Male Human Sorcerer(marid blooded) HP 10/16 AC 12, FF 10, T 12 | F +0 R +2 W +4 | Init. +2 | Per. +1 | SM +1 | CMB +0 | CMD 12 | Speed 30ft |
Spells:
7/7 frost ray 3/3 lvl 1 spells
al wrinkles his nose in disgust
"these men smell worse than the troll ferryman"
He picks through their belongings, arranging them in a neat pile
" at least they carry something of value"
He pauses as he looks at the armor
"maybe not...."
hp 52/52, Freedom of movement | Ac 29 (Mage armor[+4] and Barkskin[+3]) T21 FF 22| Init +8 Fort +9 Ref+13 Will +10 (+2 vs fear & +2 vs enchantment & evasion) | Perception +14 Sense Motive +6 | Ki 2/5 | Reroll 1/1
Garret flexes his muscles, glad that the fight put some warmth in them.
"Very friendly, the people here" he sarcastically announces to no one in particular. "do we try to save them or do we leave them to the same fate they probably had in store for us?
With a little time, Dustin is able to stabilize all the unconscious Kellids. Leaving(?) the men to sleep off their wounds, the party makes for the indicated cave as the sun edges closer to the horizon. Taking refuge from the bitter cold, the party sleeps fitfully and rises the next morning.
Preparing for the second days journey, the sky is cloudy and ominously gray.
Survival DC 15:
Reading the sky, you come to the conclusion that a wicked snowstorm is moving in from the north. Unless the party makes a forced march, you will be caught in the storm toward the end of the day.
Male Human Sorcerer(marid blooded) HP 10/16 AC 12, FF 10, T 12 | F +0 R +2 W +4 | Init. +2 | Per. +1 | SM +1 | CMB +0 | CMD 12 | Speed 30ft |
Spells:
7/7 frost ray 3/3 lvl 1 spells
Al asahari yawns and stretches, before moving to the nearby campfire to warm himself up, half expecting garret and the rest of the party be up and eating breakfast.
hp 52/52, Freedom of movement | Ac 29 (Mage armor[+4] and Barkskin[+3]) T21 FF 22| Init +8 Fort +9 Ref+13 Will +10 (+2 vs fear & +2 vs enchantment & evasion) | Perception +14 Sense Motive +6 | Ki 2/5 | Reroll 1/1
"Good morninn Al Ashahari" Garret says as he gives Al Ashahari a hot cup of tea and a plate of breakfast which he prepared while taking the latest watch
Survival:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
"Do you see that storm coming our way? I wonder if it is better to stay here in this cave and wait out the storm or do a forced march. I wonder what Dustin has to say about that"
Male Human Sorcerer(marid blooded) HP 10/16 AC 12, FF 10, T 12 | F +0 R +2 W +4 | Init. +2 | Per. +1 | SM +1 | CMB +0 | CMD 12 | Speed 30ft |
Spells:
7/7 frost ray 3/3 lvl 1 spells
"good morning, friend Garret"
Al-asahari returns the greeting cheerfully.
That being said, he looks up at and thr sky and with garret's advice in mind, the realises there is a storm coming.Al-asahari considers his options carefully
"The extra day of waiting could put us terribly behind time, and I don't think those shadow lodgers are going to simply sit and wait for us to arrive."
Al-asahari sips his tea gingerly and works on the breakfast
"besides, with a breakfast like this, I am very much sure will be able to get through the storm"
He chuckles and continues sipping the hot tea.
Setting off, the party tries to race the storm to the next destination, another small cave in which to hole up in before reaching the Keep.
So you guys can either make a normal 8 hr (out of 10 hrs) trek and risk losing your way in the storm the last two hours (Survival checks), or you can make a Forced March to make up the time. (Two Fort saves vs fatigue)
Male Human Sorcerer(marid blooded) HP 10/16 AC 12, FF 10, T 12 | F +0 R +2 W +4 | Init. +2 | Per. +1 | SM +1 | CMB +0 | CMD 12 | Speed 30ft |
Spells:
7/7 frost ray 3/3 lvl 1 spells
Al-asahari starts small talk as he attempts to keep up with the group
"Auric! You certainly look rather dashing today. Found the time for a haircut and a shave I see." fort save:1d20 ⇒ 6 fort save:1d20 ⇒ 15
Al-asahari stumbles and plunges into the snow many times, he doesn't look like he's holding up too well.
Fort save:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21 Fort save:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17
Taklinn drops back to give Al-Asahari a hand.
"Come on," he says as he slings one of Al's arms around his shoulder. "We gotta keep movin'!"
hp 52/52, Freedom of movement | Ac 29 (Mage armor[+4] and Barkskin[+3]) T21 FF 22| Init +8 Fort +9 Ref+13 Will +10 (+2 vs fear & +2 vs enchantment & evasion) | Perception +14 Sense Motive +6 | Ki 2/5 | Reroll 1/1
Male Human Sorcerer(marid blooded) HP 10/16 AC 12, FF 10, T 12 | F +0 R +2 W +4 | Init. +2 | Per. +1 | SM +1 | CMB +0 | CMD 12 | Speed 30ft |
Spells:
7/7 frost ray 3/3 lvl 1 spells
Al-asahari gasps in the thin air, desperate for a little oxygen.
"I was hoping my marid ancestors would smile upon me, but unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case"
Al-asahari is grateful as Taklinn supports the struggling sorcerer.
"many thanks my friend.I appreciate your help"
Though the increased pace is exhausting, all but Al-Asahari manage the forced march easily. Al-Asahari is fatigued.
Fatigued:
Fatigued: A fatigued character can neither run nor charge and takes a –2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity. Doing anything that would normally cause fatigue causes the fatigued character to become exhausted. After 8 hours of complete rest, fatigued characters are no longer fatigued.
The end of the day puts you at the cave depicted on Skagni’s map. The cave mouth is wide enough for three people to enter abreast, and faces away from the wind of the storm.
Ten feet into this dark granite cave, a large cavern opens up, its ceiling rising as high as thirty feet. Warm, humid air fills the chamber, and colorful fungi cover the floor and walls. Beneath a layer of iridescent algae, the faint images of cave paintings can be seen on all the cavern’s walls. Signs of a rockslide block what may once have been a passage farther into the cave.
hp 52/52, Freedom of movement | Ac 29 (Mage armor[+4] and Barkskin[+3]) T21 FF 22| Init +8 Fort +9 Ref+13 Will +10 (+2 vs fear & +2 vs enchantment & evasion) | Perception +14 Sense Motive +6 | Ki 2/5 | Reroll 1/1
Garret also missed his second survival check...
Garret enters the cave, leading pony and mule in after him. "Wow, look at that!"
He then checks to be sure that there is no ambush waiting for them
Human (Chelaxian) Bard (Archaeologist) 8 | HP 54/54 | AC:21 T:16 FF:21 CMD: 22 | F+7 R+16 W+9 | Init +6 | Perc +16 Trap spotter
Oh, you meant the portrait. Yes, I wanted to change it for something better suited, and new portraits were recently added. You can consider that it's how Auric will look after the mission!
Auric also has a cursory glance at the cave, before checking if they have been followed.
Perception:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
Kicking the compacted snow off of his boots, Taklinn says "Ah, now this be more like it. Reminds me o' home a bit." Perception:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19 Yeah, I don't think anyone can trump a 29.
hp 52/52, Freedom of movement | Ac 29 (Mage armor[+4] and Barkskin[+3]) T21 FF 22| Init +8 Fort +9 Ref+13 Will +10 (+2 vs fear & +2 vs enchantment & evasion) | Perception +14 Sense Motive +6 | Ki 2/5 | Reroll 1/1
But that 29 took 2 minutes, so while Garret is searching you might spot something
@Garret: The checks were Fortitude checks against fatigue from the march, not Survival checks, so you did make them.
@Dustin: This cave is the next stop on your trek. Night is coming.
Technically, its two minutes of searching per five foot square/cube, so an entire cave would take a while. (Though I have heard the argument that active Perception in initiative, is a move action, so its only one minute per square.)
As the party enters the cave and begins searching for hidden dangers, two bipedal dinosaurs jump up from among the rubble!
hp 52/52, Freedom of movement | Ac 29 (Mage armor[+4] and Barkskin[+3]) T21 FF 22| Init +8 Fort +9 Ref+13 Will +10 (+2 vs fear & +2 vs enchantment & evasion) | Perception +14 Sense Motive +6 | Ki 2/5 | Reroll 1/1
hp 52/52, Freedom of movement | Ac 29 (Mage armor[+4] and Barkskin[+3]) T21 FF 22| Init +8 Fort +9 Ref+13 Will +10 (+2 vs fear & +2 vs enchantment & evasion) | Perception +14 Sense Motive +6 | Ki 2/5 | Reroll 1/1
Taklinn, Garret, and Auric combine to bring down the remaining dinosaur!
Out of Combat!
Looking around, you notice a massive cave collapse near in the back wall with a noticeable current of warmer air seeping out from among the rocks. The boulders of the collapse are quite bug, and you estimante it would takes weeks of work to dig it out. Presuming that the dinosaurs came from some warmer, underground area, you feel safe that there will be no interruptions to a safe camp for the night.
Examining the rest of the cave, you see, the cavern’s tall walls are covered with cave paintings under a thin layer of faintly glowing algae.
The paintings depict a castle at the base of a mountain. Outside the castle, a large creature with wings and a long neck lies on the ground before a figure lifting a huge red axe over its head to strike. Other humanoid figures cluster around the scene. The mural is then interrupted by a repeated design: two mammoths with a smaller one in tow marching east.
This motif is repeated over and over in an orderly line from the top wall of the cave to the bottom. There are 30 copies of this design. The next scene shows the wielder of the red axe lying on a raised mound within the castle, his weapon clutched to his chest. Other figures leave the castle carrying large bags on their shoulders.
The drawings continue on the other side of the cave, showing an avalanche cascading down to cover the tower. The last drawing shows more of the humanoid figures standing over the edge overlooking the castle’s previous location, while four drawings of the moon in various states arc above the scene. In this last picture, all of the humanoid figures have a smear of white color around their lower faces. Like the Kellids you encountered earlier.
Perception DC 18:
You note that the creature on the ground in the first painting was originally painted white, but that time has eroded whatever the painter used to show this color. The character brandishing the axe was also painted white, but around the face, suggesting a large white beard.
KN: local or history DC 15:
You are able to decipher the meaning of some of the painting’s images.
The axe-wielding figure in the first scene is different from the other humanoids depicted, as he is shown with a white beard, a feature uncommon among the Kellid peoples.
The painting of the three mammoths symbolizes migration, and each painting of three mammoths stands for the passage of a single year.
The moon in its various stages symbolizes eternity or a period of time that cannot be depicted with the migration symbol, usually meaning hundreds of years.
Among the fungi in the cavern, you find the remains of a Kellid party, likely snowed in and then starving to death, as there are no signs of injury among them. Among the collective bodies you find 3 bandages of rapid recovery, 2 masterwork throwing axes, a +1 bolas, a potion of barkskin, 2 potions of endure elements, 6 pairs of snowshoes, a fully charged wand of longstrider carved from a smilodon’s tooth, a bag of unworked gemstones worth 40 gp, a cloak of resistance +2, a potion of cure moderate wounds, 5 topazes worth 50 gp each, and +1 studded leather.
hp 52/52, Freedom of movement | Ac 29 (Mage armor[+4] and Barkskin[+3]) T21 FF 22| Init +8 Fort +9 Ref+13 Will +10 (+2 vs fear & +2 vs enchantment & evasion) | Perception +14 Sense Motive +6 | Ki 2/5 | Reroll 1/1
"Do you see these paintings! They are so old that that dragon's white color has completely eroded away.
The axe-wielding figure in the first scene is different from the other humanoids depicted, as he is shown with a white beard, a feature uncommon among the Kellid peoples.
The painting of the three mammoths symbolizes migration, and each painting of three mammoths stands for the passage of a single year.
The moon in its various stages symbolizes eternity or a period of time that cannot be depicted with the migration symbol, usually meaning hundreds of years.
Garret seems slightly embarrassed
"Who knew that paying attention to all those bards would pay of someday."
Resting for the evening, you find the storm has blown itself out by morning, allowing you to proceed. You path begins trending downward as you approach a series of high, rocky cliffs on the edge of the Tusk Mountains.
About midday, the shriek of a snowy owl dances off the high, rough walls of ice and rock inside this gorge, and the long shadows inside make it feel like evening rather than midday. Although the canyon provides a direct path through the rocky terrain of this area, the other side is almost invisible from the entrance. In the snow drenched plains leading to the gorge mouth, primeval aurochs and bison paw at the new snow to unearth scrub grass.
DC 5 Survival or Perception:
At the mouth of the gorge you notice several tracks. These tracks are humanoid in nature and go only a few feet into the gorge before turning around.
DC 10 Perception:
Looking around, you unearth the remains, partly eaten by scavengers, of a large saber-toothed tiger.
If you make the DC 10 Perception; DC 15 Heal:
Despite being a top predator in this region, the tiger appears to have suffered extreme bludgeoning damage as if trampled to death. The fractures are numerous, suggesting multiple creatures were involved in the trampling.
DC 25 Perception:
Prior to entering the gorge you can see what look like humanoids moving around some of the mammoths and aurochs at the other end of the gorge.
Human (Chelaxian) Bard (Archaeologist) 8 | HP 54/54 | AC:21 T:16 FF:21 CMD: 22 | F+7 R+16 W+9 | Init +6 | Perc +16 Trap spotter
After a shave, Auric feels more human already. As he leaves the safe haven of the caverns, though, he comes to regret his ragged beard - the cold starts biting his skin hard!
Looking at the canyon, Auric mulls over the best course of action.
Perception:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26 Heal:1d20 - 1 ⇒ (15) - 1 = 14
"Look, there are several tracks at the mouth of the gorge - humanoids, by the look of them. They went into the gorge, then out again."
Searching the surroundings, Auric finds the meaty bones of a large sabertooth tiger. "It must have been eaten by scavengers."
"Over there!" He points to the other end of the gorge. "Humanoids are moving some of the mammoths and aurochs! Could they be who we're after?"
Careful fellas, lookin' at this tiger corpse, I know trample wounds when I see them. If those are the guys we're looking for, I wouldn't want to down here if they get it in their heads to start a stampede...I say we go over the top if possible.
Dustin starts looking for a quick exit from this canyon and edges toward the side of the canyon looking for footholds if need be...
Checking for an alternate path around this canyon...I take it the animals are too far away to use my wild empathy?
hp 52/52, Freedom of movement | Ac 29 (Mage armor[+4] and Barkskin[+3]) T21 FF 22| Init +8 Fort +9 Ref+13 Will +10 (+2 vs fear & +2 vs enchantment & evasion) | Perception +14 Sense Motive +6 | Ki 2/5 | Reroll 1/1
"I feel rather apprehensive about entering this canyon. If those huge beasts are turned on us we have nowhere to hide. I do not want to end as that tiger over there"
Garret looks for any path or cave where the party could hide in case of a stampede
Perception:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
Male Human Sorcerer(marid blooded) HP 10/16 AC 12, FF 10, T 12 | F +0 R +2 W +4 | Init. +2 | Per. +1 | SM +1 | CMB +0 | CMD 12 | Speed 30ft |
Spells:
7/7 frost ray 3/3 lvl 1 spells
perception:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20 heal:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22 I think i wasted some good rolls here.
Al-asahari glances over the wounds of the downed predator, Quickly confirming the earlier comments of the other members
"i agree with Garret. The quicker out of here, the better."
