Myvannuii stands silently and, she hopes, unobtrusively, while Bron and Daegan speak with Mrs. Oakleg. She doesn't want to aggravate the unfortunate woman's troubles by horning in as well, interfering with the others' tactful approach and adding to the barrage of questions that she is sure Mrs. Oakleg must have suffered from anxious well-wishers and mercenaries alike already. She listens from the edge of the conversation and casually looks over the room, drifting about slowly. "I hope I don't look too sinister on the periphery," she thinks, glancing back to the conversation, but not thinking of anything that has not been raised already, does not offer to speak.

That said but I must ask something else. Who else has been asking after the children, seeking their safe return?

Some of the city guards came looking around, but that's about it."

"Thanks be to you, dear woman, for granting us this chance to aid you and yours. We shall not further take of your time."

Nodding to those within sight, Daegan makes a slight gesture of movement towards the door.

"We will be getting to it, whilst the day remains. Mrs. Oakleg, rest assured we will do all in our power to have your dears back shortly. I am certain through the considerable skills of our ertswhile tracker, we will find your missing young ones. Perhaps though, as we go, I might ask that we be allowed to take the lad's wooden sword, as a token of faith that we are truly sent to return he and the others to your home."

Daeg turns to Mrs. Oakleg, the wooden sword in hand, looking to her for permission. If granted, he bows to her, and offers once more his thanks. If denied, he still offers thanks, carefully offering her the well worn plaything, a cherished token reminiscent of Daegan's own childhood's innocence.

"May the light of Iomedae shine upon us all, and guide the children home."

He then turns to take his leave of Mrs. Oakleg.

"Everyone, I am sure we have taken enough of Mrs. Oakleg's time, so, unless one of you, my skillfully accomplished associates, has something further of import, may I suggest we humbly be on our way."

so, unless one of you, my skillfully accomplished associates, has something further of import, may I suggest we humbly be on our way."

The old woman gesutres towards the sword. "Be my guest, if you think that'll help you get my darlings back. That was Terrem's favourite toy. He never woulda run off without it."

Accepting Tessem's wooden sword, Daegan takes a moment to secure it beneath the rain guard of his backpack, then reshoulders the load and steps out into the street. He takes a moment to enjoy what little airflow stirs the roadway, what passes for the breeze that blows through the caldera.

While waiting for the others, Daeg takes in the surroundings in the area beyond Mrs. Oakleg's door. He looks over the shops, homes, windows, alleyways and rooftops up and down along the street. He looks to likely avenues the children could have headed, though were most likely actually carried, towards. Are we missing anything? What did Gjoren find hidden in the dust trails amongst Mrs. Oakleg's hearth and home?

Perception Roll

When everyone seems to be satisfied that there is nothing more to be found at the widow's house, Gjoren says, "Well, I can't promise I can do much with the tracks since we're in the middle of tha city, but I'll do what I can."

Survival check(Track) to see if/how well Gjoren can follow the tracks he's found - 1d20+9=23

Now that he knows what to look for, Gjoren is able to follow the large-ish footprints directly to the front door of the bakery.

While the party stands there discussing their next move, they hear a crash from inside the bakery, probably a jar falling to the floor.

Note that the windows are all shuttered.

While the party stands there discussing their next move, they hear a crash from inside the bakery, probably a jar falling to the floor.

I say we pick the lock or smash the door in. We can apologize later if we overacted.

“Agreed,” Myvannuii says, a grin flashing across her face before a frown replaces it. “I hope that if the children are here that it’s for an improbably harmless reason. If not, not the least of my worries is why those responsible have the effrontery to take them only so far.”

Are the shutters exterior? If so, I propose that we try to open them at the same time as we try the door, so that someone might be able to get a look before everyone rushes blindly inside. We might get a better idea as to what’s going on, without losing the element of surprise.

"I agree, we can always make restituion should our actions be for not, but we must see what transpires within, for the sake of the children's well being."

Daeg moves to one side of the bakery door, ready to either smash down of the padlock with his gauntleted hand or assist someone stronger in wrenching the door open.

"Can't be too cautious...confident, cocky, lazy dead my far used to say."

Gjoren pulls his bow and strings it in a matter of seconds.

"Let's go."

Gjoren pulls his bow and strings it in a matter of seconds.

"Let's go."

Bron and Daegan being the strongest of us can both force open the door. Myva can try to open the shutters. Gjoren has his bow ready to hit anything that attacks and I am going to get out of the way of the front door (and arrows) but ready to jump in and help.

"I'm as anxious to rush in as the next guy, but let's think about this for a second. All we've heard so far is the crash of possibly a jar. If we smash down this door and everything is ok, the owner may take offense, beyond any apologies that me might offer or restitution we might pay. I say we get a person on each possible exit and then have one ore two people simply knock, if whoever is in there tries to escape, we nab them as they do. This way, we are in the clear." With that, he simply waits to see if they group takes his advice.

Wanted to add that I will be going on vacation from the 25th of June until about the 5th of July. I might have internet access but am unsure how often I'll have time to get online. Feel free to NPC Bron as needed.

Following Gjoren's cue, Myvannuii readies her bow and moves towards the window. Bron's suggestion does give her pause; she shrugs noncommitally, waiting to hear the consensus of the group. She adds, "We could try knocking first, and hope the door holds if, assuming the worst, those inside decide to greet us with steel."

Myvannuii's bow is her arcane bond, so she might need it if it comes to spells.

"Well spoken Bron. Do you wish to call coin as to who watches front or back, or shall we let Iomedae decide?"

With that, Daeg takes his small sword amulet from within his gauntlet, setting in on the back of its hand plate. "Iomedae, guide me."

Odd I'll watch the front, even the rear, and we'll let someone else roll on Invisible Castle to decide.

I'll run to the back of the bakery, and watch the back exit, if any.

There's no back exit; the rear of the buildings on this street are right next to the crater wall. There are some shuttered windows on the sides, though.

When you're ready to force the door, make some Strength checks.

Gjoren is far from the strongest. His dark eyes flit over the facade of the building while he waits for his new companions to get inside. He remains silent.

Stone knocks on the door.

If I get no response, I'll knock again a bit harder.

Stone knocks a couple of times. The searchers hear some rustling around inside the bakery, but otherwise there is no response.

Stone shrugs his shoulders and tries to kick the door open...

1d20=14.

All right, start rolling some "aid another" checks, folks. I'll roll for Bron:
1d20+3=15

As soon as Stone tries to force the door, Myvannuii tries the right-hand shutter, hoping to catch a glimpse of what might be inside.

Strength check:1d20+1=3

My grief! I should have tried to help the others, apparently.

Gjoren does the best he can to help get the door open.

Aid another Strength check - 1d20+2=22

Wow! Guess he doesn't know his own strength...

DC 18 is good enough.

The three brawny men put their backs into it, and the wood around the hinges splinters and gives way. The door collapses into the darkened house (although the padlock is still intact). Not much can be seen at first, until a glimmer of movement is seen...

ANTS!

Ants of prodigious size, as big as sheep, are scurrying about the house, clicking their wicked mandibles at anything of interest. And that includes the adventurers...

Roll for initiative!
Round 1 map is here.

Go to 1d20+3=9

Ack!

Sorry everyone, currently at Origins soaking up some Pathfinder goodness. Internet is unavailable at the con save for 15 cents/min US charges, but I'll try to check in more tomorrow. I'll post my first few actions, just to keep things moving.

Initiative

Daegan will first cast Bless upon the group.

Recharge Time

When next able, Daegan will move into the bakery to assist fighting the ants, should the party attempt to do so, staying as near the open as possible.

Here are my first three possible attacks and damage, if needed. Note, these include the bless but not any situational bonuses that need applied.

Attack and damage rolls

Ok...I intend to move backwards about five feet and let the ants come out rather than rush into the battle. I'll take my Nanuchaku out and try to hit once I'm moved backwards. Not sure if I get a +6 to hit or a +3 (+3 dex mod and +3 for Agile maneuvers feat for a +6 to hit but I may be wrong). Please roll for me if needed so as not to slow things down. Thanks!

Hearing the door break open, Myvannuii leaves her abortive attempt to open the shutters and starts moving back towards the door.

Initiative:1d20+3=13 On Myvannuii's initiative count, I'll actually describe where she moves. For now, I'll wait to see when everyone acts, unless that slows things down too much. I don't want to spin out too many hypothetical actions before my turn.

Bron's init: 23. Ants' init: 4
Bron yelps in surprise, draws his hammer and takes a swipe at the ant behind the door. The swing is tremendously powerful, but none too accurate unfortunately. The ground shudders with the impact.

1d20+6=7 1d8+4=12

Panda, your attack bonus is +4 (+1 attack bonus, +3 dexterity bonus). Agile Maneuvers only helps with combat maneuvers like tripping, grappling, etc.

Panda, your attack bonus is +4 (+1 attack bonus, +3 dexterity bonus). Agile Maneuvers only helps with combat maneuvers like tripping, grappling, etc.

Got it - thanks!

Here are my next two attacks.

Here are my next two damages.

Initiative - 1d20+4=20

Round 1 so far:

25: Daegan casts Bless
23: Bron attacks and misses
20: Gjoren...?
13: Myv...?
9: Stone backs up and draws his nunchaku.
4: Ants...?

Rounding the corner of the building, Myvannuii steps in next to Bron and Daegan, trying to peer past them into the bakery. Spotting one of the ants (Ant 2 on the map) in the far corner of the room, since she is clear of the melee she focuses her thoughts and prepares to cast a spell that will avoid striking any of the party. With a seemingly careless flick of the wrist and a garbled incantation, Myvannuii invokes a wild surge and casts magic missile.

Here are my rolls for the wild surge, spell damage, and recharge time, in that order: 1d100, 1d4+1, 1d6+1=[74], [1, 1], [1, 1]. Normal damage, but at least the spell will recharge in only two rounds.

I'll give Gjoren a few more hours to post an action before moving along.

I'll get something posted tonight. Sorry for the delay, I had a death in the family over the weekend and have been fairly busy. Should be back in the swing soon.

Sorry to hear that. Take your time; real life comes first.

I'll get something posted tonight. Sorry for the delay, I had a death in the family over the weekend and have been fairly busy. Should be back in the swing soon.

Sorry for the delay, I had a death in the family over the weekend and have been fairly busy.

Round 1:

25: Daegan casts Bless
23: Bron attacks and misses
20: Gjoren draws his longsword and attacks (and misses). 1d20+3=12
13: Myv casts a Magic Missile and injures ant #2.
9: Stone backs up and draws his nunchaku.
4: Ant #0 moves forward and bites at Bron. Its pincers fail to penetrate his armor. Ants #1, #2, and #3 move forward; Ant #3 bites at Gjoren and misses completely.

Round 2:
25: Daegan attacks Ant #0; only the creature's thick shell protects it from the mighty blow.
23: Bron attacks and again misses with his mighty hammer. 1d20+7=10 1d8+4=7
20: Gjoren slashes with his longsword and cracks the insect's carapace. 1d20+4=20 1d8+3=6
13: Myv...?
9: Stone attacks...
4: Ants...

status: Ant #0 has taken 6 damage, Ant #2 has taken 2 damage.
Updated map

Guys, if you can bear with me for a few more days, I'd love to stay in the game. With my situation last weekend, and a few other things that have come up, I'll be pretty much out of comission until Monday or so. I completely understand if you need to replace me. Otherwise if someone will post for me in my absence I'll be back very soon. Thanks!

Don't sweat it. I'll have Gjoren swing his sword until further notice. :-)

As Gjoren's blow wounds the closest ant, Myvannuii quickly decides to risk pressing the attack. Hoping that her aim will be true, she speaks the words to conjure a fluid orb of acid and flings the amorphous ball at the wounded insect.

Casting acid splash with a wild surge: 1d100=71, 1d20+5=18, 1d3=1. Since that's a ranged touch attack, hopefully I don't need to worry that Myvannuii's just splashed one of the party.

Round 1:

25: Daegan casts Bless
23: Bron attacks and misses
20: Gjoren draws his longsword and attacks (and misses). 1d20+3=12
13: Myv casts a Magic Missile and injures ant #2.
9: Stone backs up and draws his nunchaku.
4: Ant #0 moves forward and bites at Bron. Its pincers fail to penetrate his armor. Ants #1, #2, and #3 move forward; Ant #3 bites at Gjoren and misses completely.

Round 2:
25: Daegan attacks Ant #0; only the creature's thick shell protects it from the mighty blow.
23: Bron attacks and again misses with his mighty hammer. 1d20+7=10 1d8+4=7
20: Gjoren slashes with his longsword and cracks the insect's carapace. 1d20+4=20 1d8+3=6
13: Myv splashes Ant #0 with acid (1 dmg), causing it to chitter with excitement.
9: Stone attacks with his nunchaku and connects solidly (3 dmg). The creature is in terrible shape, fluids oozing from its carapace, but it has not yet stopped moving.
4: Ants #0 and #3 snap their pincers at Gjoren but miss by a mile.

Round 3:

25: Daegan misses with his blow.
23: Bron misses yet again! He swears in fury... 1d20+7=12 1d8+4=6
20: Gjoren slices the ant from stem to stern in a powerful blow! 1d20+6=22 1d8+3=11
13: Myv...
9: Stone attacks (?)...
4: Ants...

status: Ant #0 is dead, Ant #2 has taken 2 damage.
map

Myvannuii's mouth quirks up in a brief smile as the first ant begins to slow. Her last spell having gone off without a problem, she decides to try to repeat the performance with the ant standing just inside the doorway (behind #0).

Another acid splash:1d100=33, 1d20+5=16, 1d3=1.

Unless by some horrible twist of fate Myvannuii is threatened in melee next round, she'll cast magic missile again at a visible ant that doesn't seem to be dying:1d100=12, 1d4+1=3, 1d6+1=5. Since I rolled a 12 for the wild surge, the damage rounds to 1 point only, and with a 5 round recharge time, here's hoping that Myvannuii doesn't need mage armour before then!

I attack once more with my nunchaku...already rolled for that second attack...Whoo-hoo! One ant dead....

Round 1:

25: Daegan casts Bless
23: Bron attacks and misses
20: Gjoren draws his longsword and attacks (and misses). 1d20+3=12
13: Myv casts a Magic Missile and injures ant #2.
9: Stone backs up and draws his nunchaku.
4: Ant #0 moves forward and bites at Bron. Its pincers fail to penetrate his armor. Ants #1, #2, and #3 move forward; Ant #3 bites at Gjoren and misses completely.

Round 2:
25: Daegan attacks Ant #0; only the creature's thick shell protects it from the mighty blow.
23: Bron attacks and again misses with his mighty hammer. 1d20+7=10 1d8+4=7
20: Gjoren slashes with his longsword and cracks the insect's carapace. 1d20+4=20 1d8+3=6
13: Myv splashes Ant #0 with acid (1 dmg), causing it to chitter with excitement.
9: Stone attacks with his nunchaku and connects solidly (3 dmg). The creature is in terrible shape, fluids oozing from its carapace, but it has not yet stopped moving.
4: Ants #0 and #3 snap their pincers at Gjoren but miss by a mile.

Round 3:

25: Daegan misses with his blow.
23: Bron misses yet again! He swears in fury... 1d20+7=12 1d8+4=6
20: Gjoren slices the ant from stem to stern in a powerful blow! 1d20+6=22 1d8+3=11
13: Myv splashes Ant #3 for tiny amount of damage (1 dmg).
9: Stone waits for an ant to come within range. Ant #3 steps up and Stone attacks and smacks the ant right on the head (7 dmg).
4: Ant #3 retaliates by seizing Stone in its deadly pincers! (7 dmg to Stone). The nimble young man easily wriggles out of its grasp, however. (grapple failed) Ant #1 bites at Bron and also draws blood, although it barely manages to hit with the door jamb in the way. (8 dmg to Bron) It doesn't manage to hold on to the doughty fighter, either.

Round 4:

25: Daegan attacks for a third time and misses again...
23: Bron decapitates Ant #2 (10 dmg).
20: Gjoren waits for the next ant to exit the house.
13: Myv casts another magic missile, but her unpredictable magic fizzles slightly and Ant #1 is relatively unharmed (1 dmg).
9: Stone waits for an ant to come within range again. Ant #1 steps out and is eviscerated by Gjoren's blade (10 dmg) before Stone can strike!
(Stone, roll one more attack.)
4: Ant #2 steps forward...

status: Ant #0, #1 and #3 are dead, Ant #2 has taken 2 damage. Stone is at 11/18 hp. Bron is at 15/23 hp.
map

Here are my next two attacks.

And my next two damages.