SR's - Great Southern Isles (PbP) (Inactive)

Game Master stormraven

"We will interview them separately."

Hern leaves to round up the interviewees. Before the door closes, Vaelos dives through the gap, flares his wings to break hard, and lands on the floor with a whump and the scratch of talons. The eagle cocks his head and looks at Jofram.

Vaelos steps from foot to foot, agitated. He screeches, turns, and hops in a straight line. He stops, looks at his companion, and ruffles his feathers. With a flap of his wings and a leap he returns to his starting point, turns as he did before and again hops in a straight line. He repeats the process two more times before screeching a final time and settling down.

The Archivist watches the bird with interest. "Uh... is that normal?"

Any other questions for Din?

Hern returns a few minutes later, "Hermione's coming now."

Just giving you a chance to take this in whatever direction you'd like before bringing in the girl.

"I don't speak bird... well, okay, I speak Tengu, but that's not what I mean. Anyway, does your bird want us to follow? We are losing daylight if we want to follow the trail..."

I say we to smash down some gnoll doors!

Hern leaves to round up the interviewees. Before the door closes, Vaelos dives through the gap, flares his wings to break hard, and lands on the floor with a whump and the scratch of talons. The eagle cocks his head and looks at Jofram.

Jofram watches the eagle's message, trying to decipher Vaelos's intent. "Did you find it? Can you take me to it?" Musing over the bird's actions again, he pitches his voice low, whispering to the others in the group.

"We may want to delay those questions for later. I think Vaelos found something in need of investigation. When the trail split, I had Vaelos follow the gnoll tracks - I think he followed the trail as far as he could. It may have taken the child, since I didn't find any evidence of it along the other path. I suggest we look there."

I'm assuming that he found something, since he hopped around, but who knows? If everyone is game, Jofram & Vaelos will lead them to the Gnoll's last known location, or whatever Vaelos found.

Ushari surpresses a smile as she watches Vaelos perform his pantomime for the group. She nods quickly, "Vaelos is definitely trying to say he found something. We should check it out NOW! The rest of our questions can wait."

Concensus reached (assuming Straehan has no objections) Jayse gives a quick nod to the archivist on his way out, and a similar nod to the constable as they follow Jofram.

As they walk, he begins focusing his mind, embracing the Calm, for whatever rigors they are about to encounter. He double-checks his hidden blades, makes sure his stone is affixed properly on his forehead, and - once they are out of sight of the town - manifests his blade, the now-familiar soft hisssss accompanying the flare of blue and mist from his hand.

Letting the keen-eyed tracker take the lead, Jayse falls to the rear of the group, keeping his eyes and ears open. "If any of you have any long-lasting magics that could help us in whatever we come across, we should think about a good time to employ those."

Mage Armor comes to mind... seeing as it has a 6 hour duration. :)

And, in case it become important...
Perception 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (14) + 15 = 29.
Stealth 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (16) + 12 = 28

Ushari knows her spells are of short duration, so she saves her divine energy for now. She will, however, activate Skitter and place him on her shoulder, chattering to him quietly, "Just be ready for anything..."

Skitter perches on her shoulder and hrumphs at the idea that he is anything ever less than completely ready.

No objections from Straehan and he'll dispense a couple of Mage Armors a bit later.
Ushari - please give me Perception and Stealth rolls.
Jofram - please give me Perception, Stealth, and Tracking rolls.

Jofram watches the eagle's message, trying to decipher Vaelos's intent. "Did you find it? Can you take me to it?"

Vaelos gives an uncertain chirp. Reflecting on his instructions to his companion, Jofram realises that had the bird spotted the gnoll, he would have maintained a hovering surveillance. Vaelos' return and odd behavior indicates he didn't find the gnoll but must have found something that registered as significant (and related) in the bird's mind... enough that Vaelos judged returning was the right thing to do.

As soon as the door is opened, the eagle launches out, flaps hard for altitude, and circles. Our heroes step out into the street followed by Hern and Dinwat. Vaelos makes a set of straight line, sweeping dives in a particular direction, much as he did in the lumber office. He's pointing almost directly Northeast.

Their course set, our heroes head along the road out of town, past the site of the latest abduction, and following the gnoll tracks deep into the primeval forest...

Vaelos winds through the trees, leading you Northeast at a brisk pace. As you jog along, the forest thickens and the ground becomes more spongy. The trees seem to whisper and there is an almost cathedral hush to the place. Vaelos lights on tree branches and waits for you all to catch up. At one point, he launches himself straight up, hurling through the vault-like canopy of branches, circles a bit, as if checking his direction and then drops like a stone back through the canopy. He accidentally rousts a partridge who dies in an explosion of feathers from the agile hunter.

After a mile, Vaelos continues leading you Northeast but it is clear to the ranger that the gnoll prints veer sharply Southeast. When you stop to consider this, Vaelos screeches and flies back - dropping onto a thick branch. He ruffles his feathers and waits.

Perception 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (11) + 14 = 25
Stealth 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (1) + 14 = 15

EDIT: 'Ok..I am moving along quietly now, hope I don't step on some hidden twi--' KER-SNAP!

Right, so the 800 invisible CR:26 Grey Aliens hear that twig snap and shed their invisibility when they all D-Door next to you and Retributive Strike their Staff(s) of the Magi. We'll be generous and say you are at the max possible detonation distance from all strikes...
so 50HP x4 Distance x800 Staves...
Right, you each take 160000 = 160000 HP DAM (minus any DR:x/Special DM Damage you might have)...
All because Ushari stepped ON A F#%+ing TWIG!!!

But wait! There is a bright side, some of you may get your AoOs.

Jofram considers the gnoll's change in direction, searching for signs of what motivated the detour.

"Something is odd. The tracks go that way, but Vaelos is taking us another direction. Could it have faked it's tracks somehow? I say we follow Vaelos."

Trusting the eagle's instincts, the ranger follows the bird northeast.

Track: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (16) + 17 = 33 (Fav. Terrain)
Perception: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (17) + 17 = 34 (Fav. Terrain)
Stealth: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (5) + 17 = 22 (Fav. Terrain) - What's the point, with Ushari making so much noise?!?! <Kicks over a very loud log.>

Jofram sees nothing that would account for the change in direction. It is as if the gnoll simply chose to change direction. Also, when you stop to inspect the prints, the intense fetid smell you scented before wafts across you.

Bending down, Jofram finds the source of the smell - a bit of yellow-furred skin, possibly with some meat attached. It would appear to be gnoll fur.

Straehan rolls his eyes at all the noise made by his compatriots, the clumsy thief and sulky ranger. In a fit of pique, he casts a spell. A massive fireball detonates among the tree-branches alerting every Grey Alien in a 2 mile radius. boom, baby.

Any follow-up on this or are you moving on after Vaelos?

Any follow-up on this or are you moving on after Vaelos?

I'm following Vaelos - I was just commenting on the odd vectors of the tracks. Sorry, didn't realize that was unlear. Onward! After the bird!

Ushari calls the group to a halt for a moment and bends over to examine the gnoll skin. She sniffs it, trying to determine if the meat is diseased or spoiled, also what part of the body the piece is from.

Heal 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (1) + 14 = 15
Perception 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22
She will also cast Detect Poison on it.

Jofram - you weren't unclear. I just wanted to give you guys the option of checking things out.

Ushari's nose revolts at the putrid smell of the flesh. She can't identify where it dropped off the gnoll's body - the piece is too small and undifferentiated - but it isn't diseased or poisoned. It is, however, well past its expiration date. It is from a corpse.

Ushari grunts and drops the meat back on the ground. "That was someone's dinner." She looks at Jofram, "Sorry for holding you up. Let's go." She indicates for the ranger to continue along the trail.

The gnome waves a hand in front of his face to clear away the stink. "We smelled that at the kidnap site as well. Do you think this gnoll was snacking on one of his friends from there to here?"

Ushari shakes her head. "That gnoll meat is from a corpse, so it could be a zombie or other undead creature." She starts to head off, then a thought occurs to her. "However, if the gnoll was slain recently, we migth be able to find the body."

Ushari - this flesh has been dead for several days at least.

Ahh...roger that SR. I assumed because her Heal check was so low (WTF is up with that btw...first the stealth roll, now this. Sheesh!) she could not tell how old the flesh is.

"...or what is left of it."

Jayse, who has remained silent til now, finally speaks up, a concerned look on his face. "I just hope this isn't a false trail. It's the kind of thing I'd expect to see from someone who knew they would be followed. And if that were the case, I worry about what might be happening back at the village. For now, I agree with Jofram... we should follow the bird away from the prints."

Ushari looks at Jayse, mirroring his look. "I have a feeling you are right about the trail. It just...feels wrong. The Striper wants to break our line here, I think."

Our heroes ignore the tracks and set off after the bird through the gloom-ridden forest. A few more miles slip by as they stalk Northeastwards. The realization strikes the comrades that the growing dark isn't just from the thick boles and nearly impenetrable canopy. Evening is falling fast.

You have some inkling you are approaching your goal as Vaelos does not range far from your group and he is uncharacteristically silent and watchful. He perches on a branch. It is almost with a sense of relief that you see the forest lightening ahead... until you hear the gruff, inhuman, whispers and noises of subtle movement to either side of you - lost among the trees. You all crouch down and listen, trying to fix the locations of the creatures around you.

Straehan quietly casts a couple of spells. Mage Armor on himself & Jayse

Jofram listens intently and gives a series of hand-signals. His best guess is that there are a dozen creatures near you, in two groups, and none is closer than 40'. Vaelos bobs on a branch, looking towards the lightening in the trees. There is an open space beyond and whatever is out there drew the eagle's attention initially and has brought you all here.

You slink forward stealthily, trying to move around a tree or two, just enough to see what might be in that clearing... Jofram, in the lead, spies through a break in the trees. He sees a small clearing, denuded of trees in a rough fashion. Uneven, hacked stumps litter the ground. The hewn trees have been shoved haphazardly in the ground to form a rough circular palisade, some 80' across and approximately 70' away.

Ushari learns a hard lesson. Solid looking fallen limbs might be rotten underneath. Her soft step cracks through the branch with a loud snap. Silence descends on the forest before all hell breaks loose. Rapid, hushed snarling conversations precede orders barked from all sides in a language none of you understands...

:D Here come the invisible aliens 'Shari.

OK, guys, Initiative rolls and any questions you may have, please. The sounds are coming from approximately the areas indicated by the red crosses. You can just make out the palisade at AA24.

Gnollapalooza

Initiative 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25.
What are the light conditions? And those clumps of trees provide cover?

Initiative: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 7 + 2 = 26 FavTerrain
Not sure if these things are undead or not, but if they are, I get a +2 bonus to attack & damage.

Initiative 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
OOPS...

It isn't quite dusk yet, so you still have light to work with. The trees do grant concealment and cover - the large stands are full cover and the smallest ones will provide partial cover.

The gnolls are not undead. They are just your plain, old, regular, demonic/draconic templated gnolls. :) Joking.

Initiative 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

From the sheer number of voices on your flanks and in front of you, the shrill laughs of multiple hyenas, and the general din of large bodies crashing through the undergrowth, you are quite certain that you have stirred up a proverbial hornet's nest.

However, skill and speed are on your side.

OK, guys, ACTIONS.

Round: 1

ORDER: Jofram, Jayse, Straehan, Gnoll LT, Ushari, Gnoll SGT, Fluffy, Hyenas, Gnoll Rabble

Gnollapalooza

Ja's HPs: 64|64
Jo's HPs: 68|68
U's HPs: 45|45
S's HPs: 53|53

Jayse steps into a defensive position, blue blade held dangerously in front of him as he sinks into his fighting form. 5' step to AR28, then go full defensive (AC 31).

"Fight or run?" he says as he offers the light cover off to his left to Ushari and Straehan (AR/AS-26/27). "If we fight, make use of the bushes for cover."

Straehan gives the monk a wolfish grin. "Are we voting? Then I say 'fight'... I didn't tromp through the forest to sit out this dance. Gnolls take prisoners for slaves or food; the kids could be in that compound right now." He leaves off mentioning that they could just as well be in the gnolls' digestive tracts.

Knowledge: Local 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28

In answer to Jayse's question, Jofram summons his ethereal bow to hand, nocking arrows and scanning the forest for targets.

Ready Action - attack the first enemy that comes in view/range.
Attack (Arcane Strike, Deadly Aim, Point-Blank): 1d20 + 12 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 12 - 2 + 1 = 19
Attack (Arcane Strike, Deadly Aim, Point-Blank): 1d20 + 6 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 6 - 2 + 1 = 7
Damage: 1d8 + 4 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 4 + 4 + 2 = 17

I can't see the map - maybe it's my work comp, but I'll check again at home.

Jofram draws his eldritch bow and holds position, waiting for a target to strike. Straehan steps forward to get a line of sight on the possible enemy approaches 5' to AR30 and casts a complex spell which enervates his comrades.

Haste
RANGE: 25' + 5'/ 2 level ; 1 creature/level ; No more than 30' apart
DURATION: 1 RND/Level
EFFECT: +1 Attack on FULL ATTACK ACTION ; +1 ATT Roll ; +1 Reflex Saves ; +30' Move

Guys - Be sure to add your haste ATT bonus to your future rolls, etc.

Round: 1

ORDER: Jofram, Jayse, Straehan, Gnoll LT, Ushari, Gnoll SGT, Fluffy, Hyenas, Gnoll Rabble

Gnollapalooza

Ja's HPs: 64|64
Jo's HPs: 68|68
U's HPs: 45|45
S's HPs: 53|53

On-Going Effects:
Haste Rnd 1 of 6

Ushari holds her hand up and utters a quick prayer to her goddess, granting her companions a small favor. She slips tot he other side of the companions, drawing her rapier to guard their flank.

Cast Bless on the companions; +1 morale bonus to hit and to save vs fear.
Move to AT27; draw rapier.

Ushari slips to a defensive position between the trees and draws sword as a flood of gnolls pours from around the forest north of the comrades. Jofram's bow twangs loudly. His arrow sinks into the chest of a mail-shirt clad gnoll leader. His grunt of pain is drowned out by the growls of his pack and the spirited yelping of the hyenas.

Ushari takes a breath and considers the situation - it is a LOT of gnolls...

Next up: Gnolls!

Gnolls and hyenas streak through the forest from both sides while a legion pours forth from the palisade.

Like thunder, the gnolls roll towards you. Unfortunately, thunder isn't as quick as lightning... and the hyenas are lightning. Released from their chains, they hurl themselves at your small group with unmatched ferocity. They outdistance all but the fastest gnolls. They greet you with slavering teeth and filthy claws as the spears of more distant gnolls rain from the sky...

But, like many storms, there is more sound and fury than damage. Spears slam into the ground harmlessly. Slavering hyena jaws snap air. You all hold your positions, no worse for wear - save Jofram. The ranger at the forefront takes the brunt of the assault - a bloody wound on his thigh from a hyena bite. He kicks the foul beast away when it tries to tumble him to the ground. As he rights himself, he catches a red-fletched, dirty, clothyard shaft in his chest.

Jofram - just a reminder, you haven't deployed armor.

Round: 2

ORDER: Jofram, Jayse, Straehan, Ushari, Gnolls & Friends

Gnollapalooza

Ja's HPs: 64|64
Jo's HPs: 48|68
U's HPs: 45|45
S's HPs: 53|53

On-Going Effects:
Haste Rnd 2 / 6
--> 1 extra Attack, +1 ATT, +1 Reflex Save, +30'
Bless
--> +1 ATT, +1 Fear Save

Mmmm... yeah, I should do that.

Reeling from his wounds, Jofram summons his mystical armor, and staggers back in a line with his allies. Snarling at the gnolls and their beasts, he shouts out a wordless warrior's battlecry.

Fighting Defensively - +2 Dodge; Haste; Bless
Swift Action: Deploy Armor - +2 AC
Standard Action: Bardic Performance - Inspire Courage +2 (+2 morale bonus vs. charm & fear; +2 competence bonus on ATK & DMG)
Move: 5' step to AR29

Jofram falls back and rallies the troops to stand against this fell hoard.

Round: 2

ORDER: Jofram, Jayse, Straehan, Ushari, Gnolls & Friends

Gnollapalooza

Ja's HPs: 64|64
Jo's HPs: 48|68
U's HPs: 45|45
S's HPs: 53|53

On-Going Effects:

CUMULATIVE: +4 to HIT; +2 to DAM ; +2 v Fear/Charm ; +1 Reflex, +30' move

Haste Rnd 2 / 6
--> 1 extra Attack, +1 ATT, +1 Reflex Save, +30'
Bless
--> +1 ATT, +1 Fear Save (morale)
Inspire
-->+2 ATT/DAM (competence), +2 Charm/Fear Saves (morale)

Ushari feels a sliver of fear in her heart as she notes the vertible hoard of gnolls ready to annihilate her companions and herself.

It's is like the whole army was lying in wait for us...wait a minute! Why would they be ready for us? Unless they are ready to raid that village! Maybe that is why those children were abducted, to be used as slaves!

She steps away from the gnoll pestering her and shouts a prayer to her deity, causing her allies to be bolstered and the gnolls to be hindered.

5' step to AT28
Standard Action: Cast Prayer.
Effect: All allies and foes within 40'
You and each of your allies gain a +1 luck bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saves, and skill checks, while each of your foes takes a –1 penalty on such rolls.

Jayse launches a counter-offensive, a small pocket of white pain in the wave of snarling fur and teeth.

"I appreciate your shot, Jofram, but next time maybe you could make your initial volley from behind me? Might have saved you some pain."

Fueled by his friends' spells, he is a literal blur of fists, feet, and blue flashing blade carving out of the flesh of the gnolls.

Jayse - I might have to assess a Delay of Game penalty on that epic set of instructions! :p

:D Hey, I'm open to other, simpler systems if you got'em. That took a while to type up on my iPhone...

Ushari calls upon her deity as Jayse whirlwinds through the enemy. He sweeps the legs from the gnoll in front of him. His follow-up kick misses as the creature rolls out of the way. Undeterred, Jayse does a savage knee-drop on the downed creature, snapping its spine. The monk then launches a foot into the snarling hyena's temple. The massive musculature and thick bones of the hyena absorb the blow, staggering but not downing the beast. Jayse finished the creature with a punch to the throat. Outraged by his pet's death, the hyena's master moves in on the monk... only to collapse from a precise kick to his knee. He doesn't have time to protest as Jayse steps on his throat, finishing him.

Next Up: Straehan

Guys, feel free to RP recommendations to Straehan if you have them - preferred targets or that kind of thing, i.e. "Strae, hammer that group North of us!" or whatnot. Otherwise, I'll use my own best judgment based on what he can see and seems reasonable as a player.

Straehan casts a spell at the large group sprinting from the palisade. A small ember flies from his hand and streaks to a spot among the gnolls. From the rear of the group, a gnoll yells a warning - recognizing the spell - but his warning is far too late. A massive corona of flame explodes among the troops, engulfing nearly a dozen of them. When the fire dies down, only a couple still stand unsteadily.

The gnome's eyes go wide at the efficacy of this new spell, "Son of a..."

Fireball
RANGE: 400' + 40'/level ; 20' radius
EFFECT: 7d6 + 7 ⇒ (6, 3, 1, 4, 2, 4, 2) + 7 = 29 Damage

Next Up: GNOLLS

Axes, arrows, spears, and fangs seek the heroes' blood... and yet the foursome prevails. Only Jayse has his skull creased by the well-aimed blow of a mail-clad gnoll bearing a battleaxe. But the noose tightens around them.

The magenta halo indicates those effected by Prayer.

Round: 3

ORDER: Jofram, Jayse, Straehan, Ushari, Gnolls & Friends

Gnollapalooza

Ja's HPs: 48|62
Jo's HPs: 48|68
Us's HPs: 45|45
St's HPs: 53|53

On-Going Effects:
Cumulative:
Allies: +5 to HIT; +3 to DAM ; +3 v Fear/Charm ; +2 Reflex ; +1 all other Saves ; +1 on Skills/Checks ; +30' move
Select Enemies: -1 HIT/DAM/Skills/Saves/Checks

Haste Rnd 3 / 6
--> 1 extra Attack, +1 ATT, +1 Reflex Save, +30'
Bless
--> +1 ATT, +1 Fear Save (morale)
Inspire
-->+2 ATT/DAM (competence), +2 Charm/Fear Saves (morale)
Prayer Rnd 2 / 6
--> +1 ATT/DAM, Saves, Skills, Checks (luck)
--> -1 to opponents

Dont let them have the easy flank.

The thought floats across the Calm as Jayse continues his dance among the gnolls. A sliding side-step brings him back-to-back with Jofram as he calls out, his voice surprisingly calm amidst the combat. "Ushari, step over here and get your back to us." (A 5' step directly north is what I'd suggest.) "Strae, can you hammer them some more with those flames? Just keep this one," and he points at the bigger gnoll he just (hopefully) knocked out, "out of the blast. We can keep him for questioning if we can figure out a way of talking to him."