DM Bigrin |
1d20 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21
Molly's spell seemed to have no effect on the creature. In a fury, Mawj tears into the glowing light, finding substance beneath the glow, after all. While Storn healed Molly, and Sander fumbled his throw, Mawj fought on through the suddenly frigid air to badly wound the creature. With a shout of "MINETELLME!", the creature blinked out.
Molly healed for 19 hit points.
Initiatives:
Quill 14
Mariana 11
Molly 8
Sander 5
Storn 22
Mawj 18
enemy 14
Everyone is up!
current hit point status:
Storn -0
Mawj -0
enemy -0
Quill -0
Mariana -0
Molly -1
Sander -0
Molly Blackfoot |
"Thanks," Molly tells Storm.
"Sander! Do these little creeplings turn invisible or 'port? If it died, find it! If it's not dead... it may have gone to get friends. Cold iron?"
The Witch snaps a cold iron bayonet in place on her crossbow.
Quill the Fletcher |
Round 2, Init 14
"MINETELLME!"
"Tell you what? Get away! It's ours!" Quill 'negotiates' back, refuting the overgrown firefly. "We need it!"
Quill readies an arrow to shoot should the wisp show up again.
1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 9 + 1 = 18 to hit; (+PBS)
1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 2 + 1 = 4 cold iron damage.
AC 18
HP 27/27
Happies: 1/5 used
Ferves: 0/5 used
To Hit: +3 BAB, +4 Dex, +1 WF, +1 Magic
Damage: 1d8 + 1 Str +1 magic
[ dice]1d20+9-2+1[/dice] to hit; (-rapid,+PBS)
[ dice]1d8+2+1[/dice] cold iron damage.
[ dice]1d20+9-2+1[/dice] to hit; (-rapid,+PBS)
[ dice]1d8+2+1[/dice] cold iron damage.
Storn of Gorum |
Storn growls as the bomb goes off badly and the wisp disappears. He takes the time to sheathe Agrimmosh and draw his cold iron mace.
"All right you little bastard."
Sander Thistlewight |
"They can turn invisible. Sort of! It's not really like you or I would turn invisible, but they just kind of turn off their light. Does that make sense?" Sander explains. "If anyone has a tanglefoot bag and we can coat it with that, it might let us see it better!"
He looks around, pulling out another bomb.
Quill the Fletcher |
Quill's mouth goes dry as the swampy-lightbulb actually listened to what Quill was saying, let alone speak back. Quill usually thinks his arguments (like 'Storn, maybe you could *bathe* this week?' or 'Molly, would you mind not staring at me in *that* way?' or 'Sander, could you brew those things downwind?') go largely ignored.
Quill looks to someone else to say something more intelligent that what he'll probably say.
Molly Blackfoot |
"Need it to see a thing hidden," Molly calls out. "That's all we use lanterns for, us. There's things hid we need to fight a war against overwhelming odds, and the lantern will bring it to light - if one of yourn will be its light. Once we got what we need, well... figure we'll have no more need of it, us. Can we make a deal?"
Storn of Gorum |
Storn, realizing that he needs to shut the hell up, quietly mutters and touches Molly with a blessing. He then does his best to look helpful.
Diplomacy, Aid Another: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Casting guidance on Molly for her diplomacy roll.
Quill the Fletcher |
1d20 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3 Diplomacy
Quill can't keep his trap shut.
"Besides, we need your empty, lifeless husk to make it work anyway," Quill adds 'helpfully'.
DM Bigrin |
mariana diplo: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
Mariana, who had been standing quietly in the back, put a few things together and spoke up, talking right over the bumbling elf.
"It was given to us by a druid named Silvermane. He said it would lead us to a place where we would find the aid we needed to stop the invasions of orcs and giants that threaten this region. Was the lantern yours at one time? IF you help us find what we are looking for, perhaps we can give it back to you when we are done with it."
Slowly the glow returned, this time a few feet from Mariana. Within the ball of light, a ghostly image appeared.
"IAMMOSSMOONAMEMBEROF...
The voice broke off, then started again, a little less frenetic, but no less eerie.
"I AM MOSSMOON, AMEMBEROFTHE...OF THE COUNCIL OF THORNS. SILVERMANE IS A NAME KNOWN TO ME, AND IT GIVES CREDENCE TO YOUR BEING HEREWITHTHE...WITH THE LANTERN. TELL ME, HOW IS THE LANTERN SUPPOSED TO...TO...TO HELP YOU END THIS INVASION?"
Feel free to attack or converse as you see fit
Quill the Fletcher |
Quill moves back as Mariana speaks.
"That's what I was going to say," he mumbles to himself, almost totally believing it.
He stands and tries to remember what exactly he was told of the Chamber of Secrets Vault of Thorns and what might be within.
Dragons? No. Weapons? Maybe. Them tree-hugger weapons? Like uh, bowls to hold holly? And uh, sickles? I dunno. Not sure why we are doing this, really.
Storn of Gorum |
Storn looks absolutely bewildered. Druid stuff always made his brain hurt. He does his best to look stoic and lowers his mace.
Quill the Fletcher |
"WHAT WILL YOUDO WITH SUCHWEAPONS?"
Kill Giants...then go kill my parents, Quill offers in an immediate response in his head.
"Kill giants," is what Quill offers aloud.
Then kill my parents.
DM Bigrin |
"YESTHISISGOOD. PERHAPS I CAN HELP WITHTHIS QUEST. PERHAPS WE CAN HELPEACHOTHER."
The wisp faded slightly, then came back stronger. "ASSUMING THE WEAPONS THAT WERESTORED IN THE VAULT ARE STILL THERE, YOUWILLNEEDTO...TO CLEAR THE VAULT OF THE EVIL THATDROVEUS OUT. I CANSHOW...CAN SHOW YOU THE WAY TO THE VAULTVAULTVAULT...ENTRANCE. FOLLOWME."
The wisp slowly started moving off into the swamp.
Quill the Fletcher |
Quill pauses, his night's pre-slumber already interrupted by the rude, loud not-Storn wisp.
Quill would prefer to rest for the night rather than blindly following a wisp in the dark. Also, something occurs to him.
"I have a question," Quill raises his hand until the wisp acknowledges him (if possible). "How did evil get into the Vault? It's a vault, right? And if evil could get in without the lamp, why couldn't we?"
DM Bigrin |
"THE LAMP ONLY SHOWS THE WAY. THEEVIL...THE EVIL KNEW THE WAY AND HOW TO BYPASS OUR DEFENSES."
"YES, REST. IT HAS BEENSOLONG. YES. IN THE MORNING WE WILL GO. I WILLWAIT."
With that, the light dimmed to almost completely dark, then moved off to perch on the ruins. Any further attempt to draw the wisp out on conversation is met with only a light humming noise.
Quill the Fletcher |
"Oh, okay. That makes sense...I guess. But if you know where the entrance is, then we don't need the lamp at all right? You can just guide us in the way the evil got in, huh? Maybe we don't need your withered and lifeless husk or anything?" Quill says, trying to be helpful.
Quill rests and will be ready to push on in the morning.
Storn of Gorum |
Storn eyes the deathball warily, but after deciding that it was enough of a wimp he didn't need his armour, he gratefully takes off his plate mail, and curls into a ball to sleep. He snores loudly, cuddling Aggrimosh.
DM Bigrin |
The night passed without much incident, though the noises of the swamp were disconcerting to some. Perhaps more worrisome was the soft glow that pulsed out from the wisp on the top of the ruins. The former druid's light seemed to serve as both beacon and warning, drawing some of the denizens of the swamp to investigate, but keeping any potential intruders to the camp away.
The morning dawned with an overcast sky. Heavy storm clouds rolled in, and soon it was pouring down rain. Visibility was cut to no more than a hundred feet, and Sander now had the problem of not only wading through chest-high water, but of having it both raining down on his head, and splashing up from below.
Mossmoon, the wisp, seemed impatient to get moving. He kept bobbing out ahead on the group as you trudged along, then swinging back. His echoing voice calling for you to follow him.
Soon, he led you to a clearing that contained a strange collection of spongy globes, pale, and a little under a foot in diameter.
"THERE. THE REMAINSOF MY...BROTHER DRUIDS. INOURATTEMPT TO DRIVE THE ORCS BACK FROM THESE SWAMPS, WE CHANGED TO THESE FORMS. IAMALL THAT IS LEFT. PLACE ONE OF THE HUSKS INYOURYOURYOUR...YOUR LANTERN, FOR IT WILL LIGHTTHEWAY INTO THE VAULTOFTHORNS."
DM Bigrin |
As soon as Molly placed the spongy husk in the lantern, it began to emit a soft blue-white glow. Like any normal lantern, the beam traveled out about sixty feet or so, though the color never varied. As she swung it back and forth, she realized that when the beam lit up a person, it was more than illumination. In fascination she swung it back and forth on Storn, watching the big man illuminated with soft blue-white flames, like a faerie fire spell.
DM Bigrin |
"COME"
The wisp led you again through the swamp, eventually reaching the shoreline of a rather large island. With the rain pouring down, it was hard to tell how big it was, but the shoreline stretched beyond the distance at which you could see in the downpour.
A few dozen feet in, there stood a circle of ten-foot tall monolithic stone slabs surrounding a taller central menhir covered in a layer of thick, thorny vegetation. In all, eight stone slabs surround the central stone, with three of having crumbled and partially sunk into the swampland's soggy ground. To the northwest, a large pool bubbled gently, its noxious vapors occasionally wafting out into air.
Storn of Gorum |
I freaking love the wisp's speech patterns. Just sayin.
The rain pelts down on Storn, making endless pingpingpingpingpingpingping sounds as it bounces off of his armour. The massive Kellid is once more supremely grumpy at the hard conditions, although with a goal in mind he ceases complaining and just lapses into a sullen silence.
He looks over the old battlefield and mutters a short prayer to Gorum.
"They died fighting for their home as they should," grumbles Storn.
Finally in the stone circle, and livened up a little bit by the promise of ancient weapons, Storn stalks around the place.
"So if I remember we're supposed to wash the standing stone with the lantern's light. So uh... wash away."
While he lets Molly do her thing, Storn searches the area.
Taking 20 on perception for 23
DM Bigrin |
Thank you. Trying to find the right feel for a slightly deranged druid-turned-wisp in text form is hard :)
Molly tried to converse with the druid-wisp. It continued to talk in its echo-y voice about orcs and witches, and it made her slightly uncomfortable. After all, she was a witch, and Mawj was a...well, he was something orc-like. The druid-wisp didn't seem to attach its animosity towards them, though, so perhaps it was fine.
The druid-wisp told a story of thousands of orcs invading this swamp, and the druids of the Council using all the magic and natural knowledge at their disposal to turn the hordes away. In desperation, the Council sacrificed their natural forms to take on the forms of the swamp's native protectors, the fey will-o-wisps, eventually using the wisp powers and their knowledge to drive the orcs and their masters away. The cost was great, with only a few members of the council surviving, trapped in the wisp form forever. Mossmoon was now the only druid left, his mind not quite up to the strain of all he had experienced.
When they reached the circle, Storn pointed out the menhir to Molly, even as his bloodshot eyes searched the circle. He noted a number of footprints, and a small boot with a foot still in it sticking out from under one of the fallen stones. The boot looked to be about the right size for a dwarf. There were also signs of a small skirmish, though there were no bodies.
DM Bigrin |
Mariana 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Molly 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12
Quill 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21
Sander 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Storn 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16
Mawj 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13
giant 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
As Molly lifted the lantern high, she and every one else had their eyes focused on the menhir. As the blue-white glow moved towards the stone, Mossmoon began to shout, "THEEVILISHERENOTAGAINTURNFROM..."
Its echoing screech was cut short as a huge gaff came crashing down on the pulsing light. The light cut out as the druid-wisp was smashed to the soggy ground. Everyone turned to see what looked like an enormous mossy boulder covered with slime, but with legs and arms, swinging the weapon back up over its shoulder, preparing to crush Molly like it had crushed the wisp.
Initiatives:
Quill 21
Mariana 17
Storn 16
Mawj 13
Molly 12
giant 8
Sander 4
everyone but Sander is up!
Molly Blackfoot |
Move action: activate Martial Flexibility to mimic Snake Style. Sense motive check to determine AC vs. Giant: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18.
Second move action: Acrobatics to move to N3 without drawing AoO: 1d20 + 9 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 9 + 4 = 31
Quill the Fletcher |
"...yakyakhistoryyakorcsyak..."
Quill listens intently to the story, asking a few questions here and there to fill in gaps and figure things out. He likes the history lesson as it gives him something to focus upon other than mucking through the swamp and carrying Sander around when it gets too wet.
Round 1, Init 21
Quill gulps as the swampyish giant squishes the little globe of enlightenment. He quickly moves to I3, and gives power to his bow. It crackles with electricity.
AC 18
HP 27/27
Happies: 1/5 used
Ferves: 0/5 used
To Hit: +3 BAB, +4 Dex, +1 WF, +1 Magic
Damage: 1d8 + 1 Str +1 magic
[ dice]1d20+9-2+1[/dice] to hit; (-rapid,+PBS)
[ dice]1d8+2+1[/dice] cold iron damage.
[ dice]1d20+9-2+1[/dice] to hit; (-rapid,+PBS)
[ dice]1d8+2+1[/dice] cold iron damage.
Storn of Gorum |
"MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED! ALL PRAISE GORUM!!" cries Storn as he sees a lumbering boulder of unstoppable death coming down at them. He raises Aggrimosh and begins channeling.
Using Aggrimosh's heightened enlarge person ability, full round cast. Also using fervor to cast shield of faith on myself.