Abandoned Arts RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32 |
Mirasha's blade bites a sizeable chunk out of the doorframe just behind the faceless thing. Splinters shower onto the darker wood of the floorboards. Neither does Brigitte's spear catch any part of the creature, her intervening companions interfering with each thrust.
Mirasha misses. Brigitte also misses, possibly due to cover.
Sarn is next, then the monster.
Sarn Yando |
Oblivious to the efforts that have been made by others Sarn prepares to attack
Sarn draws his crossbow Move action and consumes an extract of True strike Standard action he prepared this morning for this type of situation.
"It seems that he will not answer any more question. Please begin efforts to incapacitate or dispatch him as you see fit."
Abandoned Arts RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32 |
Seeming more desperate by the moment, the faceless thing kicks open the door behind it, (a move action) then simply grabs for Mirasha with both arms. (vOLoRog attempts to grapple Mirasha as a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity from her)
The grab special ability does not grant the Improved Grapple feat or any other ability to grapple in the usual way without provoking; it only works in conjunction with the relevant attack (a slam, in this case). Thus, grappling provokes in this case (but only from the target of the grapple; grappling does not normally provoke from anyone else).
Mirasha’s attack of opportunity: 1d20 ⇒ 4
vOLoRog’s CMB check to grapple: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
g̼̼͍̘͘E̼̣͍̼̥͜t̢͖ ̶̰̩̙͉̤̝O̡͍̤̭̰̠̼͉U̵͓̻̖̦͙͔t̛͉̙͓̪ ̩̺̼ͅͅo̡̼r ̮̲͕̣̣ͅI͓̗ ̤͈̻W̱̰I̦̞͖ͅLĻ̞̼ ͎̮͢ki̸̳͎̮͍͍͎L̬̠̩͉͓L̜̼̦ ̞̞̦͖̤̜̪t̬̖H͇̺̦͓́i͏͈̳͍̼̱̠͉s͎̠͘ ̼̞ͅͅO͔̮N͏ḛ̖̞̟!̯̪̱̜͎̪͞ it screams at the room.
The small monster throws itself at Mirasha, who barely has time to raise her blade. It wraps itself around the aasimar, jabbing its narrow, tubelike tongue into her collar, and slurping away her lifeblood.
Mirasha and vOLoRog are grappling, and Mirasha takes 1 point of Constitution damage from blood drain.
Abandoned Arts RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32 |
I've updated the map to reflect the door that vOLoRog opened.
With his companion in peril, Ricardo wails at the monster with tusk and trunk.
mastodon's gore attack: 1d20 ⇒ 4
(the gore attack misses)
mastodon's slam attack: 1d20 ⇒ 17
mastodon's slam damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
The trunk connects solidly, but the monster seems barely fazed, as though his hide were resistant to bludgeoning.
Some kind of damage reduction reduces the slam damage from 6 to 1. vOLoRog takes only 1 point of damage from the slam.
Ansirus and Thurgood are next.
Ansirus Maseo |
Ansirus takes a step closer to the brawl (5-foot step to Q19, hopefully eliminating cover because I'm equidistant?) and fires his third elemental ray.
Or let you go so you can kill her anyway? I think not.
Elemental Ray vs. touch: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (19) - 2 = 17
fire damage: 1d6 ⇒ 3
Abandoned Arts RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32 |
ǹ͙̰̻̺̟̬O̜̩̞͔̮͝.͍̬̣̯̠͇.̜̬̗̫͎̺͢.̲͍͓͘ the monster begins, but Ansirus' ray catches it in the mouth with another fiery FOOM. The force of the bolt cuts off its speech and pushes the faceless thing back against the wall, where it goes limp, and falls to the floor.
It's mouth opens for the barest moment as it slumps against the corner where the floor meets the wall, then Thurgood's blade seems almost to erupt from it's jaws as the warrior slams the blade down through it's open mouth and into it's skull, killing it quite instantly.
The monster is dead; Mirasha is free. Everyone check the discussion thread real quick.
Everyone gains 120 xp.
The Thurgood |
Thurgood sits down on the settle and starts wiping away the blood on his katana.
Well...that was horrible. How you doin Sarn? Mirasha? Anyone know exactly what the f*&@ that thing is? Theories on why it is here?
I wonder if the halfling is alive somewhere around here....guess we will find out soon enough.
Sarn Yando |
Sarn points at Brigitte, Thurgood, and Ansirus
"You, You, and You search the grounds outside and shout if you find anything hostile."
Sarn points at Mirasha and Ricardo
"We will search the interior. Remember what Mr. Proudstump keeps here while you are searching."
Sarn heads for the stairs.
Abandoned Arts RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32 |
He points at the dead thing, near the garden door.
"Y-y-y-y-you k-killed it!? Oh, praise the g-g-g-gods. Oh gods. It's... i-i-it's dead. It's d-dead, it's dead... I don't k-k-know who you are but it's dead, and oh g-gods, thank you; oh, gods, t-t-thank you. It... who are you? T-t-t-thank you...
The halfling looks bad. Pale, and fragile, and badly bruised and beaten. He attempts to shuffle to his feet, but fails, and nearly falls down the staircase. He babbles on, sobbing with relief and generally breaking down, emotionally.
Abandoned Arts RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32 |
The halfling finally stands, wearily. He takes a long, steadying breath.
"It attacked me while I tended my garden. Y-yesterday. Climbed the fence. It overpowered me, but it didn't know about my vipers. They saved my life. I keep them in the garden - they bit at him while he started draining my blood with that... tongue."
He stares, repulsed, at the corpse.
"He finally had to release me; the snakes were killing him. He had to be pretty full of poison - both the snakes, and the kind I keep on my blade... I got a nick on him before he grabbed me. I fled inside the house, threw the front door open, and then fled upstairs to my secret room."
Still gazing unfocused at the corpse, the halfling seems lost in thought.
"I could have fled into the swamp, but I'd have been eaten by something else before the next dawn. In the state I was in... the blood. Easy to track, easy to smell, and easy prey."
He shakes his head.
"I hid in my secret chamber, upstairs. False wall. I hid and rested - I could hear him shuffling around down here. I think he killed one of my snakes; I'm not sure. I've been healing, and staying as quiet as I can. Pretty sure he thought I'd fled out into the swamp. He was resting - maybe waiting for me to come back. Then I heard you knocking... heard you come in. Voices. Then fighting. Then silence, and more voices. Normal voices."
The halfling gives you all a good looking-over
"And now... here I am. And here you are. I'm Walthus Proudstump."
Walthus takes an unsteady few steps down the staircase, extending his hand to Sarn.
Brigitte Silverbraid |
Brigitte closes the door leading to a poisonous death and begins moving toward the voices.
"S-secret room, upstairs."
The halfling finally stands, wearily. He takes a long, steadying breath."It attacked me while I tended my garden. Y-yesterday. Climbed the fence. It overpowered me, but it didn't know about my vipers. They saved my life. I keep them in the garden - they bit at him while he started draining my blood with that... tongue."
He stares, repulsed, at the corpse.
"He finally had to release me; the snakes were killing him. He had to be pretty full of poison - both the snakes, and the kind I keep on my blade... I got a nick on him before he grabbed me. I fled inside the house, threw the front door open, and then fled upstairs to my secret room."
Still gazing unfocused at the corpse, the halfling seems lost in thought.
"I could have fled into the swamp, but I'd have been eaten by something else before the next dawn. In the state I was in... the blood. Easy to track, easy to smell, and easy prey."
He shakes his head.
"I hid in my secret chamber, upstairs. False wall. I hid and rested - I could hear him shuffling around down here. I think he killed one of my snakes; I'm not sure. I've been healing, and staying as quiet as I can. Pretty sure he thought I'd fled out into the swamp. He was resting - maybe waiting for me to come back. Then I heard you knocking... heard you come in. Voices. Then fighting. Then silence, and more voices. Normal voices."
The halfling gives you all a good looking-over
"And now... here I am. And here you are. I'm Walthus Proudstump."
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
Abandoned Arts RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32 |
The Thurgood |
Huh....neat Thurgood says from his seat...
So yea, we came to ask you about goblins or whatever...mind if we crash here for the night?
Thurgood hops off the settle sheathes his blade and takes his helmet off, resting it on his former seat. He walks over and begins to drag the corpse of the creature outside by the feet while looking to Walthus for an answer.
Abandoned Arts RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32 |
"So yea, we came to ask you about goblins or whatever...mind if we crash here for the night?"
A bark of nervous laughter escapes the halfling.
"Stay here? Of course you can stay here. And there's plenty of room upstairs. I don't normally prefer to have guests, but I've space for them all the same - it wouldn't do to turn travelers out to the swamp."
"Your company today, though, is most welcome. You'll stay as long as you like."
Walthus makes his way down the stairs, carefully, and with a little difficulty.
"Fancy a smoke while we discuss our reason for coming?"
The halfling strokes his chin.
"Actually, yes. Yes, let's. And why did you come all the way out here? Shalelu send you for something? Come into the kitchen; I've a table and a stool."
Walthus ambles into the kitchen, which lies behind the door farthest from the staircase.
Ansirus Maseo |
Ansirus follows Walthus, Yes and no. We're going to make an attempt to stop the recent goblin activity along the Lost Coast road. Shalelu told us about your reputation in these parts and we thought you would be just the man to talk to for information on the Licktoad tribe.
Once in the kitchen, Ansirus finds a seat, preferably one sized for humans, and starts packing some tobacco from his snuffbox into his pipe.
Abandoned Arts RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32 |
"Yes and no. We're going to make an attempt to stop the recent goblin activity along the Lost Coast road. Shalelu told us about your reputation in these parts and we thought you would be just the man to talk to for information on the Licktoad tribe."
"Well, I'm not sure that there's much information to be had. They're a bunch of goblins, and they behave accordingly. They have been acting more bravely, of late."
Walthus stuffs his pipe, taking pleasure in the action.
"There aren't many of them. Three or four dozen goblins in the whole tribe. Current chief is called Gutwad, unless there's been a dethroning since last I interrogated one."
"Hey Walthus, you got a shovel layin around here? Going to bury this thing."
"I do, in the storage room there next to the settle! Walthus shouts back."
"Anyhow, he continues, "the Licktoad village is at the end of the Old Trail. If you were to take a right at the fork at the end of that old path, it'd be only a few hundred feet past there."
Abandoned Arts RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32 |
The Thurgood |
Thurgood walks over and opens the storage room and retrieves the shovel. He makes his way towards the corpse outside with the shovel slung over his shoulder. Upon arriving to a tongue intact creature he shoots a glance up to Mirasha.
Really? Fine, fine...I will do it.
He kneels down and cuts out the tongue of the creature and sets it to one side, paying careful attention to not let the tongue touch bare flesh.
Cut out the tongue, bury the body, no no...i'll do it. No problem, not like I have anything better to do. Thurgood b+#%%es under his breath while digging a quite deep hole.
Abandoned Arts RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32 |
Ansirus takes a few puffs of his pipe and sees Walthus has his own, so he doesn't pass it.
Any idea how their village is set up? What kind of guard or watch they post?
"Maybe a dozen wooden huts on stilts, connected by wooden walkways. Pretty sturdy construction, for a structure of goblincraft. Guards posted to some of the huts, I'm sure. Never watched the place for long, and I've never seen it come under attack."
Walthus puffs on his pipe, and gazes into the smoke. He watches with revulsion as Thurgood drags the corpse out of the cabin.
"You're planning to assault the village and kill the lot?"
Sarn Yando |
Sarn stares blankly for a moment in deep concentration
Thromgarde...
Therman...
Thumgar...
....Thurgood there is no need for violence. I'm sure she was just insinuating you are a servant to get a rise out of you due to your aggressive and over reactive nature in order to distract from her lazy or stubborn refusal to help you. I highly doubt she actually thinks you are my servant.
The Thurgood |
Thurgood starts to laugh uncontrollably. Holding his side using his katana to hold himself up.
Right, so I am gonna be the bigger person here and just let this slide your highness. Gonna have to mind our manners around Mirasha here lads. Don't forget, without a pretty please with sugar on top, nothing will get done!
Sarn Yando |
I'm glad my children never fought this petulantly
"Venomous" Sarn mutters to the dwarf before turning towards the Halfling.
"Are there any precautions we can take while moving through this swamp that you can recommend? And are there any particularly dangerous creatures or places that should be avoided?"
Ansirus Maseo |
Oh by the gods, excuse me Walthus.
Ansirus rises from his seat and takes a step out into the front room.
Thurgood, I do hope you realize that you're criticizing Mirasha for literally the same thing you are so bothered by. She doesn't take orders, nor do you, and the monsters, goblins, and animals care not if you are a master or a servant, they are all against us, so why make enemies of each other as well, hm?
Abandoned Arts RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32 |
Walthus raises an eyebrow, straining to see through the door into the entry room.
"Are there any precautions we can take while moving through this swamp that you can recommend? And are there any particularly dangerous creatures or places that should be avoided?"
"Precautions? Yes, let's see. There's the Witches' Walk. There is a witch's hut at the end of that path, or a sorceress, or somesuch. I can't say if she's really a menace or just a recluse, but it could even be that she's involved with the goblins. No idea. I steer clear of her. Don't trust her. Heard a lot of fisherman say she keeps a nasty little familiar. Some kind of rat-monster."
The halfling puffs at his pipe, looking tired.
"As for dangerous creatures, there's the so-called Soggy River Monster. Don't know what it's really called, or where it lairs, but something is out there. Killing for sport, and trophies. Intelligent, I think."
He offers Sarn a somehow-sad smile.
"Also, shapeshifting monsters, I suppose. But apart from all those, and constrictors, and giant leeches, and goblins, the marsh is pretty safe."
Sarn Yando |
Soggy river monster?
Inspired Knowledge Local: 1d20 + 9 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 9 + (6) = 16
Sarn attempts to comfort the obviously distressed Halfling
"At least there's one less shapeshifting monster to deal with now. Though a creature like that, it's not unreasonable to think it has family. Not knowing its species family organization or reproductive cycle I can't accurately tell you it does not have a brood waiting for it to return with its catches. On the other hand you said it attacked you yesterday so it probably wasn't a hunting foray for hungry children"
Sarn looks a little more excited and asks
"You said something about a secret room earlier? Do you mind if I have a look at it? I've had something of a fascination with secret compartments lately."
Abandoned Arts RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32 |
"You said something about a secret room earlier? Do you mind if I have a look at it? I've had something of a fascination with secret compartments lately."
"Mm, well, sure. If you're all ready to go upstairs, I'll show you the guest spaces, and you can see the hidden chamber."