You turn northeast, using the stars to guide you. Partway through your nighttime march on [color=teal]18th Pharast[/color] you enter some expansive thickets of strange berries rippled with a golden hue .
After an hour of progressing through these thickets, Augrym gives a sudden shout of alarm!
Curled under one of the taller bushes is a six-legged, green-scaled, winged creature about the size of a large man. It has definitely noticed you, and it glares at you with hideous glowing eyes.
+2 if Surprise
+2 if Surprise
Surprise!
1. Augrym
2. ???
Round I
1. Unrak, Gozrek, Augrym, Bytor, John
2. ???
3. Taranis
Augrym moves up and studies the creature, casting guidance to get a little better.
Bytor thinks about the golden hued berries, but really has not seen anything of the like before.
Augrym recognizes the creature, half-hidden by the darkness...
As Augrym moves forward, some rustling to his left draws his attention: a second winged creature rears up from behind another thicket! The other closes distance.
An instant later, the second monster belches a stinging flood of pure acid, which washes over Augrym like a blanket.
Round I
1. Unrak, Gozrek, Augrym (76/95 hp, FORTx2, REFx1), Bytor, John
2. ???
3. Taranis
Question: I'd like to know whatever details I can about its special attacks.
Like the basilisks with which they share blood, dracolisks have a horrifying gaze attack: to meet the gaze of a dracolisk is to risk being turned to stone.
As with all gaze attacks, you can try to avert your eyes or even shutting them completely .
To make matters worse, dracolisks also share the true dragon's ability to spout a deadly breath attack.
Augrym feels his skin and muscles stiffen, but he fights through it (barely!), and in the nick of time ducks most of the acid.
Round I
1. Unrak, Gozrek, Augrym (86/95 hp), Bytor, John
2. ??? Kn Arcana
3. Taranis
"HUNTSMEN, we are under attack from a Dracolisk and its friend. Be aware of its gaze attack and its breath attack!!"
Averting my eyes.
Augrym feels his blade connect once; the second finds only air.
Round I
1. Unrak, Gozrek, Augrym (86/95 hp), Bytor, John
2. Dracolisks (green-scales @ 14 dmg)
3. Taranis
Bytor starts with an inspirational speech.
"Hail, Huntsmen! It is time to awaken and let your hearts be joined in unity and brotherhood. Onward to battle!"
Bytor then moves his hands in quick somatic gestures uttering an arcane word, "Rask!" as he casts haste upon his companions.
Unrak decides to give the monsters a disadvantage at hitting HIM, as he ahs with them, and casts
Then he moves toward Augrym to support him, drawing his sword and shouting his enraged challenge on the way!!
Taranis immediately casts Faerie Fire upon the dracolisk with green scales! He then moves into position, whistling for Toth and trusting Gozrek.
Toth hears the whistle and immediately pounces!
for
for
MISS
MISS
Gozrek circles around back. He moves stealthily, but with Bytor's spell, he still covers a fair bit of distance.
He then casts Darkvision whilst hiding behind the rock.
Bytor urges his companions to hurry, though to what end he cannot see. Gozrek fixes his eyes and maneuvers west behind the rocks. Unrak readies a defensive spell and stumbles on towards the sound of fighting.
Round I
1. Unrak, Gozrek, Augrym (86/95 hp), Bytor, John
2. Dracolisks (green-scales @ 14 dmg)
3. Taranis
- Round the First
- Current HPs: 76/76
- Inspired
John lights a torch and tosses it toward the sound of the dracolisk.
John tosses a torch forward, illuminating much of the area.
The green dracolisk spews a bank of acid all over Augrym and Unrak.
The other slithers in to rip at Augrym's flesh.
HIT
Round I
1. Unrak (103/136 hp, Ref), Gozrek, Augrym (41/95 hp, Ref), Bytor, John
2. Dracolisks (green-scales @ 14 dmg)
3. Taranis
Taranis fires his spell, and Toth charges, laying into a dracolisk.
Round II
1. Unrak (103/136 hp, Refx1 Fortx2), Gozrek, Augrym (41/95 hp, Refx1 Fortx2), Bytor, John
2. Dracolisks (green-scales @ 65 dmg)
3. Taranis
AC: 29
+3 hit, +2 dam
The warrior runs toward the monsters, and when the light comes up, he dares their magicks to overcome him; however, this still distracts him enough to not dodge the incoming acid.
He shifts over, anticipating a flank with Augrym, then swings his blade with abandon at Black.
use Certain Strike to reroll one attack (3rd)
Unrak hacks one of the dracolisks to pieces. The other gets ready to flee, though it probably will not get the chance.
Round II
1. Unrak (103/136 hp), Gozrek, Augrym (41/95 hp, Refx1 Fortx2), Bytor, John
2. Dracolisks (green-scales @ 65 dmg)
3. Taranis
- Round the Deuce
- Current HPs: 76/76
- Inspired
John takes a step back to hide from the creature's searching gaze. He draws back the bowstring and from the shadows surrounding him he shoots a volley across the flickering circle of light...
First Attack:
for damage.
Second Attack:
for damage.
Rapid Shot:
for damage.
Taking a 5ft step and adding Bane to his weapon, Augrym moves in to kill this creature. Averting his eyes did not help him at all last attack so he stops doing this.
As Bytor maintains his inspiring courage, he begins casting a spell to summon forth a wolf from the north to battle the dracolisks.
Keeping his distance for the moment, Gozrek leans out to target both dracolisks. While exposed, he opts for a quartet of magic missiles on the wounded crature:
Augrym and John get ready to wreck the last heavily-wounded dracolisk, but Gozrek beats them to the punch with a sure-fire kill steal.
"Well done men! We're on a mission, but first look about for a lair!" Taranis quickly surveils the area
Ha! Well done all!! That could have gone MUCH worse!
Unrak cleans off his weapon, then looks about hoping to find tracks...but doing so at night is quite difficult.
Maybe at sunrise we take a moment to see if these beasties had a lair?
The only thing that Taranis observes in the nearby area are the masses of berries that lie thick on the branches of the surrounding thickets. The glint of each berry in the faint torchlight mimics the twinkling of starlight that peek between clouds overhead.
Taranis identifies these as golden cloudberries! The tart, semi-sweet berries grow in clusters that look cloud formations drifting across the thickets.
These abundant berries are a major natural source of food for many creatures of the local biome... and in turn those creatures make excellent eating for things higher up the food chain (hence the dracolisks).
"Besides being a great leader, you are also a skilled naturalist, Taranis. This could be a valuable resource to the kingdom. Mind you, it may also be coveted by others and may require protection."
John and Gozrek gather a bunch of berries to share with the rest of the family upon their return.
John and his son have no trouble gathering enough berries for a pie within a few minutes, aided by the torchlight.
I say we head due west, get into clearer terrain, and decide from there.
"Aye. West."
Proceeding west by night, you reach a march of hills descending from southern Brevoy on [color=teal]20th Pharast[/color]. The increased difficulty of the terrain slows your progress somewhat, and makes it difficult to spot landmarks or other points of interest across large distances. Even by night, however, it is clear that these hills are more sparsely touched by civilization and habitation than the open plains that you left behind.
After breaking camp on the evening of [color=teal]21st Pharast[/color], you conference to consider your next step.
Unrak muses. We're trying to find bases of support and civilization, right? Well, I'm thinking we should follow along the road to the south--alongside, mind you, not strictly ALONG--for a bit.
"Right lads, but we've got to get back home for now. I think we've pushed as far as we can this time."
"It would be good to get home, brothers."
, hours
, hours
, hours
, hours
, hours
, hours
, hours
, hours
, hours
Rather than turning back, you press south in the hopes of finding a new route home. Descending from the hills near dawn on the [color=teal]22nd[/color], you spend the next two nights slowly making your way across tended farmlands. Further southeast on the eve of [color=teal]24th Pharast[/color], you plunge back into the murky and choked waters of the Hooktongue Slough.
After four wet, buggy, cold, soggy, miserable night-marches, you reach an outflow into Lake Hooktongue. Lights twinkling on the Lake make clear that these waters are plied, though at a distance it is difficult to say exactly by whom. You decide to wait until the following night before attempting a crossing, but you do manage it in the end, "beaching" your craft in the marshes opposite in the early hours of [color=teal]29th Pharast[/color].
On the eastern shore, you no longer have the same worries about Drelev patrols, but another two days of swamp stand in your path, and then a shorter leg to reach the western boughs of the Narlmarches, under whose eaves you camp on [color=teal]31st Pharast[/color].
From there, it is only two days of bushwhacking to reach the refuge of the Statue of Erastil, and then the road to Tatzylford, where you are given rooms at Able's for the night of [color=teal]3rd Gozran[/color], and finally on to Solasgaard by the the [color=teal]5th[/color].
Upkeep Phase
Step 0 - Ruler: Declare the Duke's modifiers (Economy, Loyalty, or Stability).
Step 1 - Stability: Roll Stability Check. If successful, reduce Unrest by 1 (to a minimum of 0).
Step 2 - Consumption: Consumption has been deducted from the treasury. See "Ledger" tab.
Step 3 - Magic Items: .
Reykalaston: Minor Armor/Shield Special & Roll Again Glamered +2 Glamered Light Steel Shield
Solasgaard: Exotic Artisan Ring Lesser Minor Ring of Ferocious Action
Step 4 - Modify Unrest: Roll Loyalty Check to reduce Unrest, if desired (cannot be reduced below 0). Failure incurs permanent -1 penalty to Loyalty.
Edict Phase
Step 0 - Spymaster: Declare Spymaster's modifier (Economy, Loyalty, or Stability).
Step 1 - Assign Leadership: Assign new leadership or fill vacancies, if desired.
Step 2 - Claim Hex: Claim up to 4 new hexes of territory, if desired. All hexes must be fully explored to be claimed.
Step 3 - Abandon Hex: Abandon any number of hexes of existing territory, if desired.
Step 4 - Build Terrain: Pay for up to 7 terrain improvements in existing territory, if desired.
Step 5 - Settlements: Found up to 2 new settlements in existing territory. A site must first be prepared for settlement. Additionally, pay for construction of up to 10 new buildings in your existing settlements. The construction of a single house, tenement, noble villa, or mansion does not count against this limit, but must still be paid for.
Step 6 - Army: Raise up to 2 new military units (less any new settlements founded this month), or upgrade or repair existing ones, as desired. Pay any recruitment costs.
Step 7 - Edicts: Issue any new edicts as desired.
Upkeep Phase Summary
Edict Phase Summary
Step 6 - Army: Nothing this month
can we hold off on calling this "nothing this month?" We need to decide if we can afford any siege engines before we call it--see Slack
Retcon to the statue of Erastil...
John wakes his son at the end of his watch, just as rosy fingered dawn first caressess the eastern horizon. "Happy birthday my boy, I am very proud of you." John amd Gozrek watch the sun rise, say some prayers to Erastil, then set about making ready for the day.
can we hold off on calling this "nothing this month?" We need to decide if we can afford any siege engines before we call it--see Slack
Step 6 - Army: Nothing this month
Unrak drafts a short missive for the Military Academy at Reykalaston.
Our armies require a trebuchet. Construct, train the crew, and send the unit to Solasgaard
Edict Phase
Step 6 - Army:
Income Phase
Step 1 - Withdraw from Treasury: Withdraw resources from the treasury for personal use, if desired.
Step 2 - Deposit to Treasury: Deposit personal resources into the barony's treasury.
Step 3 - Sell Items: Sell up to 2 personal magical items to benefit the treasury.
Step 4 - Roll an Economy check for tax collection.
Event Phase
EVENT
Kingdom
Good Weather
Spring comes early to the Marchlands, allowing your farmers to get a head start on the planting season.
Income Phase Summary
As expansion and roadbuilding proceeds to the northwest, the Huntsmen assemble at the breakfast table on [color=teal]13th Gozran[/color] to draw up their plans.