Kalsgrim Lodovka |
"Well done, Kriger!"
Kalsgrim gives a last glance toward Davor, knowing the narrow-minded focus his ilk has won't let him stop until judgment is carried out on the viscious sniper. "He should be fine. Let's go."
Kalsgrim nods for Kriger and Ember to lead, followed by Janku and Servayn. Kalsgrim will go last, bow at the ready.
"Janku, grab Kriger's lantern. He'll need both hands for his axe. Servayn, can you cast your magical light on the lantern as well, in case they do something to blow out the flame of the lantern?" With Janku providing the light, we proceed down. We have the light ready even if there is some light in the fort below, just in case the spriggan's have a trick to rob us of that visibility.
Other Mastermind |
The stairs go straight down one level, leading to a narrow corridor with four closed doors, two on each side, then another staircase, going off it seems at a right angle compared to this one. There is a little bit of light, with yours, you can see clearly.
Kalsgrim Lodovka |
Ember may or may not notice things, but he's not a sharer.
Or if we admitted we couldn't hear what he could, he'd probably give us that look that says "how do you even chew your food or walk upright?" :)
Kalsgrim freezes, not wanting his lack of stealth to give them away, if it is not too late for that already. He nods to Kriger and Ember, the two hunters of their gropu, letting them know that they can take the lead as they see fit.
Other Mastermind |
Kriger, if you move upstairs, you can read the spoiler. If not, I'll post according to your actions.
Servayn Krolz |
If either spriggan remains within 40 ft. of his current location, Servayn attempts to halt his flight with a grease spell (Ref DC 17), while directing Ember to pounce.
If neither is within range, he attempts a bold leap off of the battlement (Acrobatics check?), hoping to end up within range and then cast his spell. (And if that's not an option, he just advances as close as he can, after his jump.) In any event, Ember pounces.
Ember Full Attack w/charge
Bite attack 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25
Claw attack 1 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (1) + 11 = 12
Claw attack 2 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14
bite damage +1d6 fire 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5 1d6 ⇒ 6
claw damage 1 +1d6 fire 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5 1d6 ⇒ 6
claw damage 2 +1d6 fire 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5 1d6 ⇒ 1
Servayn's Acrobatics, if necessary 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
Kalsgrim Lodovka |
Kalsgrim calmly draws and arrow and releases it, followed by a second.
To hit 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15
Damage 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
To hit 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Damage 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
If one of the fleeing spriggans in the one that he previously declared smite evil on, he will target that one (please add +4 to hit and +6 on damage). Otherwise, random choice.
Kriger Eilifsson |
As they all take off back upstairs, Kriger rolls his eyes and follows. "Back and forth we go, where we stop who the heck knows." He mumbles to himself.
No way I'm splitting the party. Kriger remembers what happened to Kalsgrim. ;)
As Kriger reaches the top, he notices the spriggans escaping. "Well dang."
Kriger Eilifsson |
As Kalsgrim's arrow strikes true and Ember and Davor manage to join in the fray, Kriger's disappointment turns into a big smile. "HA! HA! We got 'em! Nice work fellas! Let's check this place out in peace now." Kriger then commences to do just that.
Okay, I've completely forgotten why we're here. Yeah I know, pathetic. In my defense, though, I think we've been in this combat for quite a while.(Weak excuse, I know, but I had to come up with something) :P
Malaswyn Tyddewi |
Mfff, Mwwffff, Mmmm.
Hearing a commotion nearby, I shuffle across the floor like a snake and bang against the door with my bound legs.
I shall be visiting my Gran until Sunday night... she has no internet so I will try my phone but may not be available... shame about the timing, can't wait to get stuck in.
Kriger Eilifsson |
Kriger stops in his tracks and grips his axe with one hand and places his other on the door handle. As he quickly pulls the door open wide, he grabs his axe with both hands, yells something feral and stops just before he cuts the bound humanoid in two. As his yell dies off, "Huh? Well, well, this is your lucky day, pal! I nearly cut ya clean in two! HA! HA! You know, I'm thinking it'd be a might bit difficult to find out how you got yourself into this situation if I were to 've managed that. Let's get those binds off ya." Kriger cuts him loose from his bonds, then re-grips his axe and leans it upon his shoulder. "There ya go. Name's Kriger. I'm guessin' you're not part of those buggers that tried to kill us. If you are, I'd suggest you don't tell me. I'm still fairly ticked off I fell into their little trap, so, I highly recommend ya go with the whole, 'I was their prisoner' bit. And if that's the case: Who are ya and how did ya wind up all tied up in here?" He asks nonchalantly.
Malaswyn Tyddewi |
I peer up at Kriger through bleary eyes, the discs of pale blue reflecting and distorting his features. Before speaking again I begin to stretch out my limbs and undo the cramps from being tied up.
Suddenly, a notion takes me: "I was restrained without light and have lost track of time. How long has it been since the dawn? I must make my obeisance to Her divinity."
As my whirling, exhausted mind returns to reality I stand, gingerly leaning against the wall for support and begin to shake and stamp life back into my feet and legs.
"Thankyou, you have probably saved my life. I was drawn here by an intriguing letter diverted to me by some serveant of Sarenrae. I believe I am intended to continue my service in these lands. An ambush landed me in this prison."
Noticing Krieger's wounds, I nod my head to him: "Help me to find my statua, a silver model of the goddess in flight, and I will heal your wounds. It is the least service I can render to you for my salvation."
Then another thought occurs: Do you have any food?"
Mala is still getting his head back together.
Kriger Eilifsson |
"Nahhh! Don't worry about me, fella. I'm alright. Of course we've got food! C'mon, I'll take ya to meet the rest of the fellas and get you some food in ya." He motions with his head for him to follow along. "If ya tell me where ya saw your statue last, I'll come have a look after I take you to the others. Let's get a bit o' life back in ya first. I won't take no for an answer!" He looks at him sternly just before grinning ear to ear. "HA! HA! C'mon! Let's get ya taken care of."
As soon as Kriger meets up with the others, "Hey fellas! Look what I found! He's gonna need a bite to eat, and...," he looks at the stranger curiously, "I have no idea what your name is but there you go!" He smiles a big Kriger smile and throws his arms out wide at the silliness of it all. "He hasn't tried to kill me yet, so that's good! HA! HA!" He slaps Servayn on the shoulder. Remembering his vow, "Oh yeah, now if you tell me again where that statue of yours is...," he pauses a moment wondering if he was told initially. Shrugging, as he's unable to remember, "I'll go and get it. These fellas will take good care of ya."
Perception: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (20) + 19 = 39 To look for the holy symbol in whatever location.
I swear, this is all I ever roll when it comes to rolls that mean absolutely nothing. If I would have thought about it, I just could've taken 20. Ah well.
Servayn Krolz |
Ember bounds ahead of Kalsgrim and Servayn, and is disappointed to see that Kriger has found an elf, and not the spriggan's larder.
Servayn shows up in time to hear Kriger's last announcement, and reaches into his haversack to produce a waterskin and some trail rations. "This is the best I have to offer for food, we usually hunt some game while travelling and eat better than this..."
"I am Servayn, a diplomat of Frieland," he adds, gesturing to Kalsgrim, "And this is Kalsgrim, our ruler."
Ember coughs, and he adds, "And that's Ember. He's disappointed that we haven't encountered anything he can eat yet today."
Kalsgrim Lodovka |
"Sadly, it seems these lands are not yet safe for the lone traveler. We are struggling to make it so, but it is a lifetime task, it would seem. It is a pleasure to meet you, though I wish it could be under better circumstances."
"Kriger, is the place clear? Any signs of who these spriggans have fealty to? Where they came from?"
Malaswyn Tyddewi |
Where are my manners!
"I am called Malaswyn, Malaswyn Tyddewi, I am a serveant of Sarenrae.
Taking the proffered food, I wolf down a few mouthfuls before speaking again: The size-changing gnomes took my equipment and bound me. I need the divine symbol as a conduit for Sarenrae's grace.
Finally, I have regathered my wits enough to think clearly and help with Kalsgrim's queries: Someone called 'Graven' claimed to live here. His letter invited a younger man called 'Servayn' to visit him. In his letter he claimed that a 'Baron Maegar Varn' ruled here. The letter did not speak of monsters or strange folk, mostly of Graven's future as a man of some importance."
Other Mastermind |
As Kriger opens a door to find a place for all to sit, he finds immediately the mess of the fort. It seems the spriggans had a great time there, as there is food aplenty laying all around the place. Sausages, kegs, hard cheeses, salted and smoked meets of porc, beef, but also, deer, pheasant and bear.
In a corner of the room, you find Malaswyn's equipment, including his holy symbol.
Kalsgrim Lodovka |
A servant of Sarenrae, eh?
Kalsgrim glances at Servayn to see his response to Malaswyn's reference to his name.
"Malaswyn, most of us are going to be continuing in a southernly direction, seeking the folks of these lands and the cause of their disappearance. I am considering sending our friend Janku back to Providence to let them know of our status and the threat before us, and to help keep order in our absence. You are welcome to accompany him back to civilization if that is your preference, or you are welcome to travel with us. I do not wish to insult you, for I cannot gauge at a glance your worldliness or the power Sarenrae entrusts to you. We expect to face menaces as challenging as those gnomes we faced, and probably much greater as well. The choice is yours, and while we do not wish to risk the welfare of others by bringing them into danger with us, we are also not in a position to refuse aid from those willing and competent to offer it."
Kalsgrim Lodovka |
Kalsgrim nods warily in agreement. "Thank you Davor. I'll be sorry to lose your might, but I think it will be safer for Janku with you along for the journey. Watch his back there; frontier politics have proven to be quite ruthless."
With that, he looks to Malaswyn again. "You are welcome to join us for a meal here while we look for additional signs of our adversary's nature and rest. It is up to you which way you go, but you are welcome either way."
Malaswyn Tyddewi |
Thankyou, Kalsgrim, I do not believe it is time for me to return to the soft beds of civilisation. It is my time to walk a hard road: I shall acompany you.
silver holy symbol
masterwork scimitar
+1 composite(+1) longbow
+1 agile breastplate
+1 cloak of resistance
+2 headband of inpired wisdom
+1 ring of protection
wand of cure light wounds
50 adamantine arrows
I reclaim my gear and say a heartfelt prayer to the Dawnflower.
Malaswyn Tyddewi |
Searching through my stolen belongings, I unearth the letter: Here it is.
My Boy Servayn,
I must apologize first for disappearing on you all those years back. In the course of my researches, I was forced to commit small misdemeanours and found myself locked in a cell for quite some years... Thank the Galts for changing their minds, and their heads, from time to time.
I have heard only great things about you. It seems your great destiny is being fulfilled in some way. Stand proud, for you are a ruler of men for our country!
I have resumed my researches, remaining distant, for fear of disrupting your fate, but have recently found some new information regarding your ancestry. I dare not go to you, for I am certain Surtova spies have been keeping an eye on me, but beg you to come meet me in newly carved Varnhold, where Baron Maegar Varn has taken me under his wing.
Your Friend and Protector,
Graven
Servayn Krolz |
Servayn pauses to read the letter, his expression distant as he remembers his old mentor and the life they led on the streets.
"Thank you, Malaswyn, for bringing this to me. I hope that whatever occured here, was not the end of his life, and the others who once dwelled in these parts."
Malaswyn Tyddewi |
So, this is Servayn.
These lands are wide and thick with caves and woods where a man might endure if forced from his home. We will explore: a new dawn always carries hope on its beams
Kalsgrim Lodovka |
Kalsgrim nods to Malaswyn.
"Kriger, let's make sure there's no more surprises left here."
We'll take 20 to search the fort, using Kriger's score with the others using aid another. Just to make sure there are no doors or anything we've missed, or hiding critters.
Once we are reasonably sure we've scouted out the fort, we'll gather up the useful stuff (I guess that is mainly Malaswyn's gear that he has picked up and food stuffs) in one spot to evaluate what we can bring with us and what needs to be left behind.
How late in the day is it? Can we scout the surrounding area or travel on (going our separate ways with Janku and Davor)? Or do we need to set up our camp for the night?
Other Mastermind |
The search of the hold takes a few hours, and the sun has set when you are done.
You find a storeroom with various supplies meant to be used by Maeger Varn for his barony (1 BP worth).
In the armory:
-12 suits of padded armor
-a masterwork breastplate
-7 light wooden shields
-20 spears
-3 short swords
-2 handaxes
-a shortbow
-2 longbows
-4 light crossbows
-2 heavy crossbows
-a +1 morningstar
-200 arrows
-220 crossbow bolts.
In the well, Kriger finds a small niche in one of its walls, just above the water line, with four potions of water breathing, probably meant as a way to escape the fort.
In one of the chambers, you find letters going back and forth with Rostov, mentioning troubles with the Nomen tribe. You also find there some potions:
-2 Potions of bear’s endurance,
-Potion of comprehend languages
-Potion of keen edge
-2 Potions of fly
Aga, the spriggan leader lying face down in the courtyard,i carries the collected treasures looted from the village, as well as his treasury, in a bag of holding. The bag contains the following:
-6,000 gp in assorted coins and jewelry
-a small payroll coffer holding 500 gp
-an assortment of gems* worth 3,500 gp
-a +2 defending longsword with the crest of House Varn on its pommel guard
-a wand of spectral hand (17 charges),
-a ring of friend shield
-an exquisite darkwood and ivory +2 thundering composite longbow (+4 Str).
the workmanship of this longbow is quite extraordinary (Knowledge (nature))
On his body, you find:
-+1 breastplate
-+1 seeking heavy crossbow with 20 bolts
-masterwork greatclub
-bag of holding (type IV)
As you walk the battlements, you see the whole of the village standing at your feet, still wondering how, why and where did the Varns go...
Servayn Krolz |
"I would imagine that some of this, such as the payroll chest and the Varn-crest longsword, in particular, we should hold in trust for the people of this community, should they yet live to reclaim them." Servayn says, managing his expectations before he can get too excited about this windfall.
Servayn looks around for a location that can be strongly secured, preferably a cellar or similar enclosed space that would be likely to survive a fire or other misadventure, "Even with the magical bag of holding, and my own haversack, we won't have room to carry a lot of this food and trade goods, but we should probably try and secure them somewhere that a wandering brigand or surviving spriggan can't just walk off with them."
Ember looks up, clearly aggrieved, "We aren't going to eat the food?"
Servayn selects a few links of sausage from the larder and tosses them to Ember. "Either we'll rescue them, and the grateful survivors may offer us a meal, or we'll be too late, and we can take the food back to Frieland."
Ember devours the sausage, after tilting his head and leaving little doubt that he's weighing the options.
Kalsgrim Lodovka |
"Agreed, Servayn. If we can use any of this to help discover what happened to the Varns and save them if they survive, we should. We can return it to them when they are found." he says, and adds silently If they are found...
Does anyone have any items found that they would want their character to carry and use until we find out what happened to the Varns?
Can we find a way to take a few hours and stow the valuable items that won't fit in the bag of holding someplace that makes it harder to be raided, either by concealment or a strong point in the fort?
Seeing Ember gulping down food, Kalsgrim will suggest "Start with the food that is most perishable since it is least likely to last until the Varns are restored here."
Kalsgrim Lodovka |
He hands the bow to Kriger. "Perhaps this is more suited to you? At least until we can find the rightful owner, or what happened to them?"
Kalsgrim will pick up the +2 defending longsword and offer it to Malaswyn. "Would you like to bear this during our search? You could wield it and still have a hand free."
After they settle who will carry what items, and what will be left behind for the time being, Kalsgrim will say "Janku and Davor, you'd best be on your way. There are still hours left in the day, and you can get some good distance before nightfall. We'll start checking out the town, and try to intercept anyone who may show up to keep them from following you. Take plenty of food for the trip. And don't cut overland here; stick to the road back to that last outpost and then follow the road back to Providence. It wouldn't do for you to get overtaken in the unpatrolled wilderness."
To the others, he'll say "Let's start sweeping the town. We can make a quick pass to check for survivors or threats, and then a more careful pass to look for more signs of what may have happened here. "
He nods to Kriger to lead the way, knowing the boistrous ranger will guide them well and stand a good chance of noticing any useful tracks or clues before the others pass over them and obscure them.
Kriger Eilifsson |
Knowledge: (Nature) 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19
Kriger takes the bow and tests it, seeming to pull it with ease. "Feels fine to me! I'll have to thank these Varns for the use of it when we find them." He nods confidently.
Kriger nods back as he stows the bow. "Let's move. If they're here, we'll find them. And if they're not... then we'll find them."
Survival: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (1) + 17 = 18
Perception: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (3) + 19 = 22
Wow. Those rolls stink. Is taking 10 possible?