Errant IC

[Faithdreamer]

Chapter One: Sentries
When the caravan arrived it was too late. “They arranged for a great immortal to stop the searing cold wind on their flesh. He turned them to stone with the promise of time. In so doing, did nothing at all.”
The Petrified Forest was motionless, a calm breeze that never seemed to blow across dead trees. A garden of stone bones slicked with ice and powdered by heavy snow.
“There, there, mother still cherishes you.” She hugged a grim looking skeleton totem to her chest. Strange that she seemed not at all bothered by the weather or the walk. Her voice carried across the caravan and for some reason no one ever seemed to lose sight of her. Not that you ever bothered to remember what she looked like. Her name was Neyura, one of four courtiers from a far off land who led the caravan. Who’d hired you and several others too, to safeguard it.
If not the trees than the chill that forced a shiver from you gave the pleasurable revelation of what that meant. You’d get what was coming eventually.Roll your Fortitude Save (DC 17) and we’ll find out how hardy everyone is.

I'd like to note that Michieru has a very big Dragon and that it is presently out of sight. I'll let you know when you have access to your pet PirateJesus. oliana0 consider yourself and your followers under the same conditions. For now you can only make use of Sport and Hazel. Before you have a volcanic eruption at me - I'll let you both know when you have access to your Effigy, your familiars and animal companions.Avery and the Snow Fox
Only one minute left. The little fox man was still glaring at the guard protecting the other side of their sled like he wanted to skin him alive. He didn’t look very special and he didn’t seem to mind the attention for his part. Far be it from him to know why the white furred beastie was so interest – mother kismet what the hells was that!?Avery should roll a Reflex Save (DC 19)The Princess Purelight
“Uh-oh,” He was a flamboyant man who’d just made a big mistake. Now it was all Sport could do not to glance at the others wondering when he'd have to dodge the next of heaven's hammers falling.
“I hope that doesn’t hit anybody.”
Purelight should’ve felt less enthusiastic marching with a retinue of nobles guarding the last sled in the caravan. Lucky for him this Princess was nothing less than royalty, she’d never try marching with any more gusto than he did. And that made Purelight feel, well, like a Princess skipping through the snow. Better to skip jauntily now, because…Purelight needs to roll a Reflex Save (DC 17) just like Princess, Hazel and Sport.

[BizzaroStormy]

Michi sat on the sled. While the small gem floating around his head removed the need for food, he still wished he could taste a nice hot roast about now. He looked at the piles of gold from the dragon horde. Almost. I'm almost there Felicia.

[roll0]

[Psionic Dog]

Radon marched happily across the snow marveling at both the craftsmanship of his enchanted boots and the experience of royal company. He was coming up in the world.

[roll0]
[roll1]


Boots of the Winterlands also protect Radon like an Endure Elements (cold) spell, just in case that negates or reduces the need for the fort save.

[oliana0]

Princess

"Silly horses. Always wandering off whenever we hop down off of them. I suppose they'll be terribly cold when they get back." The voice dances across the snow. Princess dusts some snow off of her heavy cloak. Even under the heavy clothes, it is obvious she's a beauty. Her blue eyes squint across the glare of the snow and long locks of thick blond hair tumble from under her woolen cap.

"Oh, fiddlesticks. Now my feet are wet. That's going to be uncomfortable all day."


Princess and Hazel have "Endure Elements" cast on themselves.
Princess has cast Greater Mage Armor at the beginning of the day, if more than 8 hours have past, she's cast regular Mage's Armor.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2] +5 vs. cold due to cold weather gear
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]


"SPORT!!!!" Princess is noticeably not happy.

Sport blows warm air over his hands as he shivers. "What? What I do? Whatever it was I was just trying to stay warm! Not all of us have spells that make us fine with this weather!"

Hazel, despite her anger at Sport for the trouble he causes, smiles at him.

[Incarnum3]

Avery

Avery pulls his protective fur coat up a little higher to try to shield his exposed face from the cold. He glances sideways at the man standing across from him, noting how the man continues to stare. Avery chuckles to himself before turning ahead, keeping his eyes peeled for anything looking to disturb their journey.

Reflex save:[roll0]
Fort. Save"[roll1]

[Faithdreamer]

It was hard to tell whether the plain looking man smiled more coldly than the snow. The air might just be this warm because he was smiling and making him angry felt like a bad idea. Because he was so busy trying to breathe life back into his frostbitten fingers Sport never saw it coming. Blame the way they looked, ugly, swollen red black or blue things that needed attention he was too manly to ask for. One of the two men guarding the sled ahead had turned around with a look that could have given less courageous gentlemen a heart attack. A withering stare that asked rather rhetorically, who threw that?
Avery was holding Sport’s sculpted ice ball with seemingly malicious intentions. Upon seeing his frostbitten hands something profound changed. His expression relaxed and Avery gave Sport a lazy half smile just as he was looking up with big, wide eyes. Avery’s eyes twinkled. He took a deep, refreshing breath of icy air. He didn’t have to say I love this weather!
It was the last thing Princess saw before she was dragged off her feet.
Her legs locked up and she screamed an embarrassing howl, afraid one of the dreaded snow worms she’d read so much about was going to eat her. She kicked at it, determined to get away, and got a distinctively Hazel sounding grunt for her trouble. Something heavy fell on top of her. Something with five fingers that went skiing over her butt so smoothly she could practically feel the snow glitter like it was tingling.
“Ah, my hands have seized up!” He didn’t like to brag, but Sport saw himself as something of an opportunist. Satisfied, Avery turned back around and kept trudging on. This wasn’t going to end well for someone.
The stone teeth the soil stabbed through the snow were infinitely more interesting. There was something he couldn’t put his finger on. He searched the breadth and length of every one; marvelling at the impossible leaves, fine needles of rock that were long ago needles of pine trees. He glanced passed the first two sleds in the convoy. Aside from his four employers five others guarded those sleds. Up ahead were more stone trees. Odd how they stuck up out of the middle of nowhere – the dominate feature was a barren tundra of snow. The stone trees only got thicker the deeper the caravan went into the forest. It was going to be hard to see whatever came up next. Avery’s stomach was trying to tell him something.
The white Fox-man sniffed the air. Michieru realized his effigy would have been damaged thrashing around in here. That worried him. He smelled blood, salted wounds. He heard as surely as the others must have the fragments of a conversation the other guards were carrying on as they searched the forest.
For now Purelight was ignoring that – the snow covered it before. The Royals hadn’t noticed it yet and he couldn’t find the words to describe it. He couldn’t quite understand what it was. A pit in the snow as big as a Dragon’s foot half filled with ice. Thankfully, the other sleds ahead had stalled so the rear guard had time to catch up now. But it was an unspoken rule – caravans were supposed to keep moving.Radon doesn’t need to make his Fortitude save because he wears Boots of the Winterlands. He also passes his reflex save to avoid an embarrassing face plant.
Princess and Hazel prepared Endure Elements today and now don’t need a Fortitude Save.
Sport isn’t as vital as he thought he was. He sustains [roll0] nonlethal damage as the cold bites at his willpower and saps his body’s strength. Sport is now fatigued.
All three royals fail their Reflex saves and land face first in the snow. Take heart – you’ve revealed a perilous situation.

Michieru passes his Fortitude save and doesn’t suffer the rigours of cold exposure. He doesn’t shrug off Avery’s cool smile so easily.
Avery passes his Fortitude Save because he has a fur coat to keep him warm. Bless good preparation. The best part was, he saw it coming the whole time. He passed his Reflex save, too.Everyone roll a Spot Check (DC 25) for your next post.
I’ll also need a Listen Check (DC 25) from Michieru and Avery.
If Princess or Purelight want to hear it the check is Listen (DC 30).
Michieru should roll a Will Save (DC 23) to avoid an understandable instinct.

[BizzaroStormy]

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Its a little hard to follow but what do you mean by "undesireable instinct?"

[Faithdreamer]

It should say understandable. If not now you'll understand when I post again.

[Incarnum3]

Spot:[roll0]
Listen:[roll1]

[oliana0]

Princess

"Super fiddlesticks, that was not fun. Sorry my dear Hazel, I was afraid, well, I was just being silly." Hazel is calm and unscathed, and Princess begins her slow ascent to her feet, just as Sport fumbles again tossing snow her way. Princess turns her head towards Sport and flings a handful of loose snow his way. She giggles a light tinkling noise and then looks closer at Sport.

"Oh, heavens! Sport. You're freezing! Hazel, you're better at this than I am, can you do something to help him out?"

Hazel nods, "Yes, Princess." She stands up quickly but carefully, and helps Sport up, rearranging his winter gear to better cover him. She looks concerned at Sport's state and says, "When Spark gets back, you'll ride with me, okay?"

"Why, Hazel, I never knew you cared." Sport smiles coyly at the girl. Hazel is only mildly amused.

Meanwhile, Princess looks around for what cause her fall. "Why did we stop?"


Spot scores: Princess +3, Hazel +4, Sport +0
Princess's listen is +3
Rolling won't help them hear or see.

However, Hazel has some Survival skills which will add +2 for anyone that would like it (one person for every point that her survival roll exceeds 15), to their fortitude saves to avoid being colded to death.
[roll0]

[Faithdreamer]

You should try for a natural 20 for your very survival. You have three chances, unlike many others in your quartet. :smallconfused:

[oliana0]

Yeah, but none of them could beat that score. When Princess says that Hazel is better at her at that, she meant it.

[Psionic Dog]

Radon chuckles a bit at the fall and resulting friendly tussle: it was warming to see such light spirits in this cold, silent wasteland. True it was beautiful in it's own way, but it was still a place of death. It was good the princess at least was more affected by the still beauty than the chill reality. He gave his other companions another glance to see how they were doing.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Faithdreamer]

Listen up Missy, a natural twenty means an automatic success. Roll the d20 or someone will gain a VERY BIG Super Mario sized 1up. Listen to your GM. :smallconfused::smalltongue:

[oliana0]

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

Oh, and ...

From SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/usingSkills.htm#skillChecks):

To make a skill check, roll 1d20 and add your character’s skill modifier for that skill. The skill modifier incorporates the character’s ranks in that skill and the ability modifier for that skill’s key ability, plus any other miscellaneous modifiers that may apply, including racial bonuses and armor check penalties. The higher the result, the better. Unlike with attack rolls and saving throws, a natural roll of 20 on the d20 is not an automatic success, and a natural roll of 1 is not an automatic failure.

So you'll understand why I didn't roll before. Also, I thought you were talking about the Survival roll before, not a roll to save our lives.

[Faithdreamer]

:smallredface: You must have edited that line in there.

EDIT: Okay, My turn!

[Faithdreamer]

AveryWhatever it was, it probably wasn’t much. Something would have gone wrong already and he would have noticed it. He must have been more annoyed with the so-called ‘sentries’ in the back than he thought. Their wrestling match was quieter, now he could hear them. Near the sled ahead of his there was an intellectual… ‘discussion’, taking place:

“I’ve already worked out the details with Norm. He’s pulling shift at the front sled. He’s got a bracelet to teleport himself and anyone with him back to his boss. All I’m saying is; you make so much trouble with that scruffy Minotaur they’re paying double to keep a low profile they look the other way. This sorry batch won’t miss a few treasures when they don’t show up. They, I don’t know fell off when we went over bumpy snow, and got buried.”
Avery recognized Anvil when he heard him. He was an annoying man with a very bad signing voice. Somehow he still found pay wherever he played. The world was getting desperate for music. Desperate for caravan guards too.
“Look at me, Anvil, I say this treasure is bad news and none of that superstitious curse garbage has anything to do with it!” Where would Anvil be without Bellow? The scarred, ugly looking airbag of a veteran fighter was noisier than Anvil was; only he was always paying his audience instead of the other way around. Avery had never seen them far apart. “They’re Dragging us through the coldest place I ever gone. I can’t remember how long it’s been. My calendar is all crossed out. How do you know this treasure isn’t the lure and the ice the trap? They’re going to take our stuff when we’re dead and add it to theirs. How do you know that Norm isn’t as, uh, Normal as he tries to seem? He’s playing you and-
Anvil already heard enough. Not only that, he was loud enough for the whole forest to hear him, whatever still happened to be there...
-and who else would have this kind if treasure? Gee, I don’t know maybe Dragon Slayers who want a little protection when the vengeful husband comes looking for his dead wife’s dowry so he can put it back with her body?” This man was nothing short of condescending. He had a certain bite stuck in every word that stung all the way to the back of the caravan. “You’re an idiot who’s too damn noisy for his own good. Shut up and let the thinkers think, Bellow!”
More shouting from the same man…
“It’s not like a Dragon’s going to come flying down from the sky, that’s why they picked this forest whether something would surprise is or not. It’s going to stab itself on the stone trees if it tries. That’s why they brought us to guard the sleds!”
“No, Anvil,” His companion was a bit quieter. “I was saying we guards need to stick together in case they’re taking us for fools. If the treasure is the trap you can’t go running off with extra gold with that small-timer Norm.”

A big black shape detached itself from the lead sled. It was probably a He, wearing thick furs like blankets and heavy scarves stretched across his face. His eyes were clear and dark. They didn’t belong to someone who looked like they should move like a cumbersome hulk. In defiance of the impression every step was fluid like a blade of grass bending in the wind. He was on his way back to the sled Avery and Michieru were guarding.

RadonRadon watched the man come closer and closer. It felt like he was a bit detached. Radon’s light-heartedness helped him see a little more than everyone else. It was proof of his purity in heart. Far be it from him to wonder about the shadows of everyone else. It was his place to know. When he thought about it something in his brain clicked.

The shadows of the trees were detached in much the same way the man had separated from his place in the caravan. Which was to say - the trees didn’t cast any shadows.

Spot Check: Close enough. My DC formula was too harsh this time and you’re only one away.

Michieru
He’d had enough of guarding the sled with this monster. The Infuriating SMELL. The Taste of cooked flesh left to rot garnished with caked on blood. It looked so pretty! It was a skull that beat its own hypocritical teeth out! Michieru couldn’t hold back the insatiable growl of hate any longer. His hard, evil glare was pinned on his partner, Avery.

Take off that Keidran Fox Skin! It came out as a reverberating growl.Lucky for me, my Will Save formula was right on the mark.Princess
It looked very much like the beast-man guard sitting on the sled ahead of yours was going to lunge at his partner and bite his throat out. Not that you pretended to understand what growls and yips meant, but wasn’t it universal?

[oliana0]

Princess

Princess looks at the two sleds in front of her and frowns. "Hazel, Sport? Can you see that this sled get up and running as soon as possible? We need to catch up and I need to go stop a fight, I believe."

"Yes, Princess." "Sure thing."

Princess heads forward to the sled in front of her, heading toward Michieru. She smiles and leans in toward the creature and whispers, "I think we may have something brewing up front. Can you help me calm everyone down and get the caravan moving again?" Princess smiles sweetly and blinks her pretty eyes as she brushes some snow off the shoulder of Michieru and then aims her gaze at the man coming back from the front.

Princess doesn't trust the man coming back to them, but she will approach and smile at him as he arrives.


Okay, I can't see your sheet so I don't know what race your character is PirateJesus. Faithdreamer's description makes me think it's a animal humanoid.

So, Handle Animal or Diplomacy check there? :smallwink:

[BizzaroStormy]

Princess' attempts to cool Michieru down, fail miserably. He is beyond pissed. Fed up with Avery's flaunting of the coat, Michi jumps to the other side of the sled, and grabbing the coat, takes a swipe at Avery.
[roll0]
[roll1]
He falls back as his grip fails, missing his swipe completely. A normal fox pelt is acceptable, but this...this is just sick!

[Faithdreamer]

The reference was in the Armour Avery is wearing rather than the coat. But that's okay too. There's just more Fox fur showing. And if you want to do that I suggest with great strength you use a Grapple Check. GM Hammer falls and insists you edit the above post to reflect her desires.

[BizzaroStormy]

here it is[roll0]

[Faithdreamer]

Oh, stop whining. Melee attacks are automatically successful on a natural twenty (Yes they are, oliana0! :smallsmile:).

EDIT: :smallredface: Of course I knew it was a natural one.

EDIT 2: It is not! Stop doing that!

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

Purelight stamps his feet and sways, somewhat board. At least when they were moving he was doing something. The fight could give some entertainment, but more likely he'd have to step in and help stop it. Hopefully it wasn't the sign they were being corrupted by unhallow ground. Still, with all the funny trees... "I wonder if they will burn." Purelight says suddenly as he finishes his though aloud.

The air about Purelight's head suddenly glows with a halo of swirling psionic fire that abruptly leaves orbit in a flaming bolt aimed at one of the funny ice/stone/trees. Radon was a curious man: particularly about things that might cause evil or could possibly burn.

If no tree happens to be in range Radon will simply walk closer.
On the off chance that the tree tries to run away or the like:
[roll0]
Oh, and [roll1]

[Incarnum3]

Nonlethal AoO to foil grapple check: [roll0]
-4 for nonlethal correct?

I do not wish to fight with an ally, my friend, but if you attempt that again I won't hold back.

[Incarnum3]

And unarmed damage:[roll0]

[BizzaroStormy]

A small ball of flame forms in Michi's hand.Maybe I'll skin YOU, and wear yo...His voice cuts out as he stands still for a moment, before falling asleep. A small lump moves from the chest of his coat to his sleeve, and out pops a tiny Eladrin. She flies up directly into Avery's face. I cant say I blame master Michi but he has a point. How would you feel if he were wearing the skin of one of you humans?

[oliana0]

Princess

"We would all be quite upset. But that is because a sentient creature would have had to die, and frankly, it would be rather silly. Human leather would not be as strong as that from cattle, nor would it provide much more warmth than a good fabric cloak."

Princess crosses to other side of the sled. "This armor was not made of sentient creature, and though we all loath the prospect of useless death to animals, especially those that are near to your heart, animals give their life to support ours daily, and as long as we revere those sacrafices and do not waste their death, it will not be meaningless. Would you prefer if hunters would kill the fox for food and leave the rest to rot, or if an animal is slain, all of its essense is used?"

Princess leans in closer and emphasizes, "It's body, now without a spirit, can be made useful again."

"Besides, we have more immediate things to consider. First, our caravan has stopped and is in danger of being ambushed, and second, someone's trying to set the forest on fire. in the back of our caravan, and based on the success, I am at least relieved that it probably wasn't Sport."

[Incarnum3]

Avery steps back from the small creature, brushing himself off from the tiny scuffle.

The princess makes a very good point. I do not see you jumping at the throat of those who wear leather made from the hide of a cow. I apologize for any offense to your people I may have caused, but this coat and my armor itself are meant to keep me alive, not to flaunt the death of a fox. Now we are in a rather vulnerable position and I suggest we get moving again.

As Avery looks down at the sleeping fox-man, a flash of something shows on his face, but is gone in an instant. He turns forward again, keeping his eyes peeled for danger and acting like the recent disturbance never happened.

[Faithdreamer]

RadonMuch as the flames of your heart failed to pique your old monastery home, the fires have no visible affect on the hardened stone of the old trees. And unlike the old curmudgeons at home, these elderly folk were dead.

Roll a Will Save.Avery, Michieru, Princess
Still nursing a bruise very close to his sternum and trying to ignore the sharp pain of something that felt like a crack on his insides… he realized that maybe leaping at that ‘thing’ that called itself a man was maybe not his best of times. Humans were supposed to have soft flesh, like the girl that had a rude enough demeanour to actually touch him. To touch him without permission!

“You talk too much.” Princess met the fur-blanketed face-scarf man before he got all the way to the sled. There was just something that screamed ‘uh-oh’, and her spine was telling her to get away, fast. That wasn’t an option – for heaven’s sake she was dignified nobility.
“The beasts might hear you. You know how suspicious men are when they listen to wolves howling.”
He was avoiding eye contact and looking well over her shoulder at the others behind her. His posture was practically perfect, and he was much too close for comfort. As if he didn’t really care if she hit him. Princess got the impression his eyes never left her for a second. He spoke loudly enough for everyone’s ears.
“You’re safer if you don’t ask questions. There’s extra pay waiting for you as long as you can finish a job for us. You should be fine. Who is your Master?”
Someone should roll Sense Motive (DC 20) to get the gist of what he’s saying. At your pleasure.

[Incarnum3]

For what it's worth:
Sense Motive:[roll0]

[BizzaroStormy]

The small fairy thing flies into Michi's pouch and pulls out a small vial containing a light blue liquid. She flies it to Avery, ignoring the man in the scarf. Fine then, at least cover it with something and use this to mask the smell. I don't think the spell will work on him again.
Never gonna give you up...[roll0]

[Psionic Dog]

Radon stares sorrowfully at the very non-flammable 'tree'. A bondfire would have warmed his spirits.


Not that Radon would ever make it or is even close enough, but hey, 20 might happen...
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Faithdreamer]

Never gonna’ give you up,
Never gonna’ let you down,
Never gonna’ run around, and, Desert You…

Never gonna make you cry - never gonna say Goodbye,
Never gonna tell a lie, And Hurt You…

That’s the spirit of life!AveryIt’s obvious he’s talking about people, even across two different cultures. In no small amount of poetry he gave you the whole situation around you now. He called those who make their living without much compassion beasts (being as inconsiderate as they are). Men are often afraid of wolves and their widely-believed primal nature. When men are afraid they do scary things. He’s afraid more talking will aggravate the situation and increase chances of sedition among your tiny convoy. It could just as easily be a hidden threat, given his demeanour toward everyone. Is he telling you to shut up so he can keep a veil of secrecy over you?Michieru
The man wearing more fur than Avery must have been insulting canines. Michieru liked to think of himself as more of a cat. Most Keidran lacked certain… Foxy Subtleties…Foxes are of the Vulpini Tribe of the Canidae Family (Wolves, Jackals, Dogs, Dingoes, Coyotes. I checked out Wikipedia. So not a feline.)

Radon
Part of the tree seemed to bend and swirl… just the heat mingling with the cold.

[BizzaroStormy]

Michi wakes up a bit dizzy and gets off the sled, at this point not paying attention to Avery as the small fairy lands on his shoulder. He approaches the man in the furs. Why have we stopped?

[Faithdreamer]

He says this without bothering to look at you. "You are in charge?"

[BizzaroStormy]

No but if I'm to do my job, I need to know whether or not something needs killing.

[oliana0]

Princess

Princess squints, contemplating the words of the sled leader and responds, "I am my own master, and don't worry your pretty little head about my safety. Are we staying here long enough to warm up, or will we be heading out soon? I have more than your cargo and my pay for our work to worry about." Princess looks back to the shivering Sport.

Princess waits for an answer then returns to her sled.

For everyone:

I cannot tell who people are talking to.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Faithdreamer]

…Bait..?
“Act like a guard, woman.” As casually as anyone could make the word ‘woman’ sound insulting. He points to each of you in turn - clearly he isn’t impressed with Princess and her unique charm. Avery, Michieru, Princess and Radon each have his right hand waved at them. In his culture it was a polite way of pointing. “You’ll be parting from the caravan so you can investigate a symbol on our maps. We have a copy of our map to the Snowy Plains for your leader, you’re taken care of don’t worry about navigation. Get your things and start walking that way.”
With a jerk of his head he indicates somewhere to the left of the sled most of you have congregated around.

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

Seeing the man gesture at him Radon walks over to the small knot of people.

"Oh, well ok. I suppose it must be important for the caravan to stop for. Only, what are we looking for? How far will we be walking? What sort of symbol was it anyway? Shouldn't we wait for our leader? Who's going to do the guarding while we're gone? And... ah, well?" As the bright-eyed man stops for breath he realizes he should probably wait for his first questions to be answered before asking new ones.

[Faithdreamer]

He steps back from Princess and takes a good look at Radon. "I mentioned you shouldn't ask questions for your own sake." His posture seems a bit... doubtful. "Do you really want to know?"

[oliana0]

Princess

"So, we are going off into the forest to find something on a map we've never seen and you're sure we won't get lost and you'll what, wait for us here?"

"Intriguing." Princess squints and pouts for amoment, then smiles and heads back to the sled to get her companions.

"Let me know when it's time to go!" Princess calls back to the group.


Who's our leader?

[BizzaroStormy]

Seeing a lack of initiative on the part of the group, Michieru decides to take the proverbial reigns. I guess I'll take the map then.

[oliana0]

Princess

Princess still heading back to her sled turns as Michieru takes the map and calls out. "Oh, and Michieru, Hazel is terribly good at navigation and finding her way in nature. If you need assistance, please, consider her at your disposal." She then completes her journey back to her sled.

[Psionic Dog]

Whoops, when I last posted I assumed "Leader with map" meant Neyura, our employer, hence the whole bit about "Are you really asking us to walk blindly out for something we know nothing about with only a vague promise that a navigator will meet us?"

Also, have we ever seen this guy before?

If he's familiar to us disregard the rest of the post because I'm still assuming Radon doesn't recognize the speaker.

"Well, ordinarily the challenge is enough, but this icy forest just feels... wrong. Trees should cast shadows. Besides, I always though guards shouldn't abandon their post, so I'd like to know if orders changed or if you're taking over for the guarding for us."

[Incarnum3]

Avery kept his nagging doubts in check, deciding neither option seemed favorable.

I'll follow the will of the group.

[Faithdreamer]

Flashback
Suspicious as you are his face has an important name. He’s one of the four people who let you take this job. His eyes were always hard to trust and he never let anyone closer than what they saw at face value. To say the least that made listening to his words hard. Even though Neyura wasn’t a trustworthy type…
She smelled like graveyard soil because she ever cradled a death fetish. This wasn’t the first time you’d asked yourself:

Would I follow the Death God, or let the Three-headed Hellhound pull me along?

Thinking about it so much made you want to go home; so it was easier to memorize the convoy’s formation. Altogether four sleds were here and each had seven dogs to pull it. It was easier when you didn’t have to watch out for Mushers making things go too fast. The dogs all had some sort of magical collar. Stealing the sleds along with the haul on them was harder. There were five guards apart from Princess’s retinue and Avery (Radon and Michieru only counted when they weren’t counting gold pieces that weren’t theirs yet; or starting fires ‘to keep the troops satisfied’).
Off-hand you only remembered two of their names. Anvil and Bellow guarded the second sled with one other. Avery and Michieru were responsible for the next one and Princess with Radon watched the last. It wasn’t often any of you got a good view of the first sled. Neyura was always going to and from there, and the people who organized the trip guarded that sled on their own.
The man offering you a new job was one of those. He might think the tedium of a long march demanded you do something different. Wisdom often said no one could march forever and ever.

Spark Flickers
For some reason, as the fur-covered man took a scroll case from his pocket, Michieru had an awful picture of someone lighting very precious paper afire. His eyes drifted from the scroll to Radon. Immediately he decided it was a good idea to keep his eyes on that scroll case. He caught it out of the air so smoothly when it was tossed at him, he almost couldn’t believe his own reflexes.
Inside the case was a tough piece of parchment as smooth as the finest, thinnest paper he could imagine. There was a silver ring attached to it, with something so shiny being drawn to the picture on the paper was second nature. Silver was precious.
There was a ‘perfect’ map on the page with an excellent balance between large scale (fine details) and small scale (large areas). The title read ‘Snowy Plains’, everything was written in common. Except for two of them most of the symbols were included in the Key. The one you were supposed to investigate had a big orange circle around it. The Key said so. Fast looks around made you realize exactly where you were:

The convoy was in the middle of the Petrified Forest. That meant, you were there too.

“It’s my convoy, why are you so worried about… the trees..?” He took a measured look around the forest. He searched from tree to tree, as he turned around to go back to the lead sled, he kicking huge piles of snow along with his boots. To say the least, it looked a bit clumsy. Then he started the singing... and his voice..?

Awful.

“Oi, smoke swirling in the fog, as happy as a candle in the sun, sand as white is chalk, I’m where you least expect me I’m the shadow of the wind… N – I – N – J – A. Sing along and sing my song, Ninja won today!” It was too painful to listen any longer.

It was better when you turned back to each other. The only trick was, after the awkward silence someone had to get things moving.Everyone in the group should make another Spot Check. Radon just mentioned the problem and it’s time for you to go ‘Oh, yeah!’ in case you aren’t paying any attention to him. You’re mostly just making dice roll because I told you to no player dissention will be tolerated!

Everyone can roll a Sense Motive check if they want to.

PirateJesus add the Scout’s Journal to Michieru’s inventory.

ADVICE: Carefully read everything. The first time I mentioned him I wrote, he came from the first sled in the line up.

[BizzaroStormy]

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Taking the map, Michi heads over to Princess' small group. Passing by his familiar, he whispers. Stay with the caravan, make sure they don't leave us behind. He continues over to Sport and Hazel and begins going over the map with them. He begins panting falsely as if he were hot (see Bluff Check) and takes off his coat, throwing it over the shivering Sport. His winter coat(of fur) is almost twice as thick as the winter coat itself, only with fewer pockets. Alright then, if thats all, then we'll get moving. He notices a gem about the size of a fist in one of the piles on the sled. Walking over, he grabs it and adds it to his pack. Just take this one out of my cut.

[oliana0]

Princess

Princess speaks quietly with Hazel for a moment, "It appears that we will be leaving the sleds. My only hope is that nothing befalls the sleds that would prevent them from moving while we are gone. I mean, if they couldn't flee if something bad happened.... It would be horrible."

Hazel nods, "That would, indeed be a tragedy."

Sport shivers and accepts the coat slipping his arms in the sleeves and the hands in the pockets of the coat, "Thanks. As long as it's in your way."


I am under the impression that she is being asked to leave her cohort and follower behind. If I'm mistaken, please let me know.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]

[roll6] Map Reading

Information about Petrified forest and the lay of the land:
[roll7]
[roll8]

[Faithdreamer]

Princess can take her Cohorts with if she likes. No one else Is going to write?

[BizzaroStormy]

Apparently not.

[Incarnum3]

Spot:[roll0]
Sense Motive:[roll1]

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

"Um... I'm glad you're not worried" The oblivious man says simply trying to breath warmth back into the cool silence. "The trees, the icicles, they were just odd so I though you should know." After another hesitant pause Radon turns and follows the others out.

[roll0]
[roll1] I don't think Radon needed to role this but just in case...

[Faithdreamer]

Cool, Sharp, Rigid (Knowledge: Nature) Successful
The Petrified Forest wasn’t magically enshrined like so many who’d been prematurely exposed to the wrong end of a Flesh to Stone spell. Over time, trees were prone to aging just like humans. When their time passed and they were ready to leave the world behind their stone hearts finally began to show on the bark. Nothing would defile their bodies again.
“There was a hardened, lonely man long gone that visited this place. He breathed the heartbeat of the land. Some are smiled on by Fortune; he was favoured by his Mother Nature.”
Lucky for all of you, the ‘eyes on the back of your head’ spotted Neyura before she made anyone jump out of their skin. It was weird no one ever seemed to lose sight of her, even though she was supposed to be at the other end of the caravan. Funny, you got the impression you’d been thinking the exact same things earlier.
“He heard these trees crying ‘a promise is broken’, so he journeyed here to listen. They said that time was a rushing stream before the waterfall. He understood they meant that time passed far too quickly. He knew of no way to tell them the world was changing as he had. With no other way to soothe their spirits he handed them false hope.”
By then everyone was trying not to smell her rotting death god fetish. She wore black linens that looked awfully shear for the weather, with a fluffy white scarf wrapped around her neck. A few of you noticed her footprints, small impressions in the snow that barely looked like they came from feet. They just weren’t deep enough.
PrincessSomething drifts your attention to the trees. Eerily, where no shadows break the tedium of a carpet of pale snow… it’s piled high in huge drifts against the ice covering the stone. You knew they petrified given sufficient time, like big plant fossils. It was strange even the needles and leaves were stone now too. Had someone, say, sculpted these trees out of clay?AveryThe fur covered man who’d just given you a new assignment wasn’t just a bad singing voice. His cunning was almost as frightening as yours. He was kicking the snow around to see what happened to the ground. The words he was singing were clever poetry. Who saw the smoke in the fog or steam? What was a light drizzle in the fine mist of a waterfall? Who distinguishes a fire in the middle of the sun? White sand or pale snow?

Illusions were clever, and you needed to be cleverer to find one. But the cleverest thing of all was maybe letting everyone else know about it and still managing to make yourself look like an idiot. It didn’t make you feel very relaxed about taking this job. Your stomach felt empty and lonely, and you weren’t hungry, either.
“…and then time told the rest of the story. I’ll tell you the rest, just like time told the story. You’ll need to come back first. This is why you will return among the living.” Neyura’s veiled face made it hard to see what she looked like under all that cloth. For some reason it felt like she was smiling a wide, toothy skull kind of smile.

Not really wanting to spend much more time around the idea of scary death Michieru calls the group to action. He leads everyone through the Petrified Forest in the direction he was told to go. The four of you aren’t walking for very long when Princess notes an odd scuffing sound in the snow. But when she turns around to look, the sound abruptly stops…

Then she spots a trail of very distinct, very big footprints. They started by curving around a distant tree. Then they came all the way up to the group and the top of the toe of the last print stopped an inch from the heel of Princess’s last footprint.

If she knew anything, Princess knew a footprint two of her feet could fit inside. And there was a tangible something still standing there.

Michieru could smell it. It smelled like a barn.

Princess just knew it. She saw the footprints and they weren’t going anywhere.

Radon, well, he knew fur when he got a whiff of it. He’d burned it before.

[oliana0]

Princess

"Oh, my." The walking stick in Princess's moves quickly to meet her other hand and sweep in an arc through the area where she would expect something that left those footprints to be.

Hazel turns towards Princess's voice and she prepares to defend her and Sport hides behing Hazel.


[roll0], [roll1] (20% or 50%?), [roll2]

Initiative?

edit: crapsticks, crit failure on a concealment check! ;) Should have picked lower.

[Faithdreamer]

The voice is gravelly, deep, and Princess has a big puff of breath blown in her face that smells like apples and bananas and granola. “Great, it is my turn now. Get ready woman!”

[roll0] - Attack Roll
[roll1] – Bruises

Seven feet of muscle and mean intentions was almost worse than the shadow this Monster cast over Princess. His solemn gaze rippled with traces of moisture, and the rotten smell of something disgusting more than made up for his breath.

"I hate people who try to poke me with sticks." If he'd spare the time, Princess would easily see how he crossed his arms and tried to look indignant.Her bruise was already smarting, and her eye was going to be black before she knew it if someone didn’t do something. She wouldn’t look half as pretty if things got out of hand.
“You’ll poke someone’s eye out with that, woman.”
Two massive horns angle toward the others as they slow down and wonder what’s standing where ‘behind us’ once was. It’s a Minotaur wearing something that looks like a cross between a snarl and a smirk.

Then he asks no one in particular, "And what are you doing in this forest," He glances at Princess, so much shorter than himself. "besides picking on things twice your size?"

[BizzaroStormy]

[roll0]

Michieru backs up and pulls out the gem he pocketed earlier. He kneels down and begins chanting, his eyes go white as the gem begins to glow and his body slumps down in the kneeling position.

Casting Magic Jar, targeting the minotaur.

[oliana0]

Princess

"Hold, Hazel!" And not a moment too soon, as Hazel had started running to defend Princess, leaving Sport to find someone else to hide behind.

"Well, perhaps if you weren't in the habit of sneaking up on people, hiding behind silly magic that can do nothing to mask your, scent, I wouldn't be in the mood to poke you!" Princess's face scrunches up as she mentions scent.

She takes a step back from the beast and takes a good look, "I am taking a walk in the woods, enjoying the picturesque beauty of the snow. And what, may I ask, are you doing here? Don't you have a damsel locked in a cave behind a maze somewhere to menace?"

[Faithdreamer]

“Excuse me? Helpless damsels too stupid to know the coldest place on this land for their own good deserve to become just the damsel I was looking for to lock in my cave and take steaming advantage-
He pauses to wonder what Michieru is doing, tilting his fearsome head gently. Like a scholar in a library.
“But I wouldn’t go after you, you’re far too ugly now. I like that Hazel woman over there. She thinks I’m so handsome she nearly ran into my arms. If it weren’t for you, stub hag.”

The Minotaur seems so intent on how precious Princess looks (or how long it would take to snap her in half) to notice Michieru fade out of proper colour. First the Fox becomes dull and indistinct, next came the feeling of turning into a liquid runny paint. For a single horrifying moment he couldn’t feel his body and it felt like he was looking through a dirty lens.

“Ha, ha, that one fainted. See woman? I’m the most courageous one here. Run into my arms!” He stretches his arms out to encompass the whole land, offering a tender embrace. To think, she actually suggests the best way to deal with her before we've even gotten to the 'smashing beastly ravages' part.

Just finished washing some dishes and thought I’d remember something important. I decided not to give Princess her AoO because the Minotaur began so close by.

If you're trying to possess the Minotaur...

You can sense Four souls with similar life energies clustered together. There are two souls that shine with less vigour than the others. All are among the living rather than the undead.

Roll 1d20. On the corresponding Number:

1-5: You attempt to possess Radon
6-10: You attempt to possess Avery
11-15: You attemot to possess the Minotaur
16-20: You attempt to possess Princess

If you possess someone who isn't the Minotaur and leave them, you know which life force is whom for that specific person only and no longer risk accidentally possessing them.

You'll roll a 1d15 for example, if you remove Radon from the equation.

[oliana0]

Princess

"Trust me, you don't want Hazel getting too close. Her bite is far worse than her bark."

Hazel moves to Princess's side. "Woof."

[BizzaroStormy]

Well...Here goes nothing...[roll0]

Looks like its you Oliana, DC17 Will save.

[Faithdreamer]

He looks a little sceptical, in a learned way, for such a big brute. But Princess seems to be straining at something, coming up with a better wit, He wonders. “These are the people you follow around? You’re just going to let her treat you like a dog. I bet it feels degrading. I’d give your pride back, woman.”

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

The firebug gives a light laugh as he watches the interchange between the princess and the minotaur:

"Now now, we can talk about taking and rescuing damsels latter, but right now we're on a mighty quest that can't be interrupted. But hey? Perhapses you can help us. Hey McFur, show Horns here the... ? Oh come on, wake up! This is no place to sleep..."


I can't remember if we're using magic/psionics transparency, or even if transparency covers Knowledge (arcan/psionics) or Spellcraft/Psicraft, but for purposes of recognizing that Michieru hasn't really suddenly passed out...

[roll0]
[roll1]

[oliana0]

Princess

Princess feels a weird wrenching sensation and fights it, fairly easily. She takes another step backward. "I treat her like nothing of the sort. Her bite is worse than my bite. She's a lovely dear, right until she's a ferocious animal. And that's not innuendo."

From behind Radon a voice pops up, "Very ferocious! Sharp teeth and claws! Downright beastly in the morning!"



[roll0] Perhaps you should try warning her before you do something like try to take over her body.

[Faithdreamer]

Enlightenment

The Minotaur isn’t impressed. “The woman has her own tongue, wench. I think you’re the ferocious animal. Man-animal! You’ve clamped on so well with those nasty teeth..!”
He waited, probably expecting a brutal smack to ring through the silence. His attention drifts to Radon. “Show ‘him’ the what?” The Minotaur works his face up but just can't hide the tiny smirk at the edge of his lips. “Why do people always assume I’m a man?” The Minotaur stands up perfectly straight. "Forget it, now the axe is all for you!"

RadonEither the Fox is playing dead, or he’s in some sort of trance. And from the strained look on Princess’s face moments before it’s a good bet the second one is most true. Are you the betting kind of person, Radon?MichieruYou can roll 1d15 to find out who you possess next.

1-5: The Minotaur
6-10: Radon
10-15: Avery

Roll Initiative!

(Michieru is the only one with a surprise round. No matter what he will go first.)

[BizzaroStormy]

Michi thinks to himself inside the gem. If at first you don't succeed... He attempts to port into the minotaur again.(when his turn comes up.)
[roll0]

[oliana0]

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Princess should start 15' away from the Minotaur, having taking two 5' steps back in previous posts (given that "next to" is 5' away), Hazel is 5' in front and to the side of her (right or left, it doesn't matter to me.)

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

""Him?" I never called you that, did I?" Radon reflexively replies to the accusation. He had actually been thinking 'It,' but by now he had more pressing things to worry about than the Mino's gender. Very important things like a helpless fox-man on one side, and an angry, possibly violent, Minotaur on the other.


[roll0]

[Faithdreamer]

Out of Body
The Minotaur’s body goes stiff. An expression of abject terror twists his face into a wide eyed caricature of courage. He stumbles, one foot tripping over the other and almost landing him in the snow before his expression blanks out.Michieru, roll a Fortitude Save (DC 15)“Get.” Tears actually slip from eyes. “Out.” An ornate scroll covered in silver drops from some hidden stash on his body and lands in the snow, sticking up on its side. There’s a small paragraph written on a label on the outside of the case.

[BizzaroStormy]

Fortitude [roll0]

[Faithdreamer]

Michieru struggles to contain the damage. His soul tears at the chains binding him to his mortal body. Not me! His mind wails at the ether, you’d swear you could hear some of Michieru’s joints pop. His legs were stretched out wide like a hide strung up for tanning; he wasn’t tearing himself apart yet but it looked like he might do just that if he wasn’t quick about it.

Struggling passed the pain of unfamiliarity, trying to learn just how someone could bear moving let along living in a body like this. Michieru was free to do as he wished now. He battled the Minotaur’s will back into the depths of its own soul. He found the strangest thing, this Minotaur only had compassion for him.

[BizzaroStormy]

The minotaur's body finally loosens up. It approaches Avery and drops to it's knees. It speaks again, this time in a raspy, more canine, tone. Knock em' out so we can get moving along.

Its just like it sounds Incarnum, put a well placed fist between the minotaurs eyes and lets get moving

[Faithdreamer]

Aren't horns more useful for that?

[BizzaroStormy]

Maybe but I dont see a way to use horns on one's self

[oliana0]

Princess

Princess looks at the Minotaur and then to Michieru, thinks for a moment, and then quickly picks up the scroll and quickly casts a short spell over the scroll and then turns to the Minotaur's body and looks it over.


Cast Detect Magic and look at the scroll and anything on the Minotaur's body -- full 3 rounds for as much information as possible.
If the scroll is not magical, read the outside writing. If it is magical spellcraft it (and any other magic items found on the Minotaur) +9 for spellcraft.

[Faithdreamer]

Your delicate ministrations reveal that the scroll is, in fact, a magic scroll. Fancy that.

[oliana0]

Princess

Princess studies the scroll further.


Anything else on the Minotaur magical?

[roll0]

[Faithdreamer]

Aside from the scroll fallen out a pouch he was carrying, nothing on the man tells you that he was carrying anything arcane. His equipment (what little he has) is mostly, mundane. You'd probably expect that from home spun fur like he has... you don't wonder what's on that scroll, do you?

[oliana0]

Was hoping for learning its magical aura (from detect magic), checking to see if it has a curse on it, etc. before doing anything with it that may be harmful to Princess.

[Faithdreamer]

You intentions are good, most uses for Detect Magic have DC 15 for your spellcraft check. I can't give Princess more information because her roll is not 15 (that is the minimum for that sort of thing). You can't tell what school of magic is involved in the magic, even that is beyond the capabilities of a 13..

[oliana0]

Princess

Princess frowns and begins to read the writing on the outside of the scroll.

"Well? Is someone going to tie him up or something?"


Okay, next time I'm taking 10 on spell craft.

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

"Err... I'm not so good with knots. They hate me, laugh at me, and then I have no choice but to burn them on principle." Radon says apologetically.

"I could try warming Michieru up howerver. I'm good at warming things up, and he looks a little cold and sickly right now. Michieru isn't dying on us or anything is he? I've never seen anything like that before."

[oliana0]

Princess

"I really don't know what he's cast, but apparently, he tried to jump into me first, naughty, naughty."

"I think it's a magic jar spell, Princess, and that's kind of random. We're lucky he got it on the second try. Well, the Minotaur is lucky that he got it on the second try." Hazel smiles.

"Darn, right, dear Hazel. I was just about to take him out for you!" Sport moves forward now that the threat is over.

"Well, based on what Hazel has told me, I am sorry for calling you naughty, Micheriu. You've done well." Princess pat the Minotaur on the head and turns to the rest of the group.

"So no one can bind the creature? I really wanted to talk to him some more." If no one can/will, Princess pouts and then turns to the Minotuar and ask, "If I were to cast a spell on this body, would it last after your release the Minotaur's soul? Or should I have Sport here try to tie him up first?"


[roll0] [roll1]twice because it was cast twice, to identify Magic Jar. Although, the jar should really give it away.

Hazel has +11 in spellcraft. She took 10.

[BizzaroStormy]

Michi appears to be struggling a bit to keep control.Just knock the damn thing out. It'll be unconscious for a day or two and by then we'll be long gone. And be quick about it, I don't see how anything could live with fur this filthy.

[oliana0]

Princess

"Hazel? If you would be so kind..." Princess gestures at the Minotaur and goes back to the scroll, casting another spell at it.

Hazel approaches the Minotaur and starts to thwack him about the head with her quarterstaff, trying to knock out the Minotaur.

"Want some help there, dear?" Sport moves forward to assist Hazel.

"Nope, I got it!" *thwack* *thwack* Hazel appears to be enjoying herself. Sport steps back to avoid getting himself thwacked.

Once the Minotaur is out cold, Hazel steps back and says, "Phew! You know in damsel in distress training, then never cover how fun it is to fight back. There'd probably a lot fewer damsels in distress if they did." Hazel kicks the Minotaur once good in the chest and pushes the beast over and starts to search the body. "Eh, this fur's not so bad for a wild creature."

"You should try Princess training. It's all proper forks and spoons, and no where near enough knife training."

"You've had 'Damsel in Distress' training?" Sport looks confused. Hazel and Princess just laugh.

"Guess it didn't take."


Cast Read Magic on the scroll if it is, indeed, a scroll which contains a spell, and not just a scroll that happens to have some magical properties.

[BizzaroStormy]

Radon and Avery get s light headache and a chill down their spine as Michi goes through their souls just a bit to remove the risk of inhabiting them should he ever use the jar again. After a bit, he returns to his own body and reflexively grabs his head. OW! Couldn't you have done it in just one hit?!?

[oliana0]

Hazel

"Where's the fun in that?"

[BizzaroStormy]

Nevermind He says, shaking off the snow that had accumulated on him. He notices the scroll she's fiddling with. We really need to get moving. You think its cold now just wait until it gets dark. He begins walking again towards their target location, hoping to get back to the caravan before nightfall.

[Faithdreamer]

Knowledge is…
Your newly attuned eyes slice through the veil of ignorance, as it were, and reach the heights of knowledge. When they’ve finally found the wisdom encapsulated in this most illuminated of texts you realize you’re reading a small set of instructions written in common. There’s also a strange elongated character that doesn’t seem quite... I’ll assume you took ten on your spellcraft check. That looks very much like a snake. You’d better not read that without smearing it first.

For some reason a feeling of deep worry overcomes you. It is not that you can tell what for, the idea still drives you crazy. Is it the magic of the scroll? Or just intuition?

[oliana0]

Princess

Princess pulls herself away from the scroll and requess, "Tie him up, please, Sport, Hazel, anyone else that is willing, please assist. I'm afraid we may need to talk to this creature."

"On it." "Yes, Princess." Sport pulls out a silk rope and begins to tie up the Minotaur's arms and hands.

"Tie the hands behind his back, tie the feet to the hands and tie the horns back there as well."

"I think this may be worth a few minutes wait to get some more information about this and why he was here. But if you'd like to continue, feel free."

Once Princess feels that the Minotaur is secure, she asks Sport to step back and Hazel to be prepared to attack. She then casts a quick spell to wake the beast.


CLW on the Minotaur
[roll0]


"Good morning beastie. Sorry about the role reversal, but we need information, and for some reason there is a lack of trust between my companions and you."

"Yes, please. Do listen to us and maybe we can come to an agreement. I know Sport wants his rope back, so if you could not break through it just now." Hazel speaks calmly and gently and appears just a bit more charming that Princess at the moment.


If the Minotaur doesn't immediatly try to kill us all, Hazel will try Diplomacy on it. [roll1]

[BizzaroStormy]

Princess, you'd better have a damn good explanation for this. During the "interrogation" Michi holds what appears to be a small orb of rainbow light in his hand, pointed at the minotaur.

Readied action to hit it with Prismatic Ray should it take hostile action against us.

[Faithdreamer]

Sacrilege!

The Minotaur huffs, and does not seem displeased at all at his predicament. “I demand you make me presentable. In fact, if you wanted to be so erotic all you’d to do was but ask. I had no idea humans had such cultivated tastes.” He nods cordially at in the direction of Sport, not taking his discerning eyes off Hazel for an instant and virtually ignoring everyone else.

"Show me more."

[oliana0]

Hazel

"Dear, Minotaur, I call you that because you have not given us your name. I am Hazel, this is my Princess, and that 'gentleman' is Sport."

"You are bound, not for any fun reason as you infer, but rather because we respect your strength and prowess. We feel more comfortable if these proceedings continue with you staying bound. Though, as I said, Sport does want his rope back, so we do plan to free you."

"This scroll dropped from your pocket."

Princess shows the scroll and continues with the conversation.

"Are you familiar with the contents of this scroll? From what I can tell, it has magic in it that would be dangerous to the reader. Are you here to help or hinder us?"

[Faithdreamer]

Minotaur

He seems to make a snobbish, royal sniff more out of imitation.
"Oh, shameful. I don't even know why I'm still wearing these. Awful, rude people."

The Minotaur glares... nonchalantly at the Wizard, brandishing his swirling skylights fireball with such... grrrr! Practiced menace.

"We'll start by having you take these ropes off. Then you'll tell me exactly why you started picking on things bigger than you. We can discuss what you're doing here after that. If I like what I hear I'll even read you my scroll - heavens forbid you, smallish pickpocket."

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

*YAWN*

Radon was blessed with many virtues. Patients wasn't one of the strong ones.

The fox-man had recovered and apparently didn't require assistance after all.

The minotaur might become interesting, but right now it was safely bound and talking diplomatic snobbery with their own Ms. Royalty.

The man frowns with fingers twitching amidst small sparks. There wasn't even anything to burn. At least, not anything that he should burn that would burn. Hmm... who else isn't busy...

"Yo, Avery, care for a simple game, perhaps 4-row to help pass time while the diplomats work?" he says to the person who looks least involved.

[oliana0]

Princess

Princess unfurls the scroll and puts it directly in front of the Minotaur's face. She points to the snake symbol and asks, "What's this?"

If the Minotaur gives anymore non-answers to Princess's question she will ask Hazel to kill him.

[Faithdreamer]

His face sours and the air feels thicker, hotter, around where he is sitting. He glares up at Princess defiantly and says nothing. One of his teeth pokes out from behind his lip, his face his scrunched up in disgust. At the mention of murder, the Minotaur stares into Princess’s eyes and pronounces one word. Slowly, carefully, so she will understand. “Beast.”

He does not say anything else.You might decide to continue after the mark on your map or keep interrogating the Minotaur. Assuming Michieru likes either choice.

[BizzaroStormy]

Listen, we're losing daylight and trust me, you really do not want to be caught in this weather after dark. He says, addressing Princess Finish up and lets get moving. He looks at the minotaur impatiently. You going to leave us be if we untie you?

[oliana0]

Does that make any sense to Princess? It doesn't to me.

[BizzaroStormy]

Its cold...very cold. It will get EXTREMELY colder once it gets to become night and Michi wants to finish up and get back to the caravan before then.

[Faithdreamer]

“Little furs, you trifle with things you should not. Even the ‘barbarians’ know enough to stay away.” The Minotaur softly says. He perks up at the mention of leaving and nonchalantly glances at Princess.
“Yes, let’s get going. I’m feeling an awful chill just now.”

He fiddles with the ropes knotting him into a ball of mewling Minotaur.

“Can’t get going to that map spot building Ice Queens…”

[BizzaroStormy]

Michi is confused, annoyed, cold and hungry. After a long sigh, he simply says. Just leave em'. He'll work his own way out of the ropes. And begins walking towards the spot on his map.

[Faithdreamer]

Passage
Worst of all was being so accustomed you hadn’t noticed. Ignorance of all intentions to the contrary served the Minotaur well. He ploughed through any amount of snow undaunted and left big furrows everyone walked in except Michieru – it beat having to make them yourselves. Princess called him a boat. The only time he paused in his trek was to shout over his shoulder at her. He flexed his massive body.

“I am not fat, Muscle, raw power to save you the trouble!”

Marching through the snow did as much good for his spirits as Avery’s own. His being consistently louder was the only problem, along the way he gave an inundation of words to your ears. Some things were strange and obscure, other things were a little more earthly… he mentioned the sobbing sound of snow worms. Because it was so suspicious, he didn’t like the caravan very much. He received almost too good treatment from the strange people who led the expedition and wondered why. The wilderness was far more than civilization ever knew, a comment that earned murderous glares from Sport.

Just after you thought the endless white would go on forever, the Minotaur fell through the snow. Noisy bouncing sounds, well, bounced up from the deep he’d fallen into. They stopped when a long cascade of clatters and cracks started. The hole was too dark too see in; narrow enough for at least two of you at once to do gown.

A muffled voice:

“Disgusting…”

[oliana0]

Once again, I have no idea what just happened.

[BizzaroStormy]

Michieru looks around in the driving snow. Where is that damn thing? I could get a much better view if I could just fly.((referring to effigy)) He's a little annoyed about the situation with the minotaur and isnt particularly heartborken when it fell down the hole. Michi walks over to the hole and picks up a rock. After a minor incantation, the rock begins to glow brightly as he tosses it into the hole.

((Casting Light on the rock))

[Faithdreamer]

Knowledge
The rock bounces once and surges through shadows, a luminous avalanche of sorts. A small sound of impact and the rock begins to slide gradually down the side of the shaft. This hole was probably caved out, like someone expected to use it as an entrance. The glowing rock goes out of sight, it lands somewhere below. Things are quiet, you feel cooler standing here than you should, and with this solitary passage, things feel lonelier.

[oliana0]

Sport

Sport looks down the hole and looks back up at Princess, "He still has my rope, doesn't he?"

[BizzaroStormy]

A fall that long would have killed the minotaur anyway. Oh well... Come on, we should be getting there any minute now. He goes around the hole and continues to move, carefully checking each step.

[oliana0]

Princess

"You don't think, that, perhaps, this carved hole in the ground may be what we are looking for? Or lead to what we are looking for?"

Princess squints down the hole and calls out, "Oh, Mr. Minotaur. You say you like Hazel, but you keep doing whatever you can to get away from her. She's up here, and all concerned about you. Are you okay?"

Hazel laughs a quiet laugh.

[BizzaroStormy]

No, I don't. And if I didn't know any better, I'd say this looks more like a worm hole than anything else. Now we'd better get going before anything else happens. We're almost at the location on the map.

[Faithdreamer]

Recompense
“Little brat didn’t I just say disgusting?” A pinch of snow falls in the edge of the hole. “If you come down here we may all be stuck. Find your way in somewhere else – I’ll find you.”

Michieru’s prudence seemed like a very good idea. There was no telling how many ‘chimneys’ might be in the snow. We couldn’t all be as big as a Minotaur. Deep snow would hide almost anything as long as someone hadn’t been here… in who knew how long..?

It was the urge to dig a snow fort.

Roll a Search Check (DC 30) unless you want to be digging in earnest. Time will pass if you take this option, it would probably be cold and dark before you were finished.

Roll a Wisdom (DC 5) if you want a really big hint. :smallamused:

[BizzaroStormy]

[roll0] blah blah blah wisdom check

:amused: Nice!

[Faithdreamer]

Radon Purelight was always fond of fire... (we'll presume you take this option instead of that awful search check); please hold while I write in the mouth of woe.

[Faithdreamer]

Patience wasn’t one of his virtues. For Michieru caution was the order of things; at least until Radon started melting everything in sight with his fires. A deluge of slush was crashing down the hole in less time than anyone would have thought. Blackened, parched earth and steam in his wake, Radon carved the way to the sealed door faster you might have hoped. With Sport in his wake rubbing his hands together and basking in the heat for all its worth Radon ‘parted the sea’.
Once it would have been cold and unyielding. Now the stones revealed for your eyes to see were a bit warm. Holy texts were carved rather roughly alongside pretty looking mosaics of dwarves. Your best guess was a temple. This old writing would tell you the story you needed, if you could read it. This was certain:

If these seams were any indication this was the doorway you searched for.

Amongst things you may try could be:

Decipher Script to learn what’s written on the door.
You may also think about a Strength Check to try forcing this door. Good luck.
A Spell may be of assistance here.
You could try a close Search of the stone door.
Sometimes architects are silly, Disable Device to try perhaps, going after the hinges instead?
Those Mosaics might be worth something. Are you the greedy, Appraising kind of adventurer?

[BizzaroStormy]

Well...good show but you likely drowned our horned "friend" Michi approaches the door. His hand glows slightly as he delivers a knock which shakes bits of ice off the door.

((Casting Knock))

[Faithdreamer]

Stone grates stone. Michieru’s magic was odourless, tasteless. You nonetheless felt it keenly. The rocks grind open and he stands in the empty doorway. You breathe stale air almost as cold as the stuff outside. The passage ahead is a dark, winding carved stone staircase too smooth to walk on easily.Keep your Balance (DC 17) unless you want to break your hips on the way down. Be creative and think about it.Outside light didn’t reach around corners, you need a light lest you fall off the precipice if (when?) the stairs ended abruptly. It wasn’t as if anyone needed to tell you taking your time was always smart. The stairs were wide enough for three people to walk side-by-side, for the sensible reasons of companionship... or speed, maybe someone wanted to get down here fast.

[BizzaroStormy]

Michieru knew it was gonna be uncomfortable, but it was the only way as far as he was concerned. After casting Light on the gem floating around his head, he sits down on the stairs and decides to slide down.

[Faithdreamer]

Michieru slides along carefully, slowly… at first. As soon as he rounds the spiral the Fox Keidran’s eyes widen with the revelation. It turns out the steps had really stopped being steps as soon as the spiral’s curve began. Now it was a slick ramp always steeper than before. He’s picking up speed more quickly than he’d have liked to. Frantically he paws at the ground, the walls, anything to slow himself down and all to no avail. Finally he bounces over the edge of a step missing the one below it and can’t contain his yelp when he slams into the next one. The corner, ouch – if he didn’t do something soon he was going right over the edge where the steps just weren’t anymore.Succeed on a Reflex Save (DC 17) to (hopefully) slow yourself down and stop. If you mess that up maybe your allies have something to say about it.

[BizzaroStormy]

His ride is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. Michieru slaps the wall, causing a small spot to glow just like the stone orbiting his head, after which, he pushes off the stairs, forcing him to a dead stop.
Casting Light on a random spot on the wall to activate my Draconic Flight feat

[Faithdreamer]

Light is a Level 0 spell, your slide continues unabated. You'll have to rely on your friends. Something bright reaches the only wall the others can see from outside. Whether any of the others followed him in closely enough to help… Michieru could only hope.

[oliana0]

Princess

Princess watches the choice of descent and frowns. She considers and even goes so far as to reach for her tush when she shakes her head.

"Hazel? Hippogriffs I think are in order, can you grab one for Sport as well?"

"Yes, Princess."

Hazel and Princess cast spells when the first two Hippogriffs appear, Princess and Sport mount them and hold on for dear life. Hazel directs hers to follow the Princess's mount and Princess and Sport take off down the stairs half flying/half gliding down and around the stairs.

Hazel then looks to the other standing there providing them the option of acquiring one as well. If no one asks for one, Hazel will change form into a large bat looking creature and follow after.


Cast Summon Nature's Ally, II spontaneously for Princess and Hazel. Then wildshape into a dire bat for Hazel.

[Faithdreamer]

Anyone using a Hippogryph as such must pass a Ride Check (DC 15) or risk a hard knock of sorts.

Upon seeing how big that is, add in a Handle Animal Check (vs. DC 25) while you're at it.
Michieru flails for a something - anything - miracle or not he's able to catch hold of... is that a rope?

It's already breaking after the first jarring yank, now it had to hold Michieru's weight. Pray.

[BizzaroStormy]

<Oh to hell with it> Michi gives a quick chant and lets go of the rope, floating in mid air and down the staircase.

Ok, screw the complex crap. I'll just cast Fly

[Faithdreamer]

Michieru should maintain his Concentration (DC 23) if he expects to succeed in this act I don’t think you are allowed to take 10 on these checks. Hope you have lucky dice, okay?

NOTE: I decided to be tough on you this time. The base DC is 20+Spell Level, almost like being grappled. You're lucky I'm allowing you a tiny break saying you can somehow manage the somatic components. Michieru chants his incantation in a frantic voice, hoping against all odds his body memorized the movements.

[BizzaroStormy]

[roll0]Concentrate

[oliana0]

Handle Animal is to get an animal to do something it normally either wouldn't do or think of doing. Since these are summoned creatures, they should follow the directions of the caster.

From Ride skill:

Typical riding actions don’t require checks. You can saddle, mount, ride, and dismount from a mount without a problem.

A Hippgriff is no larger than a horse.

[Faithdreamer]

Shush, I'll explain when I'm finished.

[oliana0]

Who should roll the handle animal? The caster or the rider?

Because Handle animal is trained only and therefore Sport would fail it automatically.

[Faithdreamer]

:smallredface:Princess
[roll0] – Ride
[roll1] – Handle Animal
Princess has 6 ranks in Handle Animal (+2 synergy bonus for ride checks)
Ride +6 modifier (-5 penalty for riding bareback)
Total Mod +3

Hazel
[roll2] – Ride
[roll3] – Handle Animal (Charisma)
Hazel has +7 in ride but also rides bareback (-5 penalty)
Hazel is untrained in Handle Animal so she uses a Charisma check.

Sport
[roll4] – Ride
[roll5] – Handle Animal (Charisma)
Sport has a Ride modifier of +2 (-5 riding bareback)
In the case of no skill points characters use Charisma checks, Sport is the same as Hazel.

Note
The hallway is wide enough for three people to walk down at once. At most without squeezing that’s 15ft. Hippogriffs are 9ft. long with a 20ft. wingspan and weigh 1000lbs.
You’re mounted on the Hippogriff, and if you don’t want to have a bump on the head, everyone is making a Ride check so they can cover themselves properly by hugging their mount.
Riding bareback (without a saddle) imposes a -5 penalty on your ride check.
The rules imply that covering against your mount (I have defined this as your hugging action) requires a Ride Check vs. DC 15.
Summoned creatures are not necessarily mindless – Hippogriffs probably aren’t accustomed to tight and twisting spaces like a narrow spiralling tunnel; I think they would know danger when they see it and this qualifies beyond doubt. Like a big sign that says Don’t Fly Here. I thought making an animal summoned or not go into that situation would meet criteria for pushing it. Specifically:

“Do what everything tells you not to.”

Circumstances probably aren’t in your favour; the base DC for pushing an animal (DC 25) remains unchanged.

You’re right when you say I need to clarify things. Thank-you very much for the tip I will do better.

Special Cool Uncle Bonus
Sport has the Highest Handle Animal number, his Hippogriff likes him and he manages to keep it calm (rolling a 19 is close enough). No responses, forthcoming narrative text.

EDIT: Also, Hazel turned into a dire bat. :smallredface: Please ignore the crunch for her.

[oliana0]

Hazel is not riding anything she is a Dire Bat right now.


Also Druids would probably know that this wouldn't work prior. Your interpretation is different that my interpretation of RAW. I'm not really what effect that would have, but. Yeah. Rules different than my interpretation.

[Faithdreamer]

Perfect timing, zam!!She was right – a little worry stopped a lot of trouble – sometimes, when the courtiers called Princess a tad crazy they might not be so far gone. Either too courageous (foolish?) for their own good or accustomed to service the royals were impetuous. The two of them reined their Hippogriffs through the darkness against all odds and opposition.
Both took nasty scrapes and bruises on their way down. Behind them the cackling of a bat almost felt like mocking laughter. Michieru barely avoided a stray limb bashing him in the face.
Both riders and mounts sprawled out into the open expanse of the cavern beyond the steps. That was when things got worse. Princess’s Hippogriff smashed its head against the roof earlier, sending it in a dangerous flip end over end.

With more reaction and less thought Sport managed to a miracle.

Almost touching foreheads, the backs of their mounts facing each other, Sport and Princess saw each other’s face with perfect clarity. His fingers reached out, and something in her summoned beast was tranquil. The ground rushed up at them. In the nick of time the Hippogriffs levelled out and managed a dangerously close landing. Michieru’s light shone from above, throwing a dim illumination across the dirt floor. Down came Hazel, circling from the darkness. Michieru was not far behind. Sport stroked his Hippogriff, preening with its blood running hot for more thrill. Princess’s looked a little shaken, and Sport managed a sympathetic look. Only now would the two of them start to feel their throbbing headache.

Both Princess and Sport suffer [roll0] lethal damage after their escapade. Princess's Hippogriff is Shaken.

“Well,” He sounded a bit ruffled, proudly patting his bird, less off-put than hers. He wasn’t quite cheery, and he sounded a bit like he wanted to hurl. His voice echoes in the immense space.
“Your marvellous tush is yet unmarked, dear lady.”

[BizzaroStormy]

Michi hovers to the ground, he shivvers a bit as he holds his groin.<Cold cold cold> Where the hell are we? He asks no one in particular while looking around, the glowing stone flotaing around his head providing ample light.

[oliana0]

Have we lost Incarnum and Psychicdog?

[BizzaroStormy]

I dont know about losing them but they've had a few days to post.

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

""Everyone Make it down safely? " the firebug calls to the adventures who went first.

"I'm coming down next." Radon carefully steps out and works his way down while clinging to the wall.

Taking 10 on Climbing (19)to hold onto the wall and not fall.

[oliana0]

Princess

Princess calls to Radon above, "Mind the last step, it's a doozie!"

Sport is looking a little bleak, so Hazel, still in bat form, lands next to him and pecks him lightly with her beak.

"Hey! Oh, thanks." Sport looks rather glum still.


Cast CLW on Sport [roll0]

[Faithdreamer]

Radon slips on the wall and bounces off the floor the first time he tries it. Considering what happened to the others, wouldn’t discretion be the better part of valour? Nothing was really stopping him. Even he should see that…

Michieru and the others knew the floor was nothing remarkable for them. They’d seen floors like these a hundred times before. They were standing in the middle of a vast, empty cavern and in every direction a rock wall that looked like nothing more than a rock wall. Something had built those awful stairs and the drop-off after them. It might look that way… this was definitely not an ordinary, unremarkable, boring run of the mill cavern.

[BizzaroStormy]

Michi looks relieved even if a bit disappointed at the empty cavern. Hearing Radon scream as he falls, Michieru throws a bit of cobweb just above the "landing zone" which quickly grows to catch his falling ally.

After that, he sits down. I doubt we'll be getting out of here very soon. Plus its getting late, theres now way we'd make it back before nightfall. He crosses his arms and closes his eyes, focusing on his familiar.

Web to catch Radon and Scry on Familiar to determine the status of my familiar, and hopefully the caravan.

[Psionic Dog]

Radon slips on the wall and bounces off the floor the first time he tries it. Considering what happened to the others, wouldn’t discretion be the better part of valour? Nothing was really stopping him. Even he should see that…

Sorry, I don't have a clue what this means.

In my eyes Radon was trying to be discrete: The only other things he could have done would have been to A) try defrosting the stair (not that slick wet stones are any better than icy ones) or B) throw himself forward to slide down and hope for the best (probably uncomfortable judging from the prior screams of terrified allies and hippogriffs).

Hence option C): hold on to something, (the wall) I didn't know if that would still be balance or climb check, so I just listed his better skill: climb. Apparently that didn't work soooo...

Radon

""EEEEEEEE!" It started as a cry of surprise but continued as a giddy cry of exhilaration that grew louder as Radon's slide brought him closer to his listeners until at last the man appeared rounding the final bend on his side trailing sparks from a (soul)knife he was trying to jam into the icy stone to slow his slide (most likely with negligible success).

[roll0] It's always possible (treating the ramp itself as a hill too steep to easily walk up) to catch oneself while falling, just rather unlikely.

[Faithdreamer]

Gilded Cage
Michieru receives an ominous impression of a very bloated looking face cooing at him passed the bars. An overwhelming twinge of utter HATRED makes his hair stand on end. He resists the urge to growl and yip at this… this… ghastly thing. The raw smell of stink, sweat, stink! STINK!

DIE. Die. DIE!

Neyura’s voice, always familiar, forces the hairy grease ball away and outside. Michieru’s vision goes dark, and he opens his eyes. Apparently his familiar was being cared for very well.Discreetness isn’t always going to help. I left the sentence half finished to insinuate that even he would see he was going to go bouncing over the edge. Lucky for you… Now it was his job to make sure his crutch was just the same. With a nonchalant flourish the sticky web snapped up Radon and bounced him back into the air before the strands finally, truly caught him. Radon was able to shake himself free and join everyone on the floor where they were recovering after their harrowing fall.

Radon could help light this darkness, Michieru’s glowey thing probably wouldn’t be everywhere at once. That kind of fire meant warmth too, everyone could use some just now. The cave is quiet, once in every few breaths you can hear smallish natural sounds. The plain dirt floor, the large and dark cavern at the end of a fall meant for killing – things didn’t add up. At the edge of the light you make out vague shapes that glitter and shine faintly.

[BizzaroStormy]

His keen eyes catching the glints in the darkness, Michi walks over to examine the shinies.

[Faithdreamer]

You must immediately roll a Will saving throw to avoid confusion... of sorts.

[BizzaroStormy]

Will save of sorts [roll0]

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

The Assimar wasn't physically troubled by the darkness (dark vision) but his free hand swirls with flame as a makeshift torch just the same since cold darkness, in the wrong circumstances, could be source of corrupting evil itself.

Radon slowly follows a wall around the room in small pool of light, careful to stay away from the chasm edge as he explored the immediate surroundings.

[oliana0]

Princess

"Hazel, dear will you drift around and see what you can see about this cavern? Anything we cannot see, please? Do stay within sight. And let us know, right quick, of you think you sense that Minotaur, okay?"

The bat squeaks and flies around the cavern's edges to gain an understanding of layout of the cavern, namely the dimensions of the cavern, any navigable niches in the cavern walls, etc.

"Sport, how about some light?"

Sport nods and pulls out a couple gold pieces and casts two quick spells on the them which causes them to glow, handing one to Princess and keeping the other held overhead.


Sport casts light, twice.

[Faithdreamer]

Everyone
Brighter light shone more light in the darkness, whatever was watching you knew something new was here. You couldn’t see far enough to tell what was in the chasm Michieru’s web hung Radon over moments ago. Far too dark and you weren’t about to jump down. The cavern wall you search is plain rock, since no one was willing to go beyond the reach of your torches and light spells seeing deeper would be a problem. You could tell from the sounds, from the sights, this cavern was enormous. Busily avoiding the ‘gold piles’ in his way Radon hears his feet thump on something solid that yields a little. Only now his feet were stuck in what's supposed to be a pile of copper coins.

Michieru
Didn’t you always hate these?
The gold is real, your senses tell you the gold is there by touch, the glitter and the smell of blood stains. Now it feels like you’re trying to pick up the air and trap it between your hands. You can feel the weight when your feet kick the treasure pile. All you hear is the sound of dirt heaped in a pile. Illusions…

Princess
With the Hippogriffs preening themselves and apparently much calmer, it’s all she could do to wonder if they would squash her like an insect when she was all alone with them, like this. Good thing she was its back, they’d look scarier from the ground up.

Hazel
She could sense the 'depthless empty' of the cavern's vast and very empty and vast expanse. It was big, understanding what that meant as a bat was a little more difficult, she was a smart girl who knew what she was doing. She was about to return with news - disappointing news - of nothing out of the ordinary when she finally sensed it. A big lizard shaped thing coiled together on the floor. It didn't take a genius to know what lived like that.

A deep, rumbling sleepy yawn woke up the cave.

[oliana0]

Hazel

Hazel flies as fast as she can back to the light and reforms as human as quickly as she can, stumbling out of bat shape. She gasps, whispering to Princess, "Dragon."

Princess whispers to Sport, "Sport, be prepared to disappear. And don't go making any snide remarks and getting us killed, okay?"

Sport pockets the glowing gold peice and nods at Princess. He reaches towards his pack and whispers to Princess, "I don't have my rope."

Princess rolls her eyes and hands Sport her rope.

In the lowest voice she can and still alert the others, "Micheru, Radon. We've got company."


Hippogriffs only lasted 7 rounds for Princess's and 10 for Hazel's. And even if they were still around, Princess would not be afraid of them as she's a druid and, ya know, friendly with animals and all. I'm more than happy to provide clues as to the emotions of my characters, thanks.

[BizzaroStormy]

Any chance that my light can reveal what color it is?

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

Evil. Treasure was a double edged sword: it could empower the forces of good or bring corruption. These clingy coins were trying to slow his righteous steps and therefore clearly the tainted verity. There was a cure, of course. Fire purifies all things.

Escape Attempts:

A) [roll0] to the offending 'coins'
B) [roll1] pull free
C) If previous strength < 13, try again taking 10 for 13.
D) If still stuck Radon manifests his spirit blade (soul knife: bastard sword), applies his holy flames to it, and uses it to try scraping/cutting whatever's holding him. He continues to alternatively scrape and try pulling free until he either escapes, one of his companions tell him to be quite and stop, or he sees the 'great lizard' himself.

[Faithdreamer]

Ne, I told you not to be an adorable ball of rage and malice. Have some tea it will make you feel better.

SNIDE REMARK: YOU can’t control your instinct anyway, I can’t either. Don’t feel too bad.

HUMBLE REMARK: I’m sorry for bothering you so much. I’ll step a little more lightly and try not to do it again. Let me know if I’m in your space before something ‘Kablooeys’. Something’s marooned in the moment, a deep red flicker like the colour of blood. A few ponderous heart beats not much louder than the lub dub thumping in any sane woman’s chest later a radiant eye. First the snout, then the rest of the towering – monster, little by little enters Michieru’s light. A puff of brimstone breath, not a sigh, mockery and superiority, this was a male from the way he was breathing… if you had to guess.

“Is there a problem with my precious treasure?”

He was looking squarely at Radon. Everyone else could see the deliberate smirk on the strapping Dragon’s face. He was in his prime, was his smile or the implications worse?

[BizzaroStormy]

Michieru moves to talk to the dragon before Radon can speak. Not really. I apologize for our intrusion and for waking you but we needed refuge from the outside. Would you mind terribly if we were to spend the night here?

[Faithdreamer]

Bargain

“One thousand gold and you clean my lair out after you tell the fool with his fire to stop that racket.” The Dragon lowers his head so he can see Michieru at approximately eye level and blows a breath close enough for him to feel the heat – not so close that he’d cough, too close for comfort.

[BizzaroStormy]

You heard him. Start the cleanup. he says, looking towards Radon and Avery. He takes out small pouch and drops a couple handfuls of coins into it. This should suffice for my share.

OOC:What color is the dragon?

[Faithdreamer]

True ColoursYou’re looking at a Red Dragon. He looks at Michieru incredulously, so close, to say; ‘that’s it?’

By now, Radon has removed his foot from the pile and could naturally do as he pleased. As long as it didn’t get him eaten, technically that was a limitation wasn’t it?

[oliana0]

Princess

"My goodness, indeed. Imagine that. A Red Dragon in a barren icy wilderness. Aren't you out of place here, Mr. Dragon?"

Princess points to Sport and Hazel, and they begin "cleaning" up things.


The place seemed barren, how messy is it?

[BizzaroStormy]

I see no reason to fit the bill myself. Not to mention the fact that I don't have that much on me....Anyway theres 400 in the bag, the others can give you the rest. He finds a clear spot and pulls out a log from his pack, lying it on the ground. Then another, and another. Before long, theres about a 2 foot high pile of logs. Michi backs up a bit and inhales. A small amount of mana fills his mouth and ignites as he exhales onto the pile (of wood) setting it ablaze. He then sits down in front of it to warm himself.

[Faithdreamer]

This cave seems barren, you’ve yet to look around. That Minotaur fell in here. The Dragon sniffs in a very holier-than-thou manner. He swings his mighty head in Princess’s direction and the frightening affect of his sharp teeth peeking around his lips tells you it’s a smile. He just nodded toward Michieru approvingly and inched toward the fire his Keidran ‘guest’ was making. Obvious derision flits from his voice.

“You’re smart enough not to argue with an age old Wyrm, aren’t you. My statue alone is enough to let you know I go wherever I want to.”

[BizzaroStormy]

Lets just say I know from experience. I was tracking down my lineage the first time I saw a dragon. An argument somehow came about...took my fur weeks to grow back.

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

Radon winces and reaches into backpack for a large fistful of coins. "Well, here's 200 more in gold and platinum" he quietly states somewhat grudgingly as he adds his coinage on top of the pouch. It was a steep price, but then they were, technically, intruders in someones home and it was friendly enough... sort of. Radon begins making his way to help the Princess's entourage with whatever clean up there was, careful not to step in anything this time.

[oliana0]

Princess

"So, tell me, Mr. Red Dragon. Unless you'd rather me call you something, else? What brings you to this barren wasteland of cold and snow? Surely someone of your, burning passions, so to speak, would be more comfortable in a warmer climate?"

[Faithdreamer]

Presumptuous

“Looks awfully warm to me, wyrmling.” His remark is in common, suspended with a ‘how can this thing be so silly’ sigh.
“There was fire here, after all, my lair is not meant for preserving meat. I set space aside for paying customers.”

He picks up one paw and gestures in a sweeping motion with it, beckoning your riches closer and lowering his head in a bow. It was an etiquette issue. He prowls in a circle around the edge of Micheru’s fire, looking around for anyone who may be hiding out.

“Clear away the pile of dirt by that man’s (Radon’s) feet and hop through the hatch; if you take anything I’ll know. Go down the corridor until you reach the stockade. They’ve been screaming nonstop and I haven’t the heart to kill them. I’ll let you stay for one week with the performance of that... bothersome chore.”

[BizzaroStormy]

While you generous offer is appreciated, we only need stay for the night. Michi moves away the pile and looks into the hatch. Exactly what "chore" do you speak of?

[Faithdreamer]

House Cleaning
“Ever have a really bothersome pest infestation that just won’t leave? It’s like that, only it isn’t that you can’t remove them. The problem is they’re so disgusting you don’t want to go near them. Only, they’re really just ugly not so disgusting.”
The Dragon enunciates his words and gestures like pampered royalty with his claws as he speaks. His face is oddly expressive, a man who hides nothing and passerby easily mistake for a simpleton. He saunters over to the hatch with Michieru, never mind that he couldn’t fit inside it himself in his present form, and takes a seat.

“Tie a rope on me if you want. Go on, you always wanted to walk a red dragon.”

[BizzaroStormy]

Michieru goes waist deep down the hatch, slightly confused at the dragon's demeanor. No offense, but I doubt you could fit down here. Once he's down there, he speaks under his breath. I have enough problems with a white one anyway.

[oliana0]

I'm confused

[Psionic Dog]

What hatch? There wasn't any hatch near any of us 30 seconds ago, was there?


Radon

A dozen questions race through the firebugs mind as he stares dumbly around the room at the others. Suppressing the urge to try incinerate the indicated dirt he moves to follow after Michieru.

"A Dragon, a real fire breathing dragon. Only... Dragon's aren't supposed to be eccentric hermits, are they?" He asks his furry friend when he catches up as they move deeper into the <??>

[Faithdreamer]

Busily avoiding the ‘gold piles’ in his way Radon hears his feet thump on something solid that yields a little. Only now his feet were stuck in what's supposed to be a pile of copper coins.That’s my fault again. I really need to clean up my GM. This was part of post 145..? This corridor is cold, dark. Your feet sometimes thump on the stone as you waddle, walk and jog along until a large and sturdy door blocks your progress. It is covered in precious mosaic work and framed by runic characters painted with gold leaf. An inscription reads:

Yield to the weight on Dwarf Father’s back.

It was harder getting around in snow clothing. Hot as you may be, it would be a far better idea to keep your things on. In that sense, Michieru was fortunate. But now he had yet another annoying threshold to deal with. Would simple magic work this time?

Roll listen checks, decide how you’d like to deal with this new door.

[BizzaroStormy]

[roll0]
Since Michi cant hear the narration, I'll just cast Knock again

[Psionic Dog]

Whoops, I thought Radon had stepped in a glamored web trap or like! :smallredface:


Anyway, [roll0]

[oliana0]

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[Faithdreamer]

Michieru watches his spell fizzle from the moment it leaves his fingertips. The door remains unscathed, unmoving, uninviting. Curiosity quirked all three of their heads up at once, a coincidence of fate that let them know – I hear that. Muffled sobs fruitlessly beat against the door from the other side. If given a form to, lamentations that would rot the stones to gravel. Cries that became chants over a long time in a place that should harbour only unseen dead souls.

Forgive us, Forgive us
Moradin, All Father
Forgive us

Yield to the Weight on the Dwarf Father’s back -

Then the first part was repeated, the chant began again. Part of it was like the inscription framing the door keeping you at bay. As you read it again, the air started feeling heavier.

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

*Humph* "Open up! NOW!" he snarls at the door and anything behind it as he steps forward to rattle the latch himself. After all, it might not even be locked.


[roll0]

[Faithdreamer]

Radon's big, scary voice echoes through the hallway. This door may not open when he pushes on it, but the latch is undone now.

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

*Urk* the firebug grunts as he shoves on the door. "There must be some way past. Ideas?" he finishes as he braces to give the door a strong pull.

[Faithdreamer]

You heard the full force of that mantra, the pressure of responsibility, and it was like an attack on your being. The sounds echoed off the walls of the ancient dwarf Cathedral crumbling to ruin in front of you. Rows and rows of benches for kneeling were arranged in a grand semicircle facing a plain statue of the Dwarf God. Moradin the All-Father was standing with both arms outstretched; he welcomed all his worshippers. With the clamour in the room, a disgusting sense of humour made music of suffering.

Eight black inky coloured shapes knelt in each cardinal direction around the stone idol. Their posture was perfectly set, and their formal position would have been painful to hold for any length of time. Their agony didn’t show on their gaunt faces, their teeth were showing. Long ago their lips had rotted away, leaving them to feel all the pain of a mouth exposed to the elements. Each pair of eyes was closed. They chanted, wept:

Agony gates are Opened
Wide and heard the sound
Of screaming men, pity us
Cruel Murder haunts our souls
Now you will haunt them too…

Their gangly bodies arose as one from the floor, the crick and creak of living bodies stiff from cold. The smile of death on men who yet lived, they plodded step by step toward you down the center aisle. Killing intent was thick in the air, their eyes looked mushy, a deluge of tears stained the floor in their wake.

Help Us, Help Us, Chant the Heavens, Salvation…

The closer they got the easier it was to see whatever got near them rotting. Something told you getting close to them would be a very bad idea. And now they were only about sixty feet away.

[BizzaroStormy]

If it is eternal rest you wish for...than I shall give it to you. Michi pulls a small yellow and black ball the size of a marble from a pouch and begins chanting as the ball starts to glow red. Once done, he flings it in a straight line towards the group of zombies. Once in the middle of them, he snaps his fingers causing the ball to explode in a great ball of fire.

Probably dont need to tell you but I'm casting an Empowered Fireball. I'll also move back a bit for good measure.
[roll0] Adding the 50% from empower, it comes to 52 damage. The reflex save is DC 18

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

"Then be cleansed tainted ones!" Radon cries as fire races around his hand and then arcs toward whichever creature appears strongest.


[roll0] [roll1]

After making his shot Radon backs up 20-30 feet if he can.

[Faithdreamer]

Michieru’s bead incinerates what’s left of the room. By the time the smoke clears, there’s nothing left of the creatures. Radon’s searing flame was icing on Princess’s cake. With the interior a smouldering pile of heat and dust, seemingly all that was left was to examine the room.
Moradin’s statue was untouched, as were many frescos showing the legends of this place. A small chest fell to the floor with a noisy sound. Something that looked a bit like sand spilled out. It was glittering in the dim light, like you imagined fairy dust would.
In any case, the Dragon’s job was apparently over. All that remained was to go back to the hatch and let him know…

Unless you wanted to search the cathedral…Do you want to go back, Mr. Michieru?

[BizzaroStormy]

Considering the amount of downtime they would have, Michi decides to take a look around the freshly cleasned room, starting with the chest of dust.

[oliana0]

Princess

"What is this place?"

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

"I don't think the dragon made this..." Radon says quietly as he walks slowly around to get a better view of the frescos.

[BizzaroStormy]

Obviously. Something like this is dwarven construction. He says, fiddling with the lock on the chest.

[Faithdreamer]

Worth
Radon’s eyes peel through layers of dust to discern the history painted underneath. Frame by frame it shows a story about a group of men. They were Mercenaries travelling through the snow seeking shelter. The Dwarves of this temple treated them as Kings. A ferocious army had thrown everything into chaos. When the men were out working in a contract, they happened on an especially vicious group of half-elves. The half-breeds had a cunning plan to destroy the Dwarves in the temple.
Faced with their might the men ran, afraid to die, afraid to even try delivering a message. When the men finally gathered their courage and found the temple, they ran into the elves first. They accepted a bribe of food and clothing in return for their information about the temple. When the men finally found the Dwarves again, they were being driven to death, slave labour.
The temple Dwarves begged Moradin to be merciful, the god was grief stricken, and so cursed the men with a terrible affliction. The temple halls would forever be silent except for their pain to fill the walls inside.

Michieru sneezed. The dust, these murals said, was the crystallized perspiration of endless chain gangs of dwarves dying in the forge. It was a perversion of the Joy that his people were entitled to have.

Roll a Fortitude Save at DC 25, Michieru.Princess could tell this was a temple built by Dwarves. It seemed very old, if you only judged by what you’d seen already. It occurred to you, since it was a hall of worship, they’d want many entrances. Dwarves were famed for their stone cutting. It couldn’t hurt to look for secret doors.Radon, make an Intelligence Check, at DC 11

[BizzaroStormy]

[roll0] Blah blah 10 character requirement

[Psionic Dog]

Radon doesn't let analysis trouble his mind as he admires the artistry with his trusty instincts and keen intuition.

Radon thinks hard...
[roll0]
:smallannoyed:

[Faithdreamer]

Glitterdust

Radon’s eyes could only see as deep as the walls’ beginnings. Pretty pictures and nothing more, superficial as golden leaf, really what was art if not the stone as it rots away..?
Art was only pretty as long as it took weathering to make it disappear. Before he could really get interested, something more interesting came up. Michieru stifled a sneeze – they always did – it came out anyway. So much for his face…

By the time Michieru had the sense to apologize, the stuff felt like it was already crawling inside his nose. Like he was growing hair on it, was it a pain in his butt because his nose ticked, or because his nose was full of little prickly stabbing pains? What was this dust..?Succeed on a DC 25 Will Save, Michieru. At long last you may have the answer you sought, just what is this room all about? Can anyone find secret doors?

I'll let you know what you just happened to inhale in a little bit.. let the suspense kill you before the effect does.

[BizzaroStormy]

Will Save [roll0]

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

"Michieru? You ok? You've been looking a little sickly ever since we met that mino. Maybe I should start a fire to warm you up." the Assimar comments as one of his hands starts to glow. He also looks around for anything that might burn. Not that he'll actually burn down the Cathedral or anything (unless it turns out to be an evil chapel of course) but it's smart to think ahead just in case part of it needs to be sacrificed for the good cause of keeping his fellows alive.

[Faithdreamer]

Black Treasure
Being an old chapel there were plenty of things for Radon to burn. How long they would burn was another matter. Like the effects of the dust Michieru was inhaling by the mouthful, their time was short, and acute. First he started to feel cold, like something was creeping up his back. Something wet was dripping on his fur and the others would be the first to see it. Michieru almost stumbled, but that was only because the group hadn’t told him his tail had gotten longer, yet.
It was a barbed, prehensile bug thing, with a serrated stringer dripping with acid. The only time Michieru noticed was when something started ‘burning’ the floor away. An obnoxious sizzling sound that felt a little like a defiant growl as Michieru’s new tail lashed out at the closest thing – Radon.

[roll0] – Stinger Slice!
[roll1] Damage, +Fort Save DC 18 to avoid Mummy Rot[roll2] – Con Damage
[roll3] – Cha Damage

Note: Wow, good thing that wasn't a critical hit, ne?

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

"AAGGHHHH! *gasp* *pant* Michieru? What? You're being corrupted... do we burn this evil pace or amputate first?" Radon states as he backs wide eyed out of range of the tail while manifesting a flaming sword.


[roll0]

[Psionic Dog]

One of the small hydra heads on Radon's ring flashes and goes out...


No, natural ones are not acceptable and the ring knows this. Lets see about a nice 20 in the name "the odds even out" theory.

[roll0]

[Faithdreamer]

Notice: I'm placing this game on the cloak rack. It doesn't appear that there is very much interest left. If two or three of you gainsay, let us continue. If there are no protests I'll let this game end here.

[BizzaroStormy]

Well, it appears me and psionic are waiting on you, all we need is oliana to give an opinion

[Faithdreamer]

What?! :smalleek:

Your butt grew a GIANT ACIDIC SCORPION STINGER, so you're with nothing whatsoever to say, seems normal to me.

[BizzaroStormy]

Ah! You wanted me to RP that? You should have said so. Here goes! Heres a new will save if it will do anything. [roll0]

N-Nya! Michi does what he can to keep a distance from Radon Get...out! Get out!

[Faithdreamer]

The tail lashes out, with a loud thunk, it bounces off a wooden table, not quite long enough to reach Radon. That was okay. Eventually it would get there – because it was getting longer. Too busy trying to force his body to do what he wanted it to, Michieru only got a glimpse of the fleshy tumour growing out of his neck, glimpsing back at him. It gurgled something and spat copious amounts of mucous and blood.

Radon’s flaming blade ignites in his hand, maybe if he timed it just right he could slice that tail just under the stinger as it struck at him.A full round action to prepare a strike like that, and it requires that you move within range of the stringer. Make a DC 5 Wisdom check and a DC 7 Dexterity check. Hit the tail with a normal attack and you must succeed on all checks to succeed in slicing the stinger off.

Michieru must succeed on a DC 25 Will save to make his body do what he wants it to for eight hours. He is exempt from the effort during sleep.

Every time he fails to make the save pieces of his body that he grows can do whatever they want for five minutes. The fleshy tumour always has free will. For this encounter, make a Will Save until you succeed but only one every turn.

Both Radon, Michieru and the Tail have acted. This is a New Turn.

oliana0 can act whenver she wants, I won't wait around. She asked me not to, so I won't control her characters.

[Psionic Dog]

Radon

"You're being corrupted! Here, let me cut out the growing evil." Radon firmly declares as he readies a swing. "Now, just turn around and step back a bit. Hold your tail still if you can. Don't worry about blood loss: the heat should cauterize the stub." The nervous firebug says in what he hopes is a calm soothing voice.


If for some improbable reason Michieru actively runs away from Radon then this of course won't happen. Otherwise...

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3] + [roll4] + [roll5]
Attack includes a Power Attack [1]

[BizzaroStormy]

If I'm holding you guys up, send me a PM teling me to get my assin gear ok? [roll0]

Finally gaining control of his body, Michieru reluctantly holds out his tail in front of Radon, keeping a potion tile at the ready. Just make it quick! He says gritting his teeth.