Hunger in the Darkness - Expedition to the Mines of Zolurket
Game Master Mark Sweetman

"Creatures not native to this plane are notorious for their resistance to mundane arms. If any of you need it, I can bespell your weapon.

Khepri looks at his scimitar and grins, "You can use your spells for the others as I will be asking Sarenrae for assistance in putting this thing to rest."

"Very true, Cynara. Best advise we are still on course, but are expectant of a bit of conflict on the way," the mage adds, sending the magical messenger on its way.

"I appreciate the offer as well but Magatha is able to cut through such defenses."

Hopefully it only requires magic and not some greater power.

Nabo continues to sniff the ground before finding a trail and ushering you to follow as he nimbly scurries forward on all fours.... though he is careful to remain close to you. The path he follows leads both West and North, deeper into jackalwere territory - but also the direction you need travel.

For the message to Stonebrow - you'll still need to wait a few days. The bracer works 1/week and you sent a message just after you turned back from the Northern detour.

Cynara's inspection of the trail yields a scent heavy with the metallic tang of spilt blood, though there is a peculiar undertone of burnt ash mixed with the scent of a hyena. Cynara - you'd recognize it if smelt again, but without scent you'd need to be pretty close to the beast.

After an hour's travel, Nabo stops about a hundred feet shy of a cave opening. Whining slightly he says "Demon stink strong-strong... and that way" pointing towards the cave mouth. Almost pleading "This close-near enough for you... Nabo stay here now?"

Looking forwards you see that the area around the cave mouth is relatively clear of scrub and cover and you can see a half-eaten dhabba corpse near the mouth. You can see a couple of hyena lying at rest just outside the cave mouth.

"Thank you, Nabo. You've done well."

I'm assuming we're too far from the cave or the hyenas for Cynara to see them, so this is academic for her, but how far are we from the cave, and are the hyenas showing any sign of noticing the party?

"Thank you, Nabo. You've done well."

I'm assuming we're too far from the cave or the hyenas for Cynara to see them, so this is academic for her, but how far are we from the cave, and are the hyenas showing any sign of noticing the party?

Khepri draws his sword and prepares for battle

Yeah - the hyena are roughly 100ft off at the moment, and no signs of you being seen yet.

"Good work kid. You'd best stay out of sight."

To Khepri, voice kept low. "Best to fight out here if we can." Love readies his crossbow. "Give me a minute or so to get in position then call it out."

To the others. "Follow Khepri's lead. With luck this 'demon' will be fool enough to face us in the open."

Unless there are objections Love slips among the scrub and rocks to find a snipers nest about 70'from the cave mouth.

Stealth 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27 and Perception, canny 1d20 + 7 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 7 + 4 = 22 if wanted.

Love slips forward and finds a sizeable rock to use as hard cover from the cave.

If you each give me your ambush set-up, then I'll take it to surprise round initiative.

Padrym waits with the others while Love gets into position. When Khepri gets ready to call out the beginning of the ambush he begins chanting in the arcane tongue and a shimmering wall of force appears in front of him. Clutching Magatha loosely he prepares for imminent violence.

Wait with Khepri, cast Shield in Surprise Round.

Cynara will also stand behind Khepri, spear out and ready. Before Love moves into position, she casts bless on the party (3 minute duration), and as the party sets up for the ambush she quietly offers to cast protection from evil on the paladin.

Cynara will also stand behind Khepri, spear out and ready. Before Love moves into position, she casts bless on the party (3 minute duration), and as the party sets up for the ambush she quietly offers to cast protection from evil on the paladin.

Khepri thanks Cynara for the spell,"Thank you Cynara, Any edge is appreciated."

When everyone is ready Khepri will step out into the open and call out to draw attention to himself and draw out the others to be sniped by Love and whoever else

Dolgrym waits with the less sneaky of the group. He prepares to cast his ranged Toppling Magic Missles at the beast, if it presents itself, while he closes with the rest of the group.

Feigr squints at the hyenas around the cave mouth, "Bottoms up then, let's go." He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a vial, drinking the entire contents. When chases it with a drink of whiskey from his waterskin.

Drinks a potion of Hide from Undead. If time permits, he will also cast Shield of Faith

Ok guys - I'm back in full force :)

As far as I gauge it so far (for surprise round):
Love - forward and ready to snipe.
Khepri - drawing fire
Feigr - Shield of Faith (potion drink was pre-surprise round)
Cynara - Prot from Evil (Bless pre-surprise)
Padrym - Shield
Dolgrym - ready to fire off MM as required.

As Khepri moves forward calling to the hyena, they prick their ears up to attention.

Love can take 1 x surprise round snipe shot if you wish.
Dolgrym can either take a MM at a hyena, or move forward 20ft - your call.

Reacting quickly to the presence of a human, the hyena yip and yowl as they move into the cave mouth.

Round 1 Action Tracker: Hyena, Lowfield, Cynara, Dolgrym, Padrym, Khepri, Feigr

Cave mouth is about 20ft wide as you can gauge from this distance. It is 70ft ahead of Love and Khepri and 100ft away from the others.
Map is pending on your actions - whether I need to make the outside part or the cave part....

Rather than fire off his magic at one of the hyenas, Dolgrym moves for a better shot at whatever might be controlling the animals.

DM, I'll move forward 20'.

Noted Dolgrym.
You can take round 1 actions as well

Cynara can't see the cave mouth, so she'll move to stay just behind Khepri. If she can cast another spell while keeping up with the paladin, she'll cast guidance on him.

Dolgrym pauses, waiting to see what course of action the scout decided on, before taking any aggressive actions of his own.

Delay Rd. 1 action until Love decides how he will proceed.

Snipe rearmost kitty. Hit? Unaware target +2? 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 5 + 2 = 27. Damage 1d8 ⇒ 1. Sneak attack damage 2d6 ⇒ (6, 4) = 10.
Critical conformation 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 5 + 2 = 10 critical damage 1d8 ⇒ 6.

Twang!
The sound of Love's crossbow breaks the silence.

Post snipe stealth. 1d20 + 8 - 20 ⇒ (18) + 8 - 20 = 6. Woah I might even have a chance with the distance penalties to the perception roll.

Round 1

Padrym stands ready next to Dolgrym, advancing if he does.

Love's bolt sails through the air and sinks into the hyena, but the animal is still able to limp away with the other and into the cave.

For clarity - both of the two visible hyena have retreated into the cave.
Do you approach the mouth, or stay back a bit and wait?

As usual when dealing with things outside of her sight, Cynara cocks her head to one side and listens intently. "It sounds like the hyenas ran for the cave. Let's wait a moment to see if anything comes out after us--that way, Love can get another shot or two from cover. Khepri, if it comes in hyena-shape with the other two, will you be able to tell which one it is?"

Love's bolt sails through the air and sinks into the hyena, but the animal is still able to limp away with the other and into the cave.

For clarity - both of the two visible hyena have retreated into the cave.
Do you approach the mouth, or stay back a bit and wait?

Khepri will advance closer to the cave (20') while concentrating on Detect evil in that direction

To Cynara, "I believe I should be able to pick out out of the hyenas if it tries to blend in"

Dolgrym follows the scout's lead. If Love pushes onward with the attack, the mage will follow with magic missles blazing. If Love waits to see if anything follows him out of the cave, Dolgrym will wait and snipe with him.

As the hyena retreat into the cave mouth, the companions start to edge closer to the darkened tunnel.

You have sufficient time to set yourself up outside the cave mouth - so please state how close you would like to get while you are waiting for the hyena to come back out.
There is some scrub and boulders around, so if you want to stay in cover then you likely can - similarly if you want a free charge line towards the cave mouth that can be arranged as well.
I will have a map completed and posted tonight (after I get home from work) to reflect everyone's positions.

As the hyena retreat into the cave mouth, the companions start to edge closer to the darkened tunnel.

** spoiler omitted **

You have sufficient time to set yourself up outside the cave mouth - so please state how close you would like to get while you are waiting for the hyena to come back out.
There is some scrub and boulders around, so if you want to stay in cover then you likely can - similarly if you want a free charge line towards the cave mouth that can be arranged as well.
I will have a map completed and posted tonight (after I get home from work) to reflect everyone's positions.

Khepri wants to be in full view from the cave, maybe 40' from the entrance. Hopefully the others can find good ambush spots while they focus on me

Dolgyrm will be about 65 feet from the cave mouth in cover if possible. He can MM for a couple rounds, then move forward, and help clean up whatever is left after the first two rounds.

Perception check: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

"They're making enough noise in there...."

Cynara will follow Khepri and stand behind him. If anyone else stands with the paladin, she'll wield her spear; otherwise, she'll go with rapier and buckler.

Perception 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

"Can't hear a thing Cynara, but I'll back you and Khepri."

Padrym positions himself next to Cynara and behind Khepri, prepared to support them in the melee.

As the group moves forwards the sounds coming from the cave initially dim, then intensify once more. Just as you reach your chosen positions, a pair of different hyena burst from the cave mouth - mouths slavering and legs working furiously as they charge towards the party.

But from the sound of yapping and yelping coming from the cave... it would appear as though more are yet to come...

Feigr - I've stuck you near to where Khepri and the others were.
The brush and rocks on the map are low to the ground, so both Dolgrym and Love can shoot over without hindrance, then hunker down for ranged cover. They count as difficult terrain, and although provide ranged cover - do not block Line of Sight.

Dolgrym and Love - if you'd prefer a different vantage on the map than where I've placed you - let me know and I'll move you around.

Round 2 Action Tracker: Hyenas, Lowfield, Cynara, Dolgrym, Padrym, Khepri, Feigr

Round 2 Map

Round 2 Action Tracker: Hyenas, Lowfield, Cynara, Dolgrym, Padrym, Khepri, Feigr

Round 2:

Status:

HP: 21/21 AC: 16 Conditions: blessed (+1 morale bonus to hit and to saves vs. fear)

Cynara holds action until she can tell what Khepri's going to do, or something else happens to drastically change the shape of the battlefield.

Dolgrym will fire off a Toppling Magic Missle at the first hyena to engage the troop in melee.

Damage 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (4, 1) + 2 = 7

Trip check 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

AC 10
HP 26/26

Feigr / Love / Padrym - are you holding back to wait for the hyena to come out? - or taking an action this turn?

Well, I've been waiting for those earlier, but I'm also on a mobile browser that has trouble with Google Docs for some reason...so, I think I'll just blindly charge in.

Feigr growls low in his throat and charges at the closest hyena with his waraxe.

Attack 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 6 + 2 = 20
Damage 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

Khepri and Feigr both charge forwards, converging upon one of the hyena. Caught between the strength of the ancestors and a warrior of Sarenrae's light the hyena barely has a chance to whimper before twin blows lay it low.

Dolgrym's forceful missives streak out to strike the other hyena, though it is able to maintain it's footing.

Round 2 Action Tracker: Hyenas, Lowfield, Cynara, Dolgrym, Padrym, Khepri, Feigr

Damage Tracker:
Hyena - M,4 - dead
Hyena - J,4 - 7

For the map - I've put Feigr in L,5 - will update it when round 3 rolls around.

Round 2:

Status:

HP: 21/21 AC: 16 Conditions: blessed

Cynara advances to J,6 and attacks the slavering creature in front of her with her spear, missing it cleanly and almost tripping on her approach.

To hit: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 2 + 1 = 4

Apologies my travel has consumed more time than I thought.
Round 2

Padrym charges to aid Cynara.

Magatha Two-Handed Power Attack Charging
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 241d10 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

Just a quick note - update will be incoming later tonight.

Although Cynara's spear strike goes wide, Padrym slays the hyena with a powerful charging strike.

Love wouldn't have had anything to aim at as both visible hyena's are dead - but can retcon in a move to 2nd round action if desired.

Ahead of a wave of yips and yowls, the two dead hyena are replaced by a fresh tide of slavering beasts. They fall over each other in their rush forwards to attack....
Hyena on Padrym:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19 for 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4 and Trip: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Hyena on Padrym:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15
Hyena on Feigr:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
Hyena on Feigr:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15
...only one of their jaws finds flesh and is unable to wrench the dwarf from his feet.

But more ominously comes forward a figure wreathed in black robes and with a hint of donkey hooves at the end of it's legs. It's jaw is overwide and red eyes burn smoulderingly in it's skull. Wordlessly it sweeps forward and lashes out with a wickedly sharp claw bedecked with iron nails.
Ghul Claw on Khepri: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26 for 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8 and Bleed 1.
The swipe of it's wicked claw opens a free-running wound on Khepri's side.

Round 3 Action Tracker: Hyenas + Ghul, Lowfield, Cynara, Dolgrym, Padrym, Khepri, Feigr

Both dead hyena have been removed from the map. All hyena on the map are healthy, the one with the crossbow wound is not among them.

Round 3 Map

But more ominously comes forward a figure wreathed in black robes and with a hint of donkey hooves at the end of it's legs. It's jaw is overwide and red eyes burn smoulderingly in it's skull. Wordlessly it sweeps forward and lashes out with a wickedly sharp claw bedecked with iron nails.
Ghul Claw on Khepri: 1d20+8 for 1d6+3 and Bleed 1.
The swipe of it's wicked claw opens a free-running wound on Khepri's side.

Round 3 Map

As a move action Khepri will verify that the Ghul is evil and assuming he is

Power Attack with mw Scimitar 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 6 + 1 + 3 = 24
Damage 1d6 + 5 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 5 + 3 = 12

Cleave to the Hyena

Power Attack with mw Scimitar 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 6 + 1 = 21
Damage 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Round 3

Still suffering from my hobbled Internet, so, if I am next to the Ghul or can move to it without provoking more than two attacks of opportunity, I will attack the Ghul. If it is not possible to strike the Ghul, I will attack a hyena.

Feigr roars with satisfaction at downing the hyena and he swings his axe around with a flourish until the dark figure and more hyenas emerge from the cave. Narrowing his eyes, he glares at the new assailants and after shrugging off the assault of the pair of hyenas readies himself and attacks again.

Power Attack 1d20 + 6 - 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 6 - 1 + 1 + 1 = 27
Confirm 1d20 + 6 - 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 6 - 1 + 1 + 1 = 24
Damage 1d10 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 3 + 2 = 9
Critical Damage x2 1d10 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 3 + 2 = 14
Critical Damage x3 1d10 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 3 + 2 = 8

Round 3

Padrym stares down the hyena that sunk it's teeth into him, attempting to hew it with his axe.

Magatha Two-Handed Power Attack
1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 131d10 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

Round 3:

Status:

HP: 21/21 AC: 16 Conditions: blessed

Seeing that Khepri and Feigr are between her and the ghul, Cynara attempts to perforate the hyena on Padrym, but only manages a slight improvement on her previous miss. Clearly she's a better healer than fighter.

Attack with spear: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 2 + 1 = 5

As Cynara and Padrym struggle with the hyena before them, both missing, Feigr and Khepri fare much better.

Khepri's divinely powered scimitar scythes through the ghul's form as though it were butter and continues on to wound the adjacent hyena. Feigr then follows with a cruelly strong blow that rends through the ghul's defenses and snaps several of the creature's long dead ribs. It howls in pain as the waraxe tracks it's ruinous path.

Nice crit ;) - it seems that my BBEG tend to attract them from players...

Round 3 Action Tracker: Hyenas + Ghul, Lowfield, Cynara, Dolgrym, Padrym, Khepri, Feigr

Damage Tracker:
Ghul - 38 5 points of DR on Feigr's crit
Hyena - L,4 - 6

Round 3

Dolgrym moves forward to G 11 and continues to fire his magical energy, this time at the ghul, leading the hyenas.

Damage 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (2, 3) + 2 = 7

Trip check 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

AC 10
HP 26/26

The twin bolts of force smack into the ghul, but the undead beast is able to keep it's standing intact.

I'll give Love a little bit longer before rolling the round up and moving on.
Public holiday for me in Malaysia tomorrow, so update would be in the evening my time as well.

Sorry, life. 'Life - hate it or ignore it, you can't like it.'
Yes Love would have delayed for all of round 2 and I am quite happy with my placement.

Round 3
Attack on Ghul vs. flat footed AC. Bless 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 5 + 1 = 7, Damage1d8 + 2d6 ⇒ (3) + (1, 1) = 5. Well that went badly. Stealth check post snipe 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19. Hmmmmm

TWANG! Love's bolt goes wide.

The ghul looks to be in a great deal of distress, primarily from Feigr devastating hit, and it turns it's distended jaws upon him even as it claws out at Khepri once more....
Claw 1 @ Khepri: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26 for 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7 and Bleed 1 (stacking)
Claw 2 @ Khepri: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16
Bite @ Feigr: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16
...though it's attacks are diminished by it's partially rent and broken body.

The hyena continue to attack, as the two flanking creatures circle around behind...
Hyena on Padrym: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15
Hyena on Padrym: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Hyena on Feigr: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
Hyena on Feigr: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
Hyena on Cynara: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21 - you get an AoO as it approaches. for 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9 and Trip: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15
Hyena on Khepri (flank): 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 4 + 2 = 16

The cave behind the ghul is silent now.

Round 4 Action Tracker: Hyenas + Ghul, Lowfield, Cynara, Dolgrym, Padrym, Khepri, Feigr

Damage Tracker:
Ghul - 45
Hyena - L,4 - 6

Round 4 Map