GM Henry's First Steps Part III PbP [Completed] (Inactive)

Game Master Signore di Fortuna

"Well, we made good on our promise, Urdel. What is it exactly?" Kargen examines the beast's paws and the tracks it made.

Kurth is quite disoriented when he wakes up. By the time he realizes that he isn't dreaming anymore, the battle is already over and there is nothing else for him to do then to thank the others for rescuing him.

"Thank you for getting that thing away from me."

HP: 13/15

He is quite surprised when Urdel appears so quickly after the beast is gone.

"You arrived here quickly. Have you been watching us?"
Sense Motive: 1d20 ⇒ 9

Kn: Arcana: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15 To Identify the creature if its a magical beast...

" Well that was over quickly " Griffo says before Urdel emerges. He's surprised that the centaur was so close but he nods " I can't imagine what we'd use it's corpse for. "

" Are you hurt badly Kurth? "

"I'm still not sure what it is, but it is not natural. Perhaps it is a magical beast. I heard your shouts as my group and I were patrolling, barbarian," Urdel explains.

Griffo prods the dead beast with his wand, " A Krenshar, it's the lack of ears that gives it away... and the way it pulled the skin back from its head. " he says shuddering with disgust.

"Yes, I bet there's very few creatures which can do that. Or at least, I hope so." Kargen looks up at Urdel. "Not that we wouldn't have killed it anyway, the way it was feasting on Kurth, but you mentioned some furs you could give us?"

Garen chuckles a bit. "A cloak made from the skin of a krenshar could be quite an interesting trinket..."

To Griffo: "I'm okay. Just a bit shaky after waking up with that beast on top of me. But you saved me in time."

To Urdel: "In that case - thank you for coming to our aid. I have no use for the carcass. Take it if you want."

Urdel gratefully accepts the krenshar's corpse and gives you a bundle of furs. "Soon you will come to the Kortos Mounts which are dangerously cold. Perhaps you can make an outfit out of these, if you are not already prepared."

Urdel gives his thanks once again before departing and allowing you to go back to sleep. You wake the next day and resume your travel through the forest. The day passes uneventfully and you camp at the edge of the forest. The following day, you make your way up the mountains. The weather is cool but not unbearably cold. As you prepare to make camp, you spy a wagon half-buried in the snow.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

Kargen motions everyone to look at the wagon. He tries to determine how long it may have been there with the snow around it. He nods to the others and approaches it warily.

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
Survival: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Garen looks around for tracks in the snow that might explain what happened here.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

Apparently, the wagon has been here since the last cold season. You find three bodies of hapless explorers, each wearing a cold weather outfit. They probably attempted to cross the mountains at the worst possible time. The wagon would probably be the best place to camp for the night, it has enough room for the five of you and there is also a wood burning stove with enough wood to burn through the night.

I'm going to use Garen's survival check for this next part.

Garen imparts some survival knowledge to Griffo, Kurth and Kargen; giving them further preparation against the elements.

Make 4 Fort saves for each of the coldest hours of the night (DC 15, 16, 17 and 18). If you choose to wear your cold weather outfit, sew one from the furs (DC 15 survival) or take one from one of the corpses, you get a +13 bonus (not counting your regular Fort save bonus). If not, it's just a +8 and your regular fort save bonus.

Fort saves: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (7) + 15 = 22
1d20 + 15 ⇒ (9) + 15 = 24
1d20 + 15 ⇒ (10) + 15 = 25
1d20 + 15 ⇒ (9) + 15 = 24

Taking Garens advice Griffo huddles in near the fire with Wurt wearing his cold weather outfit and covering themselves with some of the furs.

Fort Save: 1d20 + 13 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 13 + 3 = 28
Fort Save: 1d20 + 13 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 13 + 3 = 32
Fort Save: 1d20 + 13 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 13 + 3 = 34
Fort Save: 1d20 + 13 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 13 + 3 = 18

Survival: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Kargen gets out his own Cold Weather Outfit and huddles up with the others near the fire. While they're waiting out the cold, he begins sewing together the furs from Urdel. It takes him a while especially with the cold, but he finally is able to create another outfit from it.

Garen pulls a cold weather outfit off of one of the corpses and puts it on. "I don't think he'll be needing this..." Garen takes the first watch this time.

Fortitude Saves:1d20 + 16 ⇒ (11) + 16 = 27, 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (18) + 16 = 341d20 + 16 ⇒ (17) + 16 = 33, 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (13) + 16 = 29

Kurth also takes one of the corpses' cold weather outfits.

Fort DC 15: 1d20 + 4 + 13 ⇒ (16) + 4 + 13 = 33
Fort DC 16: 1d20 + 4 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 4 + 13 = 32
Fort DC 17: 1d20 + 4 + 13 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 13 = 21
Fort DC 18: 1d20 + 4 + 13 ⇒ (16) + 4 + 13 = 33

He feels nice and warm in it most of the time.

He also puts one of the furs on his mule to keep it warm.
Do I need to roll for a non-combat animal?

Oh right Wurt! 1d20 + 13 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 13 + 5 = 29
1d20 + 13 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 13 + 5 = 22
1d20 + 13 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 13 + 5 = 22
1d20 + 13 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 13 + 5 = 21

The animals are fine.

You sleep comfortably through the night and set off in the morning. As the pass winds around a large mountain, you spot a light glinting from a ledge some 50 feet above their current location.

"What's that?" Kargen says, pointing up to the flash of light. "Maybe we should check it out." He offers our a silk rope for any of the others.

He'll also cast Guidance on anyone willing to make the climb.

Kurth looks at the spot pointed out by Kargen.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

Unless it look like something that is going to attack him immediately, he offers to climb up there and check it out up close.

He removes his armor, then uses his own rope, grappling hook and pitons in addition to the rope offered by Kargen to climb up.

Climb: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29

Kurth scales the wall and finds a small statue of a woman complete with a nearby shrine resting on the ledge. The glinting light seen from the path is the sun’s reflection off a number of coins and gems in the shrine’s offering bowl.

Garen attempts the climb as well, using the ropes that are hanging down.

Climb:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11 plus whatever circumstance bonus I get from Kurth already being up there with a rope

Garen has no difficulty climbing the icy, rocky face of the cliff.

Garen looks around carefully for any secret doors or paths that would lead to the shrine or into the mountain.

"It seems awfully strange to put a shrine in such a hard to reach place, unless... unless there's another way up here..."

Perception:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13 Assuming everything remains calm, I will keep searching until I can take 20.

"Its a shrine. We should leave it alone. Stealing from the gods brings bad luck."

Can we tell to whom the shrine is dedicated?
Knowledge Religion (untrained): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0

To know about the shrine would require a DC 15 knowledge (history or nobility) check.

After a while of searching, Garen finds no other path up here.

" What's up there? A shrine? That's a bit weird... "

Doh I don't have Kn history... I usually take that.

No one seem to have it.

"Just leave an offering and let's get going."

"Better safe than sorry. Last thing I need is bad luck." He drops a few coppers at the shrine and climbs back down.

Garen feels a surge of warmth as the statue imparts its blessing upon him.

It'll show up on your chronicle sheet, Garen. Kinda useless for this scenario.

Kurth follows Garen's example and drops a few coppers at the shrine.

Before climbing back down he looks at the path ahead from the raised position of the ledge.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

Unless you feel like rolling 8 Acrobatics checks, I'm going to skip the next section, as it is optional.

Kurth sees that their path will lead the group through a fog-shrouded bog.

I'm fine to skip the acrobatics... Lol

I'll pass on them too.

After departing from the shrine, you descend into the bog. Thick blobs of fog dance in between large tickets as the foul stench of swamp gas pollutes the air. Several exotic species of vines twist along the vapor shrouded path, creating an ethereal seeming tangle. At random intervals, a splash of fetid water sounds in the distance, signaling the presence of frogs or other bog creatures.
After eight hours of traversing the bog, you make camp in a solid looking area. You awake the next morning and resume your travels. As you progress through the bog, the thick rolling fog begins to disperse, allowing you to see where you step. Despite the increased visibility, this area of the
swamp is still difficult terrain, as the muck and vegetation thicken further.
A large log rests across a dirt path, standing five feet tall. A moldering wood door covers one of the hollow ends of the log, and a makeshift mud chimney emits a thin wisp of blue smoke. From behind the crude house comes the sound of someone humming an off-key tune.

MAP

Kargen motions for the group to stop. "Anyone able to scout around the perimeter?" He takes a few steps closer and tries to see what the 'house' might contain.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
Knowledge, Local: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

Garen tries to move through the trees and get closer and take a look.

Perception:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

" I'll try and sneak around if you like. Just be ready if I yell out ok. Be patient it will take some time for me to get through the bog silently... And take care of Wurt. "

Griffo dismounts and looking at the bog with distaste he hitches up his robes and heads in as quietly as he can. Griffo tries to get through the bog stealthily till he's around the other side of the log house and can see anything.

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

Kurth is about to say something about walking around the tree house and leaving whoever lives there alone. But by that time Kargen, Garen and Griffo are already gone.

So he stays behind silently, with Wurt and the mule, waiting for the events to unfold.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16

Inside the hollow log, a pile of leaves acts as a bed, and a long wooden shelf lines the eastern wall filled with all sorts of potted mushrooms—the only decorations in this otherwise barren abode. On the north side of the log-house, a small patch of thistles grow in haphazard rows as if planted to resemble a garden.
You see a kobold tending to the thistles, talking to them in a language you do not understand.

Griffo heads back to his companions. If he's unnoticed and gets back ok he reports his findings. " Just seems to be one Kobold. Tending a garden of thistles. It's not harming anyone, should we just pass it by or try to ask it of any news of the road? "

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

"Let's see what it knows, but I don't want to get dragged into anything. We have a timetable to get to the Embassy."

"There's only one that you can see. He may have friends nearby- it would be wise to be cautious. Still, there's no point in picking unnecessary fights. Maybe he will have some useful information."

"Lets try to be friendly and polite. I don't want to kill innocent Kobolds ... again."

Are you announcing your presence in some way?

I would suggest we approach openly along the path, try not to look like murderous cretins too much, and say some sort of greeting once we are within earshot.

I agree with Kurth's plan.