I think I'm good. Does anyone want some arrows?
No questions. Let's get to the boats and head out.
Red gorge
Was my family in town?
Any questions on the above info or are we proceeding?
Nowzai finishes detailing what he knows of the Demonskar to the others. "Never will you find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious."
"In case we encounter actual demons, beware of their resistances to magic and mundane weapons. Cold iron forged or holy blessed weapons should affect them normally. Electricity and poison will do naught to them, and other energies must be powerful to leave any mark."
Any questions on the above info or are we proceeding?
Nowzai finishes detailing what he knows of the Demonskar to the others. "Never will you find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious."
"In case we encounter actual demons, beware of their resistances to magic and mundane weapons. Cold iron forged or holy blessed weapons should affect them normally. Electricity and poison will do naught to them, and other energies must be powerful to leave any mark."
Coincidentally I just crafted another 50 of these cold iron arrows! I could probably make another 100 more before we leave if anyone is interested?
The party takes the three rowboats and sets out down the Red River. Running down stream, the party finds themselves not having to row much other than to move from side to side along the coasts looking for possible entry and portage points that Alek Tercival might have taken.
The day's heat is oppressive and mosquitoes, gnats and flies are out in force, making for a miserable trip. The water is equally full of fauna as the various fish ... some with teeth ... break the surface to catch the flying insects when they alight on the water to take a break. The rest of you have to deal with the constant buzzing and biting as well as the occasional frustrated slap from one of your boat mates.
The jungle is thick and the trees roots come right to the edge of the water, leaving very few places for a reasonable man, arguably in armor, to stop and disembark. Nemoris is able to spot at least three spots where he confirms that a lone armored man stopped and either set up camp or travelled into the jungle. In all cases, the tracks are over a week old and lead back to the river as well as away from it, and the party concludes these are old leads, although likely from Alek.
Near twilight, however, as you begin to discuss whether to continue in the dark and start the age old debate about light, you notice a couple of things on the horizon.
The first seems to be a massive dark shape jutting above the jungle on the southern shore.
The second is a red cloud floating over the river that the swift current is rapidly taking you towards
A typical bloodhaze swarm contains more than 10,000 flying mosquitoes. Individually, each mosquito is smaller than a child's fingernail, yet together they form a terrifying assault. Their iridescent wings can refract light, creating a shimmering effect as they move in unison. This effect proves disconcerting to most animals, which wisely flee such clouds, their panic often alerting other jungle inhabitants to the swarm’s presence.
Perception
Perception
Not sure if the +2 for low light was for both rolls. I am only looking at the first spoiler
"I think we should take up cap here. It looks like we might be getting somewhere. That structure in the distance show promise"
Perception -
Perception -
"I think that may be the headless demon statue on the map, we should stop here. That red mist though is 1000's of mosquitos, I am not expert but I am not going to willing move through that swarm, we should moor here before we reach them."
perception 1
perception 2
okay lets take a look at the statue
"Yes, let's check out the statue and avoid that red cloud of mosquitos."
Epik starts rowing toward the statue.
Yep, no problem, all down on my sheet. No one else has any as of yet, but I still have 4-6 hours left in town so I can kick out at least 50 more cold iron if there is interest.
Perception Checks:
#2:
Knowledge Nature:
Not much help, I do see the mass of mosquitos, but I don't know what they are specifically.
The statue is downriver near, if not past, the red cloud.
Nowzai, after a description from Nemoris, you can identify the swarm.
So, press on and sneak by the swarm ... backpaddle and wait ... or moor here and try your luck over land through the jungle undergrowth.
How far is the statue from mooring here. We should not press our luck with the swarm.
"They are not mere mosquitos..." Nowzai warns, explaining their origin and nature to the others.
"I would say hold here or moor up and see where they go."
Epik nods at Nowzai, "Yes, let's do everything possible to avoid that swarm."
Agreed, I don't think we want any part of those mosquitos. If we have no choice, has anyone faced a swarm before? I think I remember a spell in one of our adventures that had us fight a somewhat similar foe?
On my iPad sorry no brackets.
I could memorize a fireball spell in about 15 minutes if we want to try and destroy it. I am assuming we are resting soon so I will recover the spell as we sleep so nothing is lost.
Maybe we could also summon something that they would follow off into the woods and we could pass safely?
"It is getting late, we should set up camp on shore and wait till they pass. We can move out again in the first light of morning. No reason to push it"
The party holds up, paddling to the south side of the river bank and tying up to one of the jungle's trees to watch and wait, settling in to the boats as they turn down river and gently bump into one another in the current.
The red swarm of mosquitos ebbs and flows, forming up into a funnel and then collapsing down into a large flat spread across the water. The mosquitos pulse rhythmically back and forth in this manner in an almost hypnotic dance, the buzzing of thousands of wings carrying slightly up the water to the party.
Suddenly the artful dance of nature is interrupted by an explosive eruption from the water with an agonizing hiss-like roar. At this distance and at this hour, it's tough to make out, but some sort of large reptilian creature emerges from the water, covered in a red liquid that can only be blood. The mosquitoes converge almost instantly on the creature and after several long moments of frothing red and white water, the creature stops thrashing and collapses back, floating down the river away from you. The swarm, however, moving slower and seeming redder in hue, recoalesces and begins to move up river ... toward the party.
The swarm, however, moving slower and seeming redder in hue, recoalesces and begins to move up river ... toward the party.
I can cast longstrider on anyone less than 30 movement and we can try to avoid them. I'm a bit worried about noise and how fast they can move though. Would something like a wind spell help slow them down or disrupt them?
"We should light up some torches, that should keep them away"
"We need to keep moving before that swarm notices us."
Epik starts rowing forward.
let get into the jungle away from the swarm.
what spells does jenya have ? repel vermin?
Jenya's spells are in her profile.
Nemoris, they're not racing up the river but definitely moving this way.
Epik, the swarm occupies about half the width of the river, are you wanting to row towards them to get by or rowing back upriver against the current away from vthem?
Jenya's spells are in her profile.
Nemoris, they're not racing up the river but definitely moving this way.
Epik, the swarm occupies about half the width of the river, are you wanting to row towards them to get by or rowing back upriver against the current away from vthem?
roll20?
"I have no area damage spells prepared, but I can summon up a stationary wind wall that will repel the insects. If I arrange it down the center of the river, we may be able to row by on the other side. Does that sound like a reasonable plan?"
"The windwall idea sounds perfect. Let's go with it."
-Posted with Wayfinder
roll20?Jenya's spells are in her profile.
Nemoris, they're not racing up the river but definitely moving this way.
Epik, the swarm occupies about half the width of the river, are you wanting to row towards them to get by or rowing back upriver against the current away from vthem?
How fast is the swarm moving and how far away are they from us, and from each shore?
"I think getting to shore right now and hoping they pass us by is safer then letting them know we are here"
"I think we should row forward in the boats, staying as close to the shore as possible. Yes, let's use the wind wall to buffer the swarm away from us as we move forward. I'm hesitant to leave the boats and go on shore - that requires carrying the boats, navigating the jungle and dealing with the associated dangers."
How fast is the swarm moving and how far away are they from us, and from each shore?
"I think getting to shore right now and hoping they pass us by is safer then letting them know we are here"
Roll20 map is updated. Got 3 votes for moving forward with wind wall with 1 dissent. Anything else? Nowzai, draw the line of the wind wall where you want it.
"Go, now!"
i will start rowing
still didn't answer how fast the swarm is moving
either way I will cast fly before we shoot off down the river, I may be able to use myself as bait to keep the swarm from chasing the group if it doesn't appear that they are flying faster then I can
I felt like I answered it the first time it was asked by Nemoris.
"Row!!!"
Nowzai casts his wind wall and the roar of the winds overcomes the sound of the rushing river. It near immediately changes the course of the swarm as the mosquitos find themselves unable to fly through it. The party members all pull hard on their rowboats and with the help of the current quickly zip by the wind wall, the swarm none the wiser to your passing and you quickly leave the deadly mosquitos behind.
The boats pass through the area with the dessicated carcass of the giant lizard, alligator or dinosaur that the swarm just finished with and look down as they go by, noting an equally large swarm of hungry piranhas in the water salvaging what remains of the beast.
With a shudder, the party presses on.
The statue comes into line of sight visibility on a large beach runnnimg along the northern bank of the Red River here. It is a badly weathered stone statue of some sort of humanoid creature standing at the edge of the jungle, overlooking the beach. The statue's neck ends in a stump, and its expressive canine head lies in the sand a few feet away. Patches of mold and moss grow on the statue, but the vegetation around it seems to have been cleared away recently. A narrow trail winds off to the northwest and into the jungle just beyond the statue.
You hear a crack as the air around you explodes with concussive force.
sonic damage and Fort Save DC12 or be stunned 1 round
sonic damage and Fort Save DC12 or be stunned 1 round
sonic damage and Fort Save DC12 or be stunned 1 round
sonic damage and Fort Save DC12 or be stunned 1 round
-Posted with Wayfinder
Fort Save -
Fort Save -
Perception -
Initiative -
Let me know if I can act before I am stunned
Perception
Fort Save
Dalamus will draw his bow and fire an arrow at one of the lizards with a wand.
Attack
Damage
"Lizard men on the beach!!
As an immediate action Epik will don his armor via the crystal. He then rows to the beach and moves into the statue area.
perception
fort
Elder stay with Nemoris i am going to follow Epik
moving to support Epik
are we close to the shore
How fast is the swarm moving and how far away are they from us, and from each shore?
"I think getting to shore right now and hoping they pass us by is safer then letting them know we are here"
Both Fort saves:
Perception Check:
I'll wait to see what Jenya is doing on her turn before I determine what my first full round action is. Not delaying or anything, but if she dives out of the boat it'll obviously change what I do.
Also, as we've been on this river for quite some time, do we have a feel for how fast the current is? Would we know how far each round we'll drift if no one rows?