GM Rednal's Rise of the Runelords: AE (Inactive)

Game Master Rednal

Shalluk moved out of the way again, leading the creature a merry chase. Of course, this time it ended with him trying to put a cold iron crossbow bolt in the creatures skull. If it struck he would see how well it wounded the creature, and try silver next if it failed.

Crossbow Bolt: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Damage: 1d10 ⇒ 1

*Sigh* I cannot wait for fifth level and adding dex to my damage...

Masterwork Falcata: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 161d8 + 3 + 1d6 ⇒ (8) + 3 + (3) = 14

With the creature seemingly have trouble hitting her, Tanwen continues her assault.

Yeah, early levels kind of stink, don't they? XD The good news is that you're well on you way.

Shalluk's bolt was accurate, but quite literally bounced off of the creature and did no damage - cold iron was apparently not one of its weaknesses.

By the way, I don't automatically do knowledge checks, but you can always ATTEMPT them on your own initiative. ^^

Tanwen's strike, meanwhile, was enough to put her foe down. That reduced some of the noise still echoing through the halls, though Tyranius was still on the run (4/5 rounds, by the way) - and the remaining creature snarled as it lashed out at Shalluk again after closing the distance.

Bite (Shalluk): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

...And failed to find a place where it could start mauling him.

I would do knowledge checks...but I don't have them. I intend to remedy this next level and basically pour skill points into knowledge skills.

Seeing that Tanwen had brought her foe down, Shalluk swung around in a wide circle, leading his opponent back towards her. At the same time he swapped out the Cold Iron bolts for Silver ones.

Masterwork Falcata: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 181d8 + 3 + 1d6 ⇒ (8) + 3 + (1) = 12

Tanwen moves over to the other creature (charging if necessary), seeing as Shalluk is having a bit more difficulty then herself, and attacks it.

Tanwen landed a solid blow on the creature, and with a loud snarl, it lashed out at her again.

Bite: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Its jaws were thrust aside, though - and together, Tanwen and Shalluk were able to bring the creature down and put an end to the cacophonous noise that had filled the entire fort.

Is that both dogs down then?

Yea, it is, deleted my previous post...

"Tyranius, you done running around like a chicken without a head?" Tanwen calls out waiting for the ninja to return.

After a moment Tyranius peeks his head around the corner.

Stealth: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

Using the shadows he creeps in to Tanwen's side. My blades were helping from the shadows. His voice cracks slightly as his hands visibly shake as the fear is still wearing off.

Bluff: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

It clearly wasn't a very good bluff, but on the bright side, at least the immediate area seemed safe enough... for the moment. Still, the only creatures here that hadn't heard the barking would've had to be deaf... it was unlikely anyone else here (however many there were - who knew?) would be taken by surprise.

Shalluk paused, and bowed his head. "I am sorry," he murmured softly. "I truly did not intend to harm either of yourselves. That ability was...not familiar to me. It did not work as I thought it would."

ASF >15% is successful: 1d100 ⇒ 10
ASF >15% is successful: 1d100 ⇒ 68

"It's fine." Tanwen says before she attempts to heal herself, failing her spell. She then curses silently before using her last daily spell to cast Infernal Healing, successfully this time.

Tyranius grasps Shalluk's shoulder. No need to apologize. Those were unnatural beasts.

Tyranius takes a moment to look around the room before he heads up the northern corridor.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Nodding his gratitude to the others, Shalluk followed along.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

The northern corridor leads right to a small, ten-foot-square room. There's another door on the west-hand side.

The lower four feet of the walls in this empty room are covered with crude drawings in mud, blood, and paint. Most of the drawings show goblins engaged in some sort of violence against humans, horses, or dogs. One picture on the north wall is at least three times the size and complexity of the other scrawlings. This image shows Thistletop from the side, the goblin stockade perched atop it like a crown. A cave has been drawn into the center of the image, and looming inside is what appears to be an immense, muscular goblin with snakelike eyes and a dogslicer in each taloned hand. If the scale compared to the rest of the drawing is to be believed, this goblin must be at least thirty feet tall.

That one big goblin..... Tyranius says as he gasps and peers through the western door as quietly as he can.

Stealth: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

"I suspect it more accuaretly represents his ego." After all, such a large Goblin wouldn't even fit in this place.

Stealth: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

Through the western door was... a short hallway. The room after that was a little more interesting.

A large table surrounded by chairs fills much of this room. A slate board to the north is covered with scribblings in chalk, but the map of Sandpoint that has been carefully inscribed on it leaves no doubt as to the purpose of this room - this is doubtless where the recent raid was planned.

"They plan?" Shalluk asked, only half joking. He moved into the room and started taking a look around, seeing if there was any information that could help defend Sandpoint.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

"Well, someone planned, after all we know that the goblins weren't working alone." Tanwen reminds the Tiefling.

Perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2

As she fails to be of any assistance in finding anything.

An investigation of the slate and the notes does, in fact, provide more detail. Namely, that once "the whispering beast is tamed," the architects of the plan intend to mount a second raid on the town, one that incorporates not only additional goblin tribes culled from as far as the Fogscar Mountains to the north, but creatures referred to as "sinspawn" who will invade Sandpoint from below. No exact timetable is given for when this second raid is to happen, but close examination reveals that the final assault is scheduled for only a few weeks in the future.

Picking up the most relevant notes, Shalluk wiped the slate clean as well. It wouldn't stop an attack...but if they did enough damage it might be enough to make a mess of it. The tiefling was too aware of his own mortality to risk the town on his own success.

Who or what could rally all these goblins? Who would want to? Tyranius says as he looks over all of the notes. What is a sinspawn?

The answer to that... was not clear from the notes.

"Nothing good, one would imagine." Shrugging, Shalluk made sure there was no more notes to be removed or destroyed, and then moved to the next area.

I assume we're in the room at the top, with the tables and chairs but no current number? If that's so, Shalluk will peek through the door on the upper east side.

Knowledge (Arcana or Planes): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19 Doubtful, but does Tanwen know anything about Sinspawns?

Tanwen could only barely resist the urge to torch this room right now, knowing that burning it would do more then Shalluk's attempts and messing things up.

The door on the upper east side looks like it leads to a staircase, heading up to the top floor. Another entrance to this floor, it seemed, probably coming up behind whatever else is on the top level of the fort.

Unfortunately, though, there's not a whole lot of information on what Sinspawn are - they're not common knowledge, at least, which by process of elimination suggests they're something very old.

Shalluk looked up the stairwell. Interesting to know, but not currently important.

Instead he headed over to the door on the west side.

Tyranius peers about for any traps and tries to listen for the oversized goblin.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

Good to know that there is another way out.

The western door thuds against something as soon as Shalluk tries to open it - it's not locked, but it seems like there's something barricading it from the other side, and you'll need to push it out of the way if you want to get through.

Tyranius ses his shoulder against the door for additional leverage and begin to push.

Strength check: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16

Stength;aid another: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

Knowing that her strength isn't the best, Tanwen attempts to aid in opening the door, but isn't very helpful.

The door bangs against the barricade, but whatever's there doesn't slide backwards. You'll either have to shove it a lot harder or find some way around.

(Or just break everything down, although it's uncertain how effective that will be...)

Shalluk grunts at the door. "Well, there are plenty more rooms we have yet to look in. Let us try somewhere else. We can always return here at need." Retracing there steps until they found somewhere they hadn't already been, Shalluk headed for the door to the East of D1.

Tyranius follows behind Shalluk, sticking to the shadows.

Stealth: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

Go ahead and open it, I am ready.

Shalluk nodded, pushing the door open and standing aside to allow Tyranius to enter first before the crossbowman followed.

To the east of that chamber was... the short hallway between there and the next room further to the east. On the bright side, no creatures had invaded it while you were away, preparing some kind of ambush now that your presence was known.

I got east and west confused again, didn't I?

After succefully checking the room was still safe, Shalluk moved over to the door leading West off D1 and checked that one instead.

Following a short hallway, you're able to emerge into the next area.

The southern wall of this room is a bank of cells with iron doors, six in all. The rest of the room is obviously a torture chamber; a rack sits against the far wall, an iron maiden stands to the north, and a fire pit smolders below a spiky cage dangling from a chain in the ceiling to the east.

"I am going to regret this," Shalluk muttered, moving to the Iron Maiden and checking it for life, unlife and magic before daring to open it.

Tyranius takes a look around. This is awfully sophisticated for goblins. Usually they just grab whatever junk they can find.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

"You're braver then I." Tanwen notes as Shalluk prepares to open the Iron Maiden.

If there were any regrets to be had, they'd be a different day - the iron maiden was empty, untrapped, and devoid of various auras unless you counted a really old stench of blood. (Which might have made sense, actually. If anybody planned to USE it, they wouldn't bother with traps, and it was increasingly clear nobody had expected raiders to ever make it to this area.)

Thankful for the lack of undead abominations lurking in the metal coffin, Shalluk shut the door again with a look of distaste hidden by the hood of his robe, and quickly looked over the rest of the room.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

Perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3

Tanwen finds absolutely nothing of interest in this room.

"There's nothing here, we should move on." She says as if she's confident in her inadequate ability to find anything.

In agreement Tyranius opens the northeastern door within the room. Seems they are preparing for captives.

The northeastern door leads to a short ten-foot hallway and another door on the right-hand side. A dusty nest of rags, dog hides, and straw sits in
the northeast corner of the room past the door. To the south, a long workbench cluttered with pliers, hooks, tongs, saws, and knives runs along the wall. There are a number of keys scattered through the room, and they look like they match the (empty) cells in the previous chamber - there doesn't seem to be anything else of worth here.

Looking around, Shalluk nodded. "I hope we can find enough kindling for this room too." Moving back to the other room (D1), Shalluk opened the most South Easterly door.

"If nothing else, those benches should make decent kindling." Tanwen comments before following Shalluk back to the previous room.