"I would perfer if we were to leave this place and push on, however, it would be good to have a roof over our heads for once on this long and dangerous jurney. I vote for staying the night in there." he states as he looks at the building with interest. "I wonder woh built it?"
The group spent a truly miserable night in the trench. They were exceptionally glad of the extra-dimensional space Marcus provided as their watch pattern witnessed no less than three separate instances of Acid Rain as well as a suspicious-looking low-hanging fog, moving sluggishly over the trench. The fog seemed sentient, and consisted of a mass of noxious, greenish-yellow air...
Blah, useless dwarves, not even able to tunnel into the sides of the trench to make a shelter and protect a horse. I always thought it was what dwarves dreamed about, digging into the earth. thinks a disconsolate Zanzu as he hears the screams of the horse interrupt his sleep.
Rolling out of the rope trick and into the muddy trench, the group's mood was a fairly miserable one as the thick mist continued to block direct sunlight as they scaled the trench, marching west towards the marked outpost.
After a couple of hours marching through the Boiling Lands, the group came across the large trench marked on the map. Guessing they were slightly south of their intended position, Barak led the group north through the trenches. The mists seemed to shift for a brief moment, revealing the outpost before them as they approached- rising above the system of trenches like a monument, was the one tower that still remained intact after all these years. Of rough-hewn timbers sharpened into fire-hardened points at the ends, this tower likely weathered many battles in the war and now centuries of neglect, but has not succumbed to the deterioration of its fellows. The wooden walls of this tower still bear the scars of many of these attacks.
Moving north through the trench to approach the tower, the group noted a defensive platform to their west and in front of them- a wooden palisade of sharpened logs rises 10 feet above the trench here providing cover for the side spur that allows entry to the trench (opposite this platform, to the east, also significantly in front of you). At the lip of the trench a wooden platform protrudes from the palisade providing a firing position for the loopholes in the log wall. The soggy remains of a wooden ladder climb the 10 feet from the trench floor to the platform above.
The floor of the trench is a foot deep in thick mud and, as with all of the terrain here in the Boiling Lands, is considered shallow bog for movement purposes. The mud stinks from all the contaminants and rotten carcasses that have fallen into it over the long years.
+2 in Desert (Favoured Terrain)
In the last hour Marcus has clearly been nervous that he's led the group on a fool's errand but he nods in evident satisfaction as the tower comes into sight.
Our map proves right again. When we're back at the Camp I'm going to buy a round in memory of our errant draftsperson.
Lets be ready. I have no doubt Durin is right and something is going to have occupation of the place. Undead would be my guess. Who knows under what circumstances the place was abandoned? It clearly once belonged to the Armies of the Light. See how all the defences are pointed towards Tsar?
He fiddles in his bag, taking out a smoke stick. As they march forward, Zanzu thinks better of better perusing the fortifications, instead he just moves under the shadow of the trench and starts to put mud on his feathers, anything to make him blend with the natural environment here.
Having reached the cross-section of the trench, Marcus enlarged Durin. To the left of the group and a little ahead, was a ten foot high defensive platform, with the soggy remains of a ladder leading up it, while to the right, the north-south trench extended east towards stairs leading out of the trench.
Kirliarien and Zanzu had an inkling that something was wrong when they spotted three tiny heads, each sporting a pair of eyes peeping over the palisade on the platform above them, while Khun-Duhn felt thet familiar crawling sensation that things were about to start happening...
Round 0 (Surprise)-
Ordered Initiative-
Marcus (not acting)- 27
Oozes- 25
Kirilarien- 24
Zanzu- 18
Barak (not acting)- 18
Mudmen- 15
Durin (not acting)- 14
Lord Vincent (not acting)- 13
Khun-Duhn (not acting)- 9
Arachiel (not acting)- 6
Active Effects-
Map-
Notes-
Action-
Just before Kirliarien or Zanzu could react, the small, winged humanoids exploded into action. With a mischievous cackle, one of them conjured a Stinking Cloud, amplifying the already potent toxins in the air of the Boiling Lands and concentrating them around the party...
The other two small creatures conjured small bolts of acid, hurling them at Durin while cackling in glee in a strange, lispy tongue. One of them somehow sailed over the massive Dwarf's head, while the other pierced his forearm, leaving the flesh hissing as it burned into his skin.
Surprise
Surprisingly resistant to the cloud, Marcus' familiar has time for a quick glance at her master before flying up and out of the dangerous cloud.
She directs her attention to the mephits, speaking to them in a slightly strange but clear inflection.
Truespeech Creatures of the elements! You make a grave mistake. My companions are not to be trifled with. Stop before you are slain!
Zanzu attempts to climb the walls of the trench and out of the cloud, holding the smokestick in his beak.
Zanzu failed to make any headway climbing the muddy walls of the trench but at least managed not to fall and injure himself.
Before and behind the group, several humanoids began to form out of the thick mud itself, twisting and shaping themselves into 4 foot tall, stocky creature of mud. They have long, thick arms, bandy legs, and round, featureless heads. Their bodies appear to be composed of mud and debris, the stench rising from them is enough to make eyes water.
Surprise Round:
Khun-duhn growls a prayer to Muir to imbue his horsechopper with magical energies.
Round 1
In the middle of the cloud, Marcus is suddenly unable to see anything at all, including the creatures coming up out of the ground. Coughing and heaving he moves backwards, fumbling in his pockets for a scroll case and not quite making it out of the spell's effect (-E,10 for 15' move).
Round 1-
Ordered Initiative-
Marcus- 27
Ooze Mephits- 25
Kirilarien- 24
Zanzu- 18
Barak- 18
Mudmen- 15
Durin (not acting)- 14
Lord Vincent (not acting)- 13
Khun-Duhn (not acting)- 9
Arachiel (not acting)- 6
Active Effects-
Map-
Notes-
Action-
Marcus moved to the edge of the Stinking Cloud, surprised to see two mud creatures stood 20 feet away. Each of the mephits seemed to be focusing on some kind of spell, to no visible effect.
Round 1
Kiri flies back towards Marcus, crossing over the eastern side of the trench. Suddenly, a giant lumbering dwarf that closely resembles Durin appears on the southern edge of the cloud and wades toward the closest mud creature, hefting a large hammer. The dwarf makes no obvious sound though.
The cloud that descended on the group smelled truly foul but Barak had been bought up running supplies in to mines filled with hardworking sweaty dwarves. focusing on the foes behind the battlements him Barak fired 3 measured shots 1 bolt for each of the 3 targets.
Zanzu coughed and spluttered as he moved towards the south end of the Stinking Cloud, reaching the edge but not quite escaping it due to the thick mud.
Barak, meanwhile, stood his ground in the foul clouds and fired up at the three small creatures above. Despite the cover they enjoyed upon the platform, his first shot took one of the Mephits high in the shoulder and it shrieked in pain, its concentration on whatever spell it was casting disrupted. His second bolt passed straight through the skull of one of the creatures, killing it instantly, while the third completely missed its mark; thudding firmly into the palisade providing the flying nuisances with cover.
The mudmen began to press the attack against the beleaguered group.
On the south side, one of the mudmen leaped through the air, becoming a large splash of mud rather than a formed creature; and passed directly through the illusionary Dwarf. The second mudmen moved slowly towards Zanzu and hurled a glob of mud at the Tengu, the projectile falling short with a wet splash.
To the north, the painfully slow mudmen approached the stinking cloud. Two mudmen hurled themselves at Barak and Arachiel, the former ducking as the formerly humanoid mudman sailed over his head and the latter struck head-on by the mudman assailing him. The mud sticking to Arachiel rapidly solidified around his head and upper body, suffocating the Aasimar, and exposing him to the deadly toxins contained within the mudman...
The other mudman close to Barak closed in and without ceremony, simply slugged him across the face with a powerful punch consisting of solid mud. His lip split from the blow, Barak could feel toxins trying to overwhelm his body but he fought them off.
A toxic mudman attacks by hurling globs of mud at its opponent. These globs deal no damage, other than the effects of the mudman’s poison, and have a range increment of 10 feet. A successful ranged touch attack means the mud glob hits the target and solidifies in the same round.
A creature hit by a mud glob suffers a –2 circumstance penalty to its attack rolls and a –4 circumstance penalty to effective Dexterity. The creature must succeed at a DC 15 Reflex save or become stuck to the ground. Even on a successful save, the creature moves at half speed. A creature stuck to the ground can break free with a successful DC 22 Strength check or by dealing 10 points of damage to the hardened mud with a bludgeoning weapon (AC 2). Once free, a character can move at half speed. A character capable of spellcasting that is bound by the mud must make a DC 15 Concentration check to cast a spell. The mud becomes brittle and crumbles away after 20 minutes, ending all movement and other penalties.
Additional hits by the globs increase the Reflex save DC, Strength check DC, and Concentration check DC by +1 per hit. The penalties to attack rolls and Dexterity do not increase with each successive hit.
Things were going from bad to worse for the unfortunate Arachiel, however, as the approaching mudmen threw globs of mud at him. The stout Paladin was rapidly looking like a mud golem with the amount covering him as all three mudmen struck true. Stuck to the ground and suffocating, the Paladin could take little comfort in his one defence holding true; thus far he had resisted the formidable amount of poison affecting him.
___________________________________________________________________________
Durin, Lord Vincent, Khun-Duhn and Arachiel are up... Remember both your movement restrictions (half speed) and your current vision (5 foot vision only unless at the edge of Stinking Cloud or outside it) as well as saving against Stinking Cloud again at the end of your turn if you remain in the cloud!
Vincent, now being active and stuck in this cloud begins to advance forward with his sword out as he walks in a random direction to try and find a way out.
He heads south in the confusion and by putting all his effort into the walking he manages to leave the cloud.
If Durin felt the acid or noticed the awful smell of the conjured cloud he did not react outwardly. No cry escaped his lips. No grimace creased his face. The only response was the eerie howling sound his hammer made as it arced through the air driven by his rage. His blow smashed into the closest ooze mephit and then carried on to one of the mudman approaching Arachiel ...
With a mighty hamme blows, Durin slew the mephit Barak had shot, near-smashing it to a pulp against the wooden platform it had futilely used as cover. On the backswing, Durin hit one of the mudmen with such horizontal force that it simply exploded in a muddy mess around the hammer that struck it.
Lord Vincent made it out of the Stinking Cloud on the south side, finding himself a short distance from the remaining mudman on that side.
Round One:
Hearing Marcus retching behind him, Khun-duhn slogs through the muck to place himself between the wizard and any enemies approaching from behind. The half-orc battle oracle emerges from the noxious cloud to find himself behind a towering dwarf that resembles Durin.
Realizing that the towering dwarf is in fact an illusion, Khun-duhn takes the opportunity to cast a protective spell upon himself.
Khun-Duhn emerged from the Stinking Cloud and cast another spell upon himself, while the sheer amount of mud clinging to Arachiel made it very difficult for him to swing his mace at his own upper body; it took all of his limited dexterity to not drop the mace entirely after the clumsy swing.
Round 2-
Ordered Initiative-
Marcus- 27
Ooze Mephits- 25
Kirilarien- 24
Zanzu- 18
Barak- 18
Mudmen- 15
Durin- 14
Lord Vincent- 13
Khun-Duhn- 9
Arachiel- 6
Active Effects-
Map-
Notes-
Action-
Round 2
Marcus stumbles out of the cloud (one square south), unable to do much more than throw grateful looks at Vincent and Khun-duhn while he empties his breakfast into the mud.
The last surviving Mephit slunk off the platform looking rather concerned, disappearing behind the structure somewhere above the trench level, moving north.
Zanzu worked his way out of the noxious cloud, emerging on the south side where only one mudman threatened.
Circling protectively above Marcus, the lyrakien lets her illusion go and fires at the closest mud creature with her crossbow.
Once again Barak find himself ankle deep in mud and unable to move with his usual precision. So once again he stands his ground and fires aiming to reduce the population of the trench.
Barak hammers the trigger of his crossbow providing an withering hail of fire to buy the others time to assist the Paladin.
Only able to see the Mudman directly in front of him, Barak destroyed it with two bolts, casually swaying away from the attacker's last uppercut as he did so. The mud making up the creature simply fell apart and into the trench as the magical bolts destroyed the creature's body.
High above, Kirilarien's bolt seemed to have absolutely no discernible effect upon the mudman she fired on.
Behind Barak and in front of Marcus and Lord Vincent, the mudmen that had thrown themselves at targets and missed slowly re-formed themselves, forming vaguely humanoid shapes from the mud that made up their forms.
The other mudman to the south hurled itself at Lord Vincent, the splurge of mud flying through the air only to land short, collapsing into the trench.
The rest of the mudmen slowly approached from the north side. Durin smashed one apart as it approached, but the other four all hurled globs of toxic mud at him- their aim off throwing into the Stinking Cloud, all but one of them missed the gigantic, lucky Dwarf!
A creature hit by a mud glob suffers a –2 circumstance penalty
to its attack rolls and a –4 circumstance penalty to effective
Dexterity. The creature must succeed at a DC 15 Reflex save
or become stuck to the ground. Even on a successful save, the
creature moves at half speed.
Arachiel smashed the remains of the mudman from off his upper body while freeing his legs from the mud globs holding him in place. He emerged triumphant from the mud, managing to resist the noxious fumes threatening to overwhelm him now he could breathe again...
Unfazed by the glob of mud, Durin stands his ground in the cloud and swings twice again at the advancing mudmen...
... slamming two of them, despite the sticky mud, obliterating both.
Round Two:
Khun-duhn pokes his enchanted horsechopper at the mudman threatening Marcus.
As a swift action, Lord Vincent shall imdue his sword with a fraction of some magical energy and then inspire courage in those around him to crush these enemies and he'll swing at the mudman nearby with his blade.
attack:
damage: