[IC] Crypt of the Everflame

[theasl]

4th of Neth, year 4709

The sun shines bright over the town of Kassen, though it's not particularly warm outside. Normally, the town square would be bustling with activity by now, but today, it's empty save for five solitary figures (and a cat). Of course, you all know why. Over the past couple days, Mayor Uptal came to you, one by one, with a message: this year, it's your turn. Your turn to follow in his footsteps, of Ekat's footsteps, of all of those who have taken the sacred pilgrimage to the Crypt. And so here you are, just as he told you to be, in the eerily quiet town square, waiting for the noon bell to ring and for your quest to commence.

Presumably you've all seen this done before, so you know that people will start arriving after noon. Anyways, feel free to go back to what you did earlier that day before arriving here (preparations, talking to family/mentors, etc.) and/or talk to each other in the square for a bit if you want, but I'll move on pretty quickly.

Date corresponds to 4 November 2009, the year the module was published, in case you were interested.

Link to OOC thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?554843-OOC-Crypt-of-the-Everflame)

[Kallor]

Ulmarr was not normally an impatient man, Olmira had managed to drill that much into him, at least. Even so, he was starting to get a little fidgety with anticipation. Alas, it seemed that as always, the waiting was the worst part of any challenge.

“Should be almost time by now, no?” he asked, in an effort to break the silence.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

In the middle of the pack of the young folk waiting to undertake the journey to the crypt stood a young woman, tall by human standards but only average by elven ones. Her face, although rather plain, was home to a pair of bright green and intensely focused eyes, framed by shoulder-length blonde hair. She was dressed in rather plain and rugged clothing, fit for the frontier, in the form of a grey jacket and trousers. Beneath the jacket lay a suit of studded leather armor, and a plain, unadorned longspear was slung across her back.


https://static.zerochan.net/Yukihiro.full.195575.jpg

The young woman, a half-elf by the name of Yeshana, looked to Ulmarr as he spoke.

"Based on the position of the sun in the sky, yes, although the bells have yet to ring... So no-one's late. At least, not yet, anyway. There was that one time during the Harvest Feast when Short Change glued the mayor to his dining room chair and that ended up delaying things for a full half-hour while they tried to get him free without ruining... Right, sorry, I'm rambling again."

Fidgeting slightly as she went silent, Yeshana tapped her foot awkwardly for a few seconds before turning to one of the others next to her, a young man with a cat winding around his ankles. She smiled, somewhat awkwardly, but at the same time with a warmness that spoke of a familiarity between the two.

"So? What did I tell you? The day's arrived, and here we both are."

Rolling Knowledge (Local) to see what sort of things we would know about the trip to the Crypt.

[roll0]
LoM: Yeshana cricked her neck as she attempted to make herself comfortable. It was a very slow day, and with nothing much to do in the front of her father's shop, she had once more retired to the back room in the company of one of the few people she could truly call a close friend - William, an aspiring wizard. They were sitting around the dining room table, his spellbook and her fomula book open as they attempted to discuss the finger points of arcane matters.

The emphasis was on attempted, as Yeshana found herself unable to concentrate fully that day, for a variety of reasons. Chief among them, however, was a rumor she'd heard circulating around town that concerned her, as well as a few of the other young folk of the town. Unable to concentrate a second longer on the correct proportions of saltpeter, she rubbed her bright green eyes and looked over to William, peeking at him from beneath her blonde bangs. He had also been acting a touch strangely.

"Are you well, William? Ever since you've come by today, you've had a rather nervous frown about your face. And you keep glancing at me and then looking away suddenly when I catch you."

hb3: William did not have red hair. It was dark, like his father's. So were his eyes, come to think of it. Sometimes he hated that, that he looked in the mirror and could see his father. He had always been resentful of the man for what he had done - the details of which were still unknown to most everyone, even if he had told Yeshana a few things about it over the years. None of the Big Stuff, he wasn't ready for that sort of Deep Talk. But he had told her before how much he hated that he looked like his dad. He wished he had his mother's red hair.

But, despite not having a fiery mane, he had, it seemed, inherited the red-head's genetic ability to start blushing furiously at the drop of a hat. It was something he'd been teased about before, how he was so easily flustered and embarrassed. That was part of the reason why he had always been so socially awkward, he wasn't that great at dealing with people. Yeshana, though... she was different. They understood each other on a level that other people of their age didn't. They were both much more interested in study than socialization, and while neither of them were really in the business of making friends, they both had their quirks and oddities that sort of hinged together in a way that made them quite close friends.

And so, Yeshana would know that Will blushing like this probably didn't amount to much. Probably. He got flustered so easily! If his papers blew away in the wind, if he couldn't pick something up that every other boy his age could, if he looked to closely at the way the sunlight glinted off of Yeshana's golden hair...

Damn it, he was doing it again!

His gaze snapped up to his friend's face, before he glanced away once again. He'd never been good with eye contact. But around Yeshana, it hadn't been this bad for... years. "You are as observant as ever, Yeshana," he said. "And, er, thank you. For asking after me. It's just... nothing, really. I have heard some things around town and I was just... wondering..." he trailed off. It wasn't an entire lie. He had ears, he listened to rumors, even if he made it a point to avoid taverns. But that hadn't been the reason why he was taking extra time to glance over at his friend today. That, too, was the sort of Deep Talk he was nowhere near ready for.

LoM: "So you heard the rumors too, huh?" Yeshana yawned, stretching her arms up as she worked out the kinks from her tired body. "I have to admit, I was surprised when I heard the mayor's planning on having some of the young folk make the trip to the Crypt this year. It's been quite a few years since he did that last."

"Of course, the real biggie is that I heard a rumor my name got put forth, and possibly yours as well. I mean, that part came from 'Short Change', but he is usually fairly reliable. Until he's had about four ales. And come to think of it, he had had five already when I was talking to him. Then again, more beer does have an antinhibitory effect, so the real question would be whether or not he'd crossed the line into making drunken fabrication or... sorry, I'm babbling again." Yeshana blushed slightly - although one of the things she liked about William was that he was non-judgemental about her tendency to ramble, it was still embarrassing to fall into the habit.

hb3: Will listened attentively as Yeshana spoke. He didn't keep his eyes on her, because of the aforementioned struggle to keep eye contact with people. At least, partially. Somewhere in the middle of her rambling, a small ginger cat hopped up on the table where they were keeping their books and spread herself out on one of the open pages, rolling onto her back and looking at Will expectantly. He reached over and tickled the fur under her chin softly, a faint smile on his face. "I'm not surprised that they mentioned you getting to go in," he said. "I mean, you're quite brilliant, of course, and of the right age, and all. But... me?" he gave a small shake of his head, thinking of his bad back, and other weaknesses. "I struggle to believe that."

All the same, Will couldn't help but think that it would be a great opportunity. To participate in something so integral to the town's history, and have their own little part in its posterity... the idea thrilled him, honestly. He thought he might just slow down any group going in, but he wasn't sure if that outweighed his desire to participate. Instead of saying that, though, he looked back over to Yeshana. "What do you think?" he asked. "If you were given the chance to go... would you?"

LoM: "Well, given that -" Yeshana's reply was interrupted as she spotted that Dodi had joined them, and she immediately began to coo over the familiar. "Kiiiitty! Magical fat fwuffy kitty! Who's an adorable magically bonded kitty! You is! Oh, yes, you is!"

Immediately, Yeshana began to scritch Dodi under his chin and behind the ears, then, realizing that William was still watching, stopped mid-skritch, turned beet-red, and sat back down.

"Um... Yes, well... As I was saying, given that the whole thing is viewed as a rite of passage for the young men and women of the village, and I need that sort of validation if I am ever to be allowed to strike out on my own and find my mother without there being unnecessary hubbub, yes, I do plan on going. This will be a good chance to see how I and the others fare out in the wild, away from home's comforts. And speaking of the others..."

Yeshana scooted closer to William and laid her hand gently upon his shoulder.

"You really shouldn't sell yourself short, William. While it may be an undeniable fact that your strength is below average, you are the most intelligent person I've ever met, and that is an objective fact - more so than I am. I mean, look at you." Yeshana gestured to his Spellbook. "You have all of these spells that you can cast, you can even do them upon other people, and you possess keen knowledge about all sorts of things... That alone makes you valuable to have on this sort of thing. Myself..." Yeshana played with a vial in her fingers. "My own magic can only affect myself, and I still know only a scant few formulae. I'd be lying if I said I did not feel a touch envious of your intellect, at times. But then I have to remind myself to be grateful. It feels..." She looked at him with a smile. "I'm not sure what I'd do if I didn't have a friend like you. Someone I can share my interests with, and doesn't run off when I start babbling about the latest Adrian Poirot copper dreadful. Speaking of which, have you read the one yet where she's in that caravan going to Galt and then sorry, sorry, shutting up now."

hb3: With anyone else, William would have shied away from the touch to his shoulder. He'd never been good with physical contact, it just wasn't what they did in his family. He didn't quite understand how it could be an act of affection, and he could probably count on one hand the number of times in his life that he'd been hugged. But it didn't bother him, really - hugging just wasn't a part of his love language, and he didn't understand that sort of communication. Certainly, his mother loved him, but it wasn't expressed with touch. No, there were too many negatives around touch because of his father. And because of that, William had always been wary of a hand approaching him, especially so near to his face.

But this was Yeshana, and he knew and trusted her, and so he didn't mind. He neither leaned in to or away from the hand resting on his shoulder. As she spoke, one of William's typical, soft smiles appeared on his face, tugging his lips upwards into a bright expression. It was less from the praise about his intelligence - really, he'd heard those compliments all his life from his mother. While it was still something new to hear from other strangers, and he did like to hear it, it was Yeshana's other words that was drawing the expression. "You're a good friend to me, too," he insisted, and there was, for once, nothing but surety and confidence in those words. He spoke them without his typical reservation and hesitance. "Pretty much my... only friend," he said. And then, of course, would be the time Dodi decided to hop right at William, jumping up to his shoulder and settling around the back of his neck, hanging there like a scarf and purring. William laughed. "Well. You and Dodi." He straightened the books on the table which his cat had knocked over with one hand, using the other to scratch his cat's ears. "And... no need to shut up. I haven't had time to read it yet. Tell me about it, please?"

LoM: Yeshana couldn't help but grin excitedly as they shifted to a topic of interest. The future travails of the trek to the Crypt now forgotten, she delved straight into the here and now, enjoying time with her companion.

"Right. So, I don't want to give away too much, but Adrian finds herself traveling up from Taldor to Galt to deliver an important message, when the caravan she's travelling with gets stuck in a mountain pass. As they're waiting for the attendants to clear the rockslide, one of the other travelers, a wealthy nobleman who had insulted her earlier, turns up dead! So, Adrian has to question all the other members of the caravan, who appear to have strange connections to the noble, to try and figure out..."

[hannahbbug3]

William didn't think he'd ever seen the town this quiet in the day time. Usually, it was only ever this quiet in the wee hour of the morning, when all sane people were in bed and William... well, William would be reading by candlelight. His mother used to scold him for it, tell him that he was going to ruin his eyes by reading by the false light. But that didn't exactly stop him from keeping company with no one in particular except the town when it was most quiet.

And, well, the girl he was standing beside. William wasn't really a person known for his kindness, he really came off as rather quiet and awkward to people who weren't his friends, and that list was very, very short. But the other young folk nearby would have known that one of the people on that very, very short list was Yeshana. Will had been standing there quietly, the hood of his grey cloak drawn up and his arms wrapped around his spellbook as he waited for something to happen. But he animated a bit when Yeshana spoke to him, and a rare smile appeared on his features. "I don't really believe it," he returned. "Though I am quite... excited, I think. I'm glad to be able to participate. And I'm glad they're letting Dodi come, too," he said, indicating the ginger cat twisting around his feet. At the mention of her name, the cat mewed and put her forepaws up on William's knee, asking to be picked up, and he obliged her. Kneeling down, he let her climb up his arm and hop up onto his shoulders, where she settled there comfortably. As Will straightened back up, Dodi reached out and pawed at one of the long strands of Yeshana's golden hair, playing with it. Again, that faint smile returned to Will's lips, even as he took a small step away so Yeshana's hair wasn't in Dodi's reach anymore. "Sorry."

[theasl]

Rolling Knowledge (Local) to see what sort of things we would know about the trip to the Crypt.

Hmm. Most of what is known about the trip is public knowledge, but I'll try my best to include some useful bits that Yeshana could have gleaned from previous experience and conversation with people that have been there. Most of the exposition hasn't happened yet anyways, so there will be plenty more info coming up.

It takes about 2 days to travel one-way to the crypt along a well-worn path, and the quest usually takes 5 days total. Many older townsfolk have left earlier to go to the crypt to set up some tests - nothing dangerous, just simple tricks and traps (though they don't tend to discuss this around kids, in case they are chosen to go when they're older). The wizard Holgast comes down to send off the travelers every year, and it's rumored that he goes out and does something as well; however, he's usually cooped up in his tower on the outskirts anyways, so not seeing him around town isn't too unusual. The rest of the townsfolk come back a day or two after the group has returned. Upon returning, there's a massive celebration and harvest festival, the last of the year.

[Kvard51]

Donnal stood with the group, waiting for instructions, or whatever the wizard had in mind. He knew it was an honor to be chosen for this task, and his thankfulness to the people of Kassen guaranteed he would accept the honor. But he was starting to feel like he had spent enough time here. There was a burning need in his breast, placed there by Dranggvit he was sure, to visit vengeance upon undead abominations for what their kind had done to his brothers. He fingered his holy symbol, a pair of picks, crossed, made of iron. As he did so, he whispered an oath, the same oath he had voiced everyday since he had woken up in Kassen. "Ye wull be avenged, mah brothers. Ah wull nae forgoat ye. By Dranggvit's hound..."

Turning to glance at the others, Donnal saw no one he knew. He had seen them all around town, but he tended to spend his time around the older men of the town. He decides to introduce himself and break the ice between them.

"A'm Donnal. Chuffed tae catch up wi` ye. Wha micht ye be? "

[Kallor]

Donnal stood with the group, waiting for instructions, or whatever the wizard had in mind. He knew it was an honor to be chosen for this task, and his thankfulness to the people of Kassen guaranteed he would accept the honor. But he was starting to feel like he had spent enough time here. There was a burning need in his breast, placed there by Dranggvit he was sure, to visit vengeance upon undead abominations for what their kind had done to his brothers. He fingered his holy symbol, a pair of picks, crossed, made of iron. As he did so, he whispered an oath, the same oath he had voiced everyday since he had woken up in Kassen. "Ye wull be avenged, mah brothers. Ah wull nae forgoat ye. By Dranggvit's hound..."

Turning to glance at the others, Donnal saw no one he knew. He had seen them all around town, but he tended to spend his time around the older men of the town. He decides to introduce himself and break the ice between them.

"A'm Donnal. Chuffed tae catch up wi` ye. Wha micht ye be? "

Ulmarr hesitated a moment, a bit thrown off by the man's somewhat unfamiliar manner of speech.

"Name's Ulmarr," he responded, hoping that he had understood the dwarf correctly.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Sorry to nitpick, but generally speaking, quoting the entirety of a post when it's directly above yours is redundant. If you insist on doing so, you may want to consider editing the quote down to just the dialogue, or putting it in a spoiler box.
Yeshana looked toward the dwarf as he introduced himself - she had, on occasion, seen him around town, but she had never spoken to him personally.

"Yeshana. A pleasure."

[theasl]

Before the last figure gets a chance to speak, the bells atop the Temple of Erastil start tolling, twelve times in total, echoing throughout the quiet town of Kassen. As the peals begin to fade, the first of the townsfolk make their way into the square, dressed in black, as if attending a funeral. They slowly fill the square, moving quietly across the cold, hard ground, their eyes downcast and mournful. After a few moments, a murmur passes through the crowd as it slowly parts to let Mayor Uptal through. He leads the way with a tarnished silver lantern. Behind him, an old pony drags a cart laden with backpacks and supplies.

Once he reaches the center of the crowd, Mayor Uptal stops and calls out to the assembled townsfolk. “Once again the winter winds blow through the Fangwood, marking the end of another harvest. There are wolves in the woods, howling at our walls, and serpents in our shadows, waiting to strike. Just as it was one hundred and seventy-four years ago, when Kassen himself left these walls to protect us, so it is today." Turning his gaze to the group, he continues: "Where are the heroes? Where are the brave folk that will venture out to Kassen’s tomb and retrieve the flame to keep this community safe for another winter?” He pauses, eyes still locked on the five youngsters, waiting for them to approach.

[drayen]

The hitherto silent elf raises his head to meet the eyes of the mayor. He takes a step forward and in a clear voice he announces, "I am Kathidrel Cuarba and I will go into the tomb of Kassen and bring forth the flame to keep this community safe for another year." His platinum blond hair blows in the small breeze while his overly large eyes sparkle in a violet hue. His mismatched leathers are no one color, but all of the various colors are natural browns and greens. His armor has vines running around and through it each with large sharp thorns. On his shoulder rests a shortbow similarly covered in thorns and his bracer also sprouts wickedly curved thorns. He carries a spear unusual in that it has several more heads irregularly spaced behind the head at it's top.

[hannahbbug3]

Will had been considering the merits of introducing himself to the dwarf when the bell started to toll. When the mayor approached, even his cat seemed to stand at attention, having hopped off of his shoulder at that point and gone back to standing by his ankles. When William stepped forward, standing as straight as he could, Dodi came with him. "I am William Borowick, and I will go into the tomb of Kassen and bring forth the flame to keep this community safe for another year."

[Kallor]

Ulmarr took a step forward, "My name is Ulmarr,and I will go into the tomb of Kassen and bring forth the flame to keep this community safe for another year," he stated.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

It seems a touch redundant to say all of that versus something more efficient, but... well, when in Absalom.

Yeshana stepped forward.

"I am Yeshana, and I will go into the tomb of Kassen and bring forth the flame to keep this community safe for another year."

[theasl]

Kvard hasn't posted yet, but I assume that the response won't be dissimilar from yours, so this would all happen after whatever he does.
"Mmm. Very well." The mayor has a twinkle in his eye as the youngsters that he picked out step forward. Signalling his aides, who bring forward four packs and hand one to each of the group (except Ulmarr), the mayor continues, speaking in a quieter voice so that only those immediately around can hear: "May these supplies help you in your quest. And, here, a travel aid." He pulls five ripped-up pieces of parchment from a pocket, giving all five one piece. "Make sure you work together, for the trials you will face cannot be overcome by any one of you alone. Now, which one of you is to have the honor of carrying the lantern?" He gestures to the old silver lantern still sitting on the now-empty cart.

You receive a backpack with 5 days of rations, a small tent, a winter blanket, a full waterskin, 50 feet of hempen rope, and a grappling hook. In addition, here is your piece of the map:
http://i.imgur.com/JJPAuLV.png (https://imgur.com/JJPAuLV)
You receive a backpack with 5 days of rations, a small tent, a winter blanket, a full waterskin, and a labeled potion of cure light wounds. In addition, here is your piece of the map:
http://i.imgur.com/8G9vhvD.png (https://imgur.com/8G9vhvD)
You receive a backpack with 5 days of rations, a small tent, a winter blanket, a full waterskin, three torches, and a box containing tinder and three tindertwigs. In addition, here is your piece of the map:
http://i.imgur.com/MDTwKEB.png (https://imgur.com/MDTwKEB)
You receive a backpack with 5 days of rations, a small tent, a winter blanket, a full waterskin, and a small bottle of local brandy. In addition, here is your piece of the map:
http://i.imgur.com/8IO0fnu.png (https://imgur.com/8IO0fnu)
Here is your piece of the map:
http://i.imgur.com/7AOcfbT.png (https://imgur.com/7AOcfbT)

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Yeshana received her pack from the mayor gratefully - she had, of course, brought her own supplies, but she was not about to turn down spares. Even with what she knew about the quest they were about to partake in, who could say whether or not something would go wrong, and they would need those extra things?

Looking over her fragment of the map, she looked to the others.

"Shall we cast dice to see who gets the honor? It seems that would be most fair."

My proposed method of determining who carries the lantern is to roll a six-sided die:
1) Donnal
2) Ulmar
3) Yeshana
4) Kathidriel
5) William
6) Reroll

[hannahbbug3]

William hadn't realized that they were going to be given more supplies. He had already packed his things so carefully, making sure he had everything he needed while still being careful not to break his back. All the same, he took the extras and the map. He looked over to Yeshana at her proposal, and gave a small nod.

[Kallor]

"Sounds fair enough," Ulmarr stated, examining his piece of the map before safely stowing it away.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"And 3 of 5 means majority rules. Luckily, I think I have a die somewhere on me..."

Yeshana dug into her pockets before producing a six-sided die, casting it to the ground.

[roll0]

And another roll just in case it comes up a 6: [roll1]
Looking at the die, then to the mayor Yeshana spoke.

"I shall carry the lantern."

[Kvard51]

"Guid oan ye, lassie. Sideswhich, that'll keep mah shield arm free."

Donnal shoulders his pack and turns to look at the others. "Ur we duin tae goo, or whit? "

[theasl]

Mayor Uptal nods as the dice is thrown and the result decided, then hands the torch to Yeshana. As Donnal turns to leave, he signals the young dwarf to wait with a hand motion, saying with a chuckle, "in a moment, in a moment". Turning back to the crowd, he announces in a more somber, serious tone: "I present to you the brave heroes who will follow in Kassen’s footsteps to retrieve the Everflame! Some of them may not return, but I say to you that their sacrifice shall not be forgotten. Go, brave heroes, and do not return until you have the eternal fire". With that, the mayor points to the south, the direction of Kassen’s tomb. The townsfolk, including almost all of the mentors around town and your family members (if any), begin waving goodbye with cold, solemn looks on their faces, though a few struggle to hide their joy and pride.

Lord Of Mantas, you totally rigged that roll somehow, didn't you :smallwink:

The "solemn" ceremony is just for show, even if some kids like to tell wild tales about the deadly traps and ferocious monsters that abound on the journey. There hasn't been much in the way of injuries in the last few decades, and no deaths that anyone can remember.
Anyways, you may leave immediately, or spend a little time talking to the adults before you depart.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

As the band of flameseekers made their way out of town, Yeshana stopped beside her father, Alfred, who was among the onlookers.

"Do not exhaust yourself overmuch, father. If all goes well I should return in 5 days."

[Kvard51]

Donnal stops at Mayor Uptal's urging, but is clearly ready to be on his way. He's seen his companions around town, but doesn't know any of them. A bunch of misfits and loners, if he remembered correctly. Perfect partners in a team-building exercise, what?

"Aye, th' waiting is ower. Smooch yer mithers 'n' faithers 'n' let's be oan oor wey!"

[Kallor]

Ulmarr stopped by Olmira. "Well, looks like we're headed off," he said with a small smile, his face full of anticipation, "We should be back in a few days, and, I'm sure by then I'll have a few good stories of my own to tell," he added happily.

[theasl]

As the group passes through town to the south, the town is completely different than how it had been just minutes before - packed with onlookers waiting to see off the "brave heroes". Alfred, Olmira, and anyone else that can get close enough offer words of encouragement, but the noise subsides as the band makes its way out of town and out of sight into the forest. For the next few days, life returns to normal, well, relatively normal, in Kassen.

About 2 hours later...

As the group heads southward through the farmland surrounding Kassen and into the Fangwood, the road quickly turns from a large, well-trodden path to a little-used mountain path, though it still bears wagon trails and other marks of recent passage. As the path winds through the trees, with their golden leaves strewed on the ground and crunching noisily underfoot, the forest gets denser and denser. As the group turns a corner, a fallen tree trunk looms up ahead, blocking the path. Suddenly, three snarling figures leap up from behind the log, all with greenish skin and fearsome tusks, bellowing vulgar challenges!

Fight! No map for this one, because I'm lazy.

Kathidrel, Donnal, and Ulmarr are up; enemies are flat-footed.

Kathidrel [roll0]
Yeshana [roll1]
William [roll2]
Donnal [roll3]
Ulmarr [roll4]

Orcs [roll5]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana


*** In the hours leading up to the encounter... ***

As the party began to wind its way down the well-worn path through the forest, Yeshana cleared her throat and addressed them when she was sure they were out of earshot of the town.

"Before we fully get underway... I have confessed that I was unsure whether I should share this so as to have the experience remain authentic, but I believe information wants to be free. I have heard, through a fairly reliable source, that every year, many of the older members of the village go out to the crypt ahead of us. Once we arrive at the crypt, there will be a series of tricks and traps for us to navigate - nothing lethal, of course, but it is meant to be a challenge. I bring this up so as to let you all not be blindsided, but I would urge you all to try and remain in the spirit of what it is meant to be. Think of it as a live-fire exercise, if you will, a chance to prove our mettle in a controlled environment without the risk of dying outright. And I would also not worry overmuch about our good mayor's comments regarding not returning - last I knew, there have been only a few injuries on this trip in the last several years, and no known fatalities."


*** Meanwhile, back in the present... ***

Taken aback by the sudden appearance of Orcs, Yeshana remained startled and shunted onto her back foot, taken by surprise. The lantern jangled against her body from where she had attached it to her pack.

I know it's not my turn, but it appears the others are taking a bit, so I thought I'd keep the momentum up. As it happens, Yeshana has Orcish as one of her known languages. What are these guys saying?

[theasl]

I know it's not my turn, but it appears the others are taking a bit, so I thought I'd keep the momentum up. As it happens, Yeshana has Orcish as one of her known languages. What are these guys saying?

Thanks for trying. Anyways, since Paizo obviously isn't going to print profanities, real or imaginary, and I don't feel like coming up with Orcish swear words, let's go with:
"GRAAAAAR!"
"COME AT ME, ****ER!"
and
"KILL THEM ALL!" :smallbiggrin:

[Kallor]

Ulmarr suddenly doubles in height and attacks the nearest Orc with his quarterstaff.

Using growth domain's Enlarge power as swift. We doing our own rolls? Well, in case we are:
Attack roll:
1d20+3
And, if successful, damage roll:
1d8+6

[Kvard51]

Donnal swings his axe into position as he moves to stand between the groups. He stops just out of range of the orcs and intones a prayer to Dranggvit, calling his blessing forth on the allies Donnal stands with.

Draw Dwarven Waraxe as a free action, Move to within 30' of the orcs, but stop to keep all allies within 50'. Cast Bless. +1 Morale Bonus to Attack and saves against fear for all allies w/in 50'
Cast

[theasl]

Hanging back as far as she can, Kathidrel draws her bow and shoots an arrow at an orc, hitting it square in the face.

attack (thornbow vs orc 1) [roll0]
damage (thornbow vs orc 1) [roll1]

Ulmarr's strike misses, as the orc he tried to hit ducks behind the fallen trunk. Unfazed by the attacks, the three orcs climb over the tree and savagely assault the first thing they see, scoring horrifying hits on both Donnal and Ulmarr.

orc 1
attack (greataxe vs Ulmarr) [roll2]
damage (greataxe vs Ulmarr) [roll3]

orc 2
attack (greataxe vs Donnal) [roll4]
damage (greataxe vs Donnal) [roll5]

orc 3
attack (greataxe vs Ulmarr) [roll6]
damage (greataxe vs Ulmarr) [roll7]

round 2 - everyone can go now! :smallwink:

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Not even two hours into their journey, and they had been beset by orcs. Orcs, of all things!

"Me and my big fat mouth! I should have known! Things always go wrong in the stories whenever they say it should be simple!"

Noticing that two of the orcs had ganged up on Ulmarr, Yeshana maneuvered toward them, attempting to position herself so that she flanked one, then attacked with her longspear.

Yeshana will move into range of one of the orcs attacking Ulmarr (note that she has a reach weapon), positioning so that she has a flank if possible. Shen then attacks!

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Kallor]

Ulmarr attacks the orc that Yeshana had flanked.



Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Kvard51]

Taking a defensive stance, shield up at the ready, Donnal steps back to protect himself. He uses the spell energy he had prepared this morning to heal himself so he can continue the fight, again calling on Draggvit for power.


5' step away from the orc who attacked him. Spontaneously cast CLW, burning Enlarge Person for the slot to do so.

[roll0] healed.

[hannahbbug3]

William had been enjoying the walk through the woods. The crisp fall air was nice, and it felt more like a stroll out in nature than any grand undertaking at this point. He was sure it would sink in, eventually, that they were doing something important, and that it would become more of a challenge, but he figured that time would come after they'd camped at least one night.

Seemed like he was wrong.

As the others sprang into action, Will hurriedly unslung his crossbow, loading in a bolt as the orcs attacked. Dodi jumped off of William's shoulder, where she had been riding along, to scramble up a tree, out of the way for the confrontation and hopefully unnoticed by the orcs. William lifted his bow, focusing on the magic energies in the air and channeling them into the tip of his bolt before he fired.

First things first, stealth roll for Dodi! [roll0]

Using the Arcane Strike feat to make my crossbow a little more powerful! And if the orcs happen to have DR/Magic, this'll overcome it.

[roll1]
[roll2]

[theasl]

Kathidrel fires at the last orc, missing and sending her arrow into the forest canopy.
attack [roll0]
damage [roll1]

[theasl]

Yeshana's strike flies wide, but Ulmarr and William land heavy blows, dropping two of the orcs. The remaining one moves up to attack Yeshana, but she catches it unaware with a quick blow of her spear, and it falls down, dead.attack [roll0]
damage [roll1]attack [roll2]
damage [roll3]

As the group stops to catch their breath, the orc corpses and any wounds they sustained suddenly begin to fade - it becomes clear that what they've been fighting has been an illusion all along. A figure steps out of the bushes, which you all instantly recognize as Holgast, the mysterious wizard from town. "Very good, very good, well done!", he says with a smile. "Now, this is usually the part where I fly away, invisible, but..." Turning to Kathidrel, he says: "You're needed in town, young one. Armana herself requested that I come get you...something about a real orc raiding party to the north. I can't be bothered with such things, but it seemed important to them." The elf seems to hesitate a bit, but then agrees. "If Armana needs me..." He goes to gather up the arrows that he spent, lying on the ground where the orc images had been, then returns. Turning to the group, he says, "Good luck. I'm sorry that I won't be able to finish this quest with you." Then, back to Holgast: "I'm ready to go."

Feel free to add some parting words, then we can continue.

All damage is healed (or, rather, never existed in the first place). Kvard, you get back that cure spell that Donnal used on himself too. (I don't think this follows any kind of written rules if they even exist for this but neither does the encounter and I'm feeling generous :smallbiggrin:)

Also, since Kathidrel is leaving, let's retcon the gear and say that Ulmarr got the 50 feet of hempen rope and a grappling hook instead.

[hannahbbug3]

"Yeshana!" William called out in fear as he sees the orc charging at the girl. His fingers fumbled to load another arrow into his crossbow, and his eyes were wide and his heart was racing as the orc raised its wickedly sharp weapon...

Don't mind me, flavor text :smallredface:

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Everything happened in the space of seconds. Thankfully, as it turned out, Donnal and William had been able to succeed where she could not, and her second strike had found greater purchase. The adrenaline was still pumping through her veins when Holgast revealed himself, taking Kathidriel with him. The revelation of an orc raiding party would have normally fazed her, but Yeshana was too busy chuckling over the truth.

"Okay. For what it's worth, Holgast, you got me good."

She then turned to her friend, a reassuring look on her face. "I am fine, William." She looked to the others. "Is everyone alright?"

[hannahbbug3]

William had a horrible blush on his face when he realized it had been little more than a prank - a test, he should have realized it would be a test, he had studied how to see through illusions, but the books always made it seem much easier than it had turned out to be in practice... and he had just showed how easily spooked he was to the others, too. Screaming like that when he saw an attack being made on his friend... his fingers were still shaking a little bit. He couldn't imagine what his reaction might have been if one of the orcs had come at him. Figments or not, William had never responded well to situations like this, and he was very obviously shaken.

He tried to hide it, though, putting his back to the others as he moved over to the tree Dodi had climbed. She jumped down into his arms, purring and nuzzling at his face to calm him down a little more.

[Kallor]

"All good here," said Ulmarr, hiding his annoyance with the wizard and his silly wizard shenanigans. Turning to Kathidrel, he said,"I'm sorry to see you go so soon. Good luck with the orcs. The real ones, I mean," before adding with a smile, "But, I’m sure we'll see you back in town soon, with some good stories for each other!"

[theasl]

Holgast beams at the group's dismayed reactions to his test. "Move on now, you've still got a lot of ground to cover. We'll be going now." With that, he and Kathidrel set off back towards town while the remaining adventurers carry on towards the crypt.

After another few hours of travel, the group comes across a large clearing in the forest. The trail here widens again before splitting into two. The right path continues on in roughly the same direction you've been travelling, and it looks to be well-cleared-out even as it plunges back into the dense forest on the other end of the clearing. The left path more closely resembles the small forest trail where you met Holgast. At the fork stands a sign, with an arrow pointing to the left. Both show signs of recent use. Which way do you go?

[Kallor]

"I suppose this is where we put together that map?" Ulmarr suggested, figuring that would probably be the best way to go about this.

[Kvard51]

Donnal intones a quick prayer to Dranggvit for direction, then sets about inspecting the area, including the sign and clearing edge. Casting the contfrip that all priests learn by rote as their first prayer, he seeks the afterimage of magic, having learned his lesson from the battle with the "Orcs".

Detect Magic, concentrating on it until he inspects the entire clearing edge and sign, unless interrupted.

Spellcraft if he locates any spells in effect: [roll0]

[hannahbbug3]

William nods to the suggestion, bringing out his piece of the map from his pack. "I can put them together easily enough," he says. "I mean... if you all don't mind letting me see them. I figure working together would be the best thing."

[theasl]

There is no magic in the area.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Yeshana produced her own piece of the map. "Allow me to assist you, William."

[Kallor]

Ulmarr took out his own piece of the map and offered it to them.

[theasl]

With all pieces of the map presented, the group is able to put the full picture together fairly easily:

http://i.imgur.com/C3d2pM9.png (https://imgur.com/C3d2pM9)
Armed with this new information, the group proceeds down the correct path. The rest of the day passes relatively uneventfully. Soon, though, the sun dips below the treeline, and a cold winter wind begins to rattle the bare branches of the forest. The only evidence of civilization left in sight is the path beneath your feet.

Since everyone can make the DC 10 Survival check to follow the map by just taking 10, there's no need for you to roll that - unless you want to get lost. :smalltongue: Either way, please roll a Survival check to find a suitable campsite once you decide to rest - though I'm not expecting you to fail this one either.

[Kallor]

As the sun set, Ulmarr suggested, "Perhaps we ought to stop and rest for the night. No sense in stumbling around in the dark."

After all, even with the ability to see somewhat better than most, visibility would likely soon be a pain, and it was not as if they could push on through the night and expect to reach their destination in any kind of decent condition.


[roll0]

[hannahbbug3]

William was certain he grew tired before the rest of the group, but he kept his mouth shut until someone else mentioned making camp. When Ulmarr suggested they stop, Will was pretty quick to jump in with a "yes, I agree." He was glad to have proven his worth at least a little bit in putting together the map, though he hadn't carried it. He'd let the person marching in the front of the group handle that duty. And William certainly wasn't in the front. At most points, he had been walking in the rear of the group, having a bit of trouble keeping up with the others after his back had started to ache after the first few hours of walking. But he didn't feel in danger, walking in the back. Dodi had ridden on his shoulders the whole way, and he had been confident that, if trouble had approached them from behind, she would have warned him of it.

He started to look around in the areas immediately off the trail to try and find a suitable place to lay down his pack and toss out his bedroll.

[roll0]

[theasl]

With a 20+ roll already, no sense in dragging it out. Now would be a nice time to stop and eat and such, I'd guess, unless you want to starve...:smallbiggrin:
There are many small clearings nearby when the group decides to stop and find a place to camp. In fact, the forest seems to be thinning out again - it seems like you're nearing the lake. Within minutes of searching, though, Ulmarr finds an ideal camping spot - a clearing, comfortably large and flat, surrounded by bushes and trees on three sides, with the opening facing towards the trail. There is plenty of firewood in the area, should anyone wish to start a campfire, and a small stream running nearby.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana


*** After an unspecified amount of time spent setting up camp... ***

Striking her flint against the steel, Yeshana sent a flurry of sparks flying into the mess of twigs and dried leaves that the group had collected as a firestarter. As the mass caught fire, she carefully added larger and larger sticks, the fire building in intensity as it drew closer to being able to set the logs themselves ablaze. Once she determined the fire was of a sufficient intensity to survive on its own, she leaned back and luxuriated in the heat, chewing absentmindedly on a stick of jerkey.

"So... our first night here on the road. How's everyone feeling?"

[Kallor]

"Well enough," Ulmarr responded, "Yourself?". After all, it was hardly his first walk in the woods, though, it had likely been his most eventful thus far. He found himself a spot to sit, took out some food, and started eating as well.

[Kvard51]

Donnal sits by the fire, running a whetstone over his axe. Looking up at Yeshana, he tilts his head, "Ah dinnae cop tae ill, considering ah wis clove by an orc th'day. Howfur aboot ye?"

He looks at her intently, waiting for her answer.

[hannahbbug3]

William sat in silence by the fire, having placed himself down beside Yeshana almost immediately. He offered a shrug to his friend's question; he figured he was doing well enough. He didn't seem to be slowing the group down at all, which was a positive if he could ever think of one.
He seemed more intrigued, however, by their dwarf companion. More precisely, his accent, which William was having a hard time understanding. "Donnal," he spoke up suddenly. When he realized that he'd interrupted the conversation, his face flushed a little bit in embarrassment, but he continued speaking. Not in common, however - he switched over to speaking dwarven, figuring he'd probably have an easier time of understanding the dwarf in his native tongue. And if William didn't make the first step, how would Donnal even know he spoke Dwarven? "You fought well today," he said, his Dwarven fluent and unaccented. "You seem to have no fear of fighting. I take it this wasn't your first time?"

[theasl]

As the sun sets and the group chats around the fire, they start hearing the sound of howling wolves in the distance...all except William, that is, who is too focused on his Dwarven conversation.

Continue chatting, if you'd please!

As an aside - the DCs in the early part are laughably low; it's difficult to make it feel scary (as the module suggests) if everyone's passing them by 15+. Well, except this one. :smalltongue:

[Kallor]

"Sounds like wolves," Ulmarr commented, growing alert, but otherwise seeming quite at ease. After all, they'd surely have to be a rather desperate bunch to trouble a decent sized group like theirs.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Looking to Ulmarr and Donnal, Yeshana replied.

"Well, I won't lie, the business with the illusory orcs nearly gave me a heart attack, but to the wizard's credit, if they wanted to give us a gauntlet worthy of a coming of age ceremony, they certainly succeeded. And I think we did relatively well, honestly - obviously Donnal got the brunt of the attacks, though, so we might want to put our formation so that no one of us gets too exposed on future fights. Not that there should be any real ones, if the rest of this expedition holds true, but better to practice while we're relatively safe rather than get caught in a real one and learn the hard way. But to properly answer the question, I am doing well. Feet are a bit sore, but that's to be expected. I'm sure I'll get used to it."

As the wolves howled in the distance, Yeshana perked her pointed ears.

"Based on my offhand knowledge of wolves, they are unlikely to attack humans unless they are either rabid, or have been provoked while hungry or defending territory, so we should be fine. Even so, we will likely want to keep the fire going, and post a watch. I'll volunteer to take the first one, if that's fine with everyone."

[Kallor]

"Sure, I can take second," Ulmarr offered.

[Kvard51]

Donnal looks mildly surprised at the young human's knowledge of the Dwarven tongue. "I was very rusty, and it showed. The wound I took would have likely been fatal had the orcs been real. We will all need to improve as a unit before we enter a real battle, of that I am sure."

[hannahbbug3]

William smiled faintly as Donnal answered. He was having a much easier time understanding the dwarf when speaking Dwarven, rather than in his heavily accented Common. "I wish I could have been of a little more use. I'm always so slow. But at the very least, I have a little bit of medical knowledge... no real healing magic, but should you take another scrape like that, I will probably be able to stop the bleeding," he said. He looked up at the howl of wolves, and Dodi scurried over to jump into her master's lap. "I can take the last watch. I need to get up early to review my spells, anyways," he told the others, though the howling made him look pretty uneasy.

[theasl]

Since y'all seem mighty quiet after hearing them wolves...
As the conversation continues, everyone except Ulmarr, who's busy...say, tending to the fire, start hearing a rustling noise coming from the direction of the road. Looking out that way, several of you see one of the aforementioned wolves, which turns tail and starts to run the moment it notices that you've noticed it. What do you do?

[hannahbbug3]

Between the two of them, it's Dodi that has more of a reaction to the wolf than William. The cat, friendly as she seems to the members of the party, bristles and hisses as soon as she sees the wolf. She leaps off of William's shoulders and chases the wolf as far as the treeline in the clearing, hissing and yowling as the wolf flees. She seems intent on letting the creature know that the party (specifically, her human) isn't unprotected. Will gets to his feet and follows after his tiny familiar - really, she's so small, even for a cat - and scoops her up hurriedly, taking her quickly back to the safety of the fire despite her growling.

[Kallor]

Ulmarr watched as the wolf fled, gripping his weapon, but disinclined to go chasing wolves alone in a dark forest, "Well, I expect we might be seeing more of those," he guessed, now more alert.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Yeshana frowned and looked in the direction that the wolf had gone, but did not leave her seat.

"Keep your weapons handy. Usually they don't get this close to men - we may need them."

[theasl]

As the sounds of the fleeing wolf die down, the forest returns to quiet, with only the crackling fire and the whirling wind blowing around the trees and fallen leaves. It's getting late, with the waning moon rising high in the sky through the branches. After waiting a few minutes, you're reasonably sure that the wolf is gone, though who knows if it - or its companions - will be back, and when...

:smallwink: Nice to see you're all genre-savvy :smallbiggrin:

[Kvard51]

Donnal keeps his axe at hand as he prepares his bedroll for the evening.

"Wake me up if th' wolves come back. A'm a bawherr o' a light sleeper, efter a'."

[theasl]

After about 30 minutes, Yeshana starts hearing a familiar rustle in the undergrowth. Looking out, it seems like the wolf is back, along with two buddies, and they don't look too friendly.

I'll let you decide if you've gone to bed yet or not. Yeshana is of course still awake, and her perception beat all three stealth (as did Dodi and Ulmarr, if you're still awake), so they don't get the jump on you. Everyone beat their initiative as well, so party's turn.

Terrain and positioning: you're in a roughly 30 ft x 30 ft (6x6 square) clearing surrounded by dense undergrowth and trees, which let's just treat as impassable because I'm lazy. There's a 15 foot (3 square) entrance to the clearing from the road. You can be anywhere you want within the clearing, it probably won't matter much. The wolves are nearby on the road, let's say within 10 ft of the entrance, for the first round. If there's anything else you want me to invent, let me know in discussion.

Yeshana [roll0]
William [roll1]
Donnal [roll2]
Ulmarr [roll3]

wolves [roll4]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Yeshana's eyes narrowed as the brush rustled, and the wolf appeared once more - this time with an entourage.

"Fine, that's how you want to play it? That's the way we'll play it. Everyone, to arms!"

Cocking her left wrist, a small vial of purple liquid dropped into Yeshana's hand, and she threw it back, uncorking it in a single move. As the liquid slid down her throat, Yeshana began to grow, and grow, and grow, until she was twice her height. Her longspear at the ready, she then readied herself for their attack.

Swift action to release extract of Enlarge Person from her spring-loaded wrist sheath.
Standard action to drink.
And I forgo my move action as charging in at the wolves seems a bad idea.

[Kallor]

A very much still awake Ulmarr got to his feet, holding his quarterstaff, and he too swiftly doubled in size, before casting a spell on his staff.


Using the growth subdomain's enlarge power for a swift action enlarge person, then casting shillelagh on my quarterstaff. As such, AC should now have fallen to 14, CMD rises to 16, and I got 10 foot reach. In the event that I get to make an AoO against some wolf charging through one of my threatened squares, I now got +4 to hit, 3d6+7 for damage.

[hannahbbug3]

Presumably I still have the spells from "yesterday," since I haven't prepared new ones yet for today? Or are those spell slots lost because Will went to sleep?
William awoke feeling his heart picking up speed in his chest before he even knew what was wrong. Dodi was awake, and she had her back arched and she was hissing, so the wizard was pretty quickly able to deduce that something was wrong, even if his eyes took a moment to adjust to what was going on, and to see the wolves in the clearing. He worked his way out of his bedroll and Dodi jumped up onto his shoulders as he started to quickly load his crossbow.

Figuring it takes the full round for him to stand up and load his crossbow.

[Kvard51]

Donnal was at his bedroll saying prayers to Dranggvit when the others suddenly started growing in size. Standing up while continuing to pray, Donnal too grows to more than twice his size. He moves out in front of Yeshana to take advantage of the length of her spear, rawing his waraxe as he goes.

[theasl]

The wolves snarl as their prey prepare to defend themselves. Two of them hold their position, hesitant because of the party's sudden growth, but the leader charges forward. Yeshana tries to hit it with her spear, but misses; the wolf tries to snap at her legs, but she pulls out of the way easily.

Yeshana AoO attack (longspear - 15-20 ft reach) [roll0] (I messed up, should be +3 for 8, still misses)
Yeshana AoO damage (longspear - 15-20 ft reach) [roll1]

wolf 1 attack [roll2]
wolf 1 damage [roll3]
two 1s, really wolf?
party up

[hannahbbug3]

William looks honestly as shocked as the wolves do as literally every one of his acquaintances doubles in size, and he grits his teeth a little bit. If that was going to be the way they fought, maybe he should prepare that spell, tomorrow. Not that he could make the best use of it, he wasn't meant for front line fighting, but he could cast it on others, as well, if that was what they preferred. And aside from that... being the smallest one in the group sort of made him a squishy target, didn't it? Would it make wolves - or more intelligent foes, if they faced them - go after him, if they saw him as the weak link?
He was getting distracted. Always doing that, always focusing on the wrong thing whenever a tense situation like this came up. His hands shook under the pressure - the fact that he might get harmed was unnerving him - but he managed to lift his crossbow, imbued it with some of his magical energy, and fired at one of the wolves that had hesitated. Maybe a little pain would spook them into retreating, even if their Alpha persisted.
On his shoulder, Dodi was hissing angrily, tail poofed and looking nearly twice her normal size - like everyone else in the group except William. She would stay with her master, but if a wolf approached her human, she would lash out with her claws.

[roll0]
[roll1]

Dodi is going to ready an action to leap into the face and claw any wolf that tries to bite William.

EDIT: Aw man, stupid rolls. :smalltongue:

[Kvard51]

Stepping around the wolf that attacked Yeshana, Donnal attacks it from behind.

+2 Strength, -1 AC, -1 Attack, 10 ft reach

Waraxe [roll0] for [roll1] slashing damage

Crit Confirm (if needed) [roll2] for [roll3] slashing damage.

[Kallor]

Figuring that if they could quickly take down the leader, the rest might screw off, Ulmarr would charge the wolf that had attacked them. If the wolf attacking Yeshana was dead, Ulmarr would instead charge one of the two remaining wolves.


Burning another use of enlarge + charge action against either the wolf attacking Yeshana, or, if its dead, one of the two other wolves.
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Hefting her spear, Yeshana moved into battle, moving if possible to flank any remaining wolves, then stabbed forward with her longspear. Reaching into her mind, an inspiration struck her, and she went for the ribcage...

A move action to flank any of the surviving wolves if they are not yet dead, then attack.

Attack: [roll0] +2 if flanking. I will also expend an immediate action and 2 points of inspiration to add [roll1] to my attack roll, for a total of 14 (16​ if flanking).
Damage: [roll2]

[theasl]

William's bolt misses, flying into the forest on the other side of the road. As Donnal moves around to attack, the lead wolf snaps at him as well but misses (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=23031110&postcount=100); he dispatches it with one blow. Ulmarr moves up and strikes down another, while Yeshana barely misses the last one. Yelping in surprise, it turns and runs.

Withdraw (so no AoO). Wolf is now 100 ft north along the road.

[hannahbbug3]

William pulled his lower lip in between his teeth as his bolt missed, his heart sinking a bit. At least the wolves were on the run - but a lot of help he'd been in fighting them! He lowered his crossbow and sighed through his nose, looking up to the others. He was sure that, if they wanted to pursue the fight, they'd be all right. At least, once the wolves were gone, he could probably try to get his bolt back. Dodi was always good at finding such things.

[Kallor]

"Bloody wolves," Ulmarr muttered, as he shrunk back down to a more normal size. It was, perhaps, not the most druidly of sentiments, but really, the idiot creatures had decided to attack a larger group of rather large people, at some point, natural selection was going to kick in.

Disinclined to go chasing after the last one in the dark, especially considering how much faster the wolves were, Ulmarr turned to the others, "Everyone alright?" he asked, seeming on the whole not too shaken by the event.

[theasl]

Once you're sure that the last wolf isn't coming back, Dodi finds the bolt easily and returns it to William.

I'll let you have it back out of pity :smalltongue:

Also, completely forgot about this ><
The wolves' extremely thin bodies indicate that they probably haven't eaten in a long while - there isn't much food in the winter to begin with, and the large contingent of townsfolk moving through the forest to the crypt certainly didn't help things.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Yeshana nodded, also shrinking back to her original size. "I am fine, at the very least. This happened a bit fast but based on what I saw I think we killed them before they could sink their teeth into any of us."

The half-elf yawned.

"I am utterly bushed after that. Would you mind taking over the watch, Ulmarr?"

[Kallor]

"Yeah, sure. Get some rest, gods know what we'll run into tomorrow," Ulmar said, finding himself a spot to sit as his watch began. Their first real battle seemed to have gone well enough, and he supposed he had at least proven himself to be capable enough. Perhaps not having an animal companion was no great loss after all, especially if all such creatures were as hopeless as those wolves. Then again, in fairness, they couldn't have been in the best of shape either.

[theasl]

Thankfully, the rest of the night passes without incident, though the mournful howl of a lone wolf in the distance startles the watch-keepers a few times. In the morning, the group continues onward. After a short while, the trees thin out, revealing a field of short, green grass that leads to the shores of a wide, calm lake reflecting the overcast sky above. A dense fog hangs over the center of the lake, obscuring the far side. Near the shore of the lake, a dark form lies next to the water - what seems to be a human body.

Feel free to go back to what you do in the morning (like preparing spells) before continuing on to the lake.

Possible checks on this corpse: Perception, Knowledge (local), Heal. I'll try to make these more clear, since you may have missed some (non-critical) information in previous places.

[Kallor]

In the morning, Ulmarr would prepare his spells and such.
---
"Well, you've met with a terrible fate, haven't, you," Ulmarr muttered upon seeing the body. He examined the area and cast a detect magic spell for good measure, considering that they had already run into magical weirdness once.


[roll0]

[hannahbbug3]

William, having taken the last watch, has plenty of time to prepare the spells he wants to bring along. It seems as though they may be facing more combat than originally expected, and so he revises the spells he has prepared with that in mind.

-

When they come up upon the body, William's features go the slightest bit pale, and though he takes a moment to steel himself, he approaches, taking a look over the corpse and seeing if he can determine the cause of death.

[roll0]
Hopefully having ranks in heal won't turn out to be useless!

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Yeshana's hand went up to her mouth as she saw the corpse, but she quickly recomposed herself. Kneeling beside William, she attempted to assist him in determining the cause of death, as well as looking over the body carefully.

Aid Another (Heal): [roll0] vs DC 10
Perception: [roll1]
Knowledge (Local): [roll2]

[theasl]

While investigating the corpse of the dead man, Kallor finds no magic, but does spot a masterwork short sword nearby, which the man probably used in a futile attempt to defend himself from whatever did this to him. Meanwhile, the rest of the man's equipment and clothing seem to have either washed away or rotted away, but Yeshana finds a pouch containing 87 gold coins - they seem newly minted, likely from the capital Tamran, with the likeness of the leader of Nirmathas imprinted on one side. Yeshana also doesn't think she's ever seen this man around town, and what is left of his clothing indicates that it was likely mass-produced in a large city, not homemade like those worn by most of the townsfolk of Kassen. Considering the condition of the corpse, William and Yeshana guess that the man has been dead for about 3 months, and whatever killed him left huge bite marks across his upper body as well as a strong venom that has deterred scavengers from eating his remains.

Examining the area around, the road that you've been on since the fork the previous day continues away from the lake to the south, while a small trail in the field heads east along the southern side of the lake.

Forgot to put it up in the big, pretty letters, but it's now day 2, the 5th of Neth. I'll try to remember in the future.

Loot/XP sheet (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10QIs_jVyJLPsg9BLGTYttbONxrIWmIT-HOqNOXeMQ6Y) (also linked in the 2nd post of the OOC thread).

I'm still adjusting and experimenting on how much information I should give, so the next combat will probably look pretty different from the last few (not to mention that we'll be getting to the mapped areas soon!)

[Kallor]

Ulmarr picks up the short sword, looking at it with a bit of disdain. Valuable, maybe, but it was not really his style. He walked back over to the rest, "Well, it's a nice enough blade, but I doubt it did this poor bastard any good," he said, holding up the sword, "Found anything out about him?" he inquired curiously.

[hannahbbug3]

William stands up as soon as he's done looking over the body, hiding his nose in his sleeve and breathing through his mouth. Three months of rotting did not make a very lovely perfume. "Some sort of creature did this, but it was a long while ago. Three months, maybe," he says. "Whatever it was, it was quite big. See the bite marks, there?" he asks, indicating them to the others. "Imagine how big something with jaws that size is..."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Yeshana joined in. "And whoever the man is, he's not a local. I've never seen him around town, and his clothes look like the mass-produced items you would see in larger cities, not the handmade ones you find out here in the country. And his coin is newly minted, too - he may have been from Tamran, the capital. Also also, whatever bit him was venomous; we saw signs of it in the bite marks."

Yeshana stood up. "We have a little time to spare, I think, and it seems a bit callous to simply leave his body here to rot. Does anyone have a shovel?"

[Kallor]

"Afraid not, and besides, if there's something this big going around killing folks, I'd think that we had best refill our waterskins and be off, in case whatever it is happens to live here and decides to take a bite out of us next," Ulmarr suggested grimly, as he examined the bite marks.

"Also, anyone feel like using this?" he asked, holding up the rather nice short sword which was more or less unusable to him.



Dunno, can we use Know. Nature to identify what made the bite marks? In case we can:

[roll0]

[theasl]

Sure, why not. In combination with Yeshana's previous know (local) check:

There are legends around town of a large sea serpent that somehow made its way to the lake, probably when it was very young. Nobody has ever claimed to see it, but there are stories of animals being found with giant poisonous bite marks around the lake - mostly half-eaten. This find would seem to lend an air of credibility to those legends.

[hannahbbug3]

William gives a slight shake of his head. "A shovel isn't something I thought we'd need..." he murmurs, reaching back to scratch Dodi's ears. She's perched on his shoulders again, half-dozing.

[Kallor]

"Heh, so those stories about a sea serpent were true after all," Ulmarr commented, looking up from the bite marks. Yes, it looked like he'd certainly have a story to tell Olmira when he got back.

"Well, in that case, we really should look at moving on from here," he stated, not particularly inclined to meet any sea serpents today, especially as this one had seemingly managed to reach out onto land to kill someone. Or at least, he doubted the dead man had been going for a swim.

[Kvard51]

Donnal joins the others looking at the body. "Ah dinnae ken whit murdurred him, bit it hud a richt muckle geggy, that's fur sure."

Kneeling down beside the corpse, he set about trying to discover some meaning in the wounds.

Perception [roll0]
Heal [roll1]

[theasl]

Donnal joins the others in examining the body, and he reaches the same conclusions as the others.

Sorry for moving things along without you, Kvard - I've been adding posts once a majority (3/4 in this case) have commented.

Everyone ready to move on?

[Kallor]

Yeap, I'm ready to move on.

[theasl]

Leaving the lake, the group travels south for about 3 hours. The trail plunges back into the depths of the Fangwood, through a twisting maze of old, gnarled trees and confusing ravines. The weather makes the journey even more miserable, as a cold rain begins to fall halfway through the journey. As the trail tops a small rise, a broad valley spreads out before it, the opposite side of which looks like a writhing serpent. Before you lies a steep hill sloping down into the valley. A cold rain starts to fall, making the ground slick and treacherous. Looking at the map, the entrance to the Crypt appears to be in the valley.

The slope will take about 30 minutes to climb down. You can choose to slow down and double the time in return for a +2 on the following acrobatics checks. You'll need 3 acrobatics checks to make it down; if you fail a single check, you'll need to make a reflex save. Let's do these one at a time, so could everyone give me a single acrobatics check and a reflex save (in case it's needed)? Feel free to help each other, use ropes or climbing gear if you have it (both give a further +2 on the acrobatics check, not stacking), etc.

[hannahbbug3]

Will stares down the gap with trepidation, worrying at his lip for a moment. It's steep, and with the rain, he doesn't imagine it'll be easy to get down. "...does anyone have a rope that we could secure to something up here?" he asks, unsure about taking the incline by himself.

[Kallor]

"I got rope and a hook," Ulmarr stated, getting the rope and grappling hook out and looking for a way to secure it, "I'd suggest that we take this slow, and whoever feels that they are the weakest climber go in front, that way, less chance of them taking everyone else down should they fall."

[hannahbbug3]

William takes Dodi off his shoulders and sits her down, watching as the small cat descends about twenty feet along to survey the way ahead. Will wishes she was clever enough to tell him where some good footholds are, but knows they haven't reached that level of communication yet. Still, William feels a little bit better having his cat go ahead a bit - if she spots anything dangerous, he'll be able to alert the others.

If it matters, she does have scent, as well.
[roll0]
At Ulmarr's suggestion, William nods. He sort of figures he's the weakest climber, being that, by the look of it, everyone else seems to have a bit more upper body strength, but on the other hand... if Donnal slips in that heavy armor of his, it would probably knock all of them down, while he himself... well, he could probably take out Yeshana if he slipped, but he doubted someone of his stature would knock either of the other young men to the bottom. "Would you mind going first, Donnal?" William asks, switching to Dwarven. "You've got the most protective gear. If someone or something nasty is waiting for us at the bottom of this cliff, I'd feel much better if you were there to greet it, rather than me or Yeshana," he says.

[Kvard51]

Donnal nods his head in agreement. Speaking to the party at large, he says, "That mak's sense. Forby, if ah fall ah will roll a' body ahead o' me up in a muckle metal baw."

Once the rope is set up, Donnal heads down the path, working his way to the bottom slowly.

Climb [roll0]

[hannahbbug3]

William lets both Donnal and Ulmarr go down ahead of him, but then he starts down the rope, moving as carefully as he can.

Including the +2 bonus for going slowly.
[roll0]

[Kallor]

Ulmarr proceeds carefully.



Acrobatics
[roll0]

Reflex
[roll1]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"I've also got rope."

Yeshana began to set hers up, putting knots in the rope in intervals.

"If you put knots in it, like this, it acts as a makeshift handhold. Helps you keep your grip better."

Once everything was set up, Yeshana then made her way down the hill.

Going quick, since I actually have points in climb.

Climb: [roll0]

And if I make down successfully, I will attempt to help one of the others at random, based on who is having trouble.

Aid Another: [roll1]

[theasl]

With the ropes set up, the party begins to slowly make their way down the hill to the bottom of the valley. Yeshana, Ulmarr, and William make it down the first third of the hill safely, but Donnal loses his footing in the mud and begins to slide down the slope. He's able to catch himself on some rocks to the side of the trail about halfway down, but he takes a hard blow from them while he's trying to stop.

Donnal takes [roll0] nonlethal damage and only needs one more acro/reflex check to make it down. The rest of you still need two.
Dodi doesn't see anything of note, nor do any of you if you look down while climbing (passive perception 20).

[Kallor]

"You alright?" a mildly alarmed Ulmarr called down to Donnal, as he continued his careful progress.



Acrobatics

[roll0]

Reflex

[roll1]

[hannahbbug3]

William flinches as he hears one of the others fall, casting a glance over his shoulder to check on Donnal. He seems all right enough, and so Will returns his focus to climbing down the rest of the way.

[roll0]

[roll1]

I'll roll reflex on OOC if I need to.

[Kvard51]

Donnal picks himself up, brushing the mud off his armor as best he can. You can hear him grumbling under his breath, and are glad you can't quite make out what he is saying. He grasps the rope and begins the last part of the descent, stepping carefully to avoid a repeat of his fall a moment before.

Acrobatics: [roll0]

Reflex: [roll1]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Satisfied that Donnal was alright, Yeshana continued her descent.

Acrobatics: [roll0]

[theasl]

Donnal reaches the bottom more or less intact, though earlier and with a bit more mud on him than everyone else due to his slide. The path continues on around a bend and out of sight, but it seems safe and relatively level, at least compared to the hill you just went down.

The other three continue to make their way down, without incident so far. It'll take them another 20 minutes or so to to make it to the bottom (since William is going super slow).

Good, boring second set. Hope for a good, boring third too. Donnal can do whatever, you're nearing the crypt but it's not exactly around the corner.

[Kallor]

Ulmarr continues his cautious descent. At least if he wound up falling now, he could tell himself that he was not the only one.



Acrobatics:
[roll0]

Reflex:
[roll1]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Yeshana continued to descend at a steady clip.

Acrobatics: [roll0]

[theasl]

The remaining three make it down the cliff safely, though William almost slips near the very bottom. After gathering all of the gear (and cat), they proceed onward through the gorge. The path grows smaller and smaller as it winds through ever narrower passages until you reach a dead end, where you see an archway of stone. Moss has overgrown many of the details, but one is still quite clear. The keystone of the arch is carved with a flame symbol with a stylized rune in the middle. Beyond the archway is a darkened tunnel that leads to a pair of massive wooden doors, one of which is slightly ajar.

A pair of horses and a trio of ponies lie slaughtered next to the archway, each corpse still tied to a post set into the ground nearby. A swarm of flies hangs lazily in the air above them.

Perception checks, please. You can roll other things too, but I may or may not have anything for them. I'm going out to dinner now, will be back soon-ish.

[Kallor]

"Well... that's unpleasant," Ulmarr commented, casting detect magic and looking around.



[roll0]

[hannahbbug3]

William presses his nose into his sleeve once again upon seeing the dead animals, and, as he had done with the body from earlier, he approaches the corpses to try and identify a cause of death. Dodi keeps an eye on his back as best she can.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Yeshana's stomach turned in on itself, and her hand went to her mouth.

"...either the illusions are getting very convincing, or something else is going on here. And I sincerely hope it's the former, because the alternative is that this training exercise has just turned into the real thing."

Perception: [roll0]

[Kvard51]

Donnal Walks around the area, searching for evidence of what actually happened. He pauses to look the animals over thouroughly, examining the wounds on each one.

Heal [roll0]
Perception [roll1]
Survival [roll2]

[theasl]

The wounds are the beasts are fresh - they were inflicted 2, at most 3 days ago, with what you guess were either crude blades or perhaps claws. There don't seem to be any human remains on first glance, but you do notice some seemingly human bones sticking out from under one of the horses. In addition, you find some leftover supplies that were in a saddlebag on one of the horses - 2 days' worth of rations, a pair of large pillows, a quiver with 10 arrows without arrowheads, and 2 pints of lamp oil. The scene is eerily quiet other than the light patter of rain, and there doesn't seem to be any danger here. Whoever or whatever did this either left or went into the crypt; the rain has washed away any footprints.

edit: forgot, and can't find a good place to fit it in, but there is no magical aura here.

Well, we lost our archer, but in case anyone decides to craft a bow or something: the arrows aren't a standard item; they deal damage as a normal arrow but nonlethal.

Str check to move the horse to get a better look at the bones. also Str check to open the door, once you're ready. also, since we're entering the mapped area: once you decide to try the doors, I'll want a marching order! finally! :smallbiggrin:

[Kallor]

Ulmarr took the rations, may as well, they might need the extra food. He then looked at the human bones under the horse.

"Looks like someone's remains under this one," he said, "Might be worth checking out. Someone give me a hand?"



[roll0]

[hannahbbug3]

William didn't offer a hand, knowing that to even try would probably put him in more pain than it was worth. So he just got out of the way of the others. He moved over to inspect the door, looking for any traces of blood, or anything that hadn't been washed away by the rain that would tell them if danger awaited inside.

I'm assuming same perception check as before. :smallredface:

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"Allow me to assist you in this."

Cricking her shoulders, Yeshana ambled over to the horses remains.

Strength Check: [roll0]

[hannahbbug3]

This is only if William doesn't see anything on the door that seems dangerous.
After giving the door a once over, and seeing the others otherwise occupied, William decides to try and be at least a little bit useful. He takes a small step back from the door and lifts his hands, held together like he's praying. "Open," he whispers, unfolding his hands like he's opening a book, casting the simple spell upon the door to give them a way inside.

Open/Close cantrip. Only opens unlocked things, so if the door is barred, this won't work.

[theasl]

Inside the small, covered entrance are plenty of footprints that haven't been washed away by the rain. There does seem to be some evidence of dried blood trailing inside and on the door, indicating that whoever or whatever did this - or any further victims, perhaps - did go into the crypt.

[Kvard51]

Muttering to himself upon seeing the bloody footprints going into the crypt, Donnal turns around to try and move the horse carcass himself.

"A'm waantin' tae see whit micht hae dane this afore ah gang in thare."

Strength check: [roll0]
Heal Check on the humanoid, if I move the horse: [roll1]

[theasl]

Donnal moves the horse, but there's nothing underneath but a jumble of bones - likely human, but they look worn and very old. Whether they were washed up by the rain or carried out from the crypt, you have no way of knowing.

[Kvard51]

Donnal looks disgusted as he moves the bones around with his foot. "A' that sweat fur hee haw. Ah reckon we'll gang oan in, then. Bit be oan th' lookout."

Perception: [roll0] to search the ground around the bones.

[Kallor]

"Indeed," Ulmarr said, taking a brief look at the bones, before gripping his weapon as he turned to face the Crypt of the Everflame.



My perception as well, I suppose:
[roll0]

[hannahbbug3]

"Well, if someone went in there ahead of us, logically, that would mean any traps have already been tripped, right?" William asks, voice small as he tries to look for the bright side to this scene. He shifts to the rear of the group, glad to let the others take the lead in going ahead, but- "Does anyone have a light? I didn't prepare it today, sorry, I can't see in the dark... I can handle closing the door behind us, though."

[roll0]
[roll1]

William will cast Close on the door behind them once everyone is inside. He'll take up the rear, as I said on OOC. :smallredface:

[Kallor]

"Light, I can provide," Ulmarr stated, casting Light on his quarterstaff.



Light cantrip, continually recasting it whenever the duration starts to run out.

[theasl]

There's really nothing else to see under the horse. You do notice an earthworm making its way up from the ground, trying to escape the flooding of its tunnels, but its struggle against death seems rather insignificant in the long run.
The group's attention turns from the scene outside to the Crypt itself. William, not willing to exert himself physically, uses his magic to open the entryway. As the heavy doors swing open, the faint light from outside reveals a long chamber with risen platforms on either side. A faded painting of the town of Kassen is on the far wall. The room appears to be the site of a gruesome battle, with two bodies piled up against the wall facing the door and a number of skeletons scattered around. An echoing wail can be heard somewhere in the distance, beyond this room.

William and Dodi both think that the wailing sound is coming from the east.

Welcome to the Crypt! Here's a map:http://i.imgur.com/tiDqhEv.png (https://imgur.com/tiDqhEv)I'll try to keep the second post of the OOC (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=22956751&postcount=2) updated with the most recent iteration of the map as well.

General description which will hold true for most of the interior: "Unless mentioned otherwise, the crypt is unlit. Ceilings are 15 feet high and all the surfaces are made of stone. The walls are decorated with a scrolling pattern of villagers fighting off masked bandits and monsters. This artwork is still in relatively good condition, although water damage and lichen have taken their toll. The stench of mold and rot hangs heavy in the air."

And specific to this room: there are 8 skeletons (white "Sk"), to be exact. The bodies (white "B") are against the southernmost wall. I've placed you (speech color and first letter of name) in about the order I'd expect for the 2-square entryway.

[Kvard51]

Donnal shakes his head at the skeletons. He kicks at the one right beside him. He turns to Yeshana, "A' thae bones in 'ere. Likelie murderers 'n' thieves, whit say ye?"

[hannahbbug3]

William looks rattled and taken aback by the scene that they walk in on in the light of Ulmarr's staff. "I didn't expect... so many bodies," he confesses. But it seems his determination to see this through hasn't given out yet, because he shuffles inside along with the others. Once the light is cast, William whispers "close" and the doors shut behind them. He reaches up with one hand, scratching behind Dodi's ears. "Must we look for the cause of death again? Yeshana?" he asks, feeling a little sick to his stomach. The stench of the horses outside certainly didn't help. At any rate, he waits for the others to move forward or give the word. He doesn't go any closer to the bodies in this room.

He startles at the sound of the wail from deeper inside the Crypt, and glances to the faces of the others, trying to figure out if they heard it to, or if it had just been his imagination. The human mind was capable of many tricks, he knew that much, especially when one was prone to overthinking things... "Did you hear that?" he asks the others. "Off to the left?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"Well, whoever they were, they couldn't have been originally buried here, since they're all too scattered about and don't show any signs of being in actual graves... but at the same time, if there's nothing left but the bones, they can't be all that fresh."

She cocked her head.

"What concerns me more is that wailing noise. That horse outside looked very freshly butchered, and given that we have reason to believe some of the adults from the village are here, they might be in trouble. Did anyone hear where that noise was coming from?"

Perception (to spot anything off about the room and see where the noise was coming from): [roll0]
Knowledge (History) (to recall anything of note about the tomb: [roll1] + 5 from Inspiration for a total of 17.

[hannahbbug3]

At Yeshana's query, William nods, nudging against her and pointing in the direction he heard the noise. Dodi's ears are pricked forwards, on alert, as she also stares in the direction of the scream.

[Kallor]

Ulmarr quietly gives a tense look around the room as well, feeling a growing sense of unease.



[roll0]

[theasl]

Everyone agrees that the sound is coming from the east. There doesn't seem to be much else in the room other than the skeletons and bodies, though the latter have backpacks next to them that could contain something of interest. If you examine the skeleton that Donnal kicked, it seems to be roughly the same age as the one under the horse outside, and no less intact. Most of the others in the room are intact, however.East is right on the map, but to the left of the group as they enter the crypt from the north.
Yeshana remembers some of the story about the crypt - it's ancient, older than the town, and it was the site of a great battle between the town's founder Ekat Kassen and his companion-turned-enemy Asar, after which it was converted into a shrine and burial place for the town's heroes. That's presumably where these skeletons, and the one outside, are from - either the original burials, or the later additions.

[Kallor]

"It does seem strange that so many old remains would be scattered about so freely," Ulmarr agreed, "Perhaps some looters did all this?" he suggested. They seemed like the most likely candidates to dig up the dead and desecrate tombs like this, after all.

[Kvard51]

Donna waves the others forward as he begins walking toward the bodies. Maybe they are still alive?

Heal: [roll0]


He checks the backpacks as he looks over the bodies.

[Kallor]

Ulmarr follows Donnal to the bodies, scanning the room with a Detect Magic while he was at it, just in case.

[hannahbbug3]

William creeps forward as well, going to Donnal's side and looking over the bodies. "What happened here?" he asks softly, lending his eyes to aid Donnal's.

On the heal check. Don't actually have to roll to get a 10, but let's see how helpful Will is!

[roll0]

[theasl]

As you approach the bodies, it seems on first glance that they met the same fate as the horses outside. You don't have time for a more detailed inspection, though, as you hear a low rattle begin to shake the room. Turning around, you see movement - the intact skeletons, rusted scimitars in hand, are clambering to their feet!

I actually had to check: no, undead don't give off a magical aura. So no magic detected.

http://i.imgur.com/z7IOcsr.png (https://imgur.com/z7IOcsr)
Yeshana [roll0]
William [roll1]
Donnal [roll2]
Ulmarr [roll3]

Skeletons [roll4]
Ulmarr, then skeletons, then party, etc.

DR/5 bludgeoning; immune to cold; undead traits (lots of random immunities that probably won't come into play, look 'em up if you're unsure)AC16, 4 hp each, F/R/W saves +0/+2/+2

[Kallor]

"Well... ****," Ulmarr said, as a whole bunch of skellingtons rose up around them. He attacked the one in the square diagonal to his with his still glowing quarterstaff.



Attack Roll:
[roll0]

Damage:
[roll1]

Knowledge Religion(Untrained)
[roll2]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Yeshana, taken by surprise as the skeletons rose from the grave, fumbled as she tried to steel herself, but managed to shout out a warning.

"These things are resistant to weapons that aren't blunt and immune to cold! Sorry guys, but I'm probably not gonna be at my best here..."

Not my turn yet, but talking is a free action. :P

[theasl]

In his surprise, Ulmarr misses the skeleton, which swipes back at him with both blade and claw. Meanwhile, the rest of the skeletons advance mindlessly, cutting the group off from the entrance. Yeshana is able to take the skull off of one of them, but another takes its place and takes a swing at her. The last skeleton within range stabs at Ulmarr while he's distracted. Luckily, none of the blows hit.

Yeshana's AoO (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=23050377&postcount=157)
bottom right scimitar and claw vs Ulmarr:
-attack (sword) [roll0]
-damage (sword) [roll1]
-attack (claw) [roll2]
-damage (claw) [roll3]
middle left vs Yeshana:
-attack (sword) [roll4]
-damage (sword) [roll5]
middle right vs Ulmarr:
-attack (sword) [roll6]
-damage (sword) [roll7]http://i.imgur.com/KZDl4zP.png (https://imgur.com/KZDl4zP)

[Kvard51]

Lifting his shield up high to present the crossed picks of Dranggvit high before the approaching skeletons, Donnal cries out in Dwarvish, <"Back to the grave with ye, foul fakers of life!"> A golden glow springs from his shield encompassing almost the entire room.

Channel Positive Energy to damage the undead [roll0]

[theasl]

Donnal's burst of energy destroys three of the skeletons and badly burns the remaining two.

Remember how I said channel energy was a must? Well, exhibit A. (don't worry, there will be plenty more) :smallbiggrin:

DC 11 will save to halve damage (to 2)
[roll0]+2 each
The two that survive are the top right one and middle right one - the two directly above Ulmarr - each with 2 HP left.

The rest of you still have your turns; I'm not going to re-map.

[Kallor]

Ulmarr whirls around and attacks the skeleton directly above him.



At least, I assume I can post this now, since my turn is basically at the start of the next round, and we seem not to be doing any strict posting order within the party.

Attack roll: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]



"Goddamn boneheads."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Brandishing her spear, Yeshana closed in on the standing skeleton directly to the north.

Hopefully I get lucky and score a hard hit.

Moving two squares north and attacking the middle-right skeleton.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[theasl]

Man, Yeshana has been very lucky. Barely beat the DR for the kill both times! William is the only one left...:smalltongue:

[hannahbbug3]

Wish me luck on the rolls!
William takes a good, long moment to consider the merits of simply trying to beat one of the skeletons over the head with his crossbow. It would figure that his only offensive spell today would be useless against these! At least a hard hit with the bow would be blunt, right?

But, better to stick with what he knew. So he loaded up his crossbow, centered his magic, and fired.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[theasl]

Because 1) there's only 1 skelly left, 2) nobody moved, and 3) I'm a lazy bum, no map update. Just the one directly above Ulmarr left.
The remaining skeleton continues its (pitiful) unrelenting assault on Ulmarr. This time, a lucky hit from its bony claw manages to connect with the druid.

scimitar attack [roll0]
scimitar damage [roll1]
claw attack [roll2]
claw damage [roll3]

[Kvard51]

Hefting his axe, Donna steps around the pillar between himself and the skeleton and takes a mighty swing...

Waraxe [roll0] for [roll1] Slashing Damage

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Yeshana once more went on the offensive, jabbing forward with her spear.

Move if necessary to hit the skellie, then...

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[hannahbbug3]

William reloads his light crossbow, gritting his teeth. The last creature just wouldn't stay down like the others! Taking half a second to focus, he fires again.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Kallor]

Grimacing in pain, Ulmarr attacks the skeleton, which is now presumably flanked by himself and Donnal, I think?


If it is not flanked, I expect he could five foot step to rectify that?
Attack Roll: [roll0]
Damage Roll: [roll1]

[theasl]

Yes indeed! Everyone can 5ft step to a place where all three of you are flanking (sorry William, don't forget the -4 for firing into melee :smalltongue:), so I assume you'll do that. No map still because I'm still a freaking lazy bum :smallbiggrin:

(by the way, I'm not actually keeping track of ammunition, I don't even see it listed on your sheet anyways...)
Somehow, nobody hits the skeleton even though it's surrounded. William isn't even as lucky on the second bolt, as it breaks in half on hitting the wall. As its foes move to surround it, it lashes out, aiming blows at both adjacent targets.

scimitar attack vs Donnal [roll0]
scimitar damage vs Donnal [roll1]
claw attack vs Ulmarr [roll2]
claw damage vs Ulmarr [roll3]

I might decide to fast-forward if you don't finish it this round :smallannoyed:

[Kallor]

Though nearly dead at this point, Ulmarr attacks again.



Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[hannahbbug3]

William, seeing the others getting their rears handed to them by this skeleton, decides he's had enough. Someone needs to finish this, and the bolts aren't doing it. Perhaps a more direct approach? He hefts his crossbow a little more and runs in with a yell, trying to crunch the thing's skull in.

Using Arcane Strike, as always.

[roll0]
[roll1]

WAIT! WAIT I FORGOT THE FLANKING BONUS! I HIT IT, THAT ATTACK ROLL IS A 16!

[Kvard51]

Donnal steps behind the pile of bones to get a better angle for his attack. His massive overhand chop will cleave it in two.

If he connects...

[roll0] for [roll1] slashing damage

[theasl]

Oh hey, I did forget flanking! I didn't think that would work, but good job!
With a resounding crunch, William and Donnal sandwich the last skeleton, which crumples to the ground in pieces with the rest. Silence returns to the room, minus the wailing which continues to the east.

Once you return to the bodies on the wall, you find in their backpacks: another large pillow and two more quivers of 10 headless arrows each, 2 more days of rations, a full waterskin, and 2 smokesticks. Like the horses, they've been dead for about 2 days - you figure that the skeletons killed both them and the horses. The bones you found outside were probably another formerly-animated skeleton, crushed when a horse fell on it.

The badly mauled corpses belong to Gerol and Vark, friends of the mayor and among the first group to set out towards the crypt.

[hannahbbug3]

William stares down at the pile of bones, jaw loose and eyes wide like he can't believe what he just did. He lets out a soft, surprised laugh before he slings his crossbow over his shoulder again. The wailing still gives him a chill, but with the rush of adrenaline, it isn't so bad.

[Kallor]

"Well, it seems that someone had... a bone to pick with us. I suppose its pretty clear what killed these two," Ulmarr said, gesturing to the two bodies.

"Everyone alright?" he asked, before examining his own wounds and noticing their rather severe extent for the first time. On the day he hadn't prepared any healing spells too, lovely.

"I, ah, I don't suppose that anyone would have any healing to spare?" he inquired.

[hannahbbug3]

"Ah, I can... try. Does anyone have a healing kit? That will help..." William says when Ulmarr speaks up. He goes over to the man's side, seeing to his wounds as best as he is able without having healing magic.

Treat Deadly Wounds: When treating deadly wounds, you can restore hit points to a damaged creature. Treating deadly wounds restores 1 hit point per level of the creature. If you exceed the DC by 5 or more, add your Wisdom modifier (if positive) to this amount. A creature can only benefit from its deadly wounds being treated within 24 hours of being injured and never more than once per day. You must expend two uses from a healer's kit to perform this task. You take a –2 penalty on your Heal skill check for each use from the healer's kit that you lack.

The DC on this is 20. I'll go ahead and roll with the -4 for not having a healer's kit - if anyone has one that they're willing to let Will use, mention it so theasl can add that to the result!

[roll0]

And if this doesn't work, you know, we have a cleric and stuff.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Yeshana panted, the adrenaline of the battle wearing off. At Ulmarr's question, she replied shakily.

"I'd be lying if I said my hair wasn't standing on end, but I am unharmed. As for you..."

She rummaged in her pack and pulled out a potion.

"This was given to me back in town. I'd offer you one of my extracts, but I haven't figured out how to brew them to keep their magic when I take them off my person."

Infusion is a straight discovery tax. :(

Her attention now drawn to the bodies near the wall, Yeshana knelt over them.

"I recognize these poor souls... Gerol and Vark, friends of the mayor. They've been dead about the same length as the horse - they must have been attacked by the skeletons."

[Kallor]

"My thanks. I suppose this begs the question as to why there's suddenly skeletons running around here," Ulmarr said, downing the potion, and coughing a little, "I suppose we should see who's making all that ruckus?" he suggested, as the wailing was still going on.



I assume that it's a CL 1 potion.

[roll0]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"Indeed. I suggest we depart with all due haste. I would suggest I take point as well, in case there are any hazards ahead."

Yeshana, with permission, will move to the front, and I will be scanning for traps as we go forward.

[Kvard51]

"Save yer wee potion, lassie. Ah will gie th' healing th'd ay."

Donnal speaks soft words in Dwarvish and a soft glow lights his hands. When he touches Ulmarr, the glow sinks into the wounded warrior and his wounds immediately start to knit together.

Spontaneously convert Enlarge Person to Cure Light Wounds [roll0]

If needed, convert Divine Favor also: [roll1]

[Kallor]

"Thanks," Ulmarr said gratefully, as his wounds healed. He briefly considered the two dead people's packs, and after a moment, took the smokesticks. After all, they could be useful later.

"Well then, I suppose we should proceed," he said, falling back in line as the second to last person again.

[hannahbbug3]

William fell in behind Ulmarr, taking up the rear of the line.

[Kvard51]

Taking point, Donnal heads toward the wailing. The party behind him can hear him mumbling to himself in Dwarven. He treads warily, hoping to avoid another situation that would require his healing power.

"Only two of the elders are dead here. Where arer the others? And the arrows. We keep finding arrows, but no bows.
What does that signify? What are we walking into here...?"

[theasl]

Wounds healed and gear recovered, the party approaches the side where the wailing is coming from. The door gives way with barely a push to reveal another room with many pillars, blocking the view of the other side and forming a sort of maze. Next to the door is a pile of empty saddlebags and three brooms.

http://i.imgur.com/qG1HaUk.png (https://imgur.com/qG1HaUk)See OOC thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?554843-OOC-Crypt-of-the-Everflame&p=23055440#post23055440).

[theasl]

The group proceeds cautiously into the room, inching along the narrow pathways, until suddenly Donnal falls into a pit trap! Luckily, the townsfolk had put pillows in the pit - the dwarf is mostly unhurt. Exploring further, Ulmarr and Dodi are able to spot several more traps - but not before everyone else manages to fall into one. In one of the pit traps (which he fell into), in the center of the room, William finds 5 platinum pieces - one for each of you (plus Kathidrel) - and a note saying "three to open, but be quick, for the door will only open for those who work together". The wailing sound doesn't seem to be coming from this room, but instead from behind the locked door in the southern wall. In addition to the traps, you find several switches, which when all activated, seem to open the door for a few seconds. Working together to pull the switches, everyone manages to make it into the next room easily.

On the other side of the doorway is a musty hallway which divides into two immediately, with one side heading west to a locked door and the other turning southwards.

http://i.imgur.com/8zWyE50.png (https://imgur.com/8zWyE50)Everyone but Ulmarr takes 1d6 nonlethal damage because of your horrible reflex saves :smalltongue:

[Kallor]

"Well... that was the pits," Ulmarr said, with one final irritated glance back at the room full of pits, "Anyhow, which way now?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"Make all the jokes you want - you didn't fall in."

Yeshana rubbed the side of her head where she'd fallen in - it wasn't enough to disable her, thank goodness, but she'd taken a bad hit.

"I vote we head west toward that locked door."

[Kvard51]

Rubbing his shoulder where he landed awkwardly in the pit, Donnal retakes his point spot and leads the team toward the door to the west.

"Kin a'body 'ere open this? or dae a'm needin' tae uise mah axe? "

[theasl]

The door to the west is locked, and there's no way to open it - seems like it's one-way, and you're on the exit side.

[hannahbbug3]

"Well, we could ram our heads into this for who knows how long... or we can just trust that this room is secure, and not open the path for something foul to get in behind us," William says, inclining his head towards the south so the group knows his vote. He's speaking up just a little bit more - but that might be because his ears are still ringing from the fall he took earlier.

[Kallor]

"Indeed. If we got no way to open it, we may as well move on, Ulmarr agreed.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Yeshana raised an eyebrow.

"You all remember that opening locks and disabling traps is a specialty of mine, do you not?"

[theasl]

This door is literally unable to open from this side. Move on!

[Kallor]

"Well, I'm no expert, but it doesn't seem like lockpicking would help us much here, Ulmarr observed, examining the door. He shrugged indifferently, "Not that I have anything against trying either."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"Wait, what are you..."

Yeshana took a double-take and examined the door more closely.

"Ah. Yes, it would help if there was a lock for me to pick. Moving on, then."

Missed the part about it being one-way. :smallredface:

[theasl]

:smalltongue:
After determining that the western hallway is effectively a dead end, the group continues southward along the other path. The mournful wailing grows louder with each step toward the locked and barricaded door at the end. There are piles of bones strewn on the floor in front of the barricade, many of which are cracked and broken.

[Kallor]

"Well, I suppose there's a lock on this one, at least," a mildly amused Ulmarr observed. While he waited for some more clever folk to deal with the lock, he gave the piles of bones an experimental poke with his quarterstaff, and scanned the area with Detect Magic, because really, he could do without more silly surprise shenanigans from skellingtons and spellcasters alike.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Yeshana awaited the results of Ulmarr's scan before moving forward, wary of traps.

[theasl]

There are two faint auras on the other side of the barricaded door, but none on your side.

[Kallor]

"There's some magic on the other side of the door," Ulmarr reported, "Can't tell what exactly they are, if the rest of this day has been any indication, likely nothing pleasant. But, I doubt we have any other way to progress here."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Yeshana nodded. "Good to know, Ulmarr. Stand back, everyone."

Carefully approaching the door, began to inspect it for traps...

Yeshana will take 20 on perception for a 26 to check for traps.
Disable Device (to disable the lock/disable any traps found): [roll0]

[theasl]

Yeshana doesn't see anything dangerous, so she tries to pick the lock, but it won't budge. However, the wailing suddenly stops as she jostles the door.

Perception from everyone please.

[hannahbbug3]

William figures Yeshana knows what she's doing, and from the back of the group, he turns his gaze to look down the hallway they came from. Dodi's ears prick as she listens, as well.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Kallor]

Ulmarr eyes the door warily, as the wailing ceased and left an all too eerie silence.


[roll0]

[Kvard51]

Donnal stares fixedly at the door as the wailing stops, shifting his axe to get a better grip.

Perception [roll0]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Fumbling with the picks, Yeshana perked her ears up as the wailing stopped.

I think whatever is on the other side spotted us.

Perception: [roll0]

[theasl]

Ulmarr is able to pick up the sound of a crossbow being drawn and loaded, as well as a few crazed mutter-whispers: "B-b-b-bones...t-t-the angry bones are back...m-m-m-m-must not let them get me..." There is nothing but silence to the rest of you, though.

If you want to force the door, it'll take a DC18 STR check (or you could break the door/lock with weapons), and then you'll need 3 DC10 STR checks to clear the barricades. You don't have to, though, there are certainly other ways to proceed.

[Kallor]

Ulmarr's voice dropped to a whisper, "Sounds like there's someone alive in there. Yammering on about how some angry bones are out to get him, so doubt he's a fan of skeletons. Sounds like he's got a crossbow ready to shoot too."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"Think it would be worth it to try and convince him we're not enemies?" Yeshana whispered back.

[Kallor]

"Probably worth a shot, he seems more scared than actually hostile," Ulmarr whispered in response, "Anyone feeling particularly eloquent today?" he asked. He doubted that he was the best person to try and calm down a frightened man with a loaded crossbow.

[hannahbbug3]

William bit down on his lip, shaking his head at Ulmarr's question. He'd never been particularly eloquent, not in the slightest. If they needed a translator, he could do a decent job, but aside from that...

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"I can try to give it a shot," Yeshana whispered. Raising her voice, she called out through the door.

"Hello? Is someone there? We're not going to hurt you. We're the lantern-bearers from Kassen, we're not undead."

Diplomacy: 26

[theasl]

As Yeshana begins to speak, you all clearly hear the crossbow being fired, though the bolt doesn't make it through the door. Whoever is on the other side starts shouting, as well: "T-t-t-they talk! T-t-the voice, the dead one who speaks is ba-" But when Yeshana mentions Kassen and the lantern bearers, he suddenly quiets down, but then he starts up again. "Lanternbearers...h-h-how...no, it must be a trick, a trick of the dead one!" He continues ranting and wailing, but no more crossbow bolts hit the door.

didn't bother to roll the attack, since there's no actual opening to fire through.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"It's not a trick. It's really us. Are you from town? What's your name?"

[theasl]

"N-n-n-no, I won't tell you anything! You're not alive! G-g-go away!"

You're going to need more diplomacy checks (or intimidate checks, if you're into that kind of thing).

[hannahbbug3]

William glances to the others, then steps forward a little bit. "Would you believe us if we sent in proof that we're alive?" he called. "If you open the door a little bit, there will be just enough room for my cat to come in and see you. Why would a skeleton need a kitten?" he tries to rationalize with the man. Of course, rationality might not be the word of the day... but William always felt calmer with Dodi nearby. Maybe she could help?

[roll0]

[theasl]

I would suggest not trying that again...:smalltongue:

You're at unfriendly right now. It's DC19 to indifferent, and DC14 to friendly. If you fail by 5+, then you drop one level. There are some hidden modifiers as well.

The line "You cannot use Diplomacy to influence a given creature’s attitude more than once in a 24 hour period." in the skill entry is patently false and literally nobody does it that way, even most Paizo published materials. :smallbiggrin:
"N-n-no! NO! I'm not opening this door! GO AWAY!" The voice suddenly becomes a lot more angry and you hear another wasted crossbow bolt hitting the door.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"William, you're a good fellow, but please let me handle this."Yeshana hissed at her friend.

"Look, we understand that you're scared. It's not an unreasonable response, not with everything going on. But you have to trust us. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life cooped up in there? We can help you."

"What's your name? I'm Yeshana. I'm the apothecary's daughter."

Diplomacy: [roll0]

...well, fudgecicles.

[theasl]

"H-h-help? I want to get back home, but I don't want you to help me out, you angry b-b-b-bones! S-s-stop trying to trick me!" When he hears Yeshana say her name, though, his mind seems to clear up a little. "Y-Y-Yeshana? Maybe you're real after all..."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"We found four skeletons on the way in here, so far. We managed to take them down, and they're all inanimate now - if you were to come out, it would be a straight shot back to the entrance of the tomb. Is there anything at all we can do to convince you that we're not undead? I'm willing to do anything reasonable you ask."

"And yes, I am Yeshana. The others with me are Ulmarr, William, and Donnal. Kathidriel had to turn back shortly after we left."

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[theasl]

The man behind the barricade starts sobbing uncontrollably as he realizes that he was ready to kill what now appears to be the heroes of Kassen. "One thing, b-b-before I open the door. You should know my name. I'm the cobbler. My sister...she's down there somewhere..." He dissolves into quieter wailing than before, as you hear the barricades being cleared. Though he didn't get to say it, it seems like if you address him by name, he'll unlock the door.

From his description, this man can only be Roldare.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"I cannot guarantee that we will succeed, Roldare, but I swear to you that my friends and I will do our utmost to bring your sister back alive. I promise."

[theasl]

Roldare has calmed down significantly by the time he gets the door unlocked and open - peeking out several times through a crack to make sure that he hasn't actually been tricked. It's clear he's been through a lot - he's a shell of his old self both physically and mentally. He alternates between ranting, wailing, sobbing and sitting silently staring at the wall, though he's much quieter and a bit saner now that you're around.

Besides Roldare, the room contains 8 bedrolls, a pair of bullseye lanterns with 4 flasks of oil, 5 days' worth of rations, and two potions labeled "healing" - probably the source of the auras Ulmarr saw earlier.

As your adrenaline wears off, you all begin to feel hungry and sleepy. There isn't much time reference in the dark dungeon, but you figure that it's probably nighttime by now. The room is barely big enough to accommodate the five of you - it seems to have been intended as a safe rest area, and it's certainly lived up to its task so far.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cd/9b/0e/cd9b0ec31719697f472d9b5b42e7a50b.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/5tR3FCa.png (https://imgur.com/5tR3FCa)You can try talking to Roldare further, though he's clearly not quite all there in the head right now.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

The fatigue of battle began to wash over Yeshana as she stepped into the safe room, and she sat upon one of the bedrolls. Turning to Roldare, she spoke to him gently.

"Roldare, I know you're still shaken, but I have two final questions for you. Did any of the group that came here have a map of this place? And where and when did you last see your sister?"

[theasl]

"N-n-no map, no. T-they come here every y-year, didn't need a map. B-but none of the b-b-bones were here before. I don't know." Then, as he starts talking about his sister, he seems clearer and more focused. "M-my sister...Dimira. She has to be alive! The b-bones...they dragged her downstairs. The voice took her. N-n-needed her for...something. I'll stay here until she comes back, or if the v-voice comes for me. Please, find her."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"Thank you, Roldare."

Yeshana then turned to the others, talking in a low voice.

"So, a question for the team. I don't know about you, but I'm starting to fatigue a little - on the other hand, there is the matter of rescuing his sister. Do we want to press on immediately? Eat quickly and then press on and hope that sustains us? Or take the time to rest?"

[Kallor]

"I say we rest here and continue when we are ready," Ulmarr stated quietly, "We won't be rescuing anyone if we go on exhausted and get ourselves killed, and who can say if we will find such a convenient place to stop again?"

[hannahbbug3]

William was still in fighting shape, uninjured and he hadn't spent any of his spells. But he did need the time to switch out a few of them, which could take only an hour... but if the others needed to rest, then he certainly wasn't going to wander off on his own. "I'm fine, either way," he said.

[Kvard51]

Donnal sets his pack down and begins redistributing his gear.

"This is a likely steid. We shuid mak' it oor base o' operations 'til we fin' anither safe steid deeper in. Unless we ur juist jammy, we wull hae tae search this entire steid. Vengeance mist be dane. Ah say we rest 'ere 'n' stairt lookkin th' morns mornin'."

[theasl]

With the door securely locked and barricades replaced, the room is safe from any intruding skeletons or other threats for the night. Roldare seems to sleep relatively soundly with you all around, though he isn't that much saner when you wake up. Still, he's coherent enough to offer his crossbow to the group once they begin to set out: "I'll s-stay here until you find Dimira. I know she's still out there. I-if you need it, take my c-c-crossbow. The barricade should b-be enough, and I still have a dagger."

All nonlethal damage should be healed by now (it's 1 point per hour). Roldare has his own small supply of rations, so you can take all the supplies I mentioned earlier without fear of him starving to death (unless you decide to take another week in the crypt, that is). If anyone wants to take the crossbow, it's a masterwork light crossbow with 8 bolts.

edit: I've updated the XP and loot sheet (your idiot newbie GM was doing XP calculation completely wrong - you're about halfway to level 2). Also, I assume everything you didn't explicitly pick up is still where you found it.

[hannahbbug3]

William takes a look at his crossbow, and then at Roldare's, before offering his over. "I think you should probably still be armed. Just in case," he says. "But I'll trade your crossbow for mine," he says. He takes the masterwork crossbow, leaving Roldare with the one that's a little less quality.

[Kallor]

"You sure you want to stay here?" Ulmarr asked, after preparing his spells for the day, "The skeletons at the entrance have been destroyed, there's nothing stopping you from getting back home. Doubt you'll do much good to anyone in here..."

He considered the supplies, and then figured he may as well pick up the two potions. From the looks of it, they would need them.


Btw, I did take that masterwork sword from earlier on, though it does not seem to be marked on the spreadsheet.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"Honestly, it's probably best if he does stay here, Ulmarr." Yeshana chewed at a piece of jerky. "The way out of the crypt may be clear, but there's always the risk of wolves and such on the way back to town. Better he stays here until we've completely explored the place."

[theasl]

"I'm not leaving here until I see Dimira again", Roldare responds, his voice unwavering. Then, as William swaps crossbows with him, he replies: "T-thanks. Hope it helps. Good l-luck."

[Kallor]

Ulmarr shrugged rather indifferently, "As you wish," he said, finishing off one of the trail rations, before making sure he had all his things, "Anyhow, shall we proceed?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"Proceed with as much haste as caution will allow." Yeshana gulped down the rest of her rations. "We cannot tarry overlong, but it won't help us if we go rushing into whatever got Dimira. Keep an eye out for ambushes and traps."

Altered in accordance with post below.

[theasl]

Oh, uh, I timeskipped to the "morning" (or whatever passes for morning in a dark dungeon). :smalltongue:

[Kallor]

Ulmarr nodded, and once everyone was ready to proceed, he would return to his previous position as second to last in line.

[Kvard51]

Donnal stands up, prayers complete. Dranggvit had blessed him with the spells he had requested this day and he was ready to lead the way into danger. Recovering whichever Elders were still alive weighed heavily on his mind, but vengeance, both for those killed and for his brother priests from long ago burned in his heart.

"Let's cleanse this hole fur th' elders 'n' fur Dranggvit!"

[hannahbbug3]

William coaxes Dodi up onto his shoulder as he stands, having just refreshed his mind on the spells he wants to use later today. He quietly falls into the rear of the group, Dodi keeping an eye out behind them.

[roll0]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Yeshana stood up and cricked her neck.

"Let's move out."

I think we are all ready to proceed.

[theasl]

Day 3 - 6th of Neth, year 4709

Roldare replaces the barricade and locks the door behind you, though now that he knows you're here and alive and real he probably won't try to shoot you again. Outside is the exact same scene you left last night - crushed and broken skeletons in a musty hallway. The only way you haven't yet gone is a side corridor about 10 feet away from the door of the supply room, though you do seem to remember there being a door on the opposite side of the entry room. Where do you want to go?

keep forgetting the fancy day header, so here you go, a post or two late.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"Let's check out this side corridor first."

Yeshana went down to the door and began to examine it.

Take 20 on Perception for 28 to look for traps on the door.

[theasl]

no traps on the door

[Kallor]

As is tradition, Ulmarr casts detect magic, to see if there's any magic on either side of the door.

[theasl]

No magic either.

[Kallor]

"Well, looks all clear to me," Ulmarr stated, upon detecting nothing.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"Same here. Let's open her up."

Yeshana then carefully opened the door.

[theasl]

Yeshana opens the door to a small chamber. It's mostly empty, except for a corpse with a giant beetle standing over it, trying to push it into the corner where it's accumulated a pile of trash. On seeing you, the beetle hisses and assumes what appears to be a fighting stance.


Yeshana [roll0]
William [roll1]
Donnal [roll2]
Ulmarr [roll3]

beetle [roll4]

Everyone can act.http://i.imgur.com/hvNKKew.png (https://imgur.com/hvNKKew)Giant Bombardier Beetle (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/vermin/beetle/beetle-bombardier/) (I'm lazy.) The pile in the corner appears to be a nest, and the beetle is preparing to lay eggs, so it's become territorial about the room.Hmm. Let's at least get the scene set first, though we'll probably have to wait until next week to finish (unless someone gets very lucky with a max damage crit). Like hannah, I have totally played a wizard before and totally know how they work (not), so I'm reluctant to bot William.

[Kvard51]

Seeing the giant bug, Donnal closes to fighting distance and attacks.

Dwarven Waraxe: [roll0] for [roll1] slashing damage.

Crit Confirm: [roll2] for [roll3]

[Kallor]

"Bombardier beetle. Looks like it's decided to start a family down here," Ulmarr stated, though he doubted that knowledge would be of much use to them. He moved forward and attacked.



Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

Hoisting her longspear, Yeshana moved in and jabbed at the beetle.

Move to P19.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[theasl]

The beetle is unable to withstand the onslaught, falling in an instant to the party's heavy blows. Silence returns to the room (except for the occasional sob from Roldare in the room next door). To the south is another door, while a set of stairs ascends to the west.

[hannahbbug3]

William is in the midst of loading his crossbow when the giant bug goes down. In contrast to the orcs and skeletons the group has fought previously, after this creature goes down, William rushes over almost immediately to get a look at the giant insect. "Look at the size of this thing!" he says, as Dodi leaps off his shoulder a paws at one of the bug's legs. "Do you suppose a creature like this might have any use to us?"

[roll0]

[Kallor]

"Well, I suppose it was certainly good for bugging passerbys," Ulmarr stated, because he was hardly going to let up on the pun game now.

"Anyhow, which way now?" he asked, looking at the stairs and then the door. While waiting for the wizard to complete his examinations of the dead insect, Ulmarr cast detect magic to see if there was anything of note in this room, or beyond the door, assuming the spell could penetrate it.

[Kvard51]

Donnal kicks through the bugs nest, knowing that critters are likely to use almost anything to build with.

Perception: [roll0]

[theasl]

There's nothing of use in the beetle's nest, though the creature itself has giant acid sacks that could fill up a couple flasks' worth. Ulmarr detects no magic.

[Kvard51]

Donnal fills two vials with acid from the beetle's acid sac. He stands up, looks around, and asks, "Whilk wey noo?"

[hannahbbug3]

William finally speaks up, indicating the acid sacks for Donnal and stepping back from the bug when he is done. "Forwards?" he proposes.

[Kallor]

"Well, looks like we got two options, and I can't say I see anything special about either of them," Ulmarr stated, "May as well go with the door?" he suggested, casting guidance on himself, as he was apparently having trouble hitting things.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Yeshana

"I will also vote for the door."

Yeshana then stalked forward, examining it for traps as usual before attempting to open it.

Take 20 on Perception for 28, then open if untrapped.

[theasl]

Yeshana opens the door to a small hallway curving out to the left. Stepping in further, you see the remains of a small fire smoldering in the center of a broad chamber, letting off a vile plume of oily smoke. Fed by a heap of burning gear, debris, and more than few bones, the fire casts a flickering light across the walls of this room, partially obscured by the veil of smoke. In the far corner, Ulmarr can barely make out a moving shadow through the heavy smoke.

Welcome to crazy unfair room #1. This room is the reason that I pretty much demanded a channel energy user at recruitment - you'll see why soon. Also, on the perception and stealth checks and line of sight and everything, whatever. Assume that you can all see every bit of the room just by being in it, to make things simple (though obviously not attack through walls, cover still applies).

Everyone can move now, the creature is delaying its turn.

The smoke in this chamber is quite harsh, causing eyes to water and breathing to become labored. Living creatures in this room take a –2 penalty on Perception checks and on attack rolls. Any living creature that spends more than 1 minute in this room must make a DC 10 Fortitude save or be overcome with coughing fits (treat as nauseated) for 1d4 rounds. Every additional minute requires another check, with the DC increased by +2 for each previous check. The fire can be extinguished with a create water spell or 1 gallon of water. Doing so causes a large plume of smoke to fill the room that increases the penalty to –4 and forces living creatures to make a Fortitude save every round to avoid becoming nauseated. Once extinguished, the smoke dissipates after 10 minutes through a chimney in the ceiling of the room.
I'd say that the above hazard only applies beyond the small corridor - so beginning at R23 as shown on the map. I forgot to put the shadow in; it's currently chilling at S28, the bottom right corner of the subroom directly under Roldare.
http://i.imgur.com/L5NP4Jk.png (https://imgur.com/L5NP4Jk)
Yeshana [roll0] [roll1]-2 (10)
William [roll2] [roll3]-2 (20)
Donnal [roll4] [roll5]-2 (16)
Ulmarr [roll6] [roll7]-2 (25)

shadow [roll8] see new post, but same result. (quote the text to see why I couldn't simply use the same roll but subtract - it's the same roll as the stealth roll which is correct at +12)
This is an (aptly named) shadow (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/undead/shadow/), an incorporeal undead creature that can convert its victims into more shadows, and it doesn't look too pleased to see you here.
stealth [roll8]