Davian Grallus' "Jade Regent Adventure Path"

Game Master DavianGrallus

Shalewen shrugs, uncommitted to the idea. It was just a thought. And seeing as it tried to bait them in, might as well use it for what it was good at. But they certainly had to do something with it.

"I still think we should just eliminate it. As long as it lives, we will be in danger should it get free of its bonds."

"I agree with Rokkad."

"Seconded...I suppose. As much as I don't like killing, this monstrous being probably won't give us the same courtesy."

Arieys frowns.

Volorog does not move as the party slowly begins to move him outside. He doesn't resist, fight, or flee. Some of his wounds from Mitsuko's strike are still apparent, and his breath is rather rapid.

As he is taken outside and placed in the appropriate spot his body begins to shift rapidly as skin crawls over his pitch black form "You'll have to.... Kill yourself.... Whoever it is that kills me.... Heheh..."

His form shifts to Ikoma and stares directly into the man's eyes when he comes into sight. A voice eerily similar to Ikoma's emerges from the mock Ikoma's mouth "Is this wise... To kill this man without our town's permission? A man who did not murder?"

"You came with the intent to murder and attacked us with the intent to murder. You have murdered before this I would bet. If Ikoma doesn't wish to do it I will put an end to you. The townsfolk have known a fragile peace for a year and I will not have that disturbed." Mitsuko's voice was firm and she stared at the creature with a resolution that wouldn't be shaken.

"The fact you would try to play the heart of one of my companion's angers me and I will not stand for it."

Shalewen takes aim from behind Mitsuko. Even if it notices her and changes, she just narrows her eyes and lets the arrow go, hitting whoever they look like in the eye. "Monster," she mutters, then turns back to head into the cabin. She was tired of its manipulations.

Arieys gasps as Volorog takes Ikoma's shape, but seems to calm down a bit at Mitsuko's speech...at least until Shalewen shoots them in the eye.

"Prin zei!"

Rokkad takes a moment to make sure the creature is dead before nodding respectfully to Shalewen, satisfied that the matter has been taken care of, and follows her back inside.

Nice Shalewen!

Big push post coming tomorrow night again, then. If there is any RP / anything left for you all to do, please do so! I can hold my post until Monday! After that, I'll push us forward.

Volorog's eye quickly becomes another featureless part of his face as black sprawls from the wound. A loud and sickening screech tears out of the mock mouth of Ikoma until it, too, becomes a featureless void.

Volorog writhes against his restraints until collapsing on the ground in a feeble position- just as he stills, Rokkad confirms the creature is dead.

The group is met with massive approval from Walthus and offered tea and biscuits for further comfort for the deeds of the day. Comfortable lodgings exist as fur covered beds in old and creaky wooden rooms and closets around the home.

Arieys bites her lip as Volorog dies, trying not to vomit at the sound of that screech. She knew Desna approved of removing nightmare creatures like this from the world, and there was no outcome where Volorog's fate didn't end in death, but that didn't make their bloody business any less likable. Sometimes destiny took frightening and disgusting turns. She's immensely grateful for the next round of tea and biscuits, which cheers her up almost instantly.

"Will we need to move the beds together? I imagine they're halfling-sized. Walthus did come out here to live by himself, so I doubt he'd keep beds for tallfolk company."

Shalewen forgoes the bed, opting for a spot close to the fire. As long as they were inside she was fine on the floor, resting her head against Shadow who was already curled up there.

Mitsuko takes care of the body before washing herself up.

It was dirty business but she believed necessary.

When Mitsuko returns to clean up, Arieys approaches her.

"Are you alright?"

Nodding she tries to smile slightly. "It is just one of the few times where I feel no mercy for a creature. I can understand why my sister wanted to protect me from adventuring. Besides the danger's you find out more about yourself. Sometimes you are not always happy with what you see."

As the adventures conduct pillow talk of all kinds, washing up, simply going to sleep on the floor, or awaiting for a few hours before resting to see if they hear one of the many beasts they might fear at night, sleep comes and goes.

Branches scrape against the old and creaking shack as many of you attempt to get comfortable on a few halfling sized beds- surprisingly, a few human sized cots and bed rolls can be found to place on top of the beds to make it feel as if you were at home in Sandpoint.

Almost, at least.

The morning comes easily as walthus' snake made tea set can be heard clinking gently and softly as he sets tea. Breakfast is filled with a large supply of sausages, eggs, and toast. It is clear somewhere in the home Walthus keeps a well stocked and filled larder.

He greets each of you with a gentle hello and sipping of his tea in a relaxed and tired manner. All of his snakes coil and wriggle around various parts of him to find the sun creeping in from the kitchen window.

"You may feel free to take some well made rations for the day on your journey. I apologize, I cannot spare any more than that! My wittle Schnels gets hungry, after all, heh heh."

He wags a finger after the black snakes nose, but its concentration is made of steel focus regarding its morning sun bathing.

The map and directions are given and prepared as carefully and closely as Walthus could have given you- the Goblin camp is less than half a day's travel to the South / South East. It was no wonder Walthus was so easily informed on what was happening in their camp.

As you post, please do me a favor and tell me if you are at Light, Medium, or Heavy loads as far as carrying capacity is concerned. Also feel free to ask necessary question in the discussion thread. :)

The samurai is light loaded.
Checking his own provisions, the samurai is happy to take a breakfast, but more seems not necessary. With a smile he bids the halfling farewell before moving out to saddle his horse.

Once he has finished breakfast and packed away rations for the day, Rokkad summons Kokip forth from the dust and wishes Walthus farewell.

"Be careful, I think things are going to change in this place. Hopefully for the better, but one should always be ready should it be otherwise..."

He has a slight pang of wistfulness over leaving his mount behind as he watches Ikoma care for his, but brushes it off as he assures himself that his horse was not used to this terrain and would be in more danger were he here.

Rokkad is lightly loaded.

Shalewen takes one of the middle watches so the casters can benefit a full nights sleep. And though the house creaks and groans, she identifies the noises and ignores them. Thankfully those are the only ones that fill the night. In the morning, she looks over the map while absently munching on breakfast. Once she has the topography mostly memorized, she packs for the journey south.

Medium.

Arieys nods politely at Walthus' words.

"Thank you once again for your hospitality, Mr. Proudstump."

She turns to Rokkad and frowns.

"I agree. The future's hard to see. It has been for an age. And while that means what we do here will be our decision, we mortals never know what those decisions will bring. The Harrow helps, but it's never certain about anything, just like we are."

She places a hand on his shoulder.

"For what it's worth, I think there's little harm we could do in this place. We've already done a great amount of good in saving Walthus. Desna smiles."

Arieys is carrying a Medium load.

Damn it, they didn't post it. Graaaah!

To get started, we'll need survival and / or kn. geography rolls. Perception will help with specifying the area, but not with keeping you from getting lost.

Any other rolls you think will help, feel free to roll them!

Rokkad studies the terrain as they travel, pointing out any natural hazards they should avoid.

Survival (aid another): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

Arieys scans the trees and weeds for signs of movement, whether of the goblins, the Soggy River Monster or merely an animal.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

Knowledge:Geography: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21
Survival assist: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (7) + 0 = 7
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

Mitsuko didn't know the first thing about surviving but she had studied plenty of maps of the area. Her eyes scanning around them as they walked the path.

Shit. I forgot to post.

Knowledge:Geography: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
Survival assist: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

"Mitsuko..." Arieys asks as they continue to make their way through the swamps.

"Are you SURE you're okay? Part of me worries that what happened last night hit a bit more close to home than expected."

Mitsuko walked on in silence for a moment before speaking. "It did but I also thought of the fear such a creature would instill in the populace. Even if they chose to hang it, if it kept mimicking peoples faces they would face the fact it looked like they hung one of their own. That would haunt them." 'Just like the sight of my brother doing the same.' Mitsuko thought to herself.

"Aye...I worry for you. No better way to say it. To encounter a thing like this on the anniversary of Tsuto's madness...It makes me wonder sometimes if Pharasma's got a cruel streak, weaving fate so history rhymes in strange and heartbreaking ways."

She lays a hand on her shoulder.

"Know that if you need me, I'm here to listen."

As Mitsuko, Arieys, and Rokkad look to the skies their vision is almost immediately cut by an onset of fog flowing through the woods. Various cackles can be heard of the birds there, though nothing is identified as dangerous- yet.

As you begin your travels south, less than half an hour into your journey from the shack, winds begin to pick up and blow the fog out of your way. Its wisps are cold and sticky, as if it were some sort of vaporized ooze that guards the entirety of the marshes. You can hear the raging of the first river up ahead- or is that something else?

You now find yourselves having to scream across the winds just so you can hear one another, and tiny branches and leaves now curve and whip across your legs and face. The trees shake in anticipation and a few of the older and dead branches begin to crash and fall down to the ground.

Rokkad, your nature check comes into play here.

Shalewen, your survival roll is conditional based on how Rokkad reacts.

Rokkad hangs onto Kokip's back to steady himself, studying the sky as Shalewen leads them through the marsh. When the winds pick up he slowly makes his way to the hunter, head bowed and one arm raised against the debris and yells "There is a large storm coming! We need to find shelter."

Arieys hugs her harrow case close to her chest as the weather worsens. Her cards were the key to her spells, and losing them would make her useless. She looks on as Rokkad and Shalewen confer, barely hearing the conversation but guessing at its content.

"That is not good news. Does anyone have a tent?"
Looking around the samurai checks for any rise or a grove.

As the winds pick up, Shalewen realizes that a storm is rolling over them about the time Rokkad calls for shelter. The problem was that the fog would prevent them from finding such shelter. It was thick it was starting to hamper visibility of the others. She stops and whistles sharply. A whistle she usually used for Shadow when he was far afield. As she waits for the others to gather round she takes out some rope. When they gather she shouts over the wind, "Grab rope. Stay Close." When everyone has a hold of the rope, she sets out to find shelter, mostly going by what she can feel as she walks.

Once everyone grabs the rope Shalewen looks for shelter to wait the storm out.

Knowledge:Geography: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17
Survival: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

Arieys grabs the rope as instructed.

Grabbing the rope, Rokkad sends a mental message to Kokip to ask the spirit to scout ahead for anything that could be used as shelter, trusting that their link will ensure that they can find each other again should either become lost.

Kokip survival (aid another): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

The group grips on to the rope despite the bolstering winds and fog thickening rain. Only the sound of raging winds can be heard aside from the occasional shouts of direction and gentle nudging guidance from Shalewen and Kokip.

Shalewen attempts to read the now drenched map through the rain in an attempt to navigate the group towards some sort of shelter. She finds herself between a rock and a hard place, almost literally, as the only two areas on the map that show as safe are the goblin camp, and an unidentified cave a bit of a closer distance to the group. Either one is an hour away, possibly allowing them shelter for the last three quarters of the storm.

It is nearly impossible to put up a tent in the weather soundly DC 30 Survival and even if it were to be put up, the amount of effort would be wasted should a wind blow it out of the ground only a few moments later.

Trees and hills that would normally provide comfort seem to bend to the will of the storm itself. Where as a drizzle or thunderstorm of lower proportions would be fine, this severe storm seems to make all minute shelter seem dull and puny.

Shalewen as she leads the group through the storm with the rope has but three choices; the cave unidentified and foreign, the licktoad village possibly filled with hostilities that would worsen the storm's danger, or brave the storm in the open with continued travel along the coast as the group prays for a hidden shelter or home of an animal to be found.

I'll give you a day or two to decide, since this actually is a pretty big storm and almost as severe as one in this game can be, excluding magical influence.

If Arieys is asked, she will vote for the cave.

IF gm will allow it Mitsuko will use prestidigitation to make the map water proof. She will have to keep this up each hour but seemed simple enough. Also vote cave. If we had seen this with the survival check earlier then we would have stayed at Walthus's

Yeah. Cave. Shelter. Bears? I think its worth it.

As far as I read, Mitsuko, Kn. Nature would tell you incoming weather, not Survival. Going back to Walthus' is technically an option, though I didn't list it as I assume the group would still want to go forward, being adventurers and all :P

Prestidigitation is more than fine. Water so far is more for flavor than damage to the map etc.

That's 4 votes out of 5 for the cave, to the cave it is! Post in the morning, I'll need to re-read a few things first :P

"A fifty-foot-high cliff rises along the marsh’s southern border, its face a thick tangle of jutting rocks and bright green vines and nettles. A curtain of these thick nettle vines partially conceals a cave opening at the base of the cliff."

As Shalewen leads the group through the storm by her rope she brings you all to a place marked on the map listed as "Brinestump Caverns" in Walthus' traditionally smudged and messy handwriting. Nothing particular interesting peers from inside as, assumedly, Shalewen pokes her head in through the tangle of vines and nettles.

A wreckage of ships is washed ashore on the beach in splintered boards and planks with loose nails rusted in the sand. The storm has no sign of letting up, but out here at the coast it appears a majority of the forest's fog has been blown away, increasing your eye sight.

Strangely familiar tracks, as most of you would easily recognize DC 10 Survival, also lead into the vines and nettles.

"IS THAT CAVE CLOSE?" Arieys calls to Shalewen up front.

Can't fail the survival check. What is "Strangely familiar?" Did we find the Monster?

Arieys waits for Shalewen to make a decision. She was the leader in this instance.

Oh wait. Is it goblins?

Shalewen steps inside the cave, but only just, and starts hauling the rest of the group in. While they come in she sends Shadow further in to sniff around. Take 10 on handle animal for Seek.

Looking around the samurai checks the tracks. "This is kind of strange tracks. I have seen those before. Let me think where?"

Arieys shakes herself off to dry her clothes as they enter the cave, then opens her case.

"Oh, Desna smiles! My cards are still dry! I KNEW this case was a good investment!"

As you enter the cave you realize it is rather dark darkness as the branches and thorns close behind each of you. There is a variety of clicks that go on through the cavern that seems at first hearing a bit undeterminable if something else, or if it is another creature somewhere in the cavern. Various noises are masked with the dripping of water from the stone ceilings and the raging of the storm just outside the cave.

Everyone make a fort save please as you post. In addition to this I should have an updated map for you tomorrow so that you can all get a better feeling of where you are.

Fortitude: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21

As the thorns close behind Arieys, she blinks in surprise.

"THAT'S not ominous at all," she says sarcastically.