GMF's 5e Extravaganza (Inactive)

Game Master Fanguar

Dolgrin listens as the young man crows his knowledge, squinting a bit as he smokes.

Should you require me to expound myself or use smaller words, I will try and accommodate your request.

Finishing his ale he signals for the waitress to bring another round. pulling on the beard that decorates his chin in contrast to the sages bare one.

"Let's see if I understood you correctly. Fell magics brought the Black City to these lands and the dwarves of Adalault joined in the lands defense. Do we know where the Black city was, you've said the location of Adalault evaded your search."

Lichen listens in, scratching his head and trying to follow the conversation. Speak more plainly. Why do we care about these things?

Vhaezil requests a wine over ale, then impassively begins anew;

"The exact location of this secretive dwarf hold is still unknown. However they fought against the Black City... Duvan'Ku - a citadel that moves through the planes wreaking havoc. I know not where this fell place is now, nor care to locate it."

He sighs quietly, mulling his words before continuing;

"What I discovered is that an ancient Duvan'Ku temple still resides in the mountains east of Ashwick. There we may find more record of their war against the bearded folk, and perhaps the location of Master Shieldarm's lost delve..."

The diabolist eyes his companions in the silent hope he was understood.

Now finished his meal Zask contemplates the information, then addresses Dolgrin,

"The Hells have decided to lend aid to your journey it seems Dwarf. What that may mean from the eyes of your patron I do not know. You sought aid and it has come, should you choose to pursue this knowledge I will aid you."

Zask stands and stretches his tired limbs,

"In the mean time I need rest. Find me when you decide."

Zask makes a half hearted bow in fareweel and heads out.

Following a little better Lichen asks And why do we want to know that location?

Nodding as Zask stands to excuse himself from the table.

"The fires of fate can be a fickled bunch, the same fire that burns and destroys on one hand can be used to create and refine on the other. Sleep well Zask, it is ever the Smith's fate to dance within the fire, my search will continue with the Sage's help."

Taking a sip from his ale he turns towards Lichen.
"Fair question, and not one I can answer for you; but for myself the answer is simple. I was charged with restoring the fire to lost forges, and an entire lost delve, I could not pass it up." <sip>
"Before we separated ways before I believe your comment was that you seek the wilderness, if Adalault was found, then it would be in the civilized lands; however it is not, so it is my guess that it is in the wilderness. I know not what you seek in the wild, and perhaps you've already found it; but I would be glad to have you join our search if there something that you still seek."

"Fascinating..." Rhys commented quietly from beside the group, they being unaware he'd joined them , "This sounds like a wonderfully interesting discovery."

Vhaezil takes a sip of his wine and listens impassively to the others discuss the way forward.

As Zask takes his leave the diabolist nods, then returns his attention to the discussion, before also adding his own higher thoughts to the mix;

"The temple may contain information that will allow Master Shieldarm to find his forgotten delve. The temple is in the wilds. You, Wanderer, are a man of the wilds... It does not therefore, take someone with my keen insight, to surmise your skills and knowledge would be of a great boon to this endeavor... Should you choose to accompany us."

I feel a kinship with the dwarf and will go if for no other reason. I believe his motives to be pure and unselfish and believe that by helping him I help the greater good. Of you am still unsure and so was intrigued by your comment about being seeing the world through new eyes. Did I read more into that than you intended. Can you maintain your pack and still do good in the world warlock? Lichen's tone is more curious than condemning.

The warlock turns his burning gaze towards the druid, answering flatly:

"I do literally see the world through new eyes Wanderer. They burn with hellfire and I see night as day, all darkness as light."

Vhaezil takes another sip of wine and smirks;

"Alas it was no comment on some benign epiphany I have suffered. However have I not assisted in recovering lost bairns and suffering the ignorance of these bumpkins with dignity? Surely I am a veritable Saint on those grounds alone?"

Aye, you have been helpful Vhaezil. Lichen concedes. But I do not know enough of warlocks to trust the lot of you, or you well enough to count you different enough to be in a separate camp. Can you share with us what concessions you make with fiends for the powers you use on our behalf? Its obvious that Lichen knows little of warlocks.

Dolgrin snorts involuntarily as Vhaezil mentions being a saint but quickly holds up a hand to forestall any objections. Continuing to hold his peace for the moment as Lichen and Vhaezil spar back and forth

"Pardon, please continue"

Vhaezil shrugs at Lichen's enquiry;

"Was a trifling enchantment. The blood of a new borne babe, sprinkled o'er the fiery excrement of Beelzebub himself, as the forbidden words are incanted backward..."

The warlock takes another deliberate sip of his wine before continuing;

"Is that what you wish to hear Wanderer? The Pact I keep is mine alone. Such knowledge is my burden alone. The price I pay for my infernal indenture is mine alone, but one I pay willingly."

Not really satisfied, but not expecting to be, Lichen lets the subject drop. Ok then, when shall we depart.

"No sense stumbling around in the dark, we'll leave in the morning. Besides our resident sage here tends to find himself at odds with the local populace; the sooner we're away from here the better it will be for all of us. T'would do no good for him to start turning loud mouths to cinders around here."

Finishing his ale, Dolgrin nods to the others "Evening gentlemen, see you in the morning"

Vhaezil nods as Dolgrin makes his exit, then reaches for his wine.

As he does so the canny eyed Lichen notices a fresh scar in a runic symbol of Hell's pentagram upon the warlock's forearm. It is perhaps a few days old at best...

Figured Lichen's sharp Passive Perception of 21 would have clocked anything untoward on Vhaezil?

I gather that we are ready to move on. Anyone picking up any equipment for the expedition? You'll be heading into the mountains and far from the nearest town. You have should have some party funds available for that. You'll be 8 days on the road and then into the mountains. (If you look a the map, you'll head towards Ashwick, take the left fork, follow it to the end, and then into the wilderness.)
Regardless of preparedness, I'll have us on the road and rolling for random encounters shortly.

Not only the canny eyes Lichen notices Vhaezil's new adornment, Rhys notices as well, eyebrows raised...he notes the design of the runic symbol, so that he can sketch it later in his notebook.

Having gathered a fair accounting of the neighboring environs from his earlier stay in town, Rhys opines, "We'll be travelling through some mountainous terrain, far from civilization, we should equip ourselves accordingly. Rope and rations to begin with I think."

The following morning

The others wake to the sounds of the hammer and the anvil coming from the the nearby smithy, the townsfolk long used smith's gravelly voice welcoming the new day.

As the tavern room begins to fill, the hammering ceases and Dolgrin makes his appearance, head and arms freshly washed, hammer stowed at his side.

"Innkeep, I've finished the new hinges for the cellar door, Walright will do the final sanding and oil them before installing the this afternoon. I'm off to new horizons, have you got the carrots for Penelope I requested?"

Collecting the carrots, he grabs his pack and heads for the stable to saddle Penelope and stow his gear along with anything else the others might bring....

Alright let's get this show on the road.

Make what preparations you deem necessary to investigate a half-forgotten temple, you depart Milborne and head out onto the road once more. Connecting back up with the trade road, you turn in the direction of Ashwick and the miles start to stroll by.

The road is fairly heavily trafficked in the early days of the journey, as you pass through well-developed farmland, dotted with small villages. Each night, a warm fire and reasonably clean bed are yours for a fair price at small village inns. Quickly though, you soon approach the eves of the Gloomwood. Though much diminished by the steady encroachment of farming from both sides, the Gloomwood still provides a mighty barrier, separating Blackburn from Ashwick. No villagers dare eek out a living under the wood's deep gloom, so you prepare yourselves for several days of sleeping rough.

The road continues into the Gloomwood, unabated, though in slight disrepair. You can see that at some point, an effort had been made to cut the forest back from the road, but the last felling must have been many years ago. While the forest is decidedly thinner closer to the road, the thick brush and young trees still provide ample concealment for any who might be lying in wait for unwary travelers.

It takes a lonely, but uneventful, three days to traverse the Gloomwood and by the time you make your way beyond its borders, you are happy to leave its brooding presence behind you. No forest should be that silent, yet feel so watchful.

Now beyond the wood's edge, you find yourselves in the duchy of Styria. This far from the more metropolitan coast, villagers are a little more guarded and the party garners a little more interest. Still, people are welcoming enough and more than happy to take your coin. Another day of travel sees you swing off the main road and onto the Northern Way, towards the mountains. Three days of hard travel over rough terrain will bring you to Stonehollow, the last bastion of civilization before your trek deeper into the mountains.

The first two nights pass without incident, but on the last day (Your 8th after leaving Milborne), as you near Stonehollow, you hear faint cries from further up the road. Slightly louder, the inhuman screams of a horse rise up, but are mercifully cut short. The whole commotion is over in a matter of heartbeats and silence soon settles over you once again.

The sound of the horse snaps Vhaezil from his musings on how much he missed his alcove in the lost Great Library...

Expression stoic as usual, the infernal scribe offers an obvious assessment in his flat tone;

"That does not bode well. For the unfortunate equine, nor us..."

Leading Penelope, Dogrin's grip instinctively tightens on her lead as the sounds from ahead reach them. Loosing the straps holding his hammer, he turns and grabs the shield that hangs from the side of the mules tack.

Putting it on he agrees with the young sage. "Aye that it does not, one of you light-footed types want to check it out, they'd hear me coming if they haven't already."

not sure who's best suited for that between the assassin, druid and monk, they're all supposed to be good at that

The cries also snap Zask out of his walking meditation, he whispers,

"Let me see what is going on."

Stealth: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

Zask pads silently forward hoping to get a view of what's going on ahead.

Sleeping in a bed with a roof over his head is the utmost in luxury for Lichen and he seems to enjoy it well enough and even parts with coin to eat better fare than he usually scrounges while living off the land. Still he seems to welcome the Gloomwood and does not seem to much miss the comforts of inns and scowls slightly at the signs of needless, in his mind, cutting of the wood. Lichen is happy to provide goodberries for those who wish them and makes an offering of the fruit each night before bed.

Each night the group camps out Lichen takes to changing into a wolf and prowling around for a short time, partly to get the party used to his new ability and partly to hunt and secure the camp.

4 of us now, right? If so each night that Lichen has a spell slot left he creates and hands out 2 gooseberries to all and the extra 2 (4 total) to Zask since he is a melee fighter without the means to heal himself.

Unsure how you want to handle living off the land but Lichen has Survival +6. My hope is that he can fead himself and more with that

At the faint cries Lichen perks up. I believe this is no time for stealth friends. Men would not kill horses. He waits only a moment for a response before advancing.

What is the terrain here? That could alter the shape Lichen takes.

@Lichen: There are five of you. The terrain is wooded foothills. You are heading for the mountains.

Anyone going along with Zask, please make a stealth roll. For the rest of the party, assuming that they don't get spotted, the scouts will be back after about an hour.

Nature Check: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (2) - 1 = 1

Interesting creatures these massive beasts. I wonder if they are native to these lands.

I will give the others a chance to say if they were coming up or not

Vhaezil declines the invitation to scout, commenting deadpan;

"I will remain here with our beast of burden... and Penelope."

So 2 berries each, each morning.

Lichen falls to all fours and in an instant is transformed to a wolf. He follows Zask and quickly catches up and passes the small man.

Stealth: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

Nature: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

Rhys' eyebrow raises at Lichen's transformation, "I think the small man and the wolf will suffice..." he comments, more to himself than anyone else.

As noted above Lichen has been transforming each night we have camped, partly to get the party used to the idea.

Zask looks sidelong to the wolf now at his side on this mission and creeps back to his group,

"Well... two rather impressive figures seem to have demolished a poor traveler and his cart. Much larger than any of us they stand, and would likely fall with an impressive thundering boom."

He beams a smile at the group,

"I for one would test their might and relieve this road of its menace. I would ask the the opinion of our dearly feral companion here but unfortunately I do not speak dog."

Zask chuckles to himself, rather pleased with his own joke.

Waiting on that Nature check...

"I will remain here with our beast of burden... and Penelope."

A snort escapes Dolgrin, shaking his head he waves farewell to the scouts. Fishing a carrot from his pocket he feeds it to Penelope "Apparently my dear you're not the only horse's arse here."

As the scouts return, subconsciously the shield pulls around between him and the dire wolf, before with a an apologetic look he returns it to his side.
Apologies Lichen, gonna still take a bit to get used to looking a wolf in the eye that's not sizing Penelope or myself up for a meal."

Vhaezil's mouth almost creeps to a smile at Dolgrin's retort, but it is lost when he witnesses Lichen transform into a large wolf;

"And the backwater priest feared my magicks..."

When the scouts return, the young diabolist listens to the strategem then nods in agreement;

"Sounds noble and worthy... One must seek to balance the scales in small acts of clemency..."

Scratching in the dirt Lichen writes "OGRES" "2"

Zask looks down to the wolf digging in the dirt,

"Ogres... Looks like a sound challenge. I accept. Do we agree on this matter?"

If the consensus is to attack, Zask would like to get a bit closer once again.

Stealth: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

Vhaezil muses on the news they are to face ogres:

"Trux Orcus eh..? One of the scholar's of the Great Library, Vellmannus Crick, wrote a treatise on those brutes; Gluttonous Wrath..."

The infernal sage pauses, trying to recall what he read;

"A decent read... although he was blighted with several spelling errors, perhaps the legendary stupidity of his subject matter crept into Master Crick's psyche..."

Removing the tattered scroll from his belt, the diabolist nods and moves forward in the wake of those more stealthy.

Will trail the stealthy scouts at a healthy distance - no point in giving their game away...

Wolf-Lichen nods his shaggy head in agreement and joins Zask in the advance.

Stealth: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Dolgrin moves forward with Vhaezil, keeping an eye on Zask and Lichen, leaving Penelope behind when they start noticeably moving more stealthy in their attacks.

Moving as stealthy as he could up behind them.

stealth: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21

Stealth: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

Vhaezil also attempts to move quietly, however his is not a man of the wilds and his feet seem hellbent on catching on every thicket and stump...

From my understanding of what is going on, neither of the scouts returned to tell the party that there were ogres ahead. My interpretation of the interaction is that they are planning on attacking the ogres on their own. Please correct me if I am mistaken.

That is not my understanding.

Zask looks sidelong to the wolf now at his side on this mission and creeps back to his group,

"Well... two rather impressive figures seem to have demolished a poor traveler and his cart. Much larger than any of us they stand, and would likely fall with an impressive thundering boom."

He beams a smile at the group,

"I for one would test their might and relieve this road of its menace. I would ask the the opinion of our dearly feral companion here but unfortunately I do not speak dog."

Zask chuckles to himself, rather pleased with his own joke.

I read Zask post above and took they had returned

Scouted, came back, headed back in. Was waiting on the combat map on our return to make a move.

Yup also read it that way - one scout and his dog came back to tell of the ogres...

I had read it the same as the others....

Rhys looks back at Penelope and gives her a shrug and a grin before hurrying after the others....

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Sorry missed that, thanks for the clarification. Apparently I can't read.

Combat map update.

Combat Order
Zask
Vhaezil
Rhys
Baddies
Lichen

Everyone by Vhaezil gets a turn in the surprise round and then Zask Vhaezil and Rhys can start round 1

Seeing his companions in tow Zask dashes ahead to take partial cover behind the rocks.

Dash Action to move double movement (70ft)