Zevon finds (There were 5 things of interest here, now 4). A wand dc 15 to identify. You also have another try at the one you found yesterday.
When Zevon leans over and picks up the wand, the cauldron springs to life! It bites at the closest protruding part of Zevon, which would be his behind.
The cauldron in its rusty state badly misses Zevon.
roll initiative
Reinar
Zevon
Bulgard
Rhen
cauldron
Bulgard,Zevon,Rhen,Reinar<--------
Cauldron
Zevon slips yet another unidentified want into his belt, snugly next to the other. He recoils in surprise when the previously inanimate cauldron snaps ant his exposed... flank.
"Alright men, the ole hag has left guardians that do not know their time has passed. Let us inform them! For the hollow!"
Rhen steps back 5 feet, looking shocked that the caludron tried to bite the tall Elf.
"Ye must have a tasty arse there Zevon."
Rhen unslings his bow and lets an arrow loose at the animate object.
The arrow goes wide and misses.
"This place is too cramped." , Reinar mutters, dropping his glaive and drawing his longsword. "RRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAGH!", he swings at the thing with a two-handed vertical cut.
Reinar's blow echoes into the clearing like a bell. That is a solid hit. The damage is visible.
Bulgard draws his greatsword and takes a swing with all his weight behind it.
"Get outta here, Cauldron!"
Another echo rings out across the clearing.
The cauldron reacts to the last blow, biting at Bulgard.
Round 2
Bulgard,Zevon,Rhen,Reinar<--------
Cauldron
Bulgard swings the greatsword again
Bulgard connects again, disturbing the peace once more. Several stress fractures are now apparent. You have pounded this thing pretty good. It can take some more.
Zevon continues to call out to his companions, pushing them to succeed. He cracks his whip by where Reinar struck.
"Worry not friend, you are doing just fine with that blade!
Rhen moves back in, drawing his sword as he doesn.
Rhen critically connects with his short sword for 6+1 and 2+1 (10 total).
More fractures appear on the cauldron.
"I'll crush you!", Reinar takes another swing.
True to his word, Reinar's longsword comes crashing down, the cauldron splits apart littering the floor with several lifeless pieces.
Objects of interest that you find are the rat’s tail (a certain root specially pickled), statuettes and rare stones (DC 14 appraise), a pouch containing salts (DC 14 Acrana), and a disgusting, shrunken head (DC 18 Arcana).
Are you still inclined to burn the witch and hut?
The final echos of Zevon's cries fade into the hut walls.
"Masterfully handled once again. It seems the crone left a parting gift. We have what we came for. I will try to discern the use of the other items as well. Do what you must with her and let us be quit of this foul place.
hobgoblin wand is Cure Light Wounds with
hut wand is Lesser Restoration with
Zevon pours over the wands and baubles.
"Fantastic! We are in luck, the wand we retrieved from the hob archer is for healing, I can use it. The witch's is for restoration. It is more difficult, but I should be able coax the charm out of it. I am afraid that the rest of the items are beyond my ken. Foul magiks no doubt... I have never taken to them. The vibrations are too perverse, too far out of harmony"
"Lets burn this hut and move along. We can still get closer to the third ingredient before needing a rest."
Sheriff Baleson stands on a rise in town and looks out at the vale. "Second plume in as many days. What are they doing out there? Oh well, no point in frettin over somethin you can't do nothin about."
Day 2 09:00 head to monastery
While traveling to the monastery, the party becomes quite and pensive. You think about the monastery ruins and what you may soon encounter. Droskar’s Crucible (the monastery's name), please use K history, K local, K Religion, K Arcana. A second check for The Ballad of the Glintaxe. Use the same ks to recall the Ballad of Glintaxe.
Day 2 10:00
You notice the undersides of several large rocks deep in the forest are covered in rare, glowing mold. A character who makes a DC 16 Survival check can harvest enough of the mold without destroying it to serve as a light source. Once removed from the rock, the mold continues to glow with the brightness of a torch for 3 days.
Bulgard destroys the portion he is working on and gives up. If you have survival, there is enough for everyone.
"Just keep yer light at me back, I will sneak in quietly."
Rhen will then move in 20 feet.
Rhen starts to...hallucinate?
One last ingredient and we can be back to the Hollow, hopefully the people there have stayed strong and not succumbed.
Zevon gazes in the direction of Droskar’s Crucible, imagining what could lie in store for him and his companions.
Perhaps Rhen will be able shake it off. Zevon, I think you should roll for each of the Ks. You have it, why not use it.
DC 15: “The Crucible is some sort o’ dwarf ruin. Hosts of monsters plague its darkened halls, and they say ghosts o’ the dwarves skulk there too.”
A DC 20 and DC 25 remain available.
The ballad is a separate check.
You are en route to the Crucible at this point. You found the moss half way there.
Rhen is apparently traumatized by the cauldron experience. It had the extraordinary ability to swallow whole and you guys are no fun killing it before it swallowed someone.
Just to clarify, I believe Reinar and Rhen can do some knowledge checks.
Original post is here
Zevon can go at the ballad with checks he has not used. None of these are that important, just good info or a free light source. The crucible is not lit.
Regardless, Late afternoon or early evening today, I will place you at the crucible.
Rhen continues to quietly pad towards the Monastery
DC 20: “It was a monastery long ago, where they worshiped some dark joyless god of toil. Druingar the Glintaxe,the great dwarven hero, quested there to find relics of his people’s ancient empire.He never returned, and now those who venture close to the place at night claim his ghost glides through its gloomy halls, preying on anyone foolish enough to trespass there.”
The Ballad of Glintaxe
Glintaxe, mighty hero of the dwarven race,
Seeker of heirlooms lost without trace,
He ventured the deeps where old evil sleeps
He perished in the halls of some dark place.
His restless spirit still stalks the night,
His shining axe still glows bright,
I’ve seen his ghost, and this is no boast
I’ve ne’er laid eyes on a more fearful sight.
"One me be brethren came here in search of relics, E neve returned. Might be finding him ere."
Reinar aproaches the glowing mold and tries to get some.
Day 2 11:00 arrive at monastery
Sitting squat at the foot of an imposing mountain, a ruined monastery comes into view between ancient gnarled trees. Made of simple stone blocks, worn smooth with the passage of time, the stout building is falling apart. Sections of the slanted shale roof have collapsed and portions of the outer wall have crumbled. Weeds and wild thorn plants run rampant across the field leading up to the place, leaving only the slightest indication of a path that ends at the ruined front doors. Beyond, an overgrown yard sits in shadow. The old path that leads up to the ruins ends about 50 feet from the monastery. Before entering the yard, the path passes between a pair of old stone statues. While one of them is little more than rubble, the other is relatively intact. The 5 foot tall statue is incredibly worn but it can still be made out as a dwarf holding aloft a great stone hammer. Moss and creeper vines cover most of its surface.
A DC 15 Knowledge (history) check on the statue
Zevon
Zevon gives full attention to Rhen's tale, making mental notes and comparing it to other's he has heard.
"Impressive. Sadly, I know very little of dwarven culture. Something I shall look to remedy.
As the party approaches the monastery, he motions for his companions.
"Before we enter, I would like to cast a small spell on each of you. It will manipulate sound and allow me to stay in contact if we are separated. Unfortunate, it only permits conversation between the subject and myself. Reinar will not be able to speak to Bulgard in this manner for instance. I will need to recast it in a short while, but I think it will give us advantage over whatever may be lying in wait."
The Ballad of Glintaxe
Glintaxe, mighty hero of the dwarven race,
Seeker of heirlooms lost without trace,
He ventured the deeps where old evil sleeps
He perished in the halls of some dark place.
His restless spirit still stalks the night,
His shining axe still glows bright,
I’ve seen his ghost, and this is no boast
I’ve ne’er laid eyes on a more fearful sight.
"g-good call, zevon. I'm going to try to sneak in undetected"
Bulgard dives into the underbrush and all but disappears. He sneaks away and whispers, "Can you hear me, p-p-pretty man?"
He draws his great sword as he stalks toward the statues.
"So yer telling me I won't be able to talk to any of the rest of ye's? Interesting."
As Bulgard sneaks through the yard, he observes:
Tall grasses and chunks of stone debris have all but overtaken this small yard. Off to one side, a wooden stable has collapsed into a mound of rotting timbers and moldy straw. The outer wall on the east side has also collapsed, leaving a ragged hole. Three doors exit into this yard. A pair of double doors to the east, a single door to the north, and a lone door leading into the squat tower in the southeast corner. A well is in the northwest corner of the yard, with 10 feet of rope dangling into it. The water is more than 30 feet down and is brackish but potable. Lying next to the well is the body of an explorer who came here just one year ago. A rotting backpack lies against the well.
Hearing no objection, Zevon weave conduits of sound between him and each of his companions.
To Bulgard: Yes I can hear you. You are in a good position to let us know what you can see,.
To Rhen: Anyone an hear you if you speak at normal levels or yell. A whisper will meet my ears at distance though.
After confirming a good connection, Zevon walks into the yard. He kneels by the corpse and inspects the backpack.
Bulgard approaches the body of the adventurer, sneaking close to it to attempt to ID the manner of death.
A DC 15 Heal check to determine cause of death. The perception check tells you it was either mauled, fed upon, or both. By what, you have no idea.
Rhen will keep his bow out, he will stay with in 10 feet of Zevron and keep an eye out for anything that will come to attack them.
Rehn picks up no danger, but notices a pile of bones in the ruined stable. A DC 10 Knowledge (nature) check reveals these to be the bones of a .....
Zevon rummages through the backpack and the moves on to inspect the explorer.
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