Colwyn keeps a distance, finding a seat alone to enjoy the best meal he's had since arriving in the Stolen Lands.
These woodsmen were the sort of marks he and his old gang used to rob between travelers, catching them when they were flush with coin after selling their hides and pelts.
While these may not have been exactly his old stomping grounds, Colwyn worries someone may recognize him, so he keeps his face down towards his mess plate of roast boar.
Elena. You notice that Jhod has an air about him, one of almost regret. After talking with you quietly regarding the trading post, and your efforts to bring civilization and safety to the region he tells you what bought him here.
1. He wishes to be part of the work in returning the Stolen lands to the people of Brevoy.
2. He is driven by a dream, one that has visited him many times in the last year. A dream about an overgrown temple of Erastil guarded by a huge, angry bear. Upon waking from the dream, Jhod felt an irresistible tug to the south, and realized that Erastil had sent him this dream.
Niadroub the local trappers are very interested in your knowledge of proper Moonshine preparation. Shine is a sideline for them, they are too busy surviving daily to set up a proper still. "Hain't killed me yet!" Seems to be the standard around here.
Richard you get a lot of information on the local trappers. It's value is questionable, since a lot of it seems to be who is feuding with who, and why so-and-so is a thieving bastard. It seems most of these men are antisocial by nature and pick grievances with each other as the local sport.
Colwyn. Between well cooked free food, and the jugs of shine now doing the rounds your face is of no interest to anybody. :)
Richard will keep careful track because in all likelyhood some of them are thieving bastards but realizes it's all dubious. No dangerous beasts or bandit hot spots nearby being highlighted is a good thing at least.
A little unsteady on his feet, Niadroub Kliip wanders over to where Colwyn is sitting by himself. He thunks a jug in down next to the rogue, and then attempts to sit down next to the jug. He misses the mark, landing on the ground, but begins talking as if that was his plan all along.
Looking out at the assembled revelers, the arcanist points at them with an unsteady finger.
"Tregic. These people are two generatioons -- at least two! -- behend on prooper moonshen dis... deesti... making. Soo beckwards."
He also mumbles "Tibooth womlook feerhawg," but... I don't know. It's hard to understand him when he's been drinking.
1. He wishes to be part of the work in returning the Stolen lands to the people of Brevoy.
2. He is driven by a dream, one that has visited him many times in the last year. A dream about an overgrown temple of Erastil guarded by a huge, angry bear. Upon waking from the dream, Jhod felt an irresistible tug to the south, and realized that Erastil had sent him this dream.
"Any of Old' Deadeye's faithful will be a boon here, Brother, I'm sure. Right now the place seems to be the home to a few rootless wanderers and solitary hermits. It needs a sense of community."
"But this dream... do you think this is a real temple? Or a metaphor for something else? I don't doubt there are all kinds of lost places out here. Where do you think it is?"
Xan had been wandering while eating, listening in here and there but nothing catching her attention, until she heard the talk about Erastil sending someone a dream and Elena's thoughts on it.
"Always hated the idea of prophetic dreams - all the stories you hear about them have them making absolutely no sense until what it was prophecising actually happens, at which point you might as well never have gotten the dream in the first place. Could be an actual temple lost out here, could be some glade that's conceptually a temple to him. The bear's the only straightforward part of it - 'danger ahead, pray your limbs remain in the general vicinity of your torso.'"
Jhod nods his head in agreement at your questions. "I agree, it's easy to see prophesy in your dreams. Had that been all I would have wondered but not done much more'n that. But I felt the pull in Restov, where I was. Go south it told me, an I can still feel it. Whatever it is it's to the south, an it's till tugging at me."
He looks thoughtful. "An something about the bear I saw wasn't natural as well. It felt wrong is all I can say?" He shrugs. "All I'm asking is for you to keep an eye out, an if you come across this temple please let me know."
"We'll let you know if we come across this temple," Mykhael agreed.
Oleg has Caltrops for sale, some trappers use then to direct their prey onto traps. Bear traps are definitely for sale, most of his customers are trappers after all.
Exploring Hex4.
Moving from Gameplay...
If you put a dice expression in your profile it doesn't resolve as a roll. So you can just put the expressions in your GM profile and then copy/paste when you need to. That's what I do.
Same for initiative.
Marching order:
Quite reasonable for a single file order.
When we are in a 10' wide passage we would probably want to go 2x3 though. So would we just want to use the same order but put the first two in front, second two in the middle, and so on?
When in the countryside we could all just walk/ride beside each other. Nobody has to be in front or back. Unless we are following a road or a trail through the woods or something.
As the party travels through heavily overgrow forest and come to s small stream. Colwyn & Xantria notice a pair of Boggards lurking in concealment across the otherside.
Surprise round for Colwyn & Xantria. Then all the party may have the 1st round. Boggards have -1 on Init, so you go first.
Colwyn, Xantria. You have a surprise round action to take. What are you doing?
"How do you all want to play this?" Colwyn whispers.
"I've heard bad tales of the frog folk. They can be nasty bits of work."
Colwyn fishes a flask out of his pack and hesitates, trembling, before he holds it to his lips.
He had seen men swallowed whole by giant frogs. It is a haunting sight that Colwyn can not shake.
Even if boggards and giant frogs are two separate species, the distinction means little to the former bandit - especially not now.
"Maybe, but I'd rather avoid starting a pointless fight," Xan admitted. "That said."
Xan readied her bow, aiming it at the boggards and planning to fire as soon as it looked like they were going to attack.
When Xantria aims her bow at him the Boggard croaks in alarm as he realizes he's been seen.
There are answering croaks from the surrounding foliage that tells you there are more Boggards here than you have detected.
"They've seen me. Everyone attack!"
The party may now have their actions.
Mykhael muttered something unintelligible as he waved his hand in the air. The reckless noble rushed forward through the brush long-spear in hand.
Richard puts his hand on the hilt of his sword ready to move forward and strike down anything that attacks the group.
[b]"They're attecking," Niadroub Kliip mutters before taking one step to the side and firing his crossbow at the closest target he can hit.
Elena steps behind Mykhael and draws the string of her bow. She takes aim.
With a muted curse, Colwyn pops the cork from the thick glass phial. He downs the potion, wincing at the chalky taste.
He then ducks into the nearby brush, taking shelter behind a tree as he presses an arrow against his shortbow.
Muttering a short word of Celestial, Xan kept her bow trained on the boggards, ready to fire at the first one to break cover.
"Crap."
Three more Boggards emerge from hiding, their plan to attack as you were crossing the stream now ruined.
Niadroub sends a bolt skittering off a branch close to one of the Boggards.
Elena shoots at Green and her arrow slices a thin line over his cheek, drawing a drop of blood.
Xantria also fires her bow at Green as he stands up, her arrow cutting deeper in to him.
Teal splashes across the stream, stopping at the bank and unleashing a croak that turns your bones to jelly.
Green ignores his wounds and repeats the actions of Teal.
Xantria you are now Frightened for Rounds.
Colwyn You are now Shaken for Rounds.
Niadroub You are now Shaken for Rounds.
Richard You are now Shaken for Rounds.
The remaining Boggards splash across the stream, moving to assault you head on.
The Party may now act.
Richard moves to strike at one of the Boggards with his dueling sword driving the blade into the boggards midsection.
Richard completes his display of skilled swordsmanship by slicing Green into ribbons.
Bravely stepping back behind the party lines, Niadroub Kliip casts mage armor.
Elena utters a short prayer to Old Deadeye and points her symbol at the boggards.
"May the forest protect us!"
The plants and trees begin to entwine around the boggards.
A distant corner of Xantria's mind acknowledged that what she was experiencing was some form of supernatural deterrent. There was nothing about the boggards that should have triggered this reaction.
Of course (and probably by design), the part that realised that was drowned out by the rest of her mind running around screaming, panicking and generally crashing into each other. And much like her mind, Xan's body followed suit and legged it, almost colliding with Niadroub on her way out. Thankfully, to her credit, there was no audible scream but that could have just been from her panicking too much to realise that screaming would a perfectly appropriate response in this situation.
Elena calls to nature to rise and defend the party. Yellow & Purple both croak in shock as the undergrowth comes to life and binds them.
Colwyn & Mykhael still to go.
Mykhael thrusts his spear at slimy creature.
Colwyn tries to steady his bow against his shaking hands. With a cuss and a cold bead of sweat on his brow, he prays to the gray lady that his aim isn't muddled.
With a devilish grin, he watches the arrow sink into the overgrown frogman's gut.
Yellow ignores the arrow put in him by Colwyn and tears free from the grasp of the undergrowth, splashing across the stream to attack Richard.
8 Damage to Richard
Teal and Red both advance on Mykhael and swing savagely at him.
Red striking Mykhael with a near fatal blow for 12 damage.
Purple struggles vainly with the entangling vines.
The party may go again
Richard grunts and clenches his teeth in pain as the morningstar knocks the wind out of him. Tasting the blood in his mouth he lashes forward with his sword.
Mykhael's knees buckle and his vision blurs as he is bashed by the evil boggard. The blood pouring into his eyes mixes with his tears as he limps back from the attack and weakly thrust his longspear at the foul creature that tried to remove his head from his shoulders.
Stepping back out from behind Elena, Niadroub Kliip casts color spray at the two closest boggards.
"Looks like I'm going to have to wet my britches for these folks," Colwyn thinks while tossing down his bow and drawing his sword as he moves.
"Wait...ugh, glad I didn't say that aloud," he grimaces inwardly as he jumps into the shallow river.
He nimbly splashes past the boggard, trying to deftly dodge its errant swings, and moves to flank the foe.
Elena gasps as she finds herself right next to a boggard.
She steps back out of his reach and shoots again.
But her bow gets snagged by one of the tree branches and she is unable to bring the bow in line. The arrow drops to the ground.
Richard & Colwyn both attack Yellow, though only Richard's Blade finds blood.
Mykhael steps back and slams his spear into the Red boggard, wounding it heavily.
Niadroub gestures and a fan of brilliant colors blasts from his hand.
.
Red & Teal are both Blinded & Stunned for 2 rounds.
Yellow ignores the Rogue at his back and swings at Richard again.
His blow whistling only a hairs width past Richards skin.
Purple finally tears free of the entangling plants and shuffles over to attack Colwyn
Again the blow is close but just misses.
The party may now act.
Xantria, this is your last round of being Frightened.