GM of Righteousness |
For the last several weeks excitement has been building in Kenabres: Armasse is coming! Armasse was originally a holy day of Aroden, but since his death, it has become more about training the common-folk in weaponry, choosing squires, and ordaining new priests. There are jousting competitions, mock duels, battle re-enactments, and other events. The festival is much appreciated by all who live in Kenabres, for one day the citizens can forget the horrors of war, and the festival generally does wonders for morale among the crusaders.
You begin at the center of Kenabres, at Clydwell Plaza, west of the cathedral. The opening ceremonies will start at noon. The square is already starting to fill up with crowds.
GM of Righteousness |
A steady stream of people continues to flow into Clydwell Plaza, but you can see a number of familiar faces.
Your parents are sitting together on a stone bench. They are holding hands and whispering to each other, glowing like young lovers. Despite the relaxed atmosphere, you notice your father, like all of the other crusaders is fully armed. Kenabres must stay ever vigilant, even during these brief moments of peace.
Bearclaw stands a little farther away, mingling with a group of Shelynite minstrels. He stands a foot taller than all of them, and for obvious reasons, stands out like a sore thumb. Despite this he mingles with them effortlessly. He catches your eye and winks rogueishly at you, before bursting into laughter at something someone else said.
Badwe, on the other hand, stands loyally at your side. He looks nervous, and has his nose buried in The Acts of Iomedae, the holy book of the Inheritor's church. He is wearing formal garb over his usual studded leather; a white and gold cassock with golden tassels. Today is the day he will be formally ordained into the priesthood.
"And the fifth Act of glorious Iomedae, Blessed be her Name, she... hewed the wings from the Iron Gargoyle's body from the back of a sacred griffin... oh... or is that the Sixth Act? I'm not going to be able to do this. Maybe I'm not fit for this. "
Karis Haldva |
Karis was not happy. She wore her long blade on her back, but her father had told her she would not be allowed to duel this year. Not that anyone doubted her prowess, but that her teachers feared she might hurt someone. Which would only happen if they put her up against other trainees. Mother had smiled and told her that it would make the veterans look bad if a girl her age defeated them. It made her feel a little better, but not enough that she didn't scowl furiously at every young crusader she saw heading for the dueling grounds.
She looked back and saw her parents, as happily in love as ever. She felt a smile tugging at her lips and quickly looked away, not ready to surrender her anger just yet. She looked away, just in time to catch Bearclaw's wink, which made her blush. Which made her angry again. He was a half-orc, he should be a vicious, ax-wielding warrior, instead of a singer. He certainly shouldn't be able to make her blush that easily. She scowled even more fiercely than ever, not that he would notice. He always flustered her, and the one time he had tried to kiss her, she'd gotten so nervous she punched him. Now, it seemed like he wasn't ever going to try to kiss her again.
That was when Badwe opened his mouth.
"Oh, come on, Badwe! Don't be such an old woman. You've been preparing for this since.... Since you know when," she snarled angrily. A part of her knew Badwe was completely undeserving of her anger. He was a kind, sweet young man. The trouble was that she had saved his life, and now he had attached himself to her with a kind of devotion that completely bewildered her. Her mother told her to marry him before he came to his senses.
"You're going to be fine," she said, giving up at last. There was no real justification for her snapping at him. She sighed heavily, looking at him carefully. Maybe if she cheered him up, she wouldn't have to apologize. "Did't I tell you this morning I expected you to be a priest by tomorrow? You won't let me down. You never do."
GM of Righteousness |
Badwe didn't smile, his brow instead remained furrowed, his face set in a taut, humorless grimace.
"...Father Sunnestier says that a priest does not deserve to preach in Mendev until they've personally cut their blade into a demon in the Worldwound. Maybe he's right. In that case I'll never be ready, no matter how many times I read this book."
He then mumbles under his breath, half-hoping that Karis wouldn't hear him, "Maybe in that case I don't ever want to be ready."
Several minutes later, the crowd settles down into a dull roar. Prelate Hulrun Shappok, elderly ruler of Kenabres, has taken center stage to deliver the opening commencement. By his side is High Priest Nestrin Alodae, high priest of Iomedae in Kenabres, a small, rotund gentleman whose demeanor is far too gentle for the crusader city. Prelate Hulrun is not well liked among the Sarkorian lower-class, as early in his reign he was known for conducting a number of witch hunts, often with the frailest bits of evidence. However, his prowess as a tactical genius could not be denied and he has managed to keep the city safe through two Crusades thus far.
Karis Haldva |
Karis restrained the impulse to snap at Badwe again. She couldn't think of anything she'd rather do than kill demons. It was the only reason she could imagine enduring the fierce discipline of the crusader's training yard. Not that she'd done such a good job enduring it. They'd suspended her training indefinitely.
"You are ready," she said, more kindly this time. "You're the holiest person I know. If they can't see that, then..." She shook her head. She was going to stop letting every little thing make her angry. At least until she could stop taking it out on her most loyal friend.
Before she could think of anything more encouraging to say, the noise level dropped, and she looked to the stage. She spat when she saw Prelate Hulrun, and then glanced over her shoulder to make sure father hadn't seen her. He still thought the old man was worthy of respect. Karis just knew that he had several people she knew taken away and executed as witches, and that while his hunts were going on, nobody was safe. Especially not her mother.
GM of Righteousness |
Badwe gives Karis a sideways glance and sighs, putting his book away into his pack. " I've told you to be careful about that, Karis! " he whispers to her. " You never know when an inquisitor is listening... "
Meanwhile, Prelate Hulrun clears his throat and begins his speech, arms outstretched and beaming towards the crowds. He is clad in shining, resplendent armor decorated with the sword-cross of Iomedae. "Noble citizens of Kenabres! Blessed champions of Iomedae, and of her sister faiths in arms! Crusaders and common people alike! We are gathered here today to --" Before Hulrun can say more, a bright light shines from the west, as if the sun were rising from the wrong direction. His shadow falls huge and distorted across the cathedral's facade. A moment later, the sound of a thunderous explosion rips through the air and earth, along with a violent tremor.
To the west, the fortress known as the Kite, the sacred location of Kenabres' wardstone erupts into violent flame, lightning and smoke, stretching out towards the heavens.
To your right, you hear Badwe's soft voice. "I-iomedae protect us."
Karis Haldva |
Karis rolls her eyes as Badwe warns her to be careful. He's right, of course, but they can't quite throw her in jail for spitting. Not yet, anyway. She looks around, annoyed by the near-universal adoration the crowd gives the old man, and just when she's about to say something...
"Was that the Kite?" she hears Bearclaw asking.
Of course it's the Kite, Karis thinks. That's where they would attack, if they really wanted to break free of the world wound. She hardly notices that she's sprinting towards the explosion, or that she's drawn her sword.
"Come on," she screams. "We're attacked!"
Behind her, Bearclaw meets Badwe's eye, and they both take off after the impulsive girl, with Marina just behind them.
GM of Righteousness |
"Karis! Karis, wait, maybe we should run in the other direction?!" Badwe calls after her, knowing full well that he need not have said anything, the good it would do. Badwe likewise draws his longsword, hand trembling. Bearclaw, on the other hand, doesn't say anything. Her nature is what attracted him to her in the first place. It reminded him of the women back in Belkzen.
Meanwhile, a powerful roar accompanies a welcome sight rising from the crowd. Kenabres' most powerful sacred guardian, the ancient silver dragon Terendelev, soars up into the air, previously disguised as a a human crusader attending the opening ceremony. Above, another form appears, as nightmarish as the dragon was breathtaking, pure evil incarnate. A humanoid shape three times the size of any man, with skin coated in fire and lightning, gripping a flaming sword and whip. The creature's identity is immediately obvious, his name known to even small children of Mendev as the boogie man who lives the dark: Khorramzadeh, the Storm King of the Worldwound, has come to Kenabres!
Great fissures and cracks open up in the ground, as if the very Abyss was erupting forth into Kenabres. Demons of every shape and size are disgorged into the streets. Commonfolk scream and run, while noble crusaders draw their weapons and protect their retreat. Above, the dragon and the balor lord clash in a titanic battle.
You don't have time to gawk though, as trouble is here and close at hand. Your parents stand up. You hear your father call out: "Karis, you need to come back here, you need to evacuate the city! Listen to me for once!" Marina runs towards you, just as the balor lord and the dragon crash directly into the Cathedral behind them, still embroiled in their battle of life and death. An enormous statue of the Inheritor teeters and and falls, about to land directly on Marina, save for your father diving forwards and shoving her out of the way in the last moment. Marina lays prone on the ground a few feet away, calling out desperately for her husband. Marina's black cat realizes she is in danger, runs to her side, and arches its back and hisses.
Thankfully, only his legs are caught underneath Iomedae's head, though the fall has knocked him unconscious. Not so thankfully, his plight has attracted the attention of a nearby dretch. The hideous creature is malformed and bloated, his flesh quivering with every step, yet it is surprisingly fast. It lurches towards your father, eager to deal a finishing blow.
I'm going to go ahead and assume that someone who grew up next to the Worldwound has learned the names of the common demon types, such as dretch, quasit, marilith, succubus, balor, glabrezu. The weird ones (like the ones made for this AP) will still need a knowledge roll, though, and you will still need a roll to determine anything more specific than just their names and appearance.
Initiative Order :
1. Dretch (16)
2. Marina (13)
3. Badwe (5)
4. Bearclaw (4)
5. Karis (3)
Round 1
The dretch lumbers towards your father, standing between him and your mother. He glances back at Marina and leers at her unpleasantly, attempting to break her will with foul abyssal magic. "Scraok kur ka, Sordureom bescr."
Marina needs to succeed at a DC 11 will save or become frightened by Cause Fear for 1d4 ⇒ 1 rounds. If she succeeds, she is shaken for 1 round instead.
Remember that Marina is currently laying prone. Marina is 15' away from the dretch. Badwe and Bearclaw are 30' away, and Karis is 40' away. Assume that people have generally either ran towards the Kite or away from the square, so there are no people blocking your ability to charge or shoot ranged weapons at the dretch.
In the future, I will utilize maps on Google docs, but for this small fight in a (basically) open space, we can just wing it.
Karis Haldva |
marina will: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
Badwe xbow: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22 xbow damage: 1d8 ⇒ 8
Karis Charge/Rage/Inspire/PowerAttack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29 Karis damage: 1d10 + 12 ⇒ (5) + 12 = 17
Badwe confirm: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Karis confirm: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22 Karis crit damage: 1d10 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19
Karis will: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9 to avoid confusion if the enemy drops. DC=12
Marina climbs to her feet, and fixes the thing with a baleful glare.
Badwe, Bearclaw and Karis turn as they hear the cathedral crashing to the ground, and they immediately see the danger Marina and Logrim I just named Karis's dad are in.
Badwe draws his crossbow and aims at the vicious little demon, loosing a bolt as he steps closer. Bearclaw moves within striking range with his spear, but instead of attacking, he begins hopping around and chanting. A few Kenabrians turn in anger at the sound of an orcish war chant, but most recognize that the demons are the enemy of all, and that the crusade can't be too choosy in their choice of allies. Not a few know Bearclaw personally, and call out their support for the brave half orc.
Karis only sees her parents threatened by a demon. Part of her remembers her father's lessons, and knows it is a dretch, one of the least demons in the abyss. That part has no control whatsoever. She sees her mother standing up to try to face the thing with nothing but a dagger and a cat, and she charges, the long blade of her no dachi raised high before she strikes with all the fury of her ancestors giving her strength.
Karis rages and charges. Bearclaw Inspires Courage and moves up to 15' away (to take an AoO with his longspear if the demon advances on him) and Badwe attacks with his xbow. Marina uses her evil eye (DC 14 will save or -2 to attacks for 7 rounds. Between charging and raging, Karis' AC is down to 11 this round. I think that's everything.
GM of Righteousness |
Round Summary
Dretch Will vs Evil Eye: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15 Dretch is affected for 1 round instead
Badwe's crit fails to confirm, 5 damage is absorbed by DR, crossbow deals 3 damage instead.
Karis' crit confirms, 17+19-5 damage = 31 damage (Wow, overkill, much?)
Karis fails her Will Save against confusion. However, Stuff is about to happen (see below) so you get a freebie out of it ;) Feel free to roleplay her crazy righteous rage in the aftermath of her first demon kill, though.
The dretch seems taken aback, having expected the woman to cower before him. His face sets into a contorted snarl. Badwe's shot whizzes through the air and lands in the demon's body with a satisfying splat, though it barely penetrates the monster's tumor-like flesh. Karis charges towards the demon in a wild frenzy, Bearclaw's war chant echoing in her ears and filling her with bravery. ...Not that she needs it. Karis staggers the dretch with the power of her strike, cleaving him cleanly through his ugly face and leaving him sprawled out on the ground before her.
Marina looks proud of her daughter, and takes a moment to snatch up her cat before it takes off in a suicidal mission against another nearby demon. Bearclaw, on the other hand, looks stunned. He had heard tale of Karis' fury in the training yard, but this was the first time he had seen it for himself. He doesn't have time to gawk though, for at that moment, a titanic demon erupts at the far end of the plaza, reducing several buildings into ruins as it smashes into this world. The rift it creates shoots across the plaza, and this time there was no escape; it opens below your feet, angling away into the darkness.
For a split second, you are suspended in mid air, and you lock eyes with the ancient silver dragon Terendelev. Though she is dying and bleeding from many wounds, she sees before her a final chance to save a few more souls. She utters a few arcane words and stretches out a bleeding talon towards you. You feel her magic take hold of you, slowing your plummet into the darkness as if you were feathers floating on the wind. Yet the fall remained as inexorable, and as you drift downward into the depths, the last thing you see is the Storm King laughing triumphantly over the dragon, your savior, as his sword cleaves fully through her neck. As her severed head fell into the ruins of the Cathedral of St. Clydwell, the rift above you slams shut, and the light of the world above is gone.
Write out a reaction for me and we will move forwards.
Karis Haldva |
Karis screams in fury, hacking wildly at the demon, even as the ground vanished beneath her feet. She hardly knows what it is that makes her look up, but the sight of the dragon, using the last moments of its life to save hers, checks her. The glorious creature falls, and the hideous demon laughs, and Karis can only watch, helpless. As she and her friends and family drift down, she shivers. Fatigued for a round, which probably doesn't matter.
Marina grabs her cat just as the ground opens beneath them. As the darkness swallows them, she casts Dancing Lights, and four flickering flames appear and swirl about the group, illuminating their surroundings.
Karis: 1 round rage used
Bearclaw: 1 round perform used
GM of Righteousness |
Nope, it'll be a minute at least before you get into another fight
Karis, Bearclaw, Badwe, and Marina fall languidly into a deep, dark cavern. Logrim is nowhere to be seen. Marina's Dancing Lights illuminate the area directly around them, but the cavern is vast, its walls receding far away and into the darkness. Around them, huge chunks of rubble and bits and pieces of buildings crash into the darkness below, and you hear the echoing screams of people who were not lucky enough to be saved by Terendelev's spell.
Finally, you land, the floor beneath your feet possessing the rough texture of natural stone. The distant squeaks of bats echo broadly. Your body is covered in grit and rock dust as it falls from the cavern's ceiling, the dirt still settling. On one side of the cavern, the wall has collapses into an enormous mound of rubble. Here and there the arms or legs of victims who didn't survive the fall protrude among the remains of buildings and street. On the opposite side of the cavern, a disturbing shape looms. Nearly the size of a horse, what appears to be an immense black spider crouches silent and still on the ground.
You and you friends and family are unhurt, thanks to the silver dragon's intervention. There are people nearby on top of the rubble who were not so lucky. You can make out three breathing bodies in the distance: a human woman with short hair in black leather, a portly human man in ripped and dirty fine garb, and an elf male in long, flowing robes.
All three are considered dying, and are unconscious.
Karis Haldva |
Marina Heal: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Marina Heal: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16
Marina Heal: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
Channel: 1d6 ⇒ 4
As they settle on the floor of the cavern, stunned by what has happened, the group looks around them. Seeing the enormous spider, Karis holds her sword at the ready and steps between it and her friends. When it does not move, she glances back at the other survivors.
"Can't you help them?" she says, pleading. For the first time, she is considering not only the glory of battling demons, but the real, immediate cost.
Marina, a trained healer, makes her way from one to the next, doing what she can to stabilize them. When she has finished with the woman, she shakes her head.
Karis takes a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. It's not her mother's fault that the woman fell, after all. It's a miracle that any of them survived at all, really. Miracle. Isn't that what the gods are for?
"Badwe, please," she says. "Iomedae won't want these people to die because you haven't been properly ordained yet."
Badwe nods his head, shaken. Karis is hardly a voice of authority in spiritual matters, but she is making a certain amount of sense, for once. If it not Iomedae's will, he thinks, she will withhold her power. He raises his sword and utters a quick invocation, and her divine power flows through him.
GM of Righteousness |
The spider doesn't budge, but remains no less ominous. Marina's cat stares at it intently, but refuses to leave his mistress' side. The air is heavy and filled with dust, and every now and then, small rockslides of gravel tumble down from the mound.
Marina moves from person to person, using her Dancing Lights to illuminate each one so that she can get a better look at them.
"This human man seems unharmed, the fall must have just knocked him out cold. The woman's leg is broken, but I don't see any bone, thankfully. There are splinters of wood here in the rubble, I think I can whip together a make-shift splint using it and some pieces of leather from her clothes. Bearclaw, give me a hand, please."
Bearclaw and Marina rummage around the rubble, and gingerly set her leg up into a splint. Marina turns her attentions to the elf, and shudders. He has it the worst out of the three of them. His face has been rendered a mass of burnt flesh, and his eyes have been replaced with one long, deep, horizontal gash. "This is beyond my ability to treat. We can bandage him up, though, hopefully keep the wound from getting worse," she says softly, ripping off pieces of cloth from her dress and wrapping it around his face. When she is done, Badwe channels a wave of soothing energy through the group. The three people begin stirring and moaning, coughing up dust.
Marina's eyes scan over the wreckage, her face solemn. "I... don't see your father. Do you?" She tries to stay strong for her daughter, but can't keep her voice from trembling ever so slightly.
Nobleman: 4/18 HP, Woman: 4/17 HP, Elf: 4/35 HP It takes six minutes for Marina to treat all 3 people (most of it was making the splint).
Karis Haldva |
The spider doesn't move, and Karis slowly relaxes her guard, lowering her blade and turning to look at the others. The three strangers are coming to, and she gives a sigh of relief. It is a small thing, but there has been enough death.
"Did he fall?" she says, worry for her father making her voice quaver in a way that no demon could. "I didn't see him fall." She didn't see him not fall, either. She saw him pinned under a block of rubble, and then she had turned to see the dragon fall.
"Father!" she screams, heedless of any danger her voice might bring down on them.
GM of Righteousness |
"Ssssshhh, we don't know if we're alone here or not...I've heard that evil elves live in the dark places of the world, like here..." Badwe glances around nervously.
"Huh... wha??" The woman is the first to jolt up, shocked out of her daze by Karis' voice. "Irabeth??? Irabeth!!!" Her eyes dart frantically from face to face, pausing for the longest time on Bearclaw's, then start to water as she sees the limbs sticking out from the rubble. "No... No! Irabeth!" She tries to get on her feet, but upon taking her first step on her broken leg, she stumbles and falls back down.
Karis Haldva |
KPerc: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
BPerc: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21
CPerc: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (14) + 0 = 14
MPerc: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Karis sees no sign of her father, but the cleric's warning brings back a harsh reminder of their situation. With no idea how far they fell, all she knows is that they are deep underground, in a cavern with a statue of a spider. And that Kenabres is under attack, or may have fallen.
"Right," she says, trying to collect her thoughts. She uses her nodachi to point to the scale that glitters among the wreckage. "Badwe, will you grab that?"
"Miss," she says to the woman. "I need you to calm down. I am sorry for your loss, but we are far from safe, and we do not have the luxury of mourning." She thinks she sounds quite reasonable, but Marina shakes her head and murmurs words of comfort to the woman, while helping her to stand.
Bearclaw makes introductions and tries to ascertain the identity of the three strangers.
GM of Righteousness |
The woman snaps back at you, terse. ”She’s not dead. She’s a paladin and a crusader of the Eagle Watch. She’s up there waiting for me, and I need to get back to her. She’s probably protecting the city at this very moment. I'm grateful for your help and all, but don't talk about things you don't know. You don't know her. You don't know my Irabeth. She's waiting for me, You'll see.” She leans on Marina, glowering furiously at Karae. Marina says nothing, only patiently serving to support her weight, knowing that there are no words of comfort that would help the woman.
Badwe climbs up into the wreckage and retrieves the scale. He receives no flash of insight as to what it is nor its purpose, the magic doesn’t seem to be attuned to him... He climbs back down, sliding to the ground and kicking up some dust in his wake onto you. ”Ah… sorry about that, Karis. I don’t know what this is. Do you?” He hands it over to Karis.
Meanwhile, Bearclaw introduces your group to the three survivors. He's fairly charismatic for a half-orc, but it's still an up-hill battle schmoozing when many still judge completely based on appearances.
Bearclaw Diplomacy to Woman: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
The woman introduces herself as Anevia Tirablade to Bearclaw. She’s still a little bit terse, and is only willing to give one-word answers to questions. The elf still hasn't fully come to yet, but with the nature of his wounds, it is hard to blame him. The portly man stands up and shakes hands with Bearclaw.
Bearclaw Diplomacy to Man: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
The man glances from Bearclaw, to Karis, to Badwe and nods approvingly. He likes what he sees. His voice is loud, and nasally. "Pleased to meet you my good orc sir, and company! I'm sure you and your compatriots recognize me, naturally, as I have made many a generous donation to the Crusades and the war effort. I am Lord Horgus Gwerm. You seem like a capable lot. That sure is a large sword." He eyes Karis' nodachi up and down. Anevia stays silent, but she eyes Horgus like a large bug she accidentally stepped upon.
Horgus continues: "If you would kindly escort me back to my manor house in Kenabres I will see that you are rewarded handsomely! How does... 1,000 gold sound?" He gives Bearclaw another firm handshake, then turns to observe Anevia and the elf, who is still laying down moaning softly, with obvious distaste. "First we should ditch these cripples, as they will only slow us down. What do you say?"
Karis Haldva |
Karis takes the dragon's scale from Badwe and looks at it. "It came from Terendelev, I think."
She says nothing while the two strangers demonstrate their charm, but when the fat man finishes speaking, she turns to look at Anevia with a cold smile.
"What do you think?" she says. "Shall we take lardbottom's advice and ditch you? You look like you'll have a hard time getting back to Irabeth on your own, but I guess I just don't know, do I?"
Before any has the chance to respond, Karis turns back to Horgus, practically spitting venom.
"And you, I should break your leg, and ditch you, for even suggesting that we abandon anyone. We'll do what we can to get you home," she says, and turns to glare at the woman again. "All of you. Though right now the only one of you I don't want to leave behind is the elf. So, porkchop, help the cripple walk, because the lady you're leaning on is actually useful." Charisma 7, in da house
"Badwe, would you see if you can get him on his feet?" she points to the elf. Assuming he's probably hurt beyond the power of simple CLWs, but maybe he can get a better idea? She takes a moment to light a torch, and holds it up, throwing light around the area, and allowing mother to send her dancing lights out to try to get a sense of how big this space is, and if there's any apparent way out.
GM of Righteousness |
Rolling intimidate to see if they take Karis' threats seriously or not. Giving a +4 circumstantial since, hey, she's got a point, they're pretty screwed without her.
Karis Intimidate: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14 Successful! But Anevia and Horgus are now unfriendly. If you want to try and use Bearclaw or other party members to do some diplomatic damage control, go ahead and roll diplomacy, but I don't want to take the choice from you. Right now they're following your lead (even if they may not necessarily agree with you). After all, Karis is their friend, and these guys are strangers.
Badwe and Bearclaw exchange a look. They know Karis, so they aren't surprised, but they aren't sure if the grieving woman deserved all that. Well, the nobleman is a jerk, that's clear, but maybe some tact is in order here? Bearclaw decides to just keep his trap shut, since she's riled up enough that speaking up might earn him a punch in the face, and he knows all too well how good her right hook is.
Anevia looks taken aback, but then her eyes narrow. She lets go of Marina, gingerly lowering herself to the floor. She silently crawls over to the rubble, grabs a long piece of timber that appears like it was once the support structure of a house, and uses it to prop herself back up. With her other hand, she draws a shortsword which looks well battered from use. Not so helpless, after all.
While Anevia is doing all of that, Gwerm's face turns red, and blusters for a bit, not really forming any coherent words. "Fine. Make that 500 gold. From the looks of your clothes, it seems like you should be jumping all over my offer. Let me guess, a bunch of Wallers, your lot? Mooching off the walls that were paid for by proper men like me." He smirks.
Badwe flashes Karis a Just ignore him kind of look, and gives the elf's face a good look-over. The elf tenses at his approaching footsteps, and raises a hand, casting his own Dancing Lights. They hover around his face, illuminating his blood-stained bandages. "W-who is there? Why didn't my spell work? Why is it so dark?"
Badwe moves slowly, taking care to make some noise so the elf can tell where he is. "Ssssh, your eyes were hurt in the accident. I'm only a novice cleric. We need to get you to High Priest Nestrin. I think he's the only person who can reverse a wound of that nature...a regenerate spell I think." He tries to sound soothing, and grabs his hand, helping him to his feet. The elf seems stunned into silence by this news.
Meanwhile, Marina busies herself with sending her Dancing Lights through the cavern. The cavern is about 150' across, and you find that the huge spider-like shape is in the center of the cavern, about 50' away. At the far end of the cavern are two small 10' by 10' tunnels extending out into the darkness.
Sorry about the wall o'text but I had a lot of NPC reactions to get across, heh.
Karis Haldva |
Don't be sorry, it's great. I really hope Gwerm is standing next to Karis when she goes into wild rage....
"Anevia," Karis says, a hair calmer now that she's gotten her initial frustration off her chest. "Help the elf. Let him help you walk while you help him see. We'll get you out safe. You," she turns to Gwerm. "Yes, I am a waller. Unless you want to find your own way out, I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself."
Karis makes a note of the two tunnels at the far end of the chamber, and then approaches the spider, her nodachi in one hand, the torch held up in the other. She examines the statue for any sign as to its purpose or origin.
"After you get used to her, she's really quite charming," Bearclaw mutters under his breath.
"Easy for you to say. You were raised by orcs," Badwe whispers.
Bearclaw: Diplomacy (untrained): 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 4 + 2 = 16
Badwe: Diplomacy (aid): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18 Added+2 to Bearclaw's roll
Karis Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
GM of Righteousness |
Diplomacy check was not high enough to move their positions. You're free to try again a little later, whenever it seems appropriate in the story. They might just come around :P
Bearclaw agrees. "Hey, look now, how about we cool our jets and work together, because I bet it's going to take all of our help to get out of this mess." Badwe nods in agreement, but Anevia and Gwerm seem skeptical. Karis, to them, seems more likely to get them all killed than get them to safety.
Anevia hesitates, and the way she looks off into the distance at the two tunnels leads one to believe that she is seriously considering just making it off on her own. But then she glances at the elf wizard, and sighs, her heart softening. Here she was considering ditching the group because of an argument, yet this man here was wrestling with the very real possibility that he could be blind for the rest of his life. A very long life at that, since he's an elf. So she puts her sword away and hobbles over to the elf to lean on him, but she takes the moment to shoot Karis a dirty look once her back is turned.
"Hey there, I'm Anevia. Your name is Aravashnial, right? I think I've heard of you, you're...some sort of merchant? Selling wands and things for the Crusades."
Aravashnial nods, appreciating her help. "It is good to meet you, Anevia." He pauses for a moment, contemplating his words carefully. "I knew your wife, she was a frequent customer of mine. Irabeth... is... a good woman." Anevia smiles slightly at that.
Meanwhile, you approach the spider-like shape. As you get within 20' it becomes apparent that it is not a statue, but a corpse, as indicated by the powerful odor. Even more disturbingly, you hear a muffled chewing sound and a bulge wriggling inside of the spider's abdomen.
Assuming you stop at 20' away when you notice that. Karis is now 30' away from the rest of the group.
Karis Haldva |
I figured not. It wasn't the best effort ever, but Karis isn't here to make friends, dammit.
"Mother, lights over here," Karis says, indicating the spider. The spell's probably due for another casting, so Marina will recast it, illuminating the area around Karis and the spider. "There's something in there." She stands 20' away, and lobs her torch towards the corpse. She takes a two-handed grip on her sword to a ready position.
Badwe loads his crossbow and stands close beside Marina, and Bearclaw moves up to stand behind Karis, gripping his longspear.
GM of Righteousness |
The torch lands next to the spider corpse, and two hideous giant maggots erupt from the spider's abdomen, spraying the area with bits of spider. The horrible things are a few feet long, and have greasy, pale flesh and a circular maw filled with tiny sharp teeth. They undulate their engorged bodies in your direction. Clearly these maggots had a preference for live flesh. Marina's cat hisses angrily, and dashes off to stand by her side.
Karis: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16
Marina: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9
Bearclaw: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
Badwe: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13
Giant Maggot 1: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (8) - 1 = 7
Giant Maggot 2: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (17) - 1 = 16
Initiative Order
1. Karis
2. Giant Maggot 2
3. Badwe
4. Marina
5. Giant Maggot 1
6. Bearclaw
Giant Maggots are 20' away from Karis, 25' from Bearclaw, 50' from Marina and Badwe, and the 3 survivor NPCs. Assume the 2 maggots are perfectly adjacent to one another.
Karis Haldva |
"Oh that's just disgusting," Karis says, making a face at the sight of the gnome-sized maggots. She takes a deep breath and steps around to one side so that maggot 1 is between her and maggot 2. of the quicker creature and takes a slash at it.
power attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16 damage: 1d10 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16
attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8 damage: 1d8 ⇒ 4
Bearclaw will approach to 10' of the maggots and attempt to skewer one with his spear.
attack: 1d20 ⇒ 11 damage: 1d8 ⇒ 3
Going to wait and see what happens, and then do Marina's action and Karis's round 2 in the next post.
GM of Righteousness |
Karis slashes at the maggot before it can react, scoring a deep and terrible wound. It lays there, twitching slightly, only barely alive. Badwe takes aim with his crossbow and fires at the surviving maggot, but it just barely misses the creature, bouncing harmlessly on the stone behind it. The living maggot crawls slowly towards Karis, rears up, and vomits a mixture of stomach contents and digestive acids all over her. Bearclaw approaches the surviving maggot and manages to deal a shallow wound, startling it as he appears to come out of nowhere.
Round Summary
Maggot Con Check for Stability: 1d20 + 3 - 9 ⇒ (8) + 3 - 9 = 2
Karis hits Maggot 2 for 16 damage. It is dying and unconscious. It fails its stability check so it loses an additional 1 HP, but it still hangs on. Badwe misses. Maggot 1 5 foot-steps, so it is next to Karis, regurgitates on her. Karis must make a DC 13 fortitude save. If she fails, she is sickened for 1 minute. If she succeeds, nothing happens (other than being covered in vomit ew). Then Bearclaw hits Maggot 1 for 3 damage. Marina -> Karis -> Badwe -> Marina all get turns before Maggot 1 goes again.
Assuming you meant to hit maggot 2 because it is faster, doesn't really matter either way because it got owned :P Try to keep stuff goin' in initiative order for me, assuming Marina is deferring her turn until after Bearclaw. There will be a map next time, these dudes are more about the narrative than a challenge so.
Karis Haldva |
Brainfart. I persuaded myself Bearclaw was before maggot 2 and Marina after... curious. Anyway...
fort: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8 sickened
will: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23 not confused
Marina glares at Maggot 1 Evil Eye, DC 14 will or -2 AC. Actually, mind-affecting, so most likely not, but she wouldn't know that. and whispers under her breath, at the same time, she draws her crossbow.
Karis gags and tries not to let the fact that she's covered in maggot sick make her sick, and makes a weak attempt to slash the thing.
attack sickened: 1d20 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (2) + 5 - 2 = 5
Badwe groans is disgust, but manages to load and fire his crossbow.
attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22 crit?: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3 damage: 1d8 ⇒ 7
Marina fires at the maggot (assuming it's still up and writhing).
attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3 damage: 1d8 ⇒ 5
The chances of rolling 2 ones in a row are 1 in 400. Mathematically. My luck being weighed in increases the chances to about 1 in 12. Are we doing critical fumbles?
GM of Righteousness |
No critical fumbles. Double 1s, haha! Did Karis enrage? I don’t think she has to make a will save after killing an opponent unless she is enraged.
Marina’s hex has no effect on the mindless vermin. Karis swings wildly at the maggot but just misses it, cold steel slamming into the stone instead. Badwe aims his next shot more carefully, and hits it dead center. The foul creature squirms, impaled through by his bolt, then stops moving.
Maggot 1 Stabilize check: 1d20 + 3 - 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 - 3 = 3
Giant Maggot is mindless and immune to Evil Eye. Karis misses. Badwe hits Maggot 1 for 7 damage, so it is unconscious and dying. Combat ends. Both maggots are dying, and failed their stabilization checks.
"Ugh. You smell terrible. Well, more so than usual, I mean." Bearclaw says to you, cheekily, with a grin.
Aravashnial, Anevia, and Horgus catch up. Anevia narrates the scene to Aravashnial. "They just killed two huge maggots feeding on an even huge-r spider. There's two tunnels ahead."
"Larger, you mean," Aravashnial patiently corrects. "Where should we go next?"
Right.... or left?
Karis Haldva |
Perception Left: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22
Perception Right: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
Karis pretends to ignore Bearclaws repeated uses of the Prestidigitation cantrip as he cleans the maggot-sick off of her. Instead, she picks up her torch and crosses to the end of the chamber, peering down the two corridors, trying to see if there is anything to distinguish between them.
GM of Righteousness |
The two tunnels are identical from what you can tell. They are about level with one another, and filled with massive stalactites and stalagmites which drip water slowly onto the ground.
"What's the hold up? My head's killing me. Let's get a move on," Horgus says impatiently, oblivious to the needs of his far more wounded compatriots next to him.
"You will hold your tongue while my daughter is thinking or I will give you something to complain about," Marina leers at Horgus, who sweats nervously.
Karis Haldva |
"Left," Karis says softly, seeing no difference between the tunnels.
Then Horgus opens his mouth. Karis takes a deep breath, calling on all her years of training to remain composed. He's not worth losing your temper over, she tells herself. He's just a pompous bag of air. She slides her nodachi into the long sheath on her back. There was a trick the crusaders taught, counting to....
She hardly notices her feet moving, walking back to the spider. She picks up one of the maggots, and hoists it over her head, like a slimy, hideous sack of grain. She walks back towards the group, and when she's ten feet or so away from Horgus, she heaves the maggot's corpse at him.
"We're going left," she snarls. "Try not to remind me that you exist again."
GM of Righteousness |
Horgus makes for a large, slow target. He groans with disgust and heaves the maggot corpse off of him, his already ruined fine clothes now covered in a thick coating of slime. Bearclaw snorts with laughter, while Badwe looks alarmed, thinking over the possible repercussions of angering a minor noble.
The tactic works, as Gwerm is silent, at least for the meantime.
You and the rest of the group walk through a short tunnel until it flares out into a smaller cavern. This area appears to have once served as a campsite or temporary lair. A torn bedroll lies next to the cold remains of a fire. A pile of bones, broken equipment, and rubble lies just past the campsite.
Anevia can only hobble at a speed of 15'. I'm assuming you slow your pace to allow her and Aravashnial to keep up. If you wish to go at a normal speed just let me know.
Karis Haldva |
Karis draws her sword as she heads down the passage, trusting Marina to keep Dancing Lights up for visibility. Badwe picks up the dropped torch (and relights it, if necessary) as a backup. The others ready crossbows and follow Karis, moving only as quickly as the wounded are able.
When they reach the cavern, Karis gestures for the others to just inside the entrance as she cautiously investigates the campsite.
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12 Doh
GM of Righteousness |
You and your group rummage around the campsite. Gwerm makes a face at the group making a pit stop to rummage about in basically a heap of trash, but says nothing, preferring to huff and puff with his arms crossed. Anevia narrates the room to Aravashnial, who only nods silently. The three hang back in the tunnel for now.
Most of the stuff here is just junk. You do find:
- A torn bedroll.
- Three candle stubs (enough wick for 30 minutes of light each)
- A bent fishhook.
- 10 feet of badly frayed hemp rope
- A copper brooch depicting a bat perched on a mushroom. The bat's eyes are tiny purple gems.
Unfortunately, that wasn't all that was in the junk, as two massive cockroaches burst out from the mound of old bones! The cockroaches are the size of dogs. They angrily click filth-coated mandibles at the intrusion.
Cockroach 1: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Cockroach 2: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12
Karis: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
Marina: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17
Badwe: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Bearclaw: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Horgus: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (19) - 1 = 18
Anevia: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26
Aravashnial: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Initiative Order
1. Anevia
2. Horgus
3. Marina
4. Aravashnial
5. Cockroach 2
6. Cockroach 1
7. Karis
8. Badwe
9. Bearclaw
One cockroach erupts from the trash next to Karis and attacks her, lunging forward with its horrible mandibles awkwardly. Karis reacts swiftly, smoothly side-stepping it. The other cockroach takes flight and buzzes right at the three survivors, landing right in their midst.
Round 1 begins
Anevia reacts swiftly, drawing her shortsword. She lets go of Aravashnial and holds on to the cavern wall with her free hand. She swipes at the cockroach, but the creature dodges it, leaving her a bit over-extended. "Horgus!" Anevia barks, "Draw your dagger, circle the vermin, and flank him!" Unfortunately for her, Horgus just stands there blubbering in fear.
Aravashnial is confused. "What? What's going on? What's happening?"
The only person with enough ranks in perception that could have avoided the ambush was Karis so I didn't bother rolling for the other three. As reference for the future, if I list out a pile of "treasure" like this, you need to let me know what you take and leave behind. Otherwise I assume you leave it all behind.
Cockroach Attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
Anevia Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
Cockroach 1 attacks Karis, misses. Cockroach 2 flies over to the survivors. Anevia misses Cockroach 2. Horgus does nothing.
HP totals: Horgus Gwerm: 4/18 HP, Anevia Tirablade: 4/17 HP, Aravashnial: 4/35 HP
Map link
Karis Haldva |
Taking the candles and the rope, and having Marina and Bearclaw check out the brooch (knowledge Arcana/Planes, spellcraft, etc) before we make a call on that. After the fight, I assume.
Marina curses in orcish so expressively that even Bearclaw is impressed. She takes a few steps into the center of the room and hesitates a moment. She decides she has to trust her daughter to fend for herself, and takes aim at the cockroach in the midst of the wounded.
xbow shooting into melee: 1d20 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (4) + 2 - 4 = 2
She is obviously flustered, at the bolt thumps into the floor several feet away from the roach.
GM of Righteousness |
Aravashnial stumbles backwards, blindly, drawing his quarterstaff. The cockroach pursues him, opening itself up to another attack from Anevia. Anevia strikes hard and fast, her blade humming in the air and leaving a jagged wound in the cockroach's carapace. The cockroach is not deterred, and bites at Aravashnial. Its mandibles sink into his leg. The cockroach fighting Karis also bites her, resulting in an audible pop as it manages to crush her boot in slightly.
Round summary:
Anevia Attack AoO: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23
Anevia shortsword damage AoO: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Anevia Crit confirm: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15
Anevia crit damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Cockroach 2 bite attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
Cockroach 2 bite damage: 1d4 ⇒ 2
Cockroach 1 bite attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19
Cockroach 1 bite damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1
Marina shoots at Cockroach 2, but misses. Aravashnial moves back, Cockroach 2 runs over to him, but takes AoO from Anevia. Anevia crits for a total of 11 damage. Cockroach 2 bites Aravashnial for 2 damage, bringing him to 2 HP. Cockroach 1 bites Karis for 1 damage.
HP totals: Horgus Gwerm: 4/18 HP, Anevia Tirablade: 4/17 HP, Aravashnial: 2/35 HP, Karis: 14/15 HP
Karis Haldva |
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Karis roars in frustration more than pain. Her home is being overrun by demons, and she's lost underground fighting overgrown bugs.
raging power attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14 damage?: 1d10 + 12 ⇒ (1) + 12 = 13
will: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
If that drops it and she doesn't fail her will save, I believe she can move to stand just beside the other roach.
Badwe and Bearclaw both fire at the roach attacking Aravashnial.
shooting into melee: 1d20 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (10) + 2 - 4 = 8 damage?: 1d8 ⇒ 4
shooting into melee: 1d20 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (10) + 2 - 4 = 8 damage?: 1d8 ⇒ 7
GM of Righteousness |
Karis' nodachi slams into the roach, who desperately tries to avoid her attack but ends up losing a barbed leg over it instead. Meanwhile, Badwe and Bearclaw fire at the other cockroach in an attempt to save Aravashnial but overcompensate due to all of the people nearby and miss. Anevia continues to try and kill the roach attacking Aravashnial but her weak swing does not manage to get through the bug's thick exoskeleton, bouncing off harmlessly instead. Horgus cowers against the cool stone wall, too terrified to even try and get farther away.
Anevia shortsword attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Karis deals 13 damage, putting Cockroach #1 into the negatives, but as it has the Diehard feat it automatically stabilizes and is staggered instead. However, it still counts for triggering the Wild Rager ability, and Karis makes the will save. Badwe and Bearclaw miss. Start of Round 2. Anevia would normally attempt a flank with Aravashnial, but since Aravashnial is blind he cannot threaten any squares and therefore cannot flank anything, poor guy. Anevia misses. Horgus continues to be useless. Can Marina save the elf??
Karis Haldva |
Marina grits her teeth as she loads another bolt into the crossbow, raising the weapon and firing quickly, before the roach can bite again.
attack: 1d20 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (12) + 2 - 4 = 10 Poor elf
GM of Righteousness |
Marina aims, fires, misses, the shot bouncing harmlessly on the stone ground next to the roach. Aravashnial steadies himself and concentrates, but the fear and darkness overwhelm him before he can get his spell off. The cockroach lunges at him again, tearing through his robes to get at his flesh. Meanwhile, the cockroach next to Karis lunges at her but misses, its balance ruined by its missing leg.
Aravashnial Cast Concentration: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14
Roach 2 bite: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13
Roach 2 damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1
Roach 1 bite: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
Marina misses. You're lucky pathfinder doesn't have friendly fire rules for ammo or I think all the survivors would be pincushions bahaha. Aravashnial casts defensively as he realizes that he cannot afford an AoO at this time against DC17, but fails because the dice gods want him to die very badly it seems. Cockroach #2 bites him again for 1 damage. Cockroach #1 fumbles. The effort causes it to take 1 damage in the process. The tenacious creature still lives.
HP totals: Horgus Gwerm: 4/18 HP, Anevia Tirablade: 4/17 HP, Aravashnial: 1/35 HP, Karis: 14/15 HP
Karis Haldva |
"I hate bugs!" Karis says, and swings at her roach.
raging power attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23 damage: 1d10 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22
will: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
That should do it. Assuming it does, she'll move 40' to the next bug. 3/6 rounds of rage gone. Badwe is going to provoke an AoO. My hope is that the roach will bite him while he's moving and not while he's casting.
Badwe realizes the crossbows aren't doing any good, and that the blind elf is going to get eaten if nobody does anything. He drops the bow and rushes to the elf's side, then calls on Iomedae's protection, casting sanctuary on Aravashnial.
Bearclaw comes to the same realization about crossbows, and begins to chant, a dark, terrifying orcish warchant. Inspire courage, 2/8
GM of Righteousness |
Karis whirls quickly, hitting the cockroach from an unexpected direction, and the roach ruptures messily onto the ground in front of her. The cockroach notices Badwe running by and takes an opportunity to lunge at him as he passes, striking him with a wallop at his torso. Badwe lays down a sanctuary upon Aravashnial, who recognizes the divine spell immediately.
"Thank you, friend."
Anevia makes a short jab at the roach, but can't reach it from her position next to the wall. Horgus runs to the center of the room to cower behind Marina, shouting words of encouragement.
"Cut its head off! Cut its head off!"
Cockroach bite AoO: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17
Cockroach bite damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1
Anevia shortsword: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 3 + 1 = 11
Karis kills Roach 1. Karis makes her will save. Roach 2 uses an AoO on Badwe as he runs by, dealing 1 damage. Badwe successfully casts Sanctuary on Aravashnial. Aravashnial is grateful, shifting his attitude from indifferent to friendly. Round 3 begins. Anevia misses. Horgus flails around.
HP totals: Horgus Gwerm: 4/18 HP, Anevia Tirablade: 4/17 HP, Aravashnial: 1/35 HP, Karis: 14/15 HP, Badwe: 10/11 HP
Karis Haldva |
Marina is stunned by the fat man's cowardice. Even as she knows she shouldn't be.
"Are you completely useless?" she shouts. She loads another bolt into the crossbow and then hesitates. Karis increases the penalty on ranged attacks to -8, which is bad enough that she'll ready an action to fire if anything else happens.
GM of Righteousness |
Aravashnial braces himself for an expected blow from the still chittering vermin. The cockroach lunges at him, but is rebuffed by Badwe's ward. Its antennae and mandibles twitch in confusion.
Cockroach will save vs sanctuary DC14: 1d20 ⇒ 12
Aravashnial takes Full Defense for +4 AC. Cockroach fails will save vs sanctuary. Yay!
Karis Haldva |
Karis hacks at the surviving roach, screaming in bloodthirsty fury.
inspired raging power attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14 damage?: 1d10 + 13 ⇒ (1) + 13 = 14
will?: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
Badwe draws his sword and swings two-handed at the thing. He never readied his shield since he dropped his xbow, so AC currently 15. Rage 4/6, perform 3/8
"Back away," he calls out, mostly to Aravashnial.
attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15 damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
Bearclaw continues chanting, and moves up to stand behind Karis, fighting defensively (+2 to AC).
GM of Righteousness |
Karis' swift backswing leaves her spackled with bug guts as the disgusting vermin finally falls.
Aravashnial obeys Badwe, backing off 10' into the darkness, trailing a hand along the cold wall as he does so.
Anevia smiles brilliantly at Karis, not noticing the dark glint in her eyes.
"Sheesh, you hit hard! Have you ever thought about signing up for the Eagle Watch? Irabeth would take you in a heartbeat."
Karis kills the roach, then fails to will save.
Karis confusion: 1d100 ⇒ 15
Karis may act normally for this round. She is allowed another will save to shake off confusion. Badwe, Marina, and Bearclaw are also free to take actions this round. Anevia is just standing there because she has no idea what's going on.
Horgus peers out from behind Marina.
"Ah, finally! I would've thought a bunch of warriors like yourselves could handle a bunch of big bugs quicker than that."
Karis Haldva |
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Karis feels her control slipping. This has happened before, and it terrifies her. She throws her nodachi to the ground and stalks towards the fat man.
"He's BLIND," she snarls, holding her fists clenched at her side. "She's got a broken leg, and you cower behind an old woman?"
Marina clears her throat, pointedly.
Karis shakes her head impatiently, and jabs a finger against the fat man's chest. "I told you before to keep your mouth shut. I swear if your cowardice gets any of these people killed you will not make it out of these caves." She's trembling in her anger, and her arm is curling, tight, ready to strike.
will save: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20 fooey. Horgus lives another day.
Then she gets a hold of herself, sort of. She stalks away, panting, to lean against the wall, muttering to herself. fatigued for 3 rounds.
"She's not really a good fit for the Eagle Watch," Badwe murmurs softly to Anevia.
Bearclaw tries to think of any tavern tales he's heard about caverns under the city.
knowledge: dungeoneering?: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
Marina shakes her head in disgust at Horgus, and goes after Aravashnial, to lead him back to Anevia's side.
GM of Righteousness |
Horgus trembles, thoroughly cowed by the barbarian woman, and lets out an audible sigh of relief when she backs off.
Anevia shrugs, looking more bemused than anything.
Bearclaw tries to brighten the mood with an old story. "You know, way back when, like a century ago during the First Crusade healers weren't as used to dealing with the foul energies of the Abyss. The children of the First Crusaders were born all mutated and weird looking. Most of them were killed in the first witch hunts, but they say some of the children fled into the sewers. Pitlings they're called. Mongrels. Wouldn't it be funny if the songs were true?"
While Bearclaw is telling his story, Horgus sidles up to Anevia and whispers in her ear. Anevia looks annoyed by his presence, but whispers back.
Aravashnial nods. "You know your history. Unfortunately, we've never had a confirmed sighting, so it's more likely that the reports are of demons conjured by cultists hiding out in the sewers under Kenabres. We should be on our guard. Doubtless there are worse things than bugs here." He pulls a potion out of his robes, uncorks it, and gives it a sniff. Seemingly satisfied, he downs it.
Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (1, 6) + 3 = 10
The potion is quick acting, and the wounds around his bandages look noticeably better and less swollen.
Anevia notices what he's doing and her eyes widen.
"You big wizard faker! Why didn't you say that you had potions? We could have used them earlier!"
Aravashnial looks indignant. "I was trying to save them for a crucial moment."
Anevia rolls her eyes, peering at his robes suspiciously. "Oh, out with it, merchant. I know you have all kinds of goodies hidden in those gowns of yours, just pretendin' to be all helpless so you don't have to waste 'em on us. Irabeth was right. You're not really here to help the crusades, all you want is to turn a profit, just innit for yerself."
"You, and your wife, neither of you know a thing about me. Don't pretend you do." the elf replies cooly.
"I know you got yourself a girl yourself. Lylina? But she left the city. Irabeth kept trying to get you two to actually do some good for the Crusades. But she up and left, the coward." Aravashnial says nothing, only clenching his fists.
HP totals: Horgus Gwerm: 4/18 HP, Anevia Tirablade: 4/17 HP, Aravashnial: 11/35 HP, Karis: 14/15 HP, Badwe: 10/11 HP
Karis Haldva |
As Bearclaw tells his story and the others speak, Karis leans her head against the wall, kicking it. After a time, she takes a deep breath, shaking off the dark thoughts that had overwhelmed her. Slowly, she walks back to where she dropped her blade. She picks it up and wipes it, her eyes scanning its length carefully for any nicks, but the steel is true.
"You said you were trying to save them" she says to Aravashnial. "So you have more. Don't be another Gwerm. Give Anevia one. She might not like you, but she fought to defend you and she's seeing for you."
She searches through the remains of the campsite again, hoping to find something to show the way out of the caverns.
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
When she's satisfied, she looks at Bearclaw. "Pitlings. If they exist, they may be able to tell us the way out of these caverns. Or they may try to kill us." She thinks a moment, and then smiles to herself. She sheathes her sword and turns to Horgus.
"Lord Gwerm, isn't it? I offer you my apologies for usurping your rightful position. I suppose I was a bit rattled by our situation, but it's clear that by rights, you should be our leader. So lead." She points with her blade to the room's exit.
GM of Righteousness |
Marina laughs and sends one of her dancing lights to hover over Gwerm's head while he runs in front. Horgus' face falls rapidly, and you can just see the cogs turning under his balding scalp as he mulls over his options. Finally, he looks resigned to his fate, and shuffles over to the opposite tunnel. Normally so impatient, Horgus seems unwilling to walk ahead into the darkness without being forced to.
Aravashnial looks reluctant, but he concedes the point. "This is all I have." Anevia snorts, so he reasserts, "Truly. This is all I have." He pulls out from his robe two small potions, a wand, and a scroll tube. He runs his fingers along the scroll tube's latch.
"I have a scroll of web, dispel magic and two of grease. Naturally, they are useless to me, so if any of you are skilled in ways of the arcane, they are better off with you than me." He is unable to hide the bitterness in his voice when he says this. "Mrs. Tirablade. Lord Gwerm. Here." He holds out the vials, and Anevia is quick to snatch the larger one before Horgus can protest. The two take his potions and drink.
Anevia Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (4, 1) + 3 = 8
Horgus Potion of Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 ⇒ 3
HP totals: Horgus Gwerm: 7/18 HP, Anevia Tirablade: 12/17 HP, Aravashnial: 11/35 HP, Karis: 14/15 HP, Badwe: 10/11 HP
"I have ten charges remaining in this wand of false life. I can cast it on you if you come closer to me." the elf says, pulling out a thin hawthorne wand.
Aravashnial's false life lasts 6 hours. If you want, you can go ahead and roll 1d10+6 HP onto your party members. Or you can refuse if you want to save the charges. Your call.
While this is going on, Badwe picks up the 10' frayed hemp rope and the three candles. Marina picks up the copper brooch shaped like a bat perched on a mushroom. She waves her hand under it, using detect magic. "Daughter, I sense no magic on this brooch. Would you like it? Lord Gwerm appears to think that we ought to dress more nicely to gain respect, and it would look lovely on your vest."