Ngilop's campaign IC

[zlefin]

The season is early spring.
The Count greets each of you in a moderately sized meeting chamber, with a few ministerial types present. "Your services are welcome; there are always problems to deal with, it's good to have strong arms and wise minds to see to them. Your first task will be clearing out some undead, the court wizard will explain more."

The court wizard, a well aged man in dull robes stands and nods to you all then sits back down. He speaks in a voice well used to explaining things, "There is a small area a couple dozen leagues to the west, that is filled with necromantic magic. It has been like that for as long as we've known. Why it is, we have never been able to fathom, as there is no notable geography nor history to explain such a thing. But it is there, and so we deal with it. The area is around a mile in diameter, and roughly circular. The magic is strong enough to be palpable, and animals in particular are sensitive to it, though it is not immediately dangerous. Most animals avoid the area; but this means there is often much vegetation there, so sometimes starving animals will go there for food, or injured ones to hide from predators. If an animal dies in the area, it will often rise later, as a zombie or skeleton, based upon what's left of it. Larger animals are more likely to reanimate than smaller ones. Those undead typically remain in or within a few miles of the area, roaming around, but will occasionally wander farther and cause damage. They also tend to gather in groups, so you'll mostly be facing one or a few groups. Now that the snows have cleared, it's time to do a sweep of the area to cull any undead that have arisen." The wizard then looks to another man who stands up and begins to speak.

"I'm Warden Selwig for those of you new here. We have good maps of the area if you're not as familiar with the local terrain. A few local guides and porters are also available if you want. They will not go too near the actual danger and will not engage in any fights but to defend themselves, but can establish a base camp a half-day's march or so away, and ensure it is not pestered by regular wild animals, and look after the supplies. The local terrain in that area is mostly forested hills." He will hand maps to any who want them.

The Count speaking "Alright then. Any questions on your task?"




Various notes for myself about the game:
Link to OOC thread:
https://forums.giantitp.com/showthre...lop-s-campaign

Alaina:
https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2366232

Leoroar
https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2366283

Tarik Edoah
https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1785690

Luriel Swiftleaf
https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2366576

[Simba]

Alaina

Obviously nervous about being there, Alaina's bushy tail in between her legs and she looks ready to feel at a moment's notice. Still her ears move forward a little, expressing couriousity and great interest. Trusting her friends to ask the necessary questions and too shy to speak up, she simply waits.

[ngilop]

Tarik steps forward to get the maps, he turns around and smiles to Alaina as he hands them to her "Here Alaina, you are better at reading these things and well...wilderness in general." Tarik then looks to his other compatriot and nods, knowing that while he might be significantly smaller than himself, he is none the less as much a competent warrior, more so against undead. "So, this undead infestation seems to be based around a particular place?" He says out loud as much a question to Warden Selwig as to Leoroar

[dantiesilva]

Lord Leoroar was indeed intrigued when the group was called forth by the lord of the land, it meant he had to put the search for his brother on hold for a while, however helping people was what he was meant to do so it didn't bother the young paladin to much. He listened patiently, trying to remember everything the wizard said, undead in a circle is what he understood in the end. It was why he trusted those he had allied with so much, they were better at understanding the things most people said and then explaining it to him in a way he could understand versus the long drawn out speech that most people who wished to buy their skills often did.

Looking to their leader Tarik he simply smiled showing that he understood some of what was said but was lost with other parts. "Camp sounds good, will their be holy water there?" the paladin asks, after all undead hated the stuff and having a secure line of it would help them a great deal.

"Then we shall rid the place with holy fury of all undead. The problem is...how big is the circle? If we can slowly work around the circle we can be more..." he stops to think of the word for a few moments before giving up. " If its small we can stop them from spreading making circle smaller and smaller till we get to center. This way we are sure all are dead. Other way we cut straight through until we get to whatever the source is and destroy that. Either way getting surrounded will be bad." he adds at the end. He knew how to fight undead, and tell when they had passed an area, but strategy he would have to leave to Tarik and Alaina.

[Simba]

Alaina

Alaina smiles back at Tarik, then glances at the map before nodding.

She puts her hand on Leoroar's shoulder, gently squeezing, reassuring him that she understood and knew what to do. He was good at hitting things, Leoroar was, especially evil things. They would manage.

After a second, she returns to studying the map, quickly calculating distances, looking for good places to rest, easy routes. But in the end, as always, a map was just a piece of paper. She needed to see with her own eyes, get a feel of the land, to know for sure.

Soon, they would hunt again, a small pack, but strong. Alaina smiles, this time from her heart.

[wkwkwkwk1]

Luriel stands with crossed arms, frowning at the mention of undead. She takes a map and studies it carefully.

"I agree, Leo. We sweep around, so we can be thorough and not get overwhelmed. Has anyone been to the center of this area before?"

[ngilop]

Tarik says in a matter of fact tone responding to Luriel's question"If anyone has, they didn't do anything about it, unlike we will." He looks to the rest before continuing "Sounds like a great plan Leoroar, we get the guides to set up a base camp and we gradually work our way to the center and deal with whatever is making the undead."

[zlefin]

Tarik steps forward to get the maps, he turns around and smiles to Alaina as he hands them to her "Here Alaina, you are better at reading these things and well...wilderness in general." Tarik then looks to his other compatriot and nods, knowing that while he might be significantly smaller than himself, he is none the less as much a competent warrior, more so against undead. "So, this undead infestation seems to be based around a particular place?" He says out loud as much a question to Warden Selwig as to Leoroar

The Warden "It's based around that area; there is no specific part of that area, no special buildings or anything, just the area as a whole that the undead are based around."

Lord Leoroar was indeed intrigued when the group was called forth by the lord of the land, it meant he had to put the search for his brother on hold for a while, however helping people was what he was meant to do so it didn't bother the young paladin to much. He listened patiently, trying to remember everything the wizard said, undead in a circle is what he understood in the end. It was why he trusted those he had allied with so much, they were better at understanding the things most people said and then explaining it to him in a way he could understand versus the long drawn out speech that most people who wished to buy their skills often did.

Looking to their leader Tarik he simply smiled showing that he understood some of what was said but was lost with other parts. "Camp sounds good, will their be holy water there?" the paladin asks, after all undead hated the stuff and having a secure line of it would help them a great deal.

"Then we shall rid the place with holy fury of all undead. The problem is...how big is the circle? If we can slowly work around the circle we can be more..." he stops to think of the word for a few moments before giving up. " If its small we can stop them from spreading making circle smaller and smaller till we get to center. This way we are sure all are dead. Other way we cut straight through until we get to whatever the source is and destroy that. Either way getting surrounded will be bad." he adds at the end. He knew how to fight undead, and tell when they had passed an area, but strategy he would have to leave to Tarik and Alaina.

The Wizard replies "We could arrange for some holy water to be available I think; I would have to check with our priests. Holy water is often little better than regular weapons against zombies and skeletons. The reanimated seem to be almost entirely zombies and skeletons, unless a human dies and is left there, and even then it would be very rare. I'll see what can be made available and ensure it is set with the supplies."

Luriel stands with crossed arms, frowning at the mention of undead. She takes a map and studies it carefully.

"I agree, Leo. We sweep around, so we can be thorough and not get overwhelmed. Has anyone been to the center of this area before?"

Tarik says in a matter of fact tone responding to Luriel's question"If anyone has, they didn't do anything about it, unlike we will." He looks to the rest before continuing "Sounds like a great plan Leoroar, we get the guides to set up a base camp and we gradually work our way to the center and deal with whatever is making the undead."

The Wizard "People have been to the center before. There is nothing remarkable there, just more forest. Wherever the dark magic comes from, it is no stronger at the center than it is half way between the center and the edge. In the past clerics have tried purifying the area, which helped a bit for some time but did not last well; and purification of an area so large is very expensive due to the reagents involved. Others tried digging in various locations; and diviners tried to find a specific source; nothing was ever found."

[dantiesilva]

As Alaina reassures him he visibly seems to relax, if you wanted a monster slain, a person that could help the common folk, he was the one you went to. Talking about all of these plans however he knew very little about as while he was not impulsive he tended to simply do what he believed to be the right and kind thing, even if it meant he would suffer for it. It was one of the many reasons he had allied up with his new friends a while back. He simply could not out think his younger brother, nor could he beat him in single combat. His brother was a tactical genius and held no quarter, and had no problem holding Leoroars weaknesses against him to win.

"I doubt the entire camp will be well trained soldiers Master wizard, the common people will often have a harder time wielding the weapons that are best suited for fighting undead. Holy water is a simple tool, and even the youngest child could wield it if push came to shove." Leoroar explains. "I could do it myself, however it would take far longer for me to make such advancements to keep a steady stock of holy water compared to simply having an acolyte of the church still in their training simply have the spell prepared each day. My 1 pint would quickly be outpaced by their 2 or 3."

"So a person or creature may be the culprit then? After all if the place was already cleansed and it still continues to do the same thing it is not the land that is the problem but an individual, or group."

[ngilop]

Tarik nods in agreement with Leoroar "Well, that settles it then. Let's get going, daylight need not wasting."

[Simba]

Alaina

Alaina takes a slow step backwards, not turning, slightly inclining her head to the wizard, then a little deeper, to the count, dropping her eyes to show deference.

[zlefin]

As Alaina reassures him he visibly seems to relax, if you wanted a monster slain, a person that could help the common folk, he was the one you went to. Talking about all of these plans however he knew very little about as while he was not impulsive he tended to simply do what he believed to be the right and kind thing, even if it meant he would suffer for it. It was one of the many reasons he had allied up with his new friends a while back. He simply could not out think his younger brother, nor could he beat him in single combat. His brother was a tactical genius and held no quarter, and had no problem holding Leoroars weaknesses against him to win.

"I doubt the entire camp will be well trained soldiers Master wizard, the common people will often have a harder time wielding the weapons that are best suited for fighting undead. Holy water is a simple tool, and even the youngest child could wield it if push came to shove." Leoroar explains. "I could do it myself, however it would take far longer for me to make such advancements to keep a steady stock of holy water compared to simply having an acolyte of the church still in their training simply have the spell prepared each day. My 1 pint would quickly be outpaced by their 2 or 3."

"So a person or creature may be the culprit then? After all if the place was already cleansed and it still continues to do the same thing it is not the land that is the problem but an individual, or group."

The Wizard replies "I suppose it is possible in theory; but it would have to be something very long lived as this problem has been here for so very long. A group could do that, but cabals of dark wizards tend not to be stable. If they had such power as to do this, I would expect them to do something more overt, as power like that could conquer a country. It could still be the land; simply due to some innate property which we do not know. Imagine that you take a lake, and somehow empty it of all the water. It would still be a deep depression in the ground; and over time new water from rainfall would fill it up again. Perhaps the planar boundaries are weak in the area, and energy is leaking in from somewhere else. Perhaps there is some strange confluence of leylines, mountains, and stars. I'll review the writings made from when they tried cleansing and see if it suggests any possibilities. My recollection is that the descriptions said the dark magic returned gradually; whereas if it was a result of someone casting a spell one would expect it to be more sudden."

[wkwkwkwk1]

"Perhaps we are not skilled enough to deal with the source, then," Luriel says. "But if we cannot remove the arrowhead, surely we can still salve the wound for the time being. If there is nothing else to be discussed, then we shall be on our way."

"Spirits be upon you," she bows slightly.

[dantiesilva]

Leoroar listens to what the wizard has to say and simply shrugs. "In the end there is only one way to find out, and it will take some time. Commander if you are ready." he says turning to look at Tarik before following where the group told him to go.

[zlefin]

Sounds like this section is wrapped up; unless someone wants to say something more in this scene, we'll just move things along toward the action.

The party assembles outside a bit later; and meets up with the porters and guides. 20 vials of holy water are with them, the party can take some or none; some will stay with the lvl 1 help so they can protect themselves from undead in an emergency. They're nice but unremarkable folk, doing their job, looking forward to their pay, and not looking to take any risks.

It takes several days travel to get near the area. A base camp is setup that will be easy to find your way back to; one of the guides will take you somewhat closer to the area, then let you go the rest of the way with directions and a more detailed map.



Then we can get down to the fighting.

[dantiesilva]

During the days it takes for the group to get to their camp Leoroar spends most early mornings and nights teaching the people coming with them how best to fight undead so that this way while the group was out they would have a basic understanding of how to protect themselves should they be attacked and the group wasn't there to protect them.

Once at the camp Leoroar goes about helping set up where he can, making himself useful in anyway possible, after all going into unfamiliar territory at night in a place undead roamed was never a smart idea, no matter how good the guide was. It was easy to get lost in the dark when fighting for your life and you had to focus more on where the enemies were over which direction you need to go. Something he explained to the rest of the party hoping they would agree with his views on this matter so they would leave the next day at first light to go inside the forest, and instead keep their visit today to simply viewing the area of land and picking a spot to enter from the next day.

[Simba]

Alaina

Alaina is a very quiet companion on the road, but she takes part in Leoroar's lessons with obvious interest.

[ngilop]

Tarik nods along to Leoroar explain about fighting in the dark. "Wisdom there is in those words, friend. I remember one of my first fights where I tripped over something. At night the surroundings one has becomes just as much a hazard as one with a spear. You never know if that is just a shadow or a rabbit hole and when you trying to not get the pointy in stuck in ya, you don't really have a way to check."

[zlefin]

Ok, seems like everyone's ready for the stuff to start up.

Let me know if you've got a marching order/particular plan/anything beyond what's been said already.
Otherwise I'll just go with a default of you arrive near the area in late morning, and start sweeping around the edge.

[dantiesilva]

The Night before with the group

Hearing their leader Tarik share a story of his own Leoroar thinks for a moment before speaking up. "When I was younger, me and my twin brother would often spar with one another. It was the way our parents were training us to be good warriors like our entire family has been since the deva Zadis first sired our bloodline. I was winning you see, which was rare as my brother was always the stronger and smarter one of us, when my sword caught my brother on the shoulder and he cried out in pain. Worried I hurt him I dropped my wooden sword and went over to him, the moment my sword hit the ground however my brother lifted his own blade up to my charging form and told me "you need to stop letting your worry for hurting others to halt your blade. In war there is a winner and a loser, and if you lose you die. I don't want to see you dead." It was a hard lesson, one I sadly never learned when it came to him, I never could bring myself to strike him down in any of our sparing matches. I say its because he is stronger than me and smarter, but in truth perhaps it's because I'm still afraid of hurting my little brother." he shares with the others honestly. They had been traveling together a long time now, and he knew he could trust them with his life as he knew they could trust him with theirs. Yet up until just now he had never admitted that he wasn't sure that he couldn't beat his brother and was perhaps that he didn't want to hurt him.

The next morning

As the group begins to travel the next morning Leoroar's eyes shine with divine magic as he seems to scan each and every square inch as they traverse the edge of the land they would be entering, looking for some sign of the undead or anything else evil that may be taking residence in the cursed land. Often pointing out things he notes to Alaina and Luriel along the way to see if they noticed anything that he couldn't from what he had found.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Using Detect Evil Paladin ability combined with my spot check (boosted by +4 for undead and Evil outsiders) to try and notice something perhaps watching us, or simply trying to stay just out of sight (1d20+5)[7] (Note this doesn't include the +4 mentioned above as I don't know what we may encounter so add 4 for if its undead or an evil outsider please.

[Simba]

Alaina

As usual, Alaina takes the lead, her senses on alert, scanning the land around them for unusual occurances and the ground for tracks.
After her usual morning ritual, she is energized and ready to react to the surprises of the coming day.

Spoiler: Status, rolls

Show

As almost every morning, Alaina casts Primal Instinct on herself (+5 Initiative, +5 Survival for 24 hours)

As she has the Wild Instincts spell prepared, she receives +2 to Listen and Spot checks

Her position should be far enough in front of the others to negate most of the noise they make while keeping her close enough to quickly react to any danger.

Move Silently: (1d20+20)[39]
Hide: (1d20+20)[35]

Listen: (1d20+17)[21]
Spot: (1d20+17)[30]
Survival (Tracking): (1d20+19)[30]

[ngilop]

Tarik allows Alaina to get ahead of the group, but not far enough that they cannot get to her quickly should she be in danger. He hefts his sword over his shoulder and walks with a determined purpose towards the cursed land.

WrBl rdy M	SwSg rdy M
Steel Wind, Sudden Leap, Bonecrusher, Iron Heart Surge	Mountain Hammer, Stone Bones, Cloak of Deception, Shadow Jaunt

Stance: Hunter's Sense

[zlefin]

The party cautiously approaches the area, ever alert. The forest is moderately thick, but not too hard to walk through. The party does a short probe into the edge. When near, the Paladin's eyes (through detect evil) can see a faint aura from the vile magicks pervading the area. There is a mild but palpable unease whenever one crosses into the cursed parts. Then the party backs up a bit, and begins circling around the outer edges carefully. After some time, Alaina spots the first of their foes, a pack of undead some 300 feet away, slowly meandering around the edge. It appears to be a mix of a dozen or so zombified and skeletonized deer, with one zombie bear as well. They have given no sign of noticing Alaina or anyone else in the party.

[Simba]

Alaina

Alaina rejoins the others. "Deer and a bear" she says, using her fingers to show exact numbers and directions "Zombies and Skeletons only."

[dantiesilva]

Leoroar was many things, a scout was not one of them as he seemed to be lost in trying to figure out the cold chill that crossed over his body each time he crossed the small aura like wall that surrounded the area. It was faint, no doubt why some animals went within the boundries compared to a stronger aura. However because he was so focused on the aura he didn't notice the zombies and skeletons heading their way until the others pointed it out to him.

"Great work Alaina. No as a reminder skeletons are resistant to all attacks not from a bludgeoning type weapon, while the zombie's are resistant to all but slashing weapons." the paladin says his holy fury slowly starting to build up at the sight of these beings. He knew at the moment they were to far for him to do anything to, however others in the group could begin to attack the enemy if they wished while he tried to get closer. And so with sword in hand and shield taken off of his back he begins to advance towards the group of undead, cautious for others nearby.

[zlefin]

We going to start combat at melee range, or do people have stuff they wanna do at range? 2 people haven't posted yet so I'm unclear.

[Simba]

Alaina

Before the group closes in on the undead, Alaina picks up a fistful of pebbles and weights them in her hand, quietly murmuring a few words. She loads one of them in her sling and gets ready to attack when she is close enough.

Spoiler: rolls and stuff

Show

Alaina casts magic stone on 3 pebbles and keeps a few spare ones in case she needs more later.

She will use her sling to hurl one of the stones when she is at optimum range.

Attack: (1d20+8)[22]
Damage: (2d6+2)[8]

[ngilop]

Tarik nods and says "well its the zombies for me then. Maybe the bear first?" as he hefts his sword. He walked a steady pace towards the gathering of undead animals, making sure to give Alaina an opening to fire her sling but also be able to intercept a charge of any who would come into melee.

[wkwkwkwk1]

It was a hard lesson, one I sadly never learned when it came to him, I never could bring myself to strike him down in any of our sparing matches. I say its because he is stronger than me and smarter, but in truth perhaps it's because I'm still afraid of hurting my little brother." he shares with the others honestly. They had been traveling together a long time now, and he knew he could trust them with his life as he knew they could trust him with theirs. Yet up until just now he had never admitted that he wasn't sure that he couldn't beat his brother and was perhaps that he didn't want to hurt him.

"And yet, sometimes there is wisdom in letting the wounded wolf limp away," Luriel muses.

The following morning, she gets up before dawn to care for Springleaf, her companion and mount. She slides into the saddle, keeping watch for the undead, bow at the ready. When the undead are spotted, she urges Springleaf forward at a canter, and raises her bow, lining up a shot.

Spoiler: Actions & Rolls

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Springleaf
Double Move: Move 120 ft. towards the undead.

Luriel
Full Attack: 2 shots against the closest zombie, at +8/+3 (including -2 penalty for shooting from the 2nd range increment), damage 1d8 + 2 (Composite) + 2 (Favored Enemy (Undead)). If Serpentstongue Arrows are approved, then the attacks deal Slashing & Piercing damage, ignoring the zombies' DR.

Attack 1
Attack: [roll]1d20+8[roll]
Damage: (1d8+4)[7]

Attack 1
Attack: [roll]1d20+3[roll]
Damage: (1d8+4)[6]

[zlefin]

Alaina

Before the group closes in on the undead, Alaina picks up a fistful of pebbles and weights them in her hand, quietly murmuring a few words. She loads one of them in her sling and gets ready to attack when she is close enough.

Spoiler: rolls and stuff

Show

Alaina casts magic stone on 3 pebbles and keeps a few spare ones in case she needs more later.

She will use her sling to hurl one of the stones when she is at optimum range.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

what is "optimum range"? Since that will affect distance penalties. Does it mean when they're close enough that there are no distance penalties?

I'm also giving any shot beyond some distance (maybe 50'?) a -2 penalty to account for the forest, with all the trees and branches and such moderately inhibiting long range weapons; I'm not sure what the actual exact effect of this degree of forest is supposed to be, and the rules aren't entirely clear on that, so that'll serve as an estimate.


Luriel's shots miss at any rate. The first being a glancing blow that does no real damage, and the second simply missing.