Noob's Tower: The Quest for the Macguffin

[RickDeckard525]

Welcome! If you guys have your characters ready, we should start with backstories and then we can introduce the characters and start adventuring.

[AvatarVecna]

Ronan Strongheart (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=599962)

Ronan was born and raised a slave of the drow; his entire life has been endless forced labor, with no end in sight. Rather than go out in a blaze of glory, Ronan bid his time, waiting for the right moment to strike. That moment came when some adventurers swept through the camp where he was interred and started killing drow left and right; with Ronan joining the fight, the drow were soon routed. While Ronan was stronger and bigger than most of the others by more than a bit, he had no real knowledge to use for taking care of himself in the world. Still, he had a strong arm, a strong heart, and a willingness to prove himself, so he ended up joining the adventurers on their quest. He tends to follow their lead and does as he's told; due to their almost-zealous respect for the dead (including their enemies), Ronan has only become more loyal to his comrades than ever, despite some of their more extreme tendencies.

Updated character sheet; looking at picking up the Advanced and Saint templates along the way.

[Fii]

Eva (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=599253)'s fascination with Death started young; very young. Eva was just a toddler at the time when her parents noticed that there was something more-than-off about her. She had been born impossibly light, had never cried, and in fact had never made a sound. She was carried in and out of every medical office in the area from cleric of healing to the half-troll shamanic witch doctor in the shack just out of town. No matter where he took her though, her malady seemed incurable, even worsening. Her father made an excursion to the elven lands, desperate to have her healed when she seemed to be in a comatose state and found a beautiful elven woman who took pity on the silent child. The elf, through a personal mastery of powerful healing magic passed down to her from her own ancestors, was able to halt but not cure Eva's condition. Eva has since grown up, but her earliest memory is not of the elf, or even her parents- it's of what she saw when she was in that coma. She saw the figure of Death, watching her with an hourglass, and she saw the sand trickling from one half to the other. When the elf used her power, a light penetrated the darkness of her imagined surroundings, and the sand did something curious: a bit of it rose, returning to the upper section of Death's hourglass. It was then that Death seemed to smirk, nodded to Eva, and disappeared as Eva awoke.

It was a short memory, but it seemed to last such a long time. She felt comfortable with his presence, not afraid of it. She understood that his job was a thankless one, and went on believing that death was a merciful fate, not a tragic one. Her obsession lead her to discover books, stories, and all manner of lore until she found the diary of a reaper. Although this book did not teach her how to follow in the reaper's footsteps directly, she learned a lot more about her deity. Most importantly, she learned about his rules, and even how to sever souls from their dead bodies so that they may be reunited in Death's embrace rather than be subject to the despair induced by being raised as an undead.

As she grew older, she learned the ways of the rogue from her father and the many facets of crafting from her mother. Eventually she left home to serve her god by tracking down those who would cast his rules aside so carelessly and correcting any misinformation regarding Death that she discovered along the way.

(OOC note that Eva has some involvement with another character's backstory, and that I haven't been able to talk to him about that specifically as he's at a halloween party. Assume that the details of that occurred after what I have presented here, and that they will be covered when he posts his backstory.)

[RickDeckard525]

OOC: (Nice! Alright, so I guess we'll wait for Morbis, and then we can start? I like where this is going—should be fun. I think I'm gonna go sleep, then. Hopefully we can get started adventuring tomorrow!)

[RickDeckard525]

I think I'm gonna make an OOC thread, too. I think we are gonna need one... Where should I put it, though? It looks like the ones under pbp are supposed to be IC

[Fii]

I think I'm gonna make an OOC thread, too. I think we are gonna need one... Where should I put it, though? It looks like the ones under pbp are supposed to be IC

( http://www.giantitp.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?21-Out-of-Character )

[RickDeckard525]

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?453089-Noob-s-Tower-The-Quest-for-the-Macguffin-OOC&p=19989663#post19989663

Thanks!

[RickDeckard525]

So yeah...

Your party has been adventuring with each other for awhile (About three PC levels). You've just completed "The Village of Hommlet", and have just been chased out of the aforementioned village for reasons that probably weren't entirely your fault. You have become hopelessly lost. You're starting to wish you still had that Ranger with you—but unfortunately he was devoured by those giant frogs right outside of the first dungeon.

It's getting dark now, and you can hear the first sounds of the waking nocturnal fauna...

[Fii]

Eva proceeds to look around for a suitable hiding place, from which she may sleep peacefully and contemplate a suitable obituary and eulogy for the ranger's impending funeral.

[RickDeckard525]

Well his body is at the bottom of the lake, but his name was Ragnar, if that helps.

[RickDeckard525]

Sorry, trying to DM in the middle of the night is weird. Of course you have to make a hide check first! We'll do that tomorrow XD.

[Morbis Meh]

Inigo muttered loudly at the midges and black flies swarming around himself, blaming Eva for attracting them due to her ever present grave stench that must be a perk from serving the primal force of death but of course they didn't bite her just him. Being chased out of the only scrap of civilization in this backwater region was embarrassing, though somewhat warranted considering he had seduced the Mayor's daughter, got drunk then beat up the girl's suitor and subsequently the Mayor until he was dog piled by the rest of the patrons. To make matters worse when he came to he was being dragged bearded cow while being glared at by his parole officer... His poor clothes they were bound to be permanently stained by the muck they dragged him through which was the fault of the hick ranger they hired to be their guide. Honestly what kind of survivalist gets eaten by a damn frog? It's not like the bloody things were subtle but the scene itself was something that would haunt Inigo until Lady Luck cashed in his chips, the sounds like a cat shrieking into wet fart and seeing the poor bugger's face pressed against that rubbery skin trying to get out.... The halfling visibly cringed at the thought, unconsciously grabbing for his mead barrel, at least the Dwow, Buarf? Minobeard whatever the hell he called himself. Feeling the steely, piercing glaze of that Damn Dame, Inigo stopped himself from actually having a drink, he would have to sneak it whenever she decided to sleep or relieve herself Wait have I ever seen her do any of those things...? Inigo resisted the urge to shiver at the thought of the creepy human. To keep his mind off of things he began singing a diddy that he was making up on the spot to keep his mind off of all the terrible things that had befallen him since Death's taskmaster decided to enter his life.

"Oh, there once was a ranger named Ragnar the Red
Who came riding to Hommlet from ole Dragonshead

(pause)

And the coward did glower and whine night'n day
As Eva dragged him from hunts and that one ugly fey

(longer pause)

But then he went quiet, did Ragnar the Red
When that cursed death obsessed Eva, who said;

(shorter pause)

"Oh, you b!tch and you moan and you drink too much mead
Now I think it's high time that you get up and lead!"

(pause)

And so then came tramping and scamping of boots
As the dumb @ss ranger charged us into the woods

(pause)

And the coward named Ragnar was boastful no more-
When the ugly frog pulled him off of the shore!"

[Fii]

*Hide check* [roll0]

Eva raised a brow, overhearing the particular lyrics of Inigo's choosing. As he continued his song, she debated whether to react in the slightest. Well, she decided, she wasn't going to sleep with his racket going on anyway. ~May as well amuse myself.. ~ she though, pulling out a miniature but fully functional piano and resting it across her lap. He'd been singing long enough, she knew the tune, so she gently pressed the keys.

*Perform check* [roll1].

[RickDeckard525]

Over your music, you can hear a shrill noise that defies description. Suffice to say it makes your blood curdle. A quick peek from behind the bushes reveals an unholy aberration of scales and feathers; a creature that is at once avian as well as reptilian. It waddles towards you, but it does not seem to have noticed you yet. It straightens its long, snake-like neck, and opens its sharp beak, revealing the tongue of a snake. It hisses loudly, and the surreal din evolves to a "BA-KAAWWWWK". It flaps it's wings, although it is of course unable to fly due to it's heavy mass of scales, and emits a screech that does not lend itself to any category of known beast.

It stands on one leg like a flamingo—brandishing it's sharp talons... or claws or whatever the hell they are.

[Fii]

Eva ceases playing her piano, and hides, preparing to ambush the beast.

Hide check: [roll0]

[RickDeckard525]

Cockatrice are not known for their hearing, and this one was making such a racket itself, that it seems to be oblivous to your presence.

The creature unleashes another cacophony of unnatural sounds that sets your teeth on edge.

[AvatarVecna]

Unsheathing his combat shovel, Ronan kept his eyes locked on the enemy, still as a statue.
Large, small Dex bonus, no stealth training whatsoever. Should I even bother trying to hide?

[Morbis Meh]

The loud and rather annoying squawking caused Inigo to stop singing, not standing for such disrespect for his vocal genius the halfling follows suit with his captor and attempts to sneak up to the thing to shut it up. Given the fact it was making such a racket the wandering gambler assumed it wouldn't take much of an effort anyway and began planning a flashy intro with an inspiring and fabulous one liner before silencing the beast for good. It didn't matter no one was watching because the GODS were always watching and maybe after they bear witness to such combat prowess and flare they would bestow upon Inigo good fortune.

Stealth roll [roll0]

ensuing initiative roll [roll1]

Edit: He will also be entering his Pugilist Stance

[RickDeckard525]

So, umm... are you gonna attack? You have the surprise round

[Fii]

From my hidden location, I further conceal my dagger to make certain the beast will not see it coming. Then I signal the others to strike with me, as we would have (as a party, sometime prior to this event) worked out a series of signals given that I am mute (I also have missive at will, via item, if it is necessary). Then, with the others, I strike. [roll0] [roll1] (Note that if the attack hits, as I'm using underhanded, it will deal the following as damage: ) [roll2]

*EDIT*: I forgot to add 2 to SoH from my dagger, and also to add the flanking bonus. Add the flanking bonuses on TOP of the above, meaning it's a 16 to hit.
*EDIT2*: I was confused about whether I needed to charge. Morbis suggested I needed to in order to reach the beast, so assume I charge as well given that I would obviously not attack something that I haven't reached. Thanks a bunch.

[Fii]

*for next round* [roll0]
(Sweet, nat 20 initiative)

[Morbis Meh]

Inigo rushes the hideous looking creature aiming to break its loud and obnoxious face with his fists!

Surprise round action: CHARGE! He can only go 30 feet but who cares!

to hit [roll0]
damage [roll1]
pugilitst stance damage [roll2]

[RickDeckard525]

So Vecna is grappling a tree...

You both rush in on the unsuspecting creature, and bash it repeatedly and purposefully. It whimpers and promptly dies.

As you sheathe your weapons and begin to celebrate your easy victory, you hear some rustling coming from the trees above. Three more of the scaly creatures swoop down on you!

If you still had that Ranger (or if anyone had bothered to take a knowledge check before rushing into battle with an unknown foe), you would have learned that this particular variety of cockatrice travels in packs! They are also typically friendly unless provoked, but it's too late for that, now. They were just minding their own business and waddling south for the winter, but you've killed one of their brood, and the only thing that will satisfy them now is your blood!