DM Papa.DRB - Moru Country (Inactive)

Game Master Papa-DRB

Misha hesitated on adding anything, as she didn't want to bombard the dwarf with words from several different people, but she felt reinforcing the reason they had come might not hurt.

"As our comrade Josef Guardson explained, we also heard you were looking for assistance. If this is not the case, we apologize for trespassing. If it is, we are experienced travellers, and wish to know how we may provide our services to the mighty dwarves of Stonehold.

"As the warrior Borris Livestrom here noted, we are Pathfinders from the southwest. The rest of our company--Dain Haladorn was the warrior who introduced us," she points to Dain, then points to everyone else in turn, "this is holy Sister Redona of Sarenrae, and our scouts, Sezira Shalan and Rikar Sarakin. I am Misha Keroun, a scholar and explorer."

Diplomacy 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Well, never mind then. Geez, this die roller has really had it out for me of late. ;)

i cant wait for diplomacy to be a classskill lolz :-)

"Did this creature" and he points at the goblin, "have any tribal symbols on him or his equipment?'

assumption - you will tell him about the Storm Cloud symbol

Belur ponders your response for a moment, and comes to a conclusion. Turning to his men, "Daar. Idi unutra i dobiti kapetan kamenim i zamoliti ga da nam se pridruže."

About ten minutes later, a dwarf comes out, decked in full plate armor, with a shield strapped to his back and carrying a well made warhammer. As he starts to speak, he notices a dwarf besides his own men, and switches from Dwarven to Common. "Belur, what is going on here. Why are you outside speaking to strangers? And what is that thing doing here?" Belur simply grins, and says, "Captain, they have captured this Storm Cloud goblin, and believe that we have need of assistance with something. I thought it best to have you speak with them."

Captain Cobblestone nods and looks to you and says, "so why are you here? And what do you want?"

Anyone who talks directly to the Captain, please include a diplomacy roll in your post

"Captain, as Belur has told you, we heard Stonehold was looking for outsiders--my understanding was that you needed assistance with something, but if we are wrong, we do not mean to waste your time.

"We are otherwise members of the Pathfinder Society, intending to explore Mount Moru--and are alarmed to hear of increased numbers of goblins and orcs organizing, like the goblin we've turned in. Perhaps even if there's nothing we can help you with directly, we could share information and expertise, given I gather we potentially face a shared threat?"

Let's try this again. Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Initially we got the location and a bit of information about your great keep from the journals of Fiall Garnwynn who is the main reason how we got to come here. In his tales he wrote about mighty dwarves having a secure place in the rocks. We hope to receive all the knowledge we can from you mighty dwarves to aid us in the quest to investigate mount Moru.

diplomacy 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

The dice are not in our favour! :-)

Dain looks surprised by the virtual flurry of words coming from his comrades. For a brief moment he thinks of saying something more, but decides that too many words have already been said. Dain simply looks at the Captain Cobblestone, and shruggs his shoulders after bowing his head slightly.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 6 + 1 = 20 Thankyou!!!

Sezira steps forward and pulls back her cloak hood revealing her Elven features, "Good Captain Cobblestone, we have travelled a very long distance to get here and have fought both orcs and goblin on the way. Our main mission is to go to the heart of Moru. But I for one, was hoping I would at least have the chance to see if your fine dwarven ale matches that of my peoples." She offers him a smile at the last challenge, "Would you allow us shelter? Out here hardly seems the place to discuss matters of import."

Yea! A good diplomacy roll!

Captain Cobblestone turns to Sezira and chuckles. "Well lass, perhaps another time we can have a drinking contest, but right now there is something a bit more pressing on my mind."

Looking much more serious, he pauses and then says,"I have a mission for your group. We sent a small force to investigate the inside of the Mount a few months back. This was before the goblin and orcs invaded the upper portions of the Mount about a month ago. We have not heard from our force and need someone to scout the goblin fortress, find out its strengths, its weaknesses, take out the leaders if possible, and report back here within a month."

"As an incentive to bring back this information and proof, we offer 2,500 gold pieces total, and of course you keep what ever booty you find within." His voice lowers somewhat, "and if you can find information on any of our kin being held by the forces, we will give you an additional 1,000 gold pieces."

He looks over the group to see their reactions and responses.

Borris tries his best to be charismatic. This sounds as music to our ears! As we said we are here to investigate the Mount and are happy to share the information with you good folks! Although we hoped to get a little more information from your side I can see now that you also seek what we do. We will do the best effort to bring you what we learn!

Diplomacy?? 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Misha as usual is about to open her mouth, but pauses, deciding not to bombard the dwarf with further commentary. Borris, over-enthusiastic though he might be, certainly indicated their acceptance well enough. She simply nods her agreement, fueling her usual energy into the vigorousness of the nod.

She looks at Dain with a raised eyebrow; if anyone thinks anything more should be said, she'd rely on the judgment of the fellow who grew up in the culture closest to the residents of Stonehold.

Sezira half smiles at his comment, then listens to what he proposes. It seemed to fit perfectly with their mission, she would agree to this. Likely it would greatly aid their mission. She could trade the gold for some quality dwarven equipment. She nodded and looked around at her companions, they seemed to accept this also.

"We shal return within a month."

"I'm happy to agree with my companions on this matter. We aim to enter the mountain in any case, and if we can do you a service at the same time, so much the better. However, we'd prefer not to take this goblin with us, as he knows nothing of the mountain. Can we entrust him to your people's justice?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 ⇒ 16

Redona hoped the dwarves on the mountain were okay. She knew that orcs and goblins were bad news for anyone who wanted a peaceful trip, and if the creatures had their way, the dwarves' force was probably dead. Everyone had insisted that goblins were creatures of evil, after all. She said a silent prayer that they weren't, but didn't know that it would help. She was ready to take off again, as the large group of dwarves made her nervous.

"I am in agreement with the rest of our people. Is there anything else you can tell us about your missing dwarves, the mount, or the goblin and orc tribes nearby?"

Josef removes his notebook and charcoal as he asks the captain his questions, intent on retaining the information for use later.

1d20 - 1 ⇒ (16) - 1 = 15 diplomacy, if necessary

"The goblins fate will depend on the fate of our people still in the mountain." replies Captain Cobblestone. As all but the fellow dwarf in the party have replied in some fashion, he stares out Dain, "and how do you say rock-brother?"

Dain nods in the affirmative, and Captain Cobblestone turns to Josef. "Our brothers were exploring the upper levels of the Mount. The goblins moved into the mountain recently, and the local orc tribes are smart enough to leave us alone."

You spend the rest of the day traveling back down the path to where the Stronghold path, the Mount Moru road, and the Lost Path into the mountain intersect. After spending the night just off the trail, behind a rock outcropping, the next morning you start the slow walk up the Mount. Very late in the afternoon, near time when you would stop for camp, Rikar spots an entrance into the mountain, almost at the summit.

Dain?

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

As the party makes it way back to Mount Moru, once they're a few miles from Stonehold, Rikar comments, "That Captain Cobblestone was hiding something when he spoke to you, Josef. He was careful not to mention why the dwarves were exploring the mountain. I wonder if their reasons are the same as ours, or if they've got some completely different agenda."

And the following morning, after nearly a full day of ascending the path up the mountain, Rikar stops and says "Well, look at that. Looks like a way into the mountain. Shall we stop here and rest, and explore in the morning, or see what shelter we can find inside? I'm for stepping inside and seeing what all the fuss is about."

"It would prove unwise to camp near such a passage. Let us examine it at the least, and ensure there are no enemies within."

To Rikar: "I am unsurprised the dwarf captain withheld information. We are strangers, and they most likely were seeking ore or other valuables below. I only hope we do not fall prey to whatever is holding up their expedition. "

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Sezira watches the goblin get taken and is slightly jealous. She hoped they would be invited inside for a night at least. Another warm bed would have been nice. Best not to get soft now. We are only getting started.

on the trail
Hearing Rikar's assessment of the captain, and Josef too caused her to wonder. "I did not get that feeling from him, but it makes sense when you put it like that. If the dwarves are holed up in there we should make that a priority. It may take a while to locate the horn. Having the dwarves indebted to us would be to our benefit," she surmises, "and 3,500 gold will go a long way to helping us upgrade our equipment when we need it."

near the entrance?
Perception(looking for enemies): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11 eck
"Inside or out, we need to find a safe place to camp. But no fires. It is too close," she tells them. She begins searching for a suitable camping spot.
Stealth: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11 -_-

Sense Motive 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

"I didn't get that either, but I think you're right to be wary." Misha sighed. "If anything though, talk of this Dragon Lord keeps coming up. As I said, I think its an aspect of Rovagug. Signs keep pointing to activity in his service. The dwarves might keep their motives to themselves, but I'd hope that they and we would ultimately not be at cross purposes. Even if they would be interested in the horn or anything else down there, I think they are equally concerned by the increase in hostile tribes in the area, and they're unlikely to stop us if we have common enemies."

She nods at Sezira. "Exactly. Besides helping captive men, they'd likely prove good allies. Potentially at least."

Misha pauses. "But remember, the horn was not even our first mission--important as it is to keep it out of the hands of the Dragon Lord's Cult. We're here as a scholarly expeditionary force, to bring back evidence of the ancient civilization that might have lived here, to validate and reinforce Fiall's findings. And I cringe thinking of what artifacts the orcs and goblins might be destroying unknowingly as we speak. But the dwarves can have what minerals are down there, we are looking for a far different kind of treasure." She shakes her head. "This isn't to say the horn isn't a priority, but it isn't why Venture Captain Thorn sent us. If you were just here to bloody a few goblins and find a single artifact, you wouldn't need the best archaeologist in all Varisia." She pointed to herself, as always, so humble.

Misha looks around, at the talk of camping. "So do we risk the shelter to avoid being exposed, or risk being exposed to elude what might be beyond the shelter?" She stepped back, evaluating the landscape with an eye toward determining what would provide the most sensible campsite. Maybe Sezira would find something upon scouting, but it wouldn't hurt to take a look herself.

Survival 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

"But why would they keep secrets from us? Unless it was something super important or really bad?" Redona asks as the party discusses the dwarves' lack of desire to be entirely truthful. She didn't understand why people were secretive, but it was usually one of those reasons in her experience, and her gut told her it was true. She helped Misha look for a place to camp, wanting to be helpful.

1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5 surival

Redona wasn't adept at finding things in the wilderness, however, so she wasn't much help, tending to suggest areas that had obvious weaknesses because they looked comfortable.

Borris kind of quiet during the trip looked at Rikar and joseph I agree my instincts tell me we should scout ahead and search inside for a good defendable campsite. Anyone here who can make light? Borris didn’t respond to the questions Rikar raised on the Dwarf. Dwarves are always hiding something in the dark they are always down in those caves it's probably nothing.

Sense motive 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Rikar had stopped the group about 100 yards from the cave opening and just around the corner from where you now are. Misha notices a faint path, a bit back down the trail, perhaps a total of 200 yards from the opening, that might lead to a camping site.

So far it looks like, checking out the entrance to the caves. If I don't hear anything different, that is what I will go with tomorrow afternoon (Sunday) post.

Yeah, I think we'd like to check out the cave before settling down for the night.

That's what I had in mind also.

i concur

Misha points out the path to the others. "If we want to set up camp, I'd suggest going down there. But if you want to check the cave first, I'm all for a little exploration. I am the explorer after all."

Sure, let's go

Finally you reach a cave entrance in the mountain face. This, then, is the beginning of your journey - the entrance to the depths of Mount Moru. The cave looks like the mouth of a monster, or more accurately, that of a ghost - a screaming vengeful spirit waiting to devour those that enter its dark throat. Many strange symbols appear carved around the arch of the cave; they are at least a few years old, though not ancient - somebody made them relatively recently. The wind swirls around you at the top of this lonely peak, blowing a tune of loneliness, dust and desolation as you turn to the entrance and step into the darkness.

The tunnel leading into the mountain is ten feet wide, allowing you to travel in pairs. Even in the brightest day light outside, this tunnel would not be well lit past the thirty feet of the entrance, but with the end of the day approaching the light only travels ten feet into the mountain. Dain peers in and tells you that the tunnel is relatively straight for the first sixty feet and there does not appear to be any side tunnels, although he can not say that for sure.

Light source(s)?
Strange symbols are NOT decipherable at this time.

Misha casts dancing lights, little greenish orbs appearing in orbit around her head. She pulls out her journal and begins to sketch the symbols surrounding the entry way.

She sends two of the orbs to the edge of the shadowed entrance so that others can see in further. "I'll be just a second." The other two stay near her, illuminating the symbols so she can sketch them as accurately as possible.

Borris face lights up a little green when the lights pass him into the tunnel smiling he states: Let’s go in and slay some Evil! Thanks for the light Misha! It's much appreciated! Common Rikar send in that dog with his nose we might get a bit of a warning if orc's approach!

Do we feel tired? Imean we could go on a few hours or do we need to rest soon?

My sense is to just take an hour or two to get a sense of the layout and contents within, then go back outside and camp. Correct if I am wrong.

@Misha & Borris - correct. Near the end of the day. You could push, but after a days travel, up the mountain you are starting to feel it.

Josef casts his own dancing lights, sending globes of bluish illumination the maximum range (100') into the cave.

"Nothing jumping out at us, yet, at least."

Redona casts light on her holy symbol, following her mor stalwart companions. "It'd be nice if nothing jumped out at all... so we could have the advantage or something..." she adds the second part knowing most, if not all of the others relished a good combat against evil creatures.

I sugest we scout the entrence for about 100 feet and then backtrack to the camping site ?

Sezira goes ahead of the party at the edge of the light, keeping to the left side of the tunnel as she went.

Stealth: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24 O.O

While Misha copies the strange symbols from the cave mouths opening, Josef sends dancing lights one hundred feet down the tunnel. Sezira stealthily heads down the tunnel, hugging the left wall. Near the eighty foot mark, she notices that at the one hundred foot mark the tunnel shifts to the left a bit and continues. Also, at the shift, it looks like there is twenty by twenty foot empty guard post. Other than the dirt and wooden scaffolding, this reduced cave features no more than a couple of rotting wooden stools and an unlit torch attached to the wall. On closer inspection, Sezira notices that the stools and torch are used somewhat more frequently than they are made to appear.

While the tunnel continues further into the mountain out of her range of vision, she does notice another opening in the left wall, perhaps twenty feet or so ahead.

@Sezira and others that enter the mountain - if you go further into the mountain, I will need a perception and stealth roll each post.

"It looks like this place is frequently used." She says after examining the guard post. "Should we keep going? "

Once Misha finishes her copying, she carefully blots the ink, shuts and puts away her journal along with her supplies, then catches up with the others. She keeps two lights about 20 feet behind her and two 30 feet ahead (which can be moved as requested by her fellow party members or as needed according to where they are).

Misha asks Sezira, "How much longer is this entry way? Does it start to descend?"

How about we go take a rest now the weight of my Hammer and shield are starting to way! If we take a rest now we can go in fresh and eager in the morning!

Borris looking around notices what Sezira states.

This guard post is presumaly used to guard the entrance now that we know it is here, when we move in we might suprise the guard in the morning!!

Rikar moves down the tunnel, sword drawn, slightly behind and to one side of Sezira. Using the light from the glowing globes helpully provided by Josef, he carefully studies the cave floor for any indication of traffic in and out of the entrance. At the guard post, he looks carefully to try to identify any tracks or other signs that would tell him who uses it.

Survival: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

"Also, should we keep the mule with us or tie her up at the head of the cave?" Misha whispers, still toward the back of the group.

Misha realized if the group was going to scout ahead silently, Sunshine deciding to bray at a bad moment could be disastrous.

"Um... I'm not very good at sneaking..." Redona points out to the group in a whisper. "What should I do?" she stood there a little behind the others, looking worried that she would alert any dangerous creatures and endanger the group.

"It is clear for the moment and clearly leads deep into the mountain. I suggest ee retreat for now and get rested up for a big day tomorrow."

Borris feels a bit ignored as he already sugested this and nobody responded to him[b] Yes you are right Seizira I wanted to sugest the same![b] Oh but i did! Borris rolls with his eye's when nobody is looking

"But you did suggest that, Mister Borris," Redona whispers to him, not catching the sarcasm. "Oh, and... Sorry about awhile back with the goblin... I was just... trying to do the right thing..." She hadn't talked to him much since the incident, and felt bad about it.

Continue in or go back and camp? No consensus yet....

I believe that we should split, now that we have secured the entrance at least.

"So, intrepid Pathfinders and dungeon crackers, let us secure a base camp, and then venture into this cavern tomorrow morning. That is, unless you'd rather sleep in here for some reason. "

"I think a rest and fresh start in the morning sounds good as well. We at least know that there aren't hordes of orcs and goblins waiting just inside the entrance, and there will be plenty of time to explore tomorrow."

@DM - any info resulting from Rikar's tracking efforts?

I say back to camp. Redona tends to follow the others though...