Deadwatcher Clan. They're renowned for their vicious and powerful warriors. Natives to Belkzen.
Sandor takes some time to get his bearings. "Close" by is Blisterwell. It's an orc settlement. Human scum and villains frequent it. It's possible to pay a shamen of the orcs to do it. It's only 3 days march Southwest.
South about an 8 day march is the human town known as Trunau (or "Manhome") to the orcs. It's the last town in human lands. The people there are hard but goodly. Even farmers train for combat. There's a solid chance of either a powerful cleric of Erastil or a druid willing to Reincarnate there... for the right price. Supplies are tough to come by and money goes a long way...
Tomorrow Gaius can preserve the body with his magic.
Though the irony of using Orc magic to bring Grym back is appealing, I move we make for Trunau.
Odric nods at Gaius's wisdom.
I agree with Gaius, Trunau sounds better. But lets talk about options. Morkelb, Gaius, Ferox, can you do any magic stuff to just get you there and transport you and Grym back faster? I don't wanna have to come back here, and find more Orc's guarding this gatehouse.
Sandor takes out the spyglass and scans the bridge and castle walls from this angle. The question is were they here to keep things our, or keep things in?
The castle looks utterly abandoned. You see no signs of life at all. In fact it looks ...disheartening...
i can teleport two others as well as Grym's remains, but as I've never been to Trunau, there is no guarantee I will be on target
less importantly, this is a very potent sword.... See spoiler
Odric retrieved Grym's head and body, laid them out on the ranger's bedroll and began preparing Donkeyhorse for the journey to Trunau. Odric asked Bucho nicely to "Guard" while pointing at Grym. He repeated the request when Bucho simply lay down next to his master. Sandor sidled up to Odric and suggested he say it with a bit more authority, the way Grym would have.
Odric snapped his fingers to get Buch's attention. When the dog cocked an eyebrow and swiveled his eyes toward Odric, the warrior said "Bucho, GUARD" in a firm voice while indicating Grym. But lumbered to his feet and immediately assumed an air of watchfulness, protecting Grym's corpse.
A small voice inside his head suggested that Odric probably should have enacted the age old practical joke of putting the head on the body backwards and scaring someone before invoking Bucho's protective instincts.
Odric wrapped up the bedroll around Grym and loaded him onto Donkeyhorse carefully, under Bucho's watchful eye. Odric made some adjustments to the saddlebags, cinched down Donkeyhorse's harness, and made ready to depart.
So are we walking or risking the teleportation?
I'm good with either. One way, we explore and get into trouble. The other, we may get wildly off course and get into trouble.
Trouble in D&D=Good!
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Absolutely. The whole thing can be done in a single post.
They will trade axes for raise dead. The only thing is that it's a cleric of Gorum, so it'll be bad add (per Phil's request. )
I need to know if you're walking or risking the teleport. If the teleport messes up ill just tack on the extra days.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Bad Add?
Mike if the teleporting doesn't use charges, do it up. If it uses charges let's walk.
Everyone good with that?
Mike if the teleporting doesn't use charges, do it up. If it uses charges let's walk.
Everyone good with that?
I'm cool with that
Teleport GO. I have 1 prepped and can cast 2nd from staff. Can we shop too?
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Yes. I do need to know who is going and where the others will stay. Go ahead and make singular post detailing shopping, raising (it must be awesome.)
Make the teleport roll. Do it. Do it.
-Posted with Wayfinder
<--On target!
<--On target!
that takes care of the most important variable. Same day, assuming we find a raiser that same day.
I can take Grym and 2 others.
Who would like to post about the raising? I have some RP relating to this incident I'd like to post, and will do at some point soon...
Gaius would want to be one to go. He was with Grym at the death and I NEED SOME BLOODY URBAN THIS WILDERNESS IS SEEPING INTO MY BOOTS. I KNOW IT'S NOT KORVOSA BUT EVEN A ONE HORSE TOWN IS BETTER THAN THIS. DEEP BREATH, GAIUS, WE'LL MAKE IT THROUGH THIS.
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After the teleport to Trunau, Morkeleb is as quiet as usual as the adventurers search for a spellcaster powerful enough to raise Grym. Gaius, who is more in tune than most to emotional cues, gets a more accurate read: the wizard is pensive, reflecting, even distracted. He lets the mage stew a bit, then falls into step with him.
What's bothering you, Morkeleb? You *not* want to raise Grym?
The wizard gives a small smirk at Gaius' sally, but is silent at first. After a few beats...
I think...you may have been right.
The rogue cocks his head slightly in inquiry, but otherwise makes no interruption, wanting to hear this out. A few more beats go by, and the wizard continues.
You and I had a conversation several months ago (or was it years??). You said something to the effect of you "want to be friends with everyone"--in the course of acquiring "money and sex for everyone," if I recall correctly. I said that I was not yet sure I could find room in my paradigm for friends. That having friends would drain personal resources away from other goals.
...I was wrong.
He takes a deep breath, and continues. Seeing Bucho fall, I wanted nothing more than to crush the life out of that orc. Then, seeing Grym's head sail out of that window... The wizard closes his eyes and inhales deeply--a stronger display of emotion than any close to him has seen in recent memory. I felt as if someone had gripped my heart in their fist and squeezed mercilessly. I felt as if I'd lost someone I cared about. That was the moment I realized it: I *did* lose someone I cared about. Seeing Grym die didn't change me. It made me realize that I was changed already.
It appears, in spite of myself, I have allowed you gentlemen to become my friends. I don't know whether I'd have realized this truth had we not lost Grym. I can only be grateful we have the means to revive him.
He holds his head just a bit higher. In any case, this is what is "bothering" me; I now understand that I have friends, and that instead of making me weaker as I thought it would, I believe it has made me stronger. I suppose it remains to be seen whether this will get you further in your goal of money and sex for everyone...
Morkeleb faces forward again, and after a brief pause, adds with another tiny smirk ...my friend.
You arrive at the small town, and sure enough there is but one option, a cleric of Gorum who demands to know why the god of battle should deign to raise someone who couldn't survive on his own....
He'll take payment in magical axes. The shopping here isn't stellar. The town's purchase limit is actually but 1000 Gp (So 75% of anything 1,000 or under. Nothing over.) Here and there are a few other choice items beyond that:
Minor Items:
+1 bolas of Thundering; 8,300.00 gp
Sizzling arrow; 1,516.00 gp
Longbow +1; 2,375.00 gp
Restorative ointment; 4,000.00 gp
Trapspringer’s gloves; 4,000.00 gp
Wand of Daylight (3rd Level, CL 5th); 11,250.00 gp
Scroll of Wall of force (arcane, 5th Level, CL 9th); 1,125.00 gp
The depressed whimper the large brindle was giving off at the spot where Grym was teleported away from was heart wrenching.
Sandor knelt down and scratched his ears. C'mon boy, Morkelb and Gaius are going ta get him healed back up. Come over by the fire we're gonna keep watch and hold this area here till they get back.
Lad do ya remember the time when were were sent to find Trinia?
Gaius, You, and me were at her door. Morkelb and Ferox were outside on the roof near her window. Grym and Bucho were down on the street. Sandor chuckles at the memory of the plan. Well do you remember Grym talking later on about it, ya know after a few cups of sauce, he swore that the only reason she took off across the rooftops was that he was standing down there? It might be that she did see him from the window, but we all shook our heads and agreed with 'im. Or how about the time that he went lookin for a bit of female companionship? Sweatin going in smiling comming out, and very impressed that he didn't end up with a girly-boy on his first pick.
Sandor was making himself chuckle, wanting to get Odric to chuckle also. The lad was being awfully quiet. Seeing that it wasn't working, the dwarf tried a different tactic.
Walking over to donkey horse and getting one of the remaining small casks of Stout. Odric my friend ya have been a bit quiet recently. He starts tuggin and adjusting Odric's armor. We need ta get to a forge, ya have been loosin some of ya gut and puttin it on ya shoulders. Ya armor must be gettin a bit uncomfortable.
Odric over at the dwarf wondering why he was talking about armor at a time like this.
Sandor fished Odric's and his mug out from their packs and poured some stout. Yeah lad, I'm devastated too, but I've faith in those two crafty ones ta bring back our friend. Here's ta Thorgrym Sharkslayer a quiet and stoic warrior who's honor is sacrosanct, and one that I would call friend and brother. If Saernrae can only bring back one today let it be him, the world is a lesser place without him.
Sandor finishes the toast and drinks with Odric, then he lowers his cup, and lets Bucho lap up the remaining Stout.
Since I don't think either of us will sleep well till the others get back, why don't you tell me a fond memory of Grym.
Ferox would have decided to stay behind. I'll try to post some color soon.
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Odric rubs at his trapezius thoughtfully, his bulging muscles have indeed been bulgy-er, he thinks, but the magical Deathless Plate seems to mold itself to his changing topography as if by ... well... magic. The armor is quite simply the most comfortable he has ever worn, despite its bulk and decorative flourishes.
The best memory Odric has of Grym is by far the stunned exultation when he slew the shark in a single strike with his famed dagger.
Sharkslayer, Sandor. I remember him as the Sharkslayer. He was fully immersed, dressed all in his kit like he was on patrol in the streets of Korvosa. And in a way he was! The mighty river serves as a street to the ships and sailors that trade in town. Anyway, Grym was under the magical protection of a potion allowing him to breathe the water as easily as anyone on land could breathe in the stink of the docks.
As Grym plumbed the depths, through the broken ribs of a sunken ship in search of horrors unspeakable, there loomed before him a bulkhead with cracked and rotting wood supporting a swaying mass of seaweed. From the inky depths though, a silver flash through the seaweed's greenish black thicket. A shark, easily 25 feet long with a mouth able to engulf an average-sized canoe, came languidly towards him.
Where Grym was able to move freely in the depths, he was admittedly out of his element. With inexperience, the ranger was less than his usual dextrous self. The shark and its thousands of razor sharp teeth turned slowly in a lazy S curve as it eyed the man with its dead eyes.
In a moment, some primordial synapse in the shark's simple mind sparked the command "KILL" and the creature flashed silver, white and right pink as it attacked.
The mighty jaws gnashed shut, eliciting powerful eddies of water to buffet the ranger as he darted out of the way. He was bumped aside by the massive shark's head as the creature wrenched its body side to side trying to shred and tear Grym's body as though it had caught him in its jaws. The close quarters and the watery depths dictated Grym strike with his dagger, so as the shark thrashed again, Grym struck out with his weapon, and the thrust coincided with the shark's movement, driving the magical blade deep into the beast's eye.
In a moment, the shark died with a worrisome ribbon of blood carried away in the gentle current.
Odric concluded, wiping the sweat from the back of his neck while carefully avoiding mussing his mullet.
When I have a lad, or if this works, when Grym does, that is the tale I'll tell of the man I call friend.
Trunau is not exactly what you expected.
The most immediately visible feature of the town of Trunau is its palisade. Originally, the palisade was a hastily constructed fence of sharpened branches, but over decades of strife, the Trunauans have built it into something considerably more lasting and deadly. Ten-foot-high tree trunks, their tops sharpened into wicked points, surround the lower portion of the village, f itted so tightly that not even light passes between them. Their bases are driven another 5 feet into the earth, and the bottom half of the wall is encased in a rough but sturdy stone foundation. Trenches filled withsmaller spikes create a deadly briar patch guarding the wall from assault. Also incorporated into the palisade are several rock outcroppings that rise even higher, forming the bases for several wooden watchtowers, including those on both sides of the gate.
The only cleric in town is a battle hardened priestess of Iomedae, Tyari Varvatos. She says you'll be hard pressed to find anoyone the counselor is willing to part with as most mercenaries in town are contracted. Assaulting THAT castle is a suicide mission, as Scarwall is known to be haunted and with good reason. The going rate per mercenary is 3 Platinum pieces per day with a week's pay upfront. This is for a rather green hireling. The toughest and baddest group in town is the Blue Basilisk. They have 6 warriors who are veterans of the Mendevian Crusade. Their going rate is a nearly absurd 100 Platinum per day each for this mission. These are level 6 warriors and are self supplied.
suicidal huh?
that's what Han said about attacking the Death Star
Castle Scarwall looks every bit as foreboding as the legends say. Dark walls rise from darker bedrock to steep rooflines set with gargoyles and minarets. Battlements look down from towers and defensive walls, and many dark carrion birds perch among these and soar above them. Mists rising off of the black tarn obscure the lower portions of the rocky island, giving the whole an ethereal appearance. Surprisingly, even though the structure is many centuries old, its walls and roofs remain intact with no visible breaches or obvious signs of damage. A ghostly glow lights some of the windows and arrow slits, and now and then, faint flickerings betray the motion of creatures within.
Indeed as you cross the bridge, each of you feels a pit in your stomach that causes all manner of ills both mental and physical. Your throats burn with the bile of your bellies. You minds flitter with thanatos. The enchanter looks grimly at the castle "Ware my friends. This place is evil. It's very bricks are mortared with it. Cast not spells to detect it. The dweomer-wind is such that I can tell the very place is unhallowed. Indeed the entire place is evil enough to tug at the planes. I can feel it in my marrow." Morkeleb grows dark, and when he adds the final sentence, each of your comrades does the same, "Death in this accursed place is permanent..."
A noticeable wind whips up, centered around the Enchanter. Unfettered by the rules of magic, Zellara manifests before you. She is assailed by a platoon of the Dead. There is naught to do but watch. .
You feel the enchantment of the Harrow deck wash away. You quickly study the tendrils of the draining magic. You know, through training, that when the sun sets for a seventh time, this deck becomes a simple pile of paper. If you can find and rescue her before then, maybe, just maybe, you can restore the ally that has guided you since the beginning... Are you an arch-mage of power, or an abject failure?
Zellara’s ghost, recognizable before you, is suddenly assaulted from all sides by ravenous souls, and while she tries to hold them back, the assault is obviously overwhelming. It is also brutally swift. She is torn free and absorbed into the walls of the castle.
A high bridge crosses the vast expanse of black water between the barbican gate of erstwhile orcs and the entrance to Castle Scarwall. The bridge is ornate and in excellent condition, with only a few tenacious patches of moss and lichen clinging to it here and there. High arching columns reaching from the waters below support the broad span, each of which is marked by a pair of sinister gargoyles that stare out over the dark lake. A larger pair of these statues flanks a great archway that encompasses the near end of the bridge. As you pass the point of no return, the gate opens like a maw of Fate. A skeleton upon a skeletal steed emerges, riding on a wave of skeletal guards. They stand 100' before you, but the mounted corpse whispers into your fleshy ears with a gravely voice nonetheless, "Leave now, or commit your souls to damnation..."
Initiative Repost:
Ferox: Current
Odric: On Deck
Morkeleb: In the Hole
Baddies: TBD
Sandor: TBD
Grym the Arisen: TBD
Gaius: TBD
Round 1
Seeing the horde in front of them, with only a slight grin, Ferox says a quick prayer to Abadar and lets loose a volley at the horseman.
Activates Judgement: Justice and Destruction
Ferox brings for the Judgement of Abadar and lays in with a volley of arrows. All but the last strike true.
Round 1:
Ferox: Arrows!
Odric: Go!
Morkeleb: Go!
Baddies: TBD
Sandor: TBD
Grym the Arisen: TBD
Gaius: TBD
Rider: 72
Steed:
ROUND 1
Morkeleb strides forward to stand next to Ferox. He is outraged at the attack upon Zaralla, and is grateful to have an enemy to lay low. He points his staff down the center of the bridge, and lets loose a crackling bolt of electricity.
Ref save DC 21 for half of...
<--oohh..very above average!!
Should hit head guy and middle 4 of each contingent of skelies.
Morkeleb's spell tears through the rider, his bones exploding on impact with the lightning. So too does a line of skeletons behind the rider. The mount, however, flashes eyes of red and seems to be ready to charge without a rider.
Odric tries to stop the mount before he even starts. Drawing his Earthbreaker he charges forth: .
The steed (Knowledge (Religion) to ID.) Snorts out a cloud of noxious gas at Odric that merely obscures the warrior's vision. Then it's hooves catch fire as it begins attacking the warrior:
MISS
MISS
The bones begin to knit themselves back together as the skeletons charge forth.
Sandor: GO!
Grym the Arisen: GO!
Gaius: GO!
Mount: 45
The steed (Knowledge (Religion) to ID.)...
don't know how many questions this allows me but, in order of preference
1) special defenses
2) vulnerabilities
3) means of attack
channel resistance , DR 5/bludgeoning; Immune cold, undead traits. Fast Healing, and only positive energy or a consecration can truly kill it.
Round 1
For half a moment Grym pauses, the ranger is generally good at compartmentalizing his thoughts. Battle is not the time for introspection. Yet, here is Thorgrym freshly risen from the dead. Staring at the undead skeletons reminds him that he was surely dead as any of the bone piles. The normally quiet ranger has been even more close lipped. Though questioned some by Morkeleb and Gauis, the ranger has yet to speak of anything about his time beyond the pale.
He believes that he was able to come back because he still has a part to play in their quest. Perhaps the ranger's resurrection is only a reprieve and the moment they finish their quest and bring justice to Korvosa Thorgrym will die again... The wizard's lightning blast brings the ranger back to reality. His brooding thoughts can wait. The unholy abomination of undead are near. There is no question about what Grym must do. They must be destroyed.
Grym slides forward, his foot work smooth and deceptively fast. SharkSlayer is already in hand, he can almost feel the blade yearn for the destruction of the undead.
He first thinks to move up and bolster Odric, but decides against it. He doesn't want to leave the squishier members of the party to go hands on with the closer skeletons, (besides the Stout probably doesn't need it anyway). With a hand signal he sicks Bucho on a skeleton and a moment later he is cutting at the same.
Grym, single attack
Shark Slayer
The big brindle dog is shaking as he awaits the signal from his master. As soon as it is given the dog charges straight ahead nails clicking on the stone pavers, jaws snapping ready to tear off a nice femur.
Bucho, charging power attack
bite
Both Grym and Buch step forward and end their respective skeletal enemies. Could the rumors be false? Is Scarwall but a novice's adventure?
Gaius and Sandor to finish Round 1!
Round 1 Posting for Sandor
While Grym and Bucho took the low line plowing into the skeletons there, Sandor moves forward along the northern edge of the causeway and charges forward like a dwarven tank.
Charging attack
WarAx
Unfortunately there are no targets within charging distance or move and attack distance. Sandor, go ahead, sorry to put you out Phil, I didn't have the map either when I asked you to bot.
Round 2: Ferox, Odric, and Morkeleb go!
Round 1
Finding his way blocked by his teammates so he can't charge, Sandor plods his way up to the well rested ranger and his furry companion.
Odric did ye learn nuffin from gettin seperated. Dunna worry I'm on my way lad. He gives Grym a chuckle Lets clear the path. Can't let these skellies get ta The Mighty
Round 2
Hoping to clear a path for his comrades to assist Odric, Ferox lets loose a few arrows at the skeletons in the way.
Ferox drops a pair of skeletons with ease, but his final arrow clangs off the causeway stone.
Round 2:
Ferox: Arrows!
Odric: Go!
Morkeleb: Go!
Baddies: TBD
Sandor: TBD
Grym the Arisen: TBD
Gaius: TBD
Oops, still need Gaius round 1
That steed is DYNAMITE! Recognizing this, Gaius uses his first round action to ready to cast Searing Light at it the moment it is in view. (Smoke obscures line of effect, correct?)
Wizard, do tell me if you've any ideas.
His companions can't see him as he's covered with the miasmic smoke of a (literal) skeletal nightmare, but they can certainly hear him! He swings with utter abandon at the steed.
MISS
ATK
The sound of bone shattering is all the party needs to hear, however, that the Stout is hard at work doing things the way the Stout do.
Morkeleb to post.
Mount: 62