DM X's page

With that end wrapped up, it takes you relatively little time to secure the prisoners, and with Drakus in full Guard Regalia, make your way back to Field Marshall Cressida.

Drakus finally lands a blow to the back of Parn's neck, the villain staggers, then crumples as Sollus' attack impacts into the ribs of the staggered (HP0) guardsman...he crumples to the ground, unconscious.

Bout time...LoL

Aliandara decides to brave it, as being a coward isn't getting her anywhere. She attacks Panish with no reservations

Attacking with Rapier with flanking: 1d20 + 8
Damge: Normal damage + Sneak attack: 2d6 + 1

Aliandara manages to get in a strike, slipping past Parns' defenses, slipping her blade into the back of his thigh, but missing any all the major arteries. Parns' has the luck of the devil it seems.

update coming tomorrow, had a workday today, was hectic all weekend with the kids...sorry about that...every time I was going to update the game something came up.

Initiative:
22 Marra
19 Sollus
18 Aliandara
15 Drakus
12 Panish
5 Parns

will update tonight

Everyone go ahead and roll for initiative. as we are once more into the breach! Though only for 12-18 seconds I assume.

DM:

Parns: Will Save 1d20 ⇒ 19

Parns spots Drakus as he leaves the door gate and lets loose with his crossbow bolt.

Mechanics:

Street Combat Map

Here's a quick map for the street combat.

Sorry guys, I was going to update last night, but I got hammered with work, I'll have more map and post up over the weekend.

someone might have seen Parns...just wait

Drakus: There's a side exit out to the stockyard

Aliandara:

What's the plan to get back to the fort?

Aliandara: make a stealth check as well please.

Desk materials: From reading the desk materials, it confirms your suspicions that Verik had the best interests of the city at heart, there's nothing hinting at complicity in the actions of the Cow Hammer boys.

DM roll:

In the Holding pens, you find a pair of vicious boars, it takes a little while to move them out of the pen, several other humanoid bones are found in the pens, in addition you notice the dirt under the trough was recently disturbed, you find a bag, inside is a ledger, 450gp, 750 sp. and various gems. The ledger lists several names, all crossed off, with values next to them.

In the Cattle Pen you find the recently delivered livestock.

You check upstairs the, you find a tattered harrow deck and 5sp.

Upstairs:
A round table sits in this room, surrounded by four wooden
chairs. A stack of cards sits on the tabletop. A cabinet to
the southwest hangs open, a tangle of dirty clothes and
blankets within. Four thin bedrolls lie rolled up against the
north wall.
- You find 5 sp and 3cp still on the table

A single large desk stands in the eastern part of this large
office, transformed into a makeshift bed by a bedroll and
several blankets and pillows. A table and three chairs sit to the
west; several papers lie strewn over the table’s surface and a chamberpot sits under it. One of the papers is pinned to the
tabletop by an exquisite silver dagger.

I see this location being a minor encounter in the whole of the story, I hope you don't mind me skipping the quagmire we've gotten into here, and getting the story moving, I don't want to lose you guys, and this is by far the worst encounter I've run in the last 18 months.

There's no sign of Parns.

I will have a full update for this tonight...busy busy at work today

Basically I'm, going to wrap this encounter, so we can move on...we're only about halfway through the first AP....long way to go, and I don't want to lose you all...heh.

I will have a full update for this tonight...busy busy at work today

Sollus/Aliandara (Room B4).

You search around the room, and you get close to the cold vat, Verik shouts " Stay back from the vats! Reefclaws live in there. They dispose of any leftover carrion from the days butchering. They were here when we took over the place, though they nearly killed us all the first day..."

Again I apologize for screwing up.

I appear to have messed up in missing a post or 2 in the other rooms, (concert took a lot out of me and I ended up getting sick this week...)

When you said "larger room" I misses what that larger room was...

I will have a full update over the weekend, again, my apologies.

Some of these cuts of meat are human, or possibly elf; half-elf perhaps?

hmmm, one of those cases of a lacking knowledge skill...I'll allow a trained heal skill check to work as well.

Verik: points at the men on the floor "You're looking at them, though I'm sure he's lurking around, waiting for the right time to strike. He does have a crossbow, so be cautious."

Did you guys miss this post? Happens sometimes when there's a new page...

B4: Read when you go there.

B5: Read when you enter

B6: Read when you enter

Verik: "I only see three, here, someone is missing. Parns, Parns is missing." Verik says in response to Panish's question.

Sollus checks any meat on the hooks, to see if he can tell what it came from, and then sizes up the room to see if there is anything 'off' about it's dimensions, suggesting a hidden compartment.

Heal to recognize the source of any meat present 1d20+7
Knowledge (architecture / engineering) to note anything hinky about the room 1d20+6

Afterwards, he'll move towards the barred door and, turning towards Aliandara to see if she has any objection first, open it.

Room B3

The air in this room is stale, stinking of day-old meat and blood.
Straw litters the floor, scattered to catch what drips from the
meat hooks affixed to the walls and ceiling on metal rods. To
the north is a low blood-stained table and two barrels of salt,
while to the south, a pair of double doors stands. An iron bar
extends through a narrow hole at the top of the doors; the bar
runs along the ceiling for five feet before ending at a vertical
pole running floor to ceiling.

Go ahead and make any relevant knowledge checks you'd like to make.

Not going to spoiler this since it's a non-combat situation and I'm sure you'll relay information to each other,

I assume we are in B2? As we saw Verrik walk down the stairs?

Aliandara offers to go with Sollus as she wants to find out either what Verrik’s men were up to or proof that they had plans to leave.

Yes, when Drakus and Panish fell through the door, and then stepped up to attack the two guards, it spilled into B2. Now that I have a Flickr set up for just my gaming stuff, it's much easier for me to upload maps, I had been using googles, and it was a pain. So I'll have maps up for all future combats.

Map for exploration

Sorry it took forever...

how long? and where do you want to search?

Marra will assist. Who's watching the prisoners?

As Drakus hands out assignments, Marra drags the unconscious guardsman into the shop, consequently getting mud all over the tiled floors. Vancaskern pales as he comes down the stairs. He stops on the 4th step up, seeing his "men" so swiftly dealt with, 4 to his front, 1 to his rear, he puts his back to the wall his shield raised to Aliandara and his sword held defensively. "Who sent you?"

Panish you look over the guard, his blade went in under his ribcage, and by the amount of blood, he probably cut his heart in two.

Sollus you attempt to work your magic on the fellow, but his strike was true, he's already deceased.

You figure if it was a religion related suicide, he would have invoked the name of his deity, this seems like he didn't want to deal with interrogation or torture.

The guard crumples under Drakus' attack. While Marra smashes the pommel into the face of her assailant. Sollus' attack flies to the side of his target, as he compensates for Drakus' presence.

"NO! You won't take me alive!!!" Shouts the final guard as he shoves the length of blade up into his heart. Abject terror and insanity flash across his face and then he seems peaceful.

(AKA this is a pretty minor encounter, you guys already have the info you need, let's move on. I don't want this game to falter any more. PbPs need a shove occasionally)

You hear footsteps from above as Vancaskern is coming down the stairs.

Yes, you're correct it is the start of a new round Panish

Meanwhile back on the street.

The guardsman and Marra square off again, not evaluating each other as they circle about.

Marra lets the guard take his attack, ducking and sliding her own blade low across the guards legs.

Mechanics
1d20 ⇒ 9+4=13

1d20 ⇒ 15+6=21 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Vancaskern: "What do you mean? These were guardsmen like myself; while there was corruption in the guard, these men...What was that noise?" he says surprised, and then throws open the door out of this room

Panish: have we lost Aliandara? There's a spoiler for her on the last page.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Z?

Sgt Drakus strides forward and lashes forward with the butt of his trident.

Nonlethal trident attack: 1d20+7-4
Critical threat, confirm for double damage: 1d20+7-4
Nonlethal trident damage if hit: 1d8+3

Nicely done.

Sgt. Drakus steps up and jabs the guardsman with the trident butt square in the forehead

The two guards launch their attacks, but as they attempt to stay out of Drakus' reach, both attacks fall far short.

Mechanics

The guard mistakes Mara's clumsy attack as a feint and slices at the air, expecting her to be there.

1d20 ⇒ 9

"Y...you ain't see.ing....n.no one...'cept your god" the guard says with little conviction in his trembling voice.

Waiting on Aliandara's interaction upstairs.perhaps she missed the spoiler

Guidance was used for the balance check.

Huh, my posts from last night for outside seem to have not posted. No problem I'll re-roll them.

Luckily Panish's bluff seems to have worked, as the two guardsmen have moved back and are holding their weapons in a defensive manner, though now seeing "The Breaker" prone in front of them has bolstered their resolve.

Drakus and Panish make a Balance check (DC15) to not fall as the door has no resistance as the bar had been removed. (so you guidance might help afterall)

Sollus the door opens smoothly.

Aliandara:

The door holds though more cracking and creaking can be heard.

Perception check DC 20:

** spoiler omitted **

Diplomacy check please.

Drakus, you realize someone shut the front door also? So Marra would have to open it, but she's gonna have her hands full taking care of the flanker

I posted that Sollus closed the door only after the group had entered, if you want to adjust that and have her inside. If you want her to stay outside, the door will remain open, since Sollus was specifically waiting for all to enter.

Marra was not with the others, she had been around the corner watching over Aliandara, she specifically wasn't with the others.

Drexel/Brignat you moving to Haruuc then? Past the dart trap?

The guardsman notices how Marra's feet drag in the mud causing her to misstep at least once...he charges Marra with his longsword.

Marra barely catches the blade with her shield as he advances.

Between the Shoulder assault of Panish and Drakus, you hear the bar on the other side crack a bit.

Aliandara:

Drakus runs across the room, and slips around the corner; he impacts into the door at a slight angle causing the impact to be ineffective.

Listen 15:

Listen 20: