangrit also comments that she hopes it will be a good place for the goblins, and she seems mildly concerned about their treatment at the hands of her "kinsmen".
As the group is about to depart, Caladrel emerges from his tent and kisses his wife goodbye. She seems almost distracted, turning her head to speak to one of the goblins as he draws near, and his kiss lands on her cheek. She blushes a little, her eyelids fluttering, and kisses him on the cheek in parting, before grabbing her pack and falling in-line behind Lauren.


Shaira Thu'us, Yangrit and Oberick Un'drston, and Shalan Kessel
Gurgek and the other goblins
Shayna Smith and Walter Littlefoot
Thrall Demonbane and Trelene
Hecatomb, Kassandra, and Lauren

[Drackstin]

Hecatomb equipment, 12 days rations, 6 waterskins, cleric's kit, weapons and armor, adventurers kit. Large Tent.
Kassandra equipment, MW scribe's kit, MW writers kit, MW alchemical kit, alchemist's kit, scroll case, blank parchment, MW cartographers kit.
Lauren equipment, MW trap makers kit, MW mining pick, MW woodcutters axe, weapons and armor, MW climbers kit, Hunters Kit.

Hecatomb, 0level-5 slots, spark 1, 4 open. 1level-5 slots, Magic Weapon1, Shield1, 3 open. 2level-4 slots, Grace, Lesser Restoration, 2 open.
Kassandra 1level-2 slots, Enlarge person, Expeditious Retreat.
Lauren spontaneous.

these are the notable items and spells being brought with me for the expedition.

[Sønderjye]

On their way to the meeting spot Trelene will ask Shaira why she wanted some time away from her husband. There must be a reason to why she said it would take so long to make the map.
Thrall have a mix of boredom and annoyance on his face. Or he would have if he wasn't wearing his scary mask.


Trelene's equipment. Spellpouch and spellbook. 12 days rations, 6 waterskins, adventurers kit. Large Tent, Magnifying glass(masterworked appraise tools).
Thrall's equipment, 12 rations, 6 waterskin. Healer's kit, mining pick.

[esorscher]

Bedroll, 2; Holy Symbol; Spell component pouch; Footprints Book; Journal; Charcoal Pencil, 2; Eternal Wand of Bless; Healing Belt
Cleric:
0-Create Water, Spark, open.
1-Comprehend Languages, Divine Favor

Druid:
0-Know Direction, open, open
1-Entangle


Shayna stands at the head of the group, keeping a keen eye on their surroundings. Walter stands a bit behind her, holding his longbow.

[Drackstin]

Hecatomb tells the group "easy now, we don't know what's ahead of us, if you see anything let us know"

[TheFamilarRaven]

"Alright people enough of the small talk." Gurgrek said to the Goblins, "Yuk-Rak, no need to unsettle anyone with... ah - your demeanor." he paused.
"Fog hi toga banu hug!"

"Although it was pretty damn funny!"

Gurgrek added with a smirk, then he began to communicate to the other goblins some more words in the goblin tongue. they all nodded and moved into position.

Bibi moves to the back of the group, readying her bow. She'd be on watch for the group's flank. Joining her was Yuk-Rak, who had even sharper senses due to his experience. The rest stay in the middle of the group.

"We are good to go. Let us set forth on this grand quest of discovery, shall we." Gurgrek said, brimming with enthusiasm. the other goblins just rolled their eyes and grinned.

[gr8artist]

The group wastes no more time, and begin trekking south-east per the scout's instructions. Shayna and Walter lead the way, followed by the Un'drstons and Shalan. After them followed three of the goblins, easily keeping up with the trodding dwarves and making a bit of an adventure out of it. Hecatomb and his wives followed next, with Trelene, Thrall, and Shaira behind. Two of the goblins, Bibi and Yuk-Rak, are bringing up the rear and keeping an eye out for any creatures on their trail.

For the most part, it was like any other simple hike, though the group paused frequently to examine new or interesting forms of life. Among them are the strange, puffy-flowered vines creeping up the sides of trees. The vines are a dark green, with clinging roots and small white flowers every 12 inches or so. The flowers are crisp (like popcorn) and have tiny black seeds inside. You also come across a few of the fruit trees earlier scouts had located. Their fruit looks like an orange, unpeeled banana, and has the consistency of kiwi. You spot an animal not unlike a raccoon, hanging by its feet to grab the fruit from a lower branch. The furry creature eagerly devours the juicy pulp, before moving to another branch in search of more delicacies.
You see the tracks of something that looks like a mixture of deer and horse, and especially deep prints near vertical gouges in large tree-trunks.
You see a red-backed snake with the same neck frill possessed by some lizards. Though the forest seems to favor constrictor snakes (you've seen several already) only the red-backed snake seems too slender to crush its prey.

Suddenly, Tukka calls out a warning cry, giving Hecatomb a moment to pause. Something long and brown flashes in front of his face, before recoiling into the tree-branches.
The creature lurking above is difficult to describe, and immediately moves into the leaves above it to hide from the travellers' view.

The creature looked much like a large brown bug, with a carapice, not fur. It hung to the branch above, and was the same color, making it very hard to see. When the tall man was about to pass beneath, the bug began to stretch down, and was about to swipe at him with long blades, like a mantis. The creature's belly had little hooks, and it had four back legs to hold onto the branch. It didn't appear to have a stinger on its butt or pincers on its face, but the arms were very swollen between the body and the blades.
The creature was long and lean, like a grasshopper, and from tail to head it was nearly 2 feet in length.

[TheFamilarRaven]

Heh, Sorry 'bout that. But I'm sure that whatever tried to claw your face just now did not have your best interests at heart. Namely, keeping that handsome mug unblemished. Look up." Tukka pointed to where she glimpsed the creature. You're looking for a big bug, maybe two human feet in length, and it was pretty lean." While she spoke Yuk-Rak whispered the translation to Bibi. It's got a brown shell, like them trees, so keep an eye out. It's also got sword arms like a mantis or some such critter."

Bibi readies her bow, scanning the tree line for the enemy.


If Bibi sees it she'll shoot it on sight. She aggressive like that.


"Normally, I'd just blast the trees with a fireball and be done with this, but I no doubt that at least one of you may have qualms about that." Gurgrek said. "But if need be I'd be more than happy to display some of my magical prowess!"

[Drackstin]

Hecatomb readies his hammer. "keep close Kassandra, this beast seems to be hunting" She nods and pushes up her glasses "you just worry about the bug, i have a plan if it shows up again." Lauren pulls out her bow and backs up bibi, as Odin keeps his one eye open looking for danger.

[gr8artist]

Theres no sign of the bug-like creature, and the expedition resumes without incident. Now that everyone's aware, however, they're a little more cautious and prepared when they spot another bug, like the first, another mile or two through the jungle. It clings to the branch, an ambush predator hoping its prey will pass underneath. When hiding the creature tucks itself into a log shape, and its features can't be identified.
A few well-placed shots from the archers bring it down, and there's a bit of pride in overcoming the forest's natural dangers.
The bug is about 16 or 18 inches long (tiny size), but it has four long back legs to hang upside down from trees. It has 4 front legs too, though the upper set are simply its striking arms, and the inner set are smaller, for clinging to things. You can see that the inside of the creature's blades are a row of tiny needles and slashing hooks. The arms are very long, nearly double the length of the overall body, and seem to normally be tucked tight against the creature's sides. Rather than mandibles, it has a small tube in its mouth, presumably for sucking fluid.

The rest of the journey is almost boring by comparison, though you find a few more recognizable animal tracks. You reach the cave without further incident, late in the evening. The Un'drstons immediately begin setting up camp, and chopping some branches to make a fire.
The cave is larger than previously described, and its opening is in a small hill or rise in the forest floor. Its at least a hundred feet long, running into the earth at a 45 degree angle.

[TheFamilarRaven]

Yuk-Rak packed the insect's corpse in the goblins' bag of holding for later dissection.

"~Yeah well y'know. It's a well documented fact that goblin females are inexplicably cuter than their male counterparts! Tukka was chatting up other members of the expedition when they finally arrived at their destination.

"The cave is bigger than anticipated. I salute you, dear Un'drstons!" Gurgrek bowed to the dwarves, then he turned to Bibi and Tukka, and pointed to the mouth of the cave.

"Yop ca muku." The two girls nodded.


"Check it out"


Bibi and Tukka crawled on their bellies to the mouth the cave, scouting for danger. If nothing dangerous seemed to be there, they crawl further in, on the look out for more trouble.

Meanwhile, Yuk-rak, Gurgrek and Bagguba all began to set up camp.


BiBi and Tukka are sneaking into the cavern to explore it.

[Sønderjye]

Trelene and Thrall gives the goblins about 5 no 2, no 1 minute before they follow into the cave. Not sneaking.
Preferably they will go with a group.
This time I will be fine without ladies first.​ Trelene says to soften to tense mood.

[Drackstin]

Hecatomb laughs as he sets up the hit tent. "no need to rush, we can all go inside at once, better we all go in then your two little ones finding something too big for you to handle" After putting up the tent quickly, he heads inside the cave with the others, it would seem that Lauren and Odin where already in front of everyone though even the two goblins. Kassandra standing in the middle of the group jotting down sizes and making sketches. "Well this looks promising. with a cave this big, who knows what we will find."

Hectomb has his hammer ready to guard anyone from what we might find in the cave, he also uses his skills to make sure no section of the cave is weak and may collapse. Lauren and Odin are scouting ahead with Stealth looking for and mineral deposits or wildlife living in the cave, Kassandra is helping with the map and making stretch of new pants and wildlife as she sees them.

[TheFamilarRaven]

"My goodness everyone is excited!" Gurgrek spoke up as the loud group marched towards the cave. "But I concur, really. Let's all stroll in there blind. I mean, no beast ever decided a large cave was a fine place sleep. And while we're at it, let's be sure to talk and make plenty of noise. Wandering off, jotting down notes and such. There is no possible way that could put the lives of our scouts in danger! the mage rubbed his temples.

"If you are trained in the art of stealth, like my dear friends, then by all means, accompany them and help scout for trouble." His face grew darker. "But I will not tolerate the lot of you putting the lives of my crew members in danger with your happy-go-lucky ignorance!"

[Drackstin]

Hecatomb answers back "you seem to miss interpret my actions, we are not rushing in, but we don't want your two scouts to go in while we all rest for the night." Kassandra pushes up her glasses and rolls her eyes. "rude little goblin aren't we, i haven't walked away from the group once, and assumptions of ignorance isn't helping your argument. everyone is behind your "scouts" but if you want them to go in alone, I'm sure they will be fine."

With all the talking, they seem to forget about Lauren.

[esorscher]

(Sorry, did not subscribe. Caught up.)

Shayna promises to help with the dissection of the bug, and suggests that they do so in the clergy tent when they return. "Take it easy, everybody. We're all on the same side." She'll let the goblins go in first, but Walter pipes up.

"I'm a fair sneak, I'll accompany you." Walter says, joining the goblins (+6 Stealth modifier).

[Drackstin]

Lauren's stealth +7, odin's +8

[Sønderjye]

Thrall turns to Gurgrek. His face is concealed by his mask but nevertheless you sense an aura of intimidating anger. I don't like you midget and you aren't making it better. His voice has a strong accent of orc, clearly showing that this isn't his first language. His apprearance resembles that of a predator ready to strike.
Trelene reaches up and places her hand on the half-orcs shoulder and makes some hand signals with her other hand. She then gives the goblin an apologizing look and says What about we wait 10 minutes before entering? Then your sneaks have time to spot any nearby dangers but we don't risk them being trapped.

Assuming the group complies they will gather wood to use as torches.

[gr8artist]

After a tense exchange outside, the other scouts catch up to the goblins and together the small pack explore the darkness of the cave as best they are able. Light from the evening sun casts dim light over the first 60 feet of the cave. Numerous bones lay around here and there, and a few still have a little blood on them. There is a damp smell in the air, and the stench of rotting meat. The cave expands about 30 feet in opening up in a widening cone, and there's a small pool of water nestled between some rocks and lumpy ground. Short stalactites cling to the ceiling, and the broken stumps and points of stalagmites litter the ground.
Walter accidentally bumps a small stone, which falls over with a soft "clack". From the darkness further in, behind a large stone, you hear something move. You cannot hear its footsteps, but you hear the scratching of claws against stone as whatever it is stands. There's a soft, slight growl, and then an immobile but repetitive scratching or grinding.
The beast is behind a large boulder almost 30 feet away, in the dark portion of the cavern. The group is roughly 40 feet in, in the last stretch of dim light, and within dashing distance of the surface.
What do you do?

On the surface, the camp is coming together quickly, with several tents nearly completed and a good deal of firewood being gathered. Two minutes have passed, and no one on the surface is aware of the details of the scouting team. Barring unexpected circumstances, the scouts should return in about 8 more minutes.

[Drackstin]

Lauren takes the opportunity to use the natural dancing lights on the area she heard the sound, she knows it has a small area of effect so it won't hurt them hiding, but will help the scouts see what's infront of them. She will move them to reveal the monster. Hoping maybe it is sensitive to light. Knowing full well it might also be able to see in full darkness.

[TheFamilarRaven]

Bibi scowled at Walter for his blunder, before silently sifting to get a better angle of the beast. Meanwhile, Tukka tapped the two nearest scouts to get their attention. She pointed to herself, then to the cave exit, and then open and closed her hands as if in mock speech, before she quietly moved back to the outside.

[esorscher]

Walter follows the goblin's lead outside. "Sorry," he apologizes afterward.

[Drackstin]

Lauren and Odin head to the front of the cave after getting a good look at the beast, as to tell the waiting expedition team what is down there.

[gr8artist]

The beast snarls, glaring at the small lights dancing above its head. It leaps against the boulder, before vaulting off and swinging wildly at the glowing orbs. Frustrated, it growls and begins sniffing the air, hungrily. As it moves, the scouts are able to make out its form and features easily, though describing them again might be more difficult.
The creature looks most like a leopard, dark brown with black spots and blotches. It has a long, whip-like tail, and four powerful legs. The front legs are turned inward, like a pit-bull, making the creature look like a bodybuilder flexing his pecks. All four legs have vicious claws, but the largest and most dangerous weapons appear to be the creature's teeth. Unlike most animals, this creature has tusks like a boar, long and curved slightly inward for slashing and ripping flesh. The creature prowls along the ground, slightly shorter than the panther at shoulder height, but more than twice as wide and quite bulky for its size. Overall, it probably weighs a few hundred pounds, and is easily larger than anyone in the group aside from the towering Hecatomb, who's still outside the cave, unaware.
The creature is obviously dangerous and aggressive, agile and probably incredibly strong.

[Drackstin]

Lauren will motion to the rest of the scouts as she heads to the cave entrance. Where she will explain to the rest of the expedition party what she saw, Odin is following her closely.

[esorscher]

Shayna jots down a few quick notes in her journal and draws her longbow. Walter has his longbow drawn as well. "What do you all want to do? We won't be able to explore the cave with it hostile to us. I can try and influence it, but I doubt I will be successful. We are invading it's territory, after all. Still, I'd like to try, if you all don't mind. Be ready with bows and slings, and if it tries to kill me, shoot it." Walter nods. She waits for the rest of the party's approval before attempting anything.

[Sønderjye]

Approved

Readies actions if the beast tries to kill Shayna
Thrall: Cure light wounds if the beast hits.
Trelene: Create pit if she can target an area without endangering the party.

[Drackstin]

"If you can give this beast a chance to be civil then go ahead, but the discription of the cave floor makes me think it's not very nice. I'll will be right behind you, if things go south run behind me to the rest of the group, I will block it's advance." Hecatomb ready his Earthbraker and walks into the cave with the others, ranged and casters behind him to the sides so able to do what they need to, melee at his sides, he wants to be upfront to take the beast head on if an thing happens "This beast sounds like nothing I have heard of before, I hope we can study after." Kassandra seems to stand right behind hecatomb as if she has something for him. Lauren joins the rest of the archers although she would rather use her blades, but after seeing the beast she thinks it would be better to keep her distance, Odin agrees.

Hecatomb will stand front and cast shield on himself, waiting if the beast attacks. He has 6 swift cast he can use, and alot of healing. First round swift when the beast attacks will be sacred weapon +1, second round swift will be strength blessing. Kassandra is behind about 10 feet, if the beast attack she will throw a extract of enlarge person at Hecatomb, then retreat to a safe distance. Lauren will ready her bow, and use the last two uses of her dancing lights to light the inside of the cave near the beast. Following it if it moves. She also has obscuring mist and cure light wounds ready for an emergency.

[TheFamilarRaven]

"Best to draw it out here. I'll web it and then we can all shoot it down." Gurgrek proposed. "Failing that, we can walk right in, and then I can web it, and then we can just shoot it down."

[esorscher]

"Alright, I'm going to try and soothe it." Shayna walks in slowly, her body low but visible all the while, trying to make herself appear as small as possible. She blinks her eyes slowly at the cat like creature and takes a submissive pose, attempting to convince it she is not a threat. She makes soft coo-ing noises and clucks her tongue quietly.

Wild Empathy ([roll0])

Walter and the others stand with their ranged weapons drawn and readied (or whatever other actions they took). If the beast does not seem to be persuaded, she turns and runs (Withdraw action, 80' movement).

[gr8artist]

The creature leaps into action, dashing quickly toward Shauna. It obviously intends to maul her, but she manages to outrun the beast in her retreat, though its gaining on her fast.
As the allies behind her engage the creature with their readied actions, Hecatomb steps up to divert the creature's attention. Seeing that it is now outnumbered, the beast pauses and crouches in the dim light.

You may take your readied actions, if applicable. The creature is 50 feet from the mouth of the cave, which is more or less a straight tunnel at this point. If it gets out, it could severely injure the people waiting outside.
The tunnel's an average of 15 feet wide near the mouth, and about 30 feet wide where the beast is now.
As best as you can, describe your position relative to the cave mouth (60 ft in, 30 ft in, at the mouth, 30 ft outside, etc.).
The creature got a 16 on its initiative roll, and will charge at the nearest creature (if possible), which is currently Hecatomb (I believe).
Make a post for your readied actions (if any) and then roll initiative; if you get better than a 16, describe your first turn as well. Once all 4 of you have posted, I'll describe the creature's first turn and the results of your actions. Then all of you can post in whatever order you prefer, and the beast can go after all 4 of you.

[esorscher]

Shayna retreats (obviously). Initiative: [roll0]

Walter fires a shot from his longbow. [roll1], [roll2]
Initative: [roll3]
If he is successful on his initiative, he'll fire again: [roll4], [roll5]

[Sønderjye]

When the beast charges Shayna, Trelene's speaks loudly in the tone that tells reality to shut up because the adults are talking Create Pit
If we can take it alive it might be of value to us.
She hopes that since the beast is charging it's balance might not be on spot.

None of them beat the beast's init.
I realised that I aren't actually finished with Trelene's sheet. This will do for now though.
DC 17 reflex on create pit. Failure means falling into the pit.

[Drackstin]

Kassandra give Hecatomb the extract of enlarge person, Lauren cast Obscuring mist on the arches, Odin waiting by her side. Hecatomb moves forward to block the beasts advance and uses his swift action to activate his sacred weapon.

[roll0] Hecatomb initiative. AC 23, CMD 18.
[roll1] Lauren initiative. AC 17, CMD 14.
[roll2] Odin initiative. AC 14, CMD 17.
[roll3] Kassandra initiative. AC 18, CMD 14.

[Drackstin]

Kassandra quick to act throws one of her Frost bombs at the beast to stagger its charge, then moves back to the archers.

[roll0] attack [roll1] damages. fort save DC 14 stagger

[TheFamilarRaven]

Gurgrek held back his spell, he did not intend to waste it if the beast was already trapped in a pit.



yuk-rak: [roll0]
Gurgrek: [roll1]
Bagguba: [roll2]
Bibi: [roll3]
Tukka: [roll4]

[TheFamilarRaven]

Tukka sighed and raised her shortbow, taking aim at the enraged creature


Attack: [roll0]
crit confirm: [roll1]

Damage: [roll2]
if crit, plus: [roll3]
if sneak attack, plus [roll4]

[gr8artist]

Tukka, firing from the shadows, buries one of her arrows in the creature's side. The beast yowls in pain, but Walter's shots glance harmlessly off its thick fur. There is an arcane crackling in the air as the ground beneath the creature's paws begins to give way. Quick and nimble, the creature leaps to the side, growling, and standing on firm ground. Kassandra's flask misses, and the creature deftly dodges most of the freezing energy that splashes out from it.
It sets its sights on Hecatomb, and charges in a blind fury. It first attempts to sweep his ankle out from under him with its razor-sharp tusks, but Hecatomb manages to avoid the attack. The creature then rears up and swipes at him awkwardly with its claws. The creature crosses its arms as it does so, the right arm barely missing Hecatomb's right thigh, and the left arm cutting at his left hip.

Please handle dice rolls in spoilers.
The beast and Hecatomb are about 35 feet from the cave mouth.
Charge (pounce) -
Gore (tusks) [roll0] for [roll1] damage. Trip attempt [roll2].
Left Claw [roll3] for [roll4] damage.
Right Claw [roll5] for [roll6] damage.

Additional damage -
Crit (30+) Confirmation [roll7] for [roll8] (claw) or [roll9] (gore)
Rend (2 claws, [roll10])

I apparently got all the luck in this first round.
Result: Hecatomb stands; the creature failed to gore or trip him. He takes 11 damage from the creature's critical claw attack.
The creature has taken some mild damage from Tukka's arrow. The creature has charged, and will take a –2 penalty to AC until its next turn.

You may all post in whatever order you prefer; the beast's turn comes after everyone else's.

[Drackstin]

Hecatomb lets out a howl as the beast connects, then he looks into its eyes and lifts his Earth Breaker high, he shimmers with light then swings. "taking it alive might not be an option"
Lauren and Kassandra attack the beast from range hoping to do something. Kassandra throws another ice bomb, as Lauren fires her bow.

Hecatomb: Swift casts Cure Moderate Wounds [roll0] Attack [roll1] damage [roll2]
Lauren: [roll3] attack [roll4] damage
Odin: stays near Lauren and passes turn.
Kassandra: [roll5] attack [roll6] damages. fort save DC 14 stagger

Hecatomb: [roll7] confirm [roll8] damage
Lauren: [roll9] confirm [roll10] damage

[Sønderjye]

Thrall could feel his blood pumping and the rush of adrennaline. Oh he had longed for the feeling of battle. He screamed a battle roar from the top of his longes that almost managed to sound more threatening that what the beast did earlier. He screamed out all his frustration of being on a ship for 4 month, for not being allowed to fight and for not being allowed to smash goblin heads. He then closed in.

Trelene shouts a few works and jerks her hands upwards and the ground beneath the beast becomes slippery


Thrall: Using ear-piercing shout: Dazed for one round and [roll0] damage. DC 16 fort negates the daze and halves the damage.

Trelene: casts grease on the 10 feet square beneath the beast. It was large right? DC 16 reflex or fall prone

[gr8artist]

Map Link (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=93865).
Move your tokens as necessary, I think I have them approximately placed. Pale brown is dim light, dark brown is no light. Brown circles are 5' tall stones (give or take) blue circles are water pool.
After you move, click the button in the bottom corner, copy the URL into the spoiler in your post. Next player to post uses that link, changes it, then posts the new link.
If you use a link other than the one provided by the character before you, then the map will become incorrect.

Hecatomb hit. Lauren missed. It took a little damage from the shout.
The beast is dazed and falls prone. It is bulky, but medium sized (like a feline dwarf)

[TheFamilarRaven]

Circling around the obscuring mist, the other three goblins joined the fray.

Upon seeing the beast struggling to maintain balance on the slippery grease, Yuk-Rak smiled.

"Niiice hehehehehe~" He chuckled as he pulled one of his bombs out from under his long coat. Then chucked the volatile concoction at the beast, hoping to cook it for dinner.


Attack: [roll0] +1 from point blank shot VS beast's touch AC
Crit Confirm: [roll1] +1 from point blank shot VS beast's touch AC

Damage: [roll2] +1, from point blank shot
if crit, plus: [roll3] +1, from point blank shot

Precise bombs discovery allows Yuk-Rak to choose a number of squares = to his INT mod to NOT be affected by splash damage, and he chooses the squares that are occupied by friendlies.


Next came Bagguba, rushed at the creature with his sword drawn, screaming at the top of his lungs.


Double move to get into melee range


From the shadows of the cave, Bibi rose to one knee, and fired a shot from her longbow.


Attack: [roll4] +1 from point blank shot, (plus another 2 if the beast is of the animal type)
Crit Confirm: [roll5] +1 from point blank shot (plus another 2 if the beast is of the animal type)

Damage: [roll6] +1, from point blank shot, (plus another 2 if the beast is of the animal type)
if crit, plus: [roll7] +1, from point blank shot, (plus another 2 if the beast is of the animal type)



And Tukka, too, notched another arrow and let it fly at the monster.


Attack: [roll8]
Crit Confirm: [roll9]

Damage: [roll10]
if crit, plus: [roll11]
if Sneak attack, plus [roll12]


"Well now, what do have have here." Gurgrek announced, assessing the chaos. "I suppose I should save this in case more of them show up. But what the Hells?" He finished as he launched a tiny red bead past the beast. As it hit the cavern floor, it erupted into a fiery explosion!


Casting fireball just so that the beast is the only creature caught in the blast.

[roll13] fire damage, reflex save DC 17, for half damage.



MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=93867)

[esorscher]

Neither Shayna nor Walter move, but both fire arrows. It seems almost pointless, considering how well the rest of the party is handling the beast, but it is better than doing nothing.

Shayna: [roll0], [roll1]
Walter: [roll2], [roll3]

[gr8artist]

The creature is quickly set upon by all the adventurers gathered, and is quickly ruined. Hecatomb lands a fearsome blow, before Thrall's arcane power blasts the creature's mind, rendering uncertain and unable to act. It still relies on instinct, dodging much of the grenade's splash, before falling prone on a patch of magical grease. It snarls wildly for a moment, but is unable to muster the presence of mind to get back on its feat, and several arrows fly about the creature as it is stalled on the stones. A few hit, and a few miss, but the most grievous wound is dealt by Bibi, who takes a chance on the beast's anatomy, and her attack strikes the creature true. Judging by its reaction, the beast is definitely an animal. Gurgrek casts a potent spell, which scorches the beast's fur as at manages to avoid most of the blast's damage, and when the smoke clears, the creature is still alive.
It's angry, and its coming to its senses, but it's obviously grievously wounded and still prone on the ground, though it seems ready to get back on its feet.

Yuk-Rak's bomb misses; the prone creature is harder to hit with ranged attacks. The creature takes 6 damage from the splash, though.
Bibi hits it, and the creature's an animal. It takes 11 damage from her.
Tukka hits, but the creature is aware of her position now, and she is unable to sneak attack. She deals 2 damage to it.
Gurgrek's explosion deals 6 damage to the creature as it makes its save.

Falling doesn't provoke an AoO as far as I'm aware. Please delete that post and try again when the creature stands (which will provoke)

Shayna misses, Walter hits, dealing 5 damage.

Damage Tally
3 - Tukka, readied action
18 10 - Hecatomb
4 - Lauren Lauren does not have Precise Shot. Her attack would have missed.
1 - Thrall's shout
6 - Yuk-Rak's grenade
11 - Bibi's favored enemy shot
2 - Tukka's second attack
6 - Gurgrek's fireball
5 - Walter's arrow
44 damage from 5 attacks and 3 other sources, assuming no DR

The creature is staggered and sickened from its wounds, no longer dazed, but still prone.

MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=93890)

The creature's turn passes uneventfully (it was dazed). You may all post another round of actions. The creature will probably attempt to stand on its next turn, which will provoke an AoO from anyone in melee range.

[Sønderjye]

Seing the condition of the beast Trelene shouts Take it alive! as Thrall with a roar charges in to hopefully knock the beast unconcious.

I can't see map from my phone but it seems reasonable thatThrall is in range to charge the beast.
Taking -4 for nonlethal.
Attack1 [roll0]
Dmg [roll1]

Attack2 [roll2]
Dmg [roll3]

[Drackstin]

Hearing Trelene shouts Hecatomb turns his hammer to and swings the side of it at the beast."Lets hope this works."
Kassandra waits to see the outcome if she need to throw something at the beast, seeing the area get crowded near the beast.. Lauren and Odin see an opening and advance to flank the beast. Odin jumps right into the grease knowing the position he needs to be in to help Lauren, hoping h can stay on his feet.



Hecatomb:[roll0] Attack [roll1] nonlethal damage
Lauren: [roll2] attack1 [roll3] nonlethal damage1 [roll4] attack2 [roll5] nonlethal damage
Odin: [roll6] Reflex, [roll7] attack [roll8] damage
Kassandra: passes her turn.


Hecatomb: [roll9] confirm [roll10] nonlethal damage
Lauren: [roll11] confirm1 [roll12] nonlethal damage1 [roll13] confirm2 [roll14] nonlethal damage2
Odin: [roll15] confirm [roll16] damage


MAP (http://pyromancers.com/media/view/main.swf?round_id=93921)

[esorscher]

Shayna and Walter continue firing, aiming for nonlethal parts of the creature.

Shayna: [roll0], [roll1]
Walter: [roll2], [roll3]

[TheFamilarRaven]

"Alive? Sure, why not. I mean just LOOK how cute this thing is!" Yuk-Rak said. ""Bagguba! Bibi! Yub Hugahuga gug da jo."


"Bagguba. Bibi. the humans want it alive."


With a grunt, Bagguba acknowledged Yuk-Rak and began to strike with the flat end of his blade.

[roll0] (all bonuses/penalties counted)
crit confirm: [roll1]

Damage: [roll2] non-lethal
if crit, plus [roll3] non-lethal
]

Meanwhile Bibi rolled her eyes and adjusted her aim. It'd be harder to hit non-vital areas, especially now that it was flat on the ground.



Attack: [roll][roll4] (All bonuses/penalties counted)
crit confirm: [roll5]

Damage: [roll6] non-lethal
if crit, plus [roll7] non-lethal


Tukka adapted to the new tactic as well.


Attack: [roll][roll8] (All bonuses/penalties counted)
crit confirm: [roll9]

Damage: [roll10] non-lethal
if crit, plus [roll11] non-lethal

if sneak attack. plus: [roll12]

[gr8artist]

Thrall moves into position to strike at the beast, but is unable to charge through the crowd, and his first attack misses the creature. He follows up with another misty strike, landing square in the creature's ribs. Hecatomb's swing misses as well, and the creature growls angrily at Odin when the panther moves into position. Lauren strikes the creature with the flat of her blades, and Odin resists the grease as he takes a bite at the beast. He rips away a strip of flesh, and the creature howls in agony and rage. Shayna nearly lands a shot in the creature's flank, but the creature's position makes its profile too small. Bagguba strikes the creature with the side of his greatsword, dealing the final blow.
The beast collapses on the stone, frothing at the mouth but unconcious and breathing.

Sonder, how did you get that attack bonus? 1 BAB + 2 Dex +2 Flanking +4 prone -2 TWF/FoB -4 Nonlethal = +3 total.
Drack, you're using the enlarged damage again. Please mention switching attack types for your hunter.

Damage Tally
3 - Tukka, readied action
10 - Hecatomb
1 - Thrall's shout
6 - Yuk-Rak's grenade
11 - Bibi's favored enemy shot
2 - Tukka's second attack
6 - Gurgrek's fireball
5 - Walter's arrow
44 damage from 5 attacks and 3 other sources, assuming no DR, in round 1
2* Thrall's attack - nonlethal
9 Odin's bite
8* Lauren's strikes - nonlethal
6* Bagguba's strike - nonlethal
53 damage + 16 nonlethal damage from 10 attacks and 3 other sources, in the first 2 rounds.

[Sønderjye]

Wuuh yeah! Trelene says as the beast fall. With an excited smile she turns to give the nearest person a high five.

Thrall is much more controlled. Do someone have a rope? he grunts as he kneels down to examine the beast. He wants to figure out how long it will be out.

taking 10 for 17 on heal.

[gr8artist]

Thrall easily evaluates the creature's wounds. The creature will likely be unconcious for about an hour, but will still be in tremendous pain and easily subdued for the rest of the day. The creature's lethal wounds aren't life-threatening, so no medical care is needed to keep it alive.

[TheFamilarRaven]

After Bagguba grunted in satisfaction after landing the knock-out hit, and turned to the other colonist.

"Yoggu sultul iba gash moka!"


"That's how it's done!"


He then walked away from the creature, as his work was done. He sheathed his weapon and left the cave, returning to work on the campsite.

After Thrall had examined the beast and requested rope, Gurgrek spoke up.

"Suuuure, we got some rope! Finest goblin rope around. One-hundred percent spider silk! Would you like some? I know you have some reservations about goblins, so of course I'd understand if you declined."

"Please tell me the only reason we knocked it out is so we can cook it alive. This creature doesn't look like it wants to be anyone's friend. Yuk-Rak said.

[Drackstin]

Hecatomb tells the group "maybe I can build a cage for it, I'll need plenty of wood though." Lauren say "I'll go get some cut, just keep that thing restrained. Anyone want to help?"

Hecatomb takes 10 on craft woodworking for a 19.
Lauren takes 10 on profession woodcutting for 17

[Sønderjye]

Thrall turns to the goblin. His face is hidden behind his spooky mask but his fist tightens and looses. He stares at the goblin for a moment before without a word, walking out the cave to let his anger out on some trees.

Trelene sends Heca a thankful look before walking over to Before he is out of the cave Trelene walks up to the goblin and squats down to have the same eye-height as Gurgrek. She hesitates for a second before speaking Thrall.. isn't that accustomed being around civilised people. He was raised.. in a harsh environment. You should know that most of us don't share his oppinion. Your light mood is pleasant and your abilities can strengthen the colony. She pauses in brief confusion, Simbah had brought out this topic last night, how did he always know There is many reasons for keeping it alive. The main two woud be knowledge about it and the possibilities of new allies. There is most definitely more of this one out there so we need to know it's perks and weaknesses. While we might not be able to tame this one then we might be able to find another and breed fierce guardians.

[TheFamilarRaven]

"Well, always nice to be appreciated. It's certainly a step above being some wizard's fetching boy..." Gurgrek responded. "Then I propose Bibi and Tukka continue to scout a bit further. They're the sneakiest goblins I know, plus we can see in absolute darkness. And besides, the last thing we need is a pack of these things -"

"- Yaggula." Yuk-Rak interrupted. "Angry beast, in goblin. It's a fitting name. And it sounds appetizing." He expalined.

"Sure, we don't want a pack of Yaggulas raiding our camp come daybreak."

[Sønderjye]

Wizard's fetching boy? She asks curiously, not sure if it's a reference to her or something else.

After having her question answered she'll continue It's a good strategy, but for the record you should remember to explain it. We don't know what your usual strategies are and while I She points at herself and says with a playful smile and a wink can read your thoughts, I'd prefer not to.

A fitting name indeed. And I agree, wouldn't want to be suprised by them.

[Drackstin]

Lauren respond to Gurgrek "I think it's good that Bibi and Tukka scount out the rest of the cave, but I don't think we should fight anymore of these tonight if we find them. The night is late, we should get some rest. We should post lookouts at the cave when we sleep."

[gr8artist]

With the plan made, two of the goblins scout down into the depths of the cave. The path is irregular, narrowing here and there, and at times almost artificial in its design... some of the narrower passages seem almost planned or designed, though the whole cave appears to be natural stone. After extensive scouting, the goblins can confidently report that there's nothing else harmful in the cave.
There's a small area littered with bones and bestial waste, the den of the Yaggula, near the cave's entrance. Deeper down, the stone no longer bears the beast's markings, though there's an interesting pattern carved into the stone. Every 10 feet or so, forming a line across the cave's width, there's a set of deep claw marks in the stone. The marks are spaced far enough apart to be easily noticeable to a prowling creature, and are several inches deep. The line seems to have been marked with urine, calling attention to the gouges.
In the deepest recesses of the cave, the stone is more dry and mishapen, oddly formed but still predominantly natural. The most interesting feature is a mass of tangled vines, covered in two-inch black thorns, seemingly growing from the stone with no source of water or other nutrients. The tangled barrier completely seals off a small tunnel in the stone, less than 5' square, small enough that Hecatomb would have to crawl to move comfortably through.

[TheFamilarRaven]

"I spent my younger days as some power-mad wizard's toadie." Gurgrek answered the question. "And like most taller races; saw goblins as a cheap and easy to control means of labor for his mines. He had some grand scheme of creating an army of golems, and taking over the world or whatever. It seemed like a great plan until some group of knights marched in and killed everyone, goblins included."

~

Tukka reported back to the rest when she returned. "Ain't much left down there! Couple o' territorial marks probably made by THIS lil' cutie!" She pointed to the Yaggula. "There are some weird, black thorns though, blocking a narrow passage. There isn't any water so I don't know how they're growing. I ain't the nature-ie type. Parts of the cave feel a little off. I've been in a lot of caves, most of'em natural. Parts of this one seem carved, or artificially formed."

If it's safe then I'll begin to scan for metal. That Is the primary reason we're here, is it not?" Yuk-Rak said, then he turned to Kassandra. "You're an alchemist too, right? While I scout for minerals, perhaps you can see if those vines hold any alchemical or magical value."

"If ya wanna see the thorny vines jus' follow me!" Tukka announced.


yuk-Rak will use his extracts of detect metal to prospect the cave for ores.

Tukka will lead other members wherever they want to go in the cavern.

Gurgrek and Bibi will return to the outside.

[esorscher]

Shayna and Walter check out the thorny shrubbery, and also take any notes they can on the creature's lair, as what they find might give insight into the creature's habits. It seems to be a solitary creature, at least.

[Sønderjye]

Trelene will go examine the thorny stones while Thrall will help build the cage.

It feels silly to examine something I aready know what is but what have you:smalltongue:

[Drackstin]

After Hecatomb finishes the the cage and hears what the scouts have to say, he becomes intrigued by the way the goblins described the cave. "I have some knowledge on buildings maybe I can see if it's man made or who might have built it, if any." Kassandra quick to respond, "Nature is a strange thing husband, sometimes it can be beautiful and very well made. I'll also come along, and I want to see this black thorn ivy too"
"You two have fun, me and odin are going to finish helping with the tents and get some sleep." Lauren replied.

Hecatomb knowledge engineering check 10+12=22 on the structure of the cave, not going into the tight areas and taking a torch.
Kassandra knowledge nature and arcane 10+11=21 on the structure of the cave and the ivy.

[gr8artist]

It doesn't take Yuk-Rak long at all to realize that the cave is practically laden with iron ore. Most of the stones contain a trace amount, but thick veins can be detected through a few inches of calcified cave stone. Various other minerals are present as well, some coal and a few scattered veins of silver, mostly found in the deeper portions of the cave.

Shayna realizes that the creature is obviously solitary. The markings in the floor are most likely a way to ward off lesser predators, and much like bears are known to do with trees, carving their claw marks as high up as they can reach. Another beast able to reach higher (or in this case, scratch deeper) knows that it is larger or stronger than the ruler of that domain, while creatures that cannot reach (or scratch as deep) are intimidated and warned of imminent danger. The creature is messy, but efficient in the way that it cleans the bones, suggesting that it doesn't hunt often. Many of the bones are broken open, revealing the marrow inside. The creature's primary resting place is behind a large stone, which indicates an aversion to light, or at least a comfort with darkness. There is a heavy, musky odor, which combined with the creature's choice in lair and bedding indicates that it likely tracks or hunts by scent. The Yaggula seems to have been napping for most of the afternoon; the ground where it had slept is still a little warm. It is probably nocturnal, and judging by the lack of adornment, it is used to sleeping in rough or hard conditions.

It's immediately obvious to Hecatomb that no known tool had crafted the walls to this cavern. Everything appeared to be entirely natural, smooth from running water or rough with mineral deposits. Despite the natural appearance and "decor" of the place, many of the walls or tunnels seem unnaturally placed, with no natural feature to warrant their origin. Had the raw stone been moved or molded in some way? or had the stone returned to its natural form after years of isolation? At this point, he could only guess, but a more thorough analysis of the walls and formations might yield better information. Perhaps someone with more extensive knowledge of tunnels, mines and caves might be able to provide insight.

The vines appear to be natural as well, though not conforming to any traditional rules for vegetation growth. They seem to spring from raw stone and bedrock as though it were soft soil, and they are lively and thriving, despite a lack of water. Light piercing the vines reveals a narrow, twisted tunnel, a cleft between two large bodies of stone. Light shimmers and sparkles inside, a deep crimson red that scatters the torchlight into strange new shapes.
The vines themselves are quite peculiar, repairing rapidly when damaged, but not growing outside their original formation. Utmost care is necessary when working with the vines, as they seem to stretch and whip when pressed, and deal harmful lacerations easily when in contact with an intruding force. They leak a blood-red sap, thinner and more watery than most any sap you've encountered before, though the sap hardens or gels quickly when exposed for a short period of time. The vines have no flowers, no method of seeding or spreading that you can see. The thorns occasionally become wedged in cracks in the stones, and seem to become clinging roots when this happens.
Attempting to move through the vines would be exceptionally painful and difficult, though they could be cut away with a bladed tool. Doing so would be time-consuming, however, as any wrong move could result in the lash-like vines striking in their tensile, elastic manner.

Outside, the camp has come together, and several of the other colonists have gathered to look at the fearsome beast. After a short time, Yangrit and her adopted son Kalan enter the cave to examine the stone. Kalan's understanding is intuitive, second nature given his bloodline, but Yangrit still takes the time to teach him the dwarven terms and phrases. Dwarven words for stalactite, stalagmite, ore vein, sandstone, etc... She points out the layers of strata visible in the larger expanses of wall, and Kalan quizzes her on their relative strengths, merits, and other qualities.
Shaira seems to be enjoying herself, drawing pictures of the Yaggula and the features of its den. She understands none of it, but finds the aesthetic aspects entertaining and delightful. With each passing hour, she has seemed more alive and excited than you'd known her during the entire voyage here.

[esorscher]

Shayna cuts a section of the vines away carefully with her dagger, and collects some of the sap as well, for further study. She also writes down everything in her notebook in her small, cramped Common script. "I'm ready to return whenever you all are."

[TheFamilarRaven]

Yuk-Rak left the cavern to report back to the rest of the colonists outside.

"Plenty of iron in there! Perfect for tools and swords! There is a bit of silver and coal too. Though I believe much of the value for this cavern lies in the iron. I recommend we send out word tomorrow that the expedition was successful."

"I concur, and this is a great spot to set up the mining quarters. We're not too far from the rocky fields, which can serve as quarry for stone. Oh I'm SO giddy!" Gurgrek finished in a silly manner.

Tomorrow I think Tukka and I will head back to the farms, I can't speak for anyone else on that matter. Yuk-rak, perhaps you should stay here and keep watch over the others."

"Heh, we won't burn everything down, I promise." Yuk-Rak smirked.

"Everyone!" Gurgrek turned to the rest of the group. "Splendid job this evening. We're one step closer to greatness!"

[Sønderjye]

Hey Yuk-Rak come over here Trelene shouts for the goblin. If he comes she'll ask one alchemist to another Do you think this red sap is potent enough to be used for potion creation?

Iron? Iron?! IRON?!?! Trelene graps someone's hands and starts dancing. This is perfect!
When she sees Hecatomb she'll hug him and tell him the great news.

Thrall is exhausted and not angry anymore. After building the cage he'll take of his mask and hang around unsure of what to do.
It is good He comments to Shaira's picture. But the teeth are longer are longer. He shows his teeth to ilustrate his point.
And it's a good idea Trelene says comming out of the cave. If we have pictures we can teach future generations about the wild-life without needing to actually see it.

Then she'll gather the goblin and the harem leader to debate the iron crafting. We are the only magic itemcrafters right? In that case we should be the ones with most knowledge. I know that both of you can create golems and I loove the idea but we have to think of the cost. Golems are very expesive, possibly we should craft less consuming first. Like ioun torches?

Appraise on 15 to know how potent(read how much worth in gp) the red sap could be fore creating potions and other alchemics.

[Drackstin]

Hecatomb ask the group."This is a great source of materials, I'm would like to ask the fellow expedition if I may build my permanent residence at the river just north of the cave. The running water would be a great place to set up a mill for my forge and I would be close enough to gather my on resources to help the colony. I can build a rail track and animate some carts to move supplies. Also the farming would be easy. This cave looks natural but it's a very odd formation, we might have to do a little more research on why it looks this. "

Kassandra shows off all her notes and drawings, and some of the map she made. "I think this is going good, we have lots of information. I'll study all I can from this place. That ivy is very interesting."

[TheFamilarRaven]

"Well I did happen to bring my portable lab along ... I'll go grab it. This plant'll either be good for potions or poison, fortunately I'm knowledgeable in both. Let's see what we can find out, hm?" Yuk-Rak accepted the sample presented to him and began his experiments after setting up his equipment.

~

"Well, I wasn't exactly planning to build my golems right off the bat. Besides, it'd be easiest to craft golems out of wood, not metal. We don't even have a forge yet, which I believe Hectacomb here is rectifying." Gurgrek responded to Trelene. "On the topic of torches, if I got nothing better to do, I could simply use sticks to make continual flame torches; probably more resource efficient... And I could probably teach you the spell. The components are simple, but the arcane energies required to cast it are in point of fact a little more advanced than a simple light spell."

[gr8artist]

The Un'drestons are elated at the presence of iron ore. Yangrit immediately begins making plans to set up tunnels and search for the choicest veins. Shalan, laughing, joins her eagerly while Oberick watches with a smile on his face.
"I's born onna' suffice, ya'see?" He looks at the wooden palisades he'd assembled that evening, and the tent and campsite he'd helped set up. "Took tae tha' grass 'n timber o'er tha stone 'n ore. My wife, though, she's true dwarf, through 'n through, with ir'n in 'er veins, an' a spirit o' diamon'. Shalan's a gift, bent tae tha' stone more'n any dwarf I e'er seen, 'n Yangrit's just tha' one tae teach him 'bout the tun'ls 'n tools."
Shaira, meanwhile, took Thrall's advice and adjusted her drawing to account for the creature's great tusks. "The Yaggula is a fearsome beast. I am pleased that no one was grievously harmed fighting it." She seems to quickly be getting over her initial apprehension toward Thrall and the goblins, and pauses in her drawing to ask him a question. "Your mask, sir... I have never seen anything like it. Does it have significance to you?"
At the mention of "future generations," Shaira's mood changes for a brief moment. The carefree curiosity she'd displayed with increasing fervor over the course of the expedition faded, revealing a deep doubt and sorrowful thoughts. Quick as the change occurred, it was undone, and she was once again the smiling artist that she had been for the last few hours.

Yangrit, upon hearing Hecatomb's plan, nods eagerly in agreement. "Fine kin o' thae Un'drstons, you lot'll bae. We'll pick 't tha bes' ore 'n gems, 'n send 'em ta' yer forge. Ya' c'n move 'at we need from tha' fork, savin' tha' hike in tha' ruddin' jungle. An' yer naut wrong; tha' cave ain' nat'ral, not all o' it, anyway. Unt'uched fer ages, though, so I reck'n no'un 'll come 'round 'n catch us digg'n at thae stones."

Evening draws to a close on the third day in the new land, and there is a giddy excitement over the camp after the day's discoveries.
1 day's worth of labor harvesting the vines and modifying their sap might yield between 25 and 50 gp's worth of alchemical reagents. It bears a striking resemblance to "blood block", an alchemical agent used to staunch bleeding wounds and help with care. The sap also has many of the qualities of blood, including consistency and reaction to most influence; it might make a suitable replacement in alchemical formulae and other requirements.

I love the dwarven accents (read it out loud in a scottish or irish accent; it's typed as it sounds, not according to proper linguistics) but they're a pain in the butt to write.
Tae is a heavily accented "to"

[Sønderjye]

To Hecatomb Wouldn't it be better to build the forge in the city. That way we could all help if say it burned, you were attacked or one of your wives had trouble during birth

To Yuk-Rak We could make a lot of potions by extracting it continouesly.

To Gurgrek Which golem are you talking about? And what spell do you plan to use on creating magic?

Thrall's face briefly flinches Don't call me sir. He takes a deep breath before answering the question. Yes it do. I.. I made it after I cut my hand off, it help me focus

after much careful reading I have deciphered most of the dwarven accent however what does tae mean?

I just read up on animated object. Oh lord it's so cool! A wagon would cost (7+5)x500=6000 which is fairly expensive but look at what it's got. +10 speed cost one singe CP and it has a base of 30 speed so even before flaws we can have it have a base of 80 ft. If we give it brittle and haunted it has a speed of 100ft. Giving it the feat run it can run 500ft each round.
According to the crude map there is roughly 3 miles between the fork and the cave. 3 miles are 5280 feet so it would take slightly above 10 rounds, so about 1 minute. Now that is a great investment.
This of course assumes a road.
Mel made those calculation but more complex and a lot of fancy and confusing words.

[Drackstin]

until late in the day of day 4 Kassandra will be help with any Alchemical research on the vines and also working on the map of the cave "this sap seems very useful, i wonder if we can harvest it, i see that the vines grow back at an alarming rate, this can be a very good thing. we should test if we can make a incision on the vines and insert tubes so the sap can drip into collectors, much like we get maple from trees. if it works, we could have a great supply of this for use around the colony."

Hecatomb having the night to mull over what he was asked to the expedition group. "i think it best to be closer to the cave, it would be more efficient for my forge to be closer to the materials, also it would be easier for movement of the larger items. i will set up a workplace in town also so when i'm needed i can help anyone there as well. anyone with the skill is free to use my shops, but i trust that if anything goes wrong i will be the first to know. if my family becomes in trouble, and there is an emergency i would only be 20 minuet walk from the fork, but i don't think i would be walking at such a time. as for the golems, i should have that covered. wood is too weak but it is abundant here, so i have a plan, if the other colonist would like to help me, i propose we make a road from the fork to the cave with my home in the middle. i can animate some carts of mine to help move materials and i could build golems to work in the cave. this would help our colony grow and become more prosperous." for the rest of the day Hecatomb will help the dwarfs set up their camp and mining supplies.

Lauren uses her skills of to help clear the area around the caves mouth, also with helping the dwarf find the best areas to mine, Odin stays close, not liking the fact that he can't tell what behind the vines when they get close to it. she takes a few samples of different metals from the cave so she can check there composition outside.

Lauren: takes 20s on all skill checks during the day making sure to do as best she can in the low stress environment.
Knowledge (Geography) 25
Knowledge (Nature) 26
Profession mining 29
Profeccion woodcutting 29

Kassandra: will take 20s on researching the vines and coming up with uses for the sap and making a map of the area. also she will try to make something using the sap.
Profession Scribe 23
Knowledge (Arcane) 31
Knowledge (Nature) 31
Craft Alchemy [roll0]

[Sønderjye]

Day 4 of the trumphet

Thrall leaves early and returns shortly with Mel who is very exhausted. After making sure that they haven't moved the stone he explains that they found another stone also sprouting stone but it lost it's magic after they moved it.

Trelene helps the Yuk-rak with harvesting the sap but is interrupted after an our by Mel. He's exhausted and takes some time to catch his breath before explaining that he was worried that they had found a stone here. They found a stone that was capable of sprouting vines and from the looks of it these are the same vines. When they moved the stone it started losing it's magical power so he wanted to be sure that they didn't do that here.

While he's explaining Thrall becomes bored so he walks outside to find Shaira. No worries, I wasn't offended He says with a friendly smile. The battle, the anger outlet on the trees and the 5 mile run with an old guy on his back had been good for his mood. His face darkens when asked about his past but he okay's talking about it later.

After giving propor instructions to Thrall, Mel will walk outside and inspect the animal.
For this one I don't need all the stats. Looking for CR, HD, speed, attacks, special attacks/qualities and strength score.
A note for future reference, is it easier to find these things on living animals than dead ones?

Trelene, Mel and Thrall will work on trying to find the stone and at the same time collecting materials from the vines until early evening. They plan to all return to camp but hearing how Shaira would like an escort for returning the next day, Thrall decides to stay.
In the evening he'll talk to Shaira about his past and ask about hers. In short he was a slave of a cruel mining company. Officially they used the slaves for the sole purpose of extracting minerals but secretly they were employing dark magic and sacrificed a lot of the slaves to asmodeus. At a point nobody was watching him and he had a chance to escape. The chain holding his right hand was rusty so he managed to break it, however the left one was too strong so he managed to get hold of a sharp stone and cut his hand off. Not a choice he regrets. Can put more fluff on this if you want to roleplay it.

[gr8artist]

Day Four, the 4th of the Trumpet

Shaira had gone to bed in discomfort the night before, and was downheartened when Thrall left early in the morning. She felt as though she had offended him or wounded him, and she was curious as to why he'd cut off his hand. She knew enough about the seedier side of the old realm to know that he seemed like an ex- or escaped slave, but didn't know enough to glean details. Thus it was that she was elated at his return a few hours later, with the fatigued Master Melvitinous... she wasn't sure how to pronounce the eccentric old man's name, but she didn't care. She waited for an opportunity to speak with Thrall.
The Un'drstons are thankful for the help of Hecatomb and his wives, and by late in the afternoon, they'd set up a strong wooden palisade, a wooden fence across the mouth of the cave, and several wooden devices and tools to help transport or reposition stone and ore within the cave. Yangrit assures Lauren that she can find suitable stone to work with, but thanks her for her help in clearing the trees around the cave's mouth. She also expresses a hope that the goblins will stay with her to keep her family company after the others have departed. Kassandra doesn't have much luck in manipulating the sap, and discovers for it no uses other than those already described. Her method of harvesting the sap slowly, without damage to the vines, works well, but the sap must be constantly harvested and manipulated or it begins to set up quickly. A day spent working, and she estimates that she's harvested and concentrated sap that could replace nearly 40 gold's worth of alchemical reagents. The Un'drstons are interested in the idea of animated carts, but don't feel that there'd be enough labor to warrant spending so much time on a project like that.
Shaira quietly approaches Thrall after he and Master Mel had searched in futility to find a stone as the source of the mysterious vines. Drawing him away, she offers a subtle apology for any slights or offense she may have caused, and then asked him if he'd like to talk about his early life, some evening when they were back with the other colonists.
She's nearly done with her map, which includes some diagrams of the path they took, the distance to the nearest water, the layout of the caves, and a few other trivial notations and landmarks. After finishing half of it, she started taking more time to do other things, and doesn't seem to be in a hurry to finish the task. She becomes good friends with Shalan, Yangrit and Oberick's adopted son, and she seems to enjoy learning about the "feel" of different stones from him. She takes a bit of time to ask Shayna a question, laughing a little at how similar their names sounded.
"I plan to stay here for a day or two more, finishing my map and trying my hand at a miner's work. I know Thrall and Master Melvin plan to return to camp soon, as do Hecatomb and his wives. I dont' know what Trelene plans; she has kept more to herself and seems engrossed in her work. If you'd like to explore the area a little longer, I'd appreciate having an escort back to the main camp in a few days."
Hecatomb and his wives left not long after that, with Gurgek and Tukka.
Bibi doesn't have much luck finding a place to dig a well, but Yangrit suggests a cistern to collect rain instead. A cistern, with appropriate rocks and minerals inside, could easily filter water, and the back face of the grassy knoll in which the cave mouth lay could serve as a large funnel to collect the water, if suitable trenches were dug. Yuk-Rak, with guidance and concern from Yangrit, blasts away a large portion of the cave wall. The rubble will yield ore much more easily than picking for it manually, and the group prepares to see how much iron they can harvest the next day.
There's an additional surprise as well. When Yuk-Rak blasts away so much stone, he reveals a thin silver vein, along with a few scattered gemstones. They're the same dark red as the stones found behind the vines, and Shalan quickly identifies them as garnets. There aren't many, and they're rough (obviously), but they seem to be of decent quality.
Shaira finalizes her plans to return when Shayna does, but isn't in a hurry and seems to be enjoying the trip.

With everything ready for a hard day's labor, the remaining explorers bed down for the night.
Day Five, the 5th of the Trumpet

When the sun rises the next morning, the Un'drstons spirits are high and they begin the process of harvesting iron, silver, and garnets from the inside of the cave. Bagguba lends them a much appreciated hand.
Bibi and Yuk-Rak work on a water-source, and dabble a little more with the strange vines and their strange sap.
Shayna, Walter, and the lady Thu'us depart in the morning, and reach the main heart of the colony early in the afternoon.
Tukka returns early in the afternoon, with a small group of colonists who've decided to make their homes in or near the cave. The Greytooths, Grom and Menissa, and their son Khalori, are the most unsure about the move, but Grom is eager to get away from the Blackhammers, and if they're planning to pass up on the ore that could be harvested from this cave, he's all to eager to prove his prowess as a blacksmith. Meidrenel begins examining the area for suitable farmland, while Jakoben Albarson takes a look at some of the stone that's been gathered, to see how easily it might be made into a workable forge or shelter.

Yangrit and Oberick Un'drston, Shalan Kessel, Grom and Menissa Greytooth, Khalori Greytooth, Meidrenel Thescian, and Jakoben Albarson.
Bagguba, Bibi, Tukka, and Yuk-Rak
Thrall Demonbane, Master Mel, and Trelene

[esorscher]

On the morning of Trumpet 5, Shayna and Walter depart to return to the Erastil farm (see post there for what they do upon their return), with whoever wishes to accompany them.

[Sønderjye]

Day 5

This are assuming that the discussion doesn't go as planned. If Simbah manages to convince the colonist to stay grouped these actions are subject to change.
Thrall will help mine the cave.
Trelene will try a test of the ingrediences they gathered the day after and will create a couple of potions.
Mel will keep looking studying the nature. If he's done he'll return to the save and help gathering sap.

Sorry for the short post earlier. I just wanted to explain why the two ran off quickly.
Mel knowledge nature on the beast [roll0]
Mel knowledge nat to gather reagents [roll1]
Mel knowledge nat to gather reagents [roll2]
Trelene succeeds on the DC 9 to create a 4th level potion with a +17 on potion crafting.
Trelene's craft(alc) to harvest alchemical reagents [roll3]
Treat Thrall as manual labor for gathering reagents.
Thrall's roll for mining is [roll4] If I can use con as attribute because it's tough labor it's another +4

[gr8artist]

Evening on the 5th day brings a welcome reprieve from the labor the colonists had been undertaking. Shaira had left after listening to Thrall, but hadn't felt quite like sharing her own story. Something about her past or present life seemed to depress her, and she avoided such subjects in an effort to keep spirits high during the expedition. Mel had been quite busy for the last two days, looking for magical stones, examining insectoid creatures, harvesting sap, and examining the cave. They'd quickly learned that the application of additional labor didn't speed up the harvesting process, which created quite a conundrum. He'd managed to discover that there was seemingly no source for the plants' spontaneous sub-terranian life, other than a slightly divine magical aura near the crevice where the garnets were found. As the mining operations continued, however, Mel occasionally noticed errant vines sprouting up about the rubble, but the vines seemed to wither quickly and never remained once the stones had been moved.
Thrall had helped the others with the mining, and between them all, a good bit of work had been done. Yuk-Rak had found time to quickly excavate some trenches, in lieu of an actual well, before returning to the cave. Bagguba had been tasked with sorting and separating the ore from the stone, and he did the job well, but noticed the same occasional vine sprouts when he left the rarer stones in one place for too long. Oberick and Jakoben were both skilled builders, and agreed to begin work on a large lodge. Rather than individual housing, the agree, a larger structure to house and protect the miners and visitors would be more suitable. They worked on the house well into the evening, and helped themselves to large portions of soup when it was time to make camp. Menissa and Khalori kept the camp well fed on the meat of local critters, mostly snakes and a badger, and helped with the clearing of trees to build the lodge. Oberick insisted on a stone floor, taking the useless stone that Bagguba was sorting and fitting it together effortlessly to make a solid, albeit lumpy, surface. Grom began work on building a smelting oven to separate and refine the ore, and Trelene spent most of her time working with the plants.

Exhausted, everyone beds down and prepares for another day of the same.

The sun rises a few hours later, heralding the 6th of the Trumpet.

The goblins help organize and direct a few of the colonists, and the temporary camp is beginning to feel almost like a little home. The lodge is coming along well, with half the floor laid out and a few of the walls partially built. They're opting for a log-wall system, which can be quickly assembled without needing the logs to be completely cleaned and cut, and can be "prettied up" later, if needed.
Excavations in the mine continue, and Grom has nearly finished his smelting oven. There's a healthy pile of iron ore, a small collection of silver ore, and a bucket full of rough garnets. Overnight, however, vines had thoroughly sprouted around the garnets, and the bucket could not be reached except by cutting them away. The vines seemed identical to the others found in the cave, and again seemed to spring up without nourishment or explanation. The alchemists quickly realized that a second patch of vines would enable them to harvest twice as much refined sap as they were previously able, but Yangrit was adamant that the dangerous vines could not be allowed to remain in the middle of the cave. If anything, she allowed, they should be transplanted to a crevice or nook more out of the way.


Trelene helps the Yuk-rak with harvesting the sap but is interrupted after an our by Mel. He's exhausted and takes some time to catch his breath before explaining that he was worried that they had found a stone here. They found a stone that was capable of sprouting vines and from the looks of it these are the same vines. When they moved the stone it started losing it's magical power so he wanted to be sure that they didn't do that here.

While he's explaining Thrall becomes bored so he walks outside to find Shaira. No worries, I wasn't offended He says with a friendly smile. The battle, the anger outlet on the trees and the 5 mile run with an old guy on his back had been good for his mood. His face darkens when asked about his past but he okay's talking about it later.

After giving proper instructions to Thrall, Mel will walk outside and inspect the animal.

Trelene, Mel and Thrall will work on trying to find the stone and at the same time collecting materials from the vines until early evening. They plan to all return to camp but hearing how Shaira would like an escort for returning the next day, Thrall decides to stay.
In the evening he'll talk to Shaira about his past and ask about hers. In short he was a slave of a cruel mining company. Officially they used the slaves for the sole purpose of extracting minerals but secretly they were employing dark magic and sacrificed a lot of the slaves to asmodeus. At a point nobody was watching him and he had a chance to escape. The chain holding his right hand was rusty so he managed to break it, however the left one was too strong so he managed to get hold of a sharp stone and cut his hand off. Not a choice he regrets. Can put more fluff on this if you want to roleplay it.
Why not move this to the post for day 4?
Yangrit and Oberick Un'drston, Shalan Kessel, Grom and Menissa Greytooth, Khalori Greytooth, Meidrenel Thescian, and Jakoben Albarson.
Bagguba, Bibi, Tukka, and Yuk-Rak
Thrall Demonbane, Master Mel, and Trelene