If Embrianna does not have a post up this evening, I will post on her behalf tomorrow. That said, without a string of lucky rolls to turn the tide or a quick retreat, the party may unfortunately be down and out.
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Zahim tries the door behind him and steps into the room, grasping his holy symbol as he does. "Come on Sarenrae, we really need you..." A pulse of warm energy spreads from him. The skeletal monsters quake as it passes, their forms cracking and chipping once more. After it ends they are as wounded as they were before the unseen entity healed them, but they remain standing. Zahim feels a little dread as the resonating aura is not as strong as he was hoping for. "...Goddess?" The icy skeleton that Embrianna engaged shambles forward, intent on continuing to attack Sonja. It strikes out with a rusted scimitar and follows with a jagged claw swipe. The blade drags along her side and cuts deep. Blood stains the floor as Sonja falls, unconscious and bleeding out before the monster.
The zombie on the table continues to swing wildly at Castiel with powerful sweeps of the arm. It catches him behind the head and knocks him out cold.
The other frost skeleton stands motionless, as its prey has been defeated and its command followed through.
As for the improvised weapon – 1d6 damage fits right in with light maces which are similar in weight. I see no problem with it being considered a finesse weapon like one as well.
Sorry about the delay; I had made a post earlier in the week and the system ate it, then the last two days I've been switching over a lot accounts as my primary email was compromised. I'm working on a new post now.
Panicked by the undead assaulting her Sonja tries to hide beside the cleric. Her agile twists and flips allow her to avoid leaving any opening for the skeletons to exploit. "Stop these things; burn them or something!" She exclaims. The shambling dead, undeterred, steps forward and continues following its command, slashing out with rusted, old scimitar and icy claw alike. Luckily, Sonja is able to dodge and parry well enough to keep the creature at bay.
Embrianna swings her axe at one of the frost skeletons, trying to flank with the rogue as the magical ice motes swirling about the monsters continue to sap at her health, slicing through her like an icy wind. Unfortunately she isn't able to get past the undead and into a flanking position. The heavy blade of her weapon crunches into the ground, splintering the floorboards. Castiel sidesteps to the left and casts a color spray spell aimed up and to the right. "Taste the Rainbow!" He shouts. A myriad of colors wash over the fleeing brigand and the zombie. As they fade, the bandit is left in an unconscious heap on the floor, though the walking corpse seems undisturbed by the arcane display.
A pulse of dark energy engulfs the room for but a second. As it passes the skeletons the cracks in their bones and ice knit as though they were never wounded.
Castiel circles around the table and fires his crossbow at the remaining bandit, but the shot veers wide and thunks harmlessly into the door behind the brigand. Castiel hears profane chanting near him and dark energies appear above the dark bandit, spiraling down into the corpse. The air chills noticeably as the body shudders and convulses before rising rigidly beside the sorcerer with a vacant stare. 22 Zahim gasps as he recognises the obvious telltale signs of someone praying for evil magic. "Guys...there is a grave sense of profane divinity about, it just sucked the very life out of that bandit!" he cries as he dashes away from his current assailant and tries again to connect with a bolt of fire. The flames lick at the criminal's flesh and severely burn him, but he remains standing. The other skeletal warrior continues to attack Sonja with blade and claw alike. The mindless creature fails to strike her as its attacks are without the slightest bit of finesse.
The bandit that Zahim burned grasps at its wounds and grimaces, and decides to retreat to safety. He turns and heads for the door and begins work on removing the heavy bar blocking his escape. The freshly-made walking dead swipes down with a fist at Castiel, its might far greater than it could have ever hoped for in life. The mage is able to hop away from the crushing blow.
Sonja darts toward Zahim and around the skeletons, both lashing out with their old, rusted scimitars. One draws a long gash on rogue's leg, the other fails to connect. Snapping her crossbow into position, she looses a bolt, catching the undead monstrosity in the eye. A spiderweb of cracks mar the bones and ice, but the creature remains standing, and silencing menacing Sonja at the command of the unseen entity.
The skeleton furthest from her pursues; unable to resist its previous command it opens itself up to a strike from Embrianna. The half-orc connects with a glancing blow, her axe-head turning aside on the slick bones, but still managing to wound the creature. It continues its assault on Sonja, but its attacks are in vain.
Spiraling motes of frost in the air around the undead sap Embrianna's vitality as she attacks the skeleton wounded by Sonja with another mighty chop, taking advantage of her flanking position, but it deftly side-steps, avoiding the blow.
Sonja deftly kicks the bandit beside her as he lunges forward. His blade grazes her side as her strike drops him, unconscious, to the floor. A second ice-coated skeleton shambles out of the room on the upper floor and lumbers toward the rogue. Not sure what manner of creature the skeleton is, but deciding it is likely more dangerous than the sick bandits, Embrianna moves over to it and takes swing at it. The bandit on the table takes a swipe at her as she passes, but the attack is in vain. The skeletal monster sidesteps the half-orcs ferocious chop, and stares at her with its empty eye-sockets.
The bandit atop the table turns his attention back toward the party's mage, but, sneezing, his stabs and slashes are clumsey and the sorcerer can dodge them with ease. Cas steps to where Embrianna was previously standing and fire his loaded crossbow, reloading it afterwords. His bolt sinks into the brigand's chest, and the ill man quickly collapse in a grim heap. "Hey! I'm pretty good with this thing." Castiel comments dryly.
Chanting is heard beneath the stairs and suddenly dark motes of energy swirl around the bandit that Cas just dropped. The criminal's eyes pop open and he screeches as a dark, humanoid-shapped mist erupts from his gaping mouth and spirals into nothingness above him, leaving a desiccated, and obviously very dead corpse where the bleeding bandit once lay. Spellcraft DC 21:
Someone unseen just successfully cast death knell upon the dying bandit. Zahim reckons he's seen something like these creatures in a book...and like books, they hate fire. Zahim takes a quick shift closer and points his finger at the frigid abomination. A bolt of flame erupts from his hand, but misses horribly, leaving naught but a scorch mark upon the hardwood floor. The first skeleton starts its assault on Sonja, slashing out with both a scimitar and a wickedly sharp claw.
She narrowly dodges both strikes, her quick relfexes saving her from some very real harm at the monster's bony hands. The bandit Zahim stepped away from pursues. "Don't you walk away from me!" He stabs out with his shortsword, but the attack is laughable at best.
Castiel quickly weaves a spell. Though his magic has no visible effects, it leaves one of the bandits on the table reeling confused. A door opens at the top of the stairs and footfalls are heard on the balcony and down the steps, though no one sees a thing. "The one on the left," a gruff voice commands from somewhere unseen. Zahim retaliates with his own swipe, trying to catch the bandit in the knees, but it shifts away just in time and the morningstar swings harmlessly where his legs were. "Damn you, feet do NOT go on the table! Did your mother never teach you manners?" he retorts and moves away, easily dodging the ill warriors attempts to wound him.
The shambling form of a skeleton strides out the doorway on the second story with surprising speed and grace. Its body is half encased in a thin layer of ice and white motes of supernaturally cold snow hang in the air around it. It heads down the stairs and straight for Sonja, who feels the air magically chilling near the undead monster. One of the bandits pursues Zahim . He steps on the tail of the skunk as he goes, spooking the tiny creature. It sprays him with a vile musk, choking the air, and he is unable to attack the priest in response.
Sonja's bolt catches a brigand in the side, and he grits his teeth in pain, almost falling over from the wound, but remains standing, glaring at the rogue. Embrianna's axe cleaves deep into the shoulder of one of the bandits before her, dropping him to the floor in with a single swing. The final bandit makes his way out off the room and climbs up onto the table with his ally. He casts his gaze back and forth between Castiel and the priests, coughing all the while. Finally he settles on attacking the sorcerer, rapidly stabbing down at his mid-section with his shortsword. His attacks are awkward and interrupted by a sneezing fit, making them horribly miss even Cas' unarmored frame. Seeing his friend die to the half-orcs blow and reeling with anger at Sonja, the brigand she wounded darts away from the ranger and rushes at the woman who shot him with a crossbow, leaving himself open to attack. Embrianna is unable to take advantage of the opening, however. The bandit fails to land any attack.
Seeing no enemies from her vantage point, she quickly darts down the stairs to assist in the upcoming battle . One of the bandits, taking advantage of the surprise of the door being kicked open, pushes past his ally and heads straight for Embrianna. His shoulder slump noticeably as he moves and stabs (poorly) with his shortsword. He is visibly sick and tired.
"Looks like they found us," Castiel comments as he draws and loads his crossbow. A second bandit closes in on the ranger and attacks as well, his attack striking truer than his friend's clumsy gouge.
Zahim hears the bandits below and decides to leave Sonja to be sneaky and not give her away. He moves back down the stairs to aid the others already seen by the bandits. Another brigand moves past the doorway and steps up onto the table, pursuing the priest and striking down at him.
Double-checking the positions on the map; no, I suppose not. But the commotion is easy enough to hear that you are aware of trouble.
Sonja creeps up to the balcony, seeing it leads only to a short hallway, with a door set into the wall. From within she is able to hear muttered words, but they are too indistinct to make out. As she does so Embrianna shuts the door and lays the nearby heavy beam across it. The southern door, that the recently felled brigand was reaching toward is suddenly kicked open. Through the portal, from their vantage point, Castiel and Embrianna can see four beds, two large chests, and a single table with four chairs occupy the room. Three windows look out to the east, west,
A quartet of bandits stand there in sorry state, swords in shaking hands. They are apparently quite ill, with dark rings under their eyes and disgusting mucus dripping from their noses. One sneezes and another coughs while the one that threw open the door looks at the blood and the body of his fallen compatriot with a scowl, before turning his glare to the sorcerer and the half-orc.
Rolls:
Zahim will move up and try to crack the bandit in the leg to hobble him. "Halt, villain! His strike drops the bandit to a knee, but the brigand manages to remain upright. Sonja rushes in next to the priest, and with a rapid slash, cuts short the bandits life.
You've entered a room with a large table and two benches that run the length of a hall, and a twenty-foot-high vaulted ceiling rises into the rafters overhead. To the west, a roaring fireplace provides a welcome heat and light while to the south, a flight of stairs ascends to a wooden balcony overlooking the room. A skunk is curled up near the warm of the fire. Perception DC 20: Confused murmurs can be heard through the door to the south that the bandit was heading for before before Sonja and Zahim put him down.
I'm going to need the map to resolve this next round, so I'll post it tonight when I get off of work (a bit after 11 PM GMT-6).
Zahim centers on one of his assailants and cracks him in the side of the leg, bringing him down (but not out). Sonja draws her dagger and move into the fray. The least wounded of the bandits looks around at his comrades. In less than 10 seconds time three lay dead and a fourth is heavily wounded. Quickly, he withdraws within the lodge, heading straight for a door to the south. Cas points his finger at the remaining bandit. And his Acid Ray shoots from his other hand into the snow. "Right. Not a lefty," he comments dryly. Embrianna moves on to the next bandit still standing and attacks it. With a single sweep her axe rends his spine and sends him sprawling into the snow.
It's a tiny animal with a minor special ability, just like a snake or bat. I don't know why it isn't a choice. I'd have a gnome wizard grab on in a heartbeat.
Noises are heard inside, likely the bandits preparing to defend against an assault as their makeshift alarm was tripped. While Zahim's prayer weaves a spells bolstering the party's combat prowess Sonja takes cover at the treeline as Castiel and Embrianna slink out of sight; the sorcerer behind cover and the ranger pressed against the side of the lodge. Then, all is still and quiet for a moment after Embrianna tosses in the smelly creature, save for the rush of wind and snow around the massive cabin. There is a faint scuffling inside and a sudden, sharp cry of alarm. The door bursts open and brigands pour out, five in total, a disgusting stentch wafting with them. One of the men vomiting uncontrollably. All but the one losing his lunch notice Embrianna's hiding place, but none seem to notice Cas.
Rolls:
Hunch does say that is involves making a gut assessment of the social situation; getting a feeling that someone is trustworthy may very well mean in that particular instance, not in general.
Sense Motive DC 20 for a hunch. Hunch: This use of the skill involves making a gut assessment of the social situation. You can get the feeling from another's behavior that something is wrong, such as when you're talking to an impostor. Alternatively, you can get the feeling that someone is trustworthy.
It doesn't take too long for Embrianna to find some skunk tracks. It seems that the creatures' instincts are confused as they mill about a bit aimlessly. The rapid cold set in during Summer, far too early in the year for them to hibernate, leaving them awkward and unsure about the cold and snow. The half-orc ranger is easily able to coax one calmly toward her and collects the tiny animal. Donning one of the brigand's thick fur cloaks, Embrianna approaches the lodge, smelly bundle in her grasp. As she moves in closer, she stumbles over a nearly invisible wire about 15 feet from the massive cabin. A faint click followed by a twang is heard. A well hidden crossbow resting on an overhang over the back porch releases a bolt.
After it unleashes its projectile the weapon falls to the deck with thump, trailing behind it a string of snow-covered clay pots which shatter noisily.
Hm.... Could you cleave a target with Mirror Image, and if you hit (the creature, or an image) make an attack at the remaining images/creature? No. The figments share the space of the caster while Cleave requires the 2nd target to be adjacent to the 1st.
The attack didn't miss. It hit; it just targeted a figment. The caster of mirror image is unharmed. ...If the attack is a hit, roll randomly to see whether the selected target is real or a figment...
"A bit over a dozen windows and two entrances on the ground floor," the brigand replies to Embrianna's inquiry.
Okay, with Zahim abstaining, and Castiel and Embrianna voting for option #1, we will go ahead and retcon the damage and fatigue on Embrianna and Sonja and go by the rules in the CRB/PRD as opposed to those in the Reign of Winter AP.
There is a discrepency between the CRB/PRD and the Reign of Winter AP. In the CRB/PRD it is stated that characters in weather of 1 to 40 degrees F need to make Fort saves every hour or take nonlethal damage and become fatigued. Having endure elements active negates the need for this check. The Snows of Summer states the same thing. However, in the Snows of Summer it is stated that you gain a bonus on the save if you are wearing a cold weather outfit, which is how we have been running so far, while in the CRB/PRD it is stated that you do nto need to make the save at all if you are protected (via cold weather gear). When the temperature drops to 0 degrees or below the check is made every 10 minutes instead, or once an hour with a cold weather outfit. The weather does get that cold during the evening, but during that time the party has thus far been camped around a fire, negating the need for the saves. We have 2 choices; 1. We can keep running the module as it is written, where you need to make the Fort save every hour vs. the nonlethal cold damage and fatigue, which seems to be part of the difficulty of the adventure (albeit a minor part). Or... 2. We can change to be in line with the standard PF rules, where the saves during daytime travel are eschewed for those protected by cold weather outfits, and we can retcon to fix the damage and fatigue currently on Embrianna and Sonja. I'd like your imput on this at your convienence.
"I don't know much 'bout magics, so I don't much care. Rohkar always spends a hour in private every morning. Claims 'e needs time for 'uninterrupted study of arcane secrets.' Necromancer's probably the right word for it."
"If we don't go back at t'end of our watch, one, maybe two, o' the boys on the next shift will come lookin' for us. If t'ey don't come back wit' good news, the lodge'll be locked up tighter 'n Cayden's wine cellar. An' I wouldn't put it past ol' Rohkar to off some of the sick an raise 'em as undead so 'e 'as guards that don't need no sleep," the brigand replies.
The bandit blinks and stares incredulously for a moment at the sorcerer before responding. "Much," he spits. "Twelve o' us altoget'er, includin' us, but a 'andful o' the boys are sick wit' the shakes. T'irteen, if you count old Rohkar, plus whatever undead toys 'e's got. An' fourteen when you add in t'at new one, Tacey. But I don't trust no 'alf-orc as far as I can t'row 'em," he continues, pausing and visibly shrinking away from Embrianna as he realizes that he's in the presence of one. "An' we took the girl because Rohkar told us to and we got a piece o' the loot from the 'it. The boss 'as got some plan for 'er involvin' those chill fey 'e's got us workin' wit', but I ain't know what it is, an' I don't much care as long as the coin an' ale keeps flowin'."
The bandit starts to reply, but his response is incoherent due to the gag in his mouth.
I believe Cas mentioned wanting to leave one unharmed for questioning. Did you have anything in particular to ask of tor prisoner or are you ready to head down to the bandits' hideout?
As the ranger ties the trio, Castiel and Sonja pummel two of them into deep unconciousness, leaving the third unharmed . By the time the party finishes, the unharmed bandit is already beginning to stir. Still blinded for several seconds as he awakens, he shouts out in fear, the sound mostly muffled by the gag.
Updated the Campaign Info tab with a new map for the next area; I will have a post in the gameplay thread within the next couple of hours.
A spray of multicolored lights erupts from Castiel's palm, engulfing the trio. When the colors fade, all three mean lay snoring in the snow.
"...or 'e takes our 'eads for disobeying orders," one of the bandits replies. "Aside from that, Rohkar don't know who ye are or what ye gots. Or that ye are even coming to see him. What the boss don't know, won't hurt him," interjects another. "And if you have really got something valuable to make a lucrative deal, what is to stop us from simply killing you now and taking it?" Answers the third.
As Sonja and Embrianna creep into position and ready their weapons Zahim approaches and speaks. The trio of brigands seem startled at first; their hands moving quickly toward their sword belts before taking a second glance. They then look visibly relieved, and almost amused, that an unarmored half-elf and a man wearing the trappings of a priest would so boldly approach them in the thick of the woods. The move to meet the cleric halfway as he moves, holding up a hand for him to halt before getting too close. Due to Zahim's gentle words the bandits don't seem immediately hostile. "Oh, you 'eard 'bout t'girl?" One asks mockingly. "Heldrenn sent ye' t'play 'ero, an' retrieve 'er, that it?" "Looks like we got ourselves a couple of upstart mercenaries on our hands," comments another to his friend. "Rohkar's Raiders ain't keen on making no deal with the locals, and we're a bit out of your league, lads, so you best be shoving off now before we decide to waylay you as well," he finishes, turning back toward Zahim.
The ball's in the PC's court.
Zahim and the sorcerer head up the steep ridge while Sonja and the ranger head off the same direction through the trees not far away. After climbing at least a hundred feet into the hills, the snowy trail finally levels off. In a clearing among the trees quite a ways ahead, a large wooden lodge overlooks a ravine spanned by a long rope bridge. Smoke rises from the lodge’s two snow-covered chimneys, and large woodpile is stacked against the outer wall. A small outbuilding stands east of the lodge, and a stone well nearly blanketed by snow is barely recognizable to the north. Several tracks lead southwest toward a detached stable. More immediately the party notices a trio of ruffians wearing padded armor and bucklers on the trail between themselves an the lodge. The bandits seem to be busy arguing over how to split some recently acquired loot among themselves and who owe what to whom in gambling debts. So distracted are they that don't even seem to notice Castiel and Zahim approach, much less Embrianna and Sonja sneaking past in the woods. Spoiler:
After a nights rest in the bitter cold, with only a campfire to warm you, your muscles are stiff and sore. Luckily, Zahim's magic cures the worst of your wounds. You travel until shortly before noon through the snow-covered forest uneventfully. Saves, for brevity:
The trail begins to climb a ridgeline to the south beneath snow-laden trees. The prints of boots and horses mar the freshly fallen snow on the trail.
Embrianna is able to find an excellent spot to set up for the night; a nearby copse of dead trees and a high drift of snow provide both a break from the howling winds and concealment from any natural (or unnatural, as the case may warrant) predators within the Border Wood. Without an incredibly thorough search it is unlikely that any fey or bandits will be able to find your camp. Even with dry wood scarce in the unrelenting snow, the ranger is quickly able to start a fire, and it isn't long until you are able to warm yourselves and rest.
Goodness, that's a half-dozen. "Enough players interested" doesn't seem to be a question. I agree. There is far more interest than anticipated. It has been a while since I've played with the system, but now that I know there are players interested I'll dig out my book and re-familiarize myself with it. After I'm done I'll open a recruitment thread post a link here. With the size of the book it shouldn't take too long; even with limited free time I should have something put together in a few weeks.
Zahim awakens less than 30 seconds later to the shattered remains of the two ice monsters atop the frozen lake. Embrianna appears wounded from the battle, but Castiel seems none worse for the wear (past a little tinnitus, of course). Sonja is in the worst shape—still out cold, though no longer slowly bleeding out.
Tough battle; good work.
Embrianna lets go of the priest after hauling onto the ice and resumes her two-handed grip upon her axe as she swings at the creature that just hit her. Her powerful chop connects and shatters the ice-monster into jagged shards. Castiel, hoping to stop the bleeding of his fellow northerner, moves to tend to her wounds. With a bit of effort and a bit of luck, the sorcerer manages to stabilize Sonja's condition.
"What the hell?!" Startled by the spray of colors going off nearby, Embrianna spares a glance around and sees Zahim going under. Willing to risk leaving herself exposed to an attack, she attempts to move near enough to grab him with one hand and drag him up onto the ice. The creature siezes the oppurtunity and slams its frozen fist painfully into her side, but she manages to shrug off the numbness that begins coursing through her body and hefts the unconcious priest from the icy stream. Sonja and one of the two monsters still lay motionless, with the former bleeding badly.
"Nicely done Embrianna," Cas comments on her timely saving of the fire priest. The sorcerer swiftly moves into a flank with his guide and jams his staff into the creature. His blow with the staff breaks off more chunks of ice from it body. Between the wounds inflicted by Castiel and Sonja, it looks terribly wounded. It fiercely retaliates, but ready for the counter-attack, the mage deftly avoids the onslaught.
This battle is turning out to be some series of unfortunate rolls. |
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