Leinathan's Motteditor's Kingmaker PBP (Inactive)

Game Master leinathan

"Don't stab, Prazil, run!" Agnar says as he turns tail and hustles as far from the swarm as he can, realizing he has precious little that will affect them.

"What is wrong with all these damn animals?!" he cries as he retreats.

Heeding Agnar's suggestion, Prazil spurs Spike into an about face. The kobold though, unable to suppress his innate heroism, doesn't retreat as far as he and Spike are able. Rather, he ensures that he and his trusted steed are between his allies and the crows, hopefully ensuring the others are able to get away safely.

Bad Announcer's Voice-over: "Will Kereek do as asked and rain fiery destruction on the murder of crows, or will the crows live up their name and begin killing party members one by bloody one?"

Sorry all, been on spring break with my wife and daughter. Just got back Saturday and have been catch up since then.

Unable to fight off the swarm of birds Orin does his best to protect himself by pulling his cloak's hood up and covering his eyes with his arm.

Orin will go Total Defense until such time as Kereek burns them out of the sky.

Orin and Agnar fall back as Katerina and Prazil take up a guard stance between them and the crows, which descend on them in murderous fury.

7 hp to Katerina, Prazil and Spike, plus each needs to succeed at a DC 13 Reflex save or be blinded as the swarm scratches and tears at their eyes AND a DC 13 Fortitude save or be nauseated 1 round

2d6 ⇒ (2, 5) = 7

Entire party is up for Round 2.

Ref Save: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14 Fort Save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Katerina weathers the murder and then scuttles back out of the swarm.

Ah, swarms... lol

Kereek hustles toward the others until he can see the murderous crows. He stops, smiles slightly in his lizardly fashion and murmurs a few words while miming a tossing gesture. Say hello to my little friend!

FIREBALL: 7d6 + 7 ⇒ (4, 1, 1, 3, 2, 2, 4) + 7 = 24 Reflex DC 17 for half! Aiming to hit the swarm without hitting my friends.

"KEREEK! KEREE-urk!" Prazil, hoping Kereek hears his call for aid, blindly urges Spike to surge forward and out of the cloud of birds. Spike bolts at the grey-skinned kobold's urging, but Prazil can do little besides cling to the saddle as his stomach threatens to empty itself.

Reflex (Prazil): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
Fort (Prazil): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Reflex (Spike): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
Fort (Spike): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

I'm assuming Kereek's mostly handling the swarm based on your R1 actions, so I'm going to advance and assume you're mostly trying to stay away from the birds.

The birds duck below the worst of the fire as Kereek tries to avoid singeing his friends, though many cooked crows nonethless fall to the ground.

Undaunted, the birds swirl and continue their assault on Prazil and Spike as the pair head closer to their food source. 4 hp to both, plus each needs to succeed at a DC 13 Reflex save or be blinded as the swarm scratches and tears at their eyes AND a DC 13 Fortitude save or be nauseated 1 round

Oh for pity's sake! It's a Hitchcock film up in here!

Prazil and Spike both protect their heads enough to keep their wits and bearings about them, but the stench of scorched crow overcomes both rider and steed as the two struggle free from the feathered cloud. Spike's sides convulse like an accordion even as Prazil pitches sideways off the saddle, losing his last meal into the grass.

Reflex (Prazil): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
Fort (Prazil): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12
Reflex (Spike): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
Fort (Spike): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

Thank goodness swarms are considered a single creature for all intents and purposes.

Agnar curses, moving back towards the others, raising his holy symbol and sending out waves of healing energy, but blocking the crows from their effects. Channel Energy: 4d6 ⇒ (5, 4, 2, 4) = 15 hp healed, selecting the swarm to deny the effects.

Not Hitchcock! Birdemic!

Katerina smirks as Agnar's aid flows through her. "I just wish I could something better than back up!"

Kereek, unaccustomed to seeing things survive his fireball attack of doom, pitches another one at the swarm! FIRE!: 7d6 + 7 ⇒ (6, 2, 4, 1, 5, 5, 2) + 7 = 32

Kereek's second blast dissipates the swarm of birds, and the eerily abandoned village falls quiet again other than the strange sounds of Prazil and Spike retching.

Finishing the investigation from before, Agnar realizes all the livestock is dead and based on their state, likely has been for some time.

Were Prazil and Spike in near enough proximity to Agnar to benefit from his last channel, Mott?

Yay or nay, Spike would still be a bit scraped up.

Prazil looks up weakly from the far side of Spike, the dinosaur's body shielding the little kobold from his allies' eyes. He frowns, pats his faithful steed comfortingly, and offers a weak thumbs up to the others before turning green and pitching over the far side of Spike once more.

Kereek nods at a job well cooked. He moves toward the dead livestock, then gags and steps back, his nose covered. "Kereek am thinking maybe we am leaving dead things for crows next time, yes yes? Prazil, why am you throwing on Spike? You am look greener than normal. Agy-nar, Orin, why am Prazil so green? Am it new Prazil color? Am Prazil green now? Can Kereek paint Prazil other colors? Him look good with orange head and pink tail!"

1d100 ⇒ 54

Sure, Prazil, we'll say you were barely close enough.

"First rats, now crows. It's like all the scavengers around here have gone flamin' crazy."

Is Agnar able to determine cause of death for the animals?

Prazil struggles back up into Spike's saddle as he and his steed both seem to get past the horrible nausea at nearly the same time. Weakly and without any of the usual mirth in his tone, Prazil shakes his head as he leads Spike from the farm house and the grisly scene, "No, Prazil not look good with pink tail." He burps with a grimmace and shakes his head again.

Prazil: 49/49 hp
Spike: 39/51 hp

Give me a Heal check, Agnar.

One page back, here.

You think the wounds were caused post-mortem, meaning the animals likely died of natural causes. Considering their state, it may have been due to thirst.

"I don't know what happened, but it feels like these animals deserved better than this." Katerina holds a stoic mask about the senseless death, but she is also avoiding looking too closely.

"Maybe it is time to go find the neighbors. Pardon the pun."

"No food, no water. They left their animals to die of thirst, left the granary full. The more I see, the more of a mystery it is." Agnar walks away from the scene, tugging on his beard.

After a few steps he stops, chuckling.

"Neighbors...that's clever."

Prazil looks over, his expression still glum, and his brow knits in confusion. "Prazil not get it. Why am neighbors clever?"

Don't forget, you've still got the inn (and other buildings) to look into, if you want. That kind of got interrupted by the fight. There's also still the north side of town. Or of course you can head out now for the neighbors.

No, Mott, you're right. We should be thorough here! :D

Katerina smiles at Prazil, but doesn't bother to explain. "Nothing Prazil. Ready to go check the inn? Another gathering place may give us some kind of clue." Not that I would say it, but this silent town is making my skin crawl...

Prazil nods at Katerina's suggestion and turns away from the sad pens, urging Spike toward the inn.

Kereek agrees with Kat and moves toward the inn, pulling his hood up and getting all sneaky!

As you enter the inn, you see what looks like a standard common room. Immediately, though, your eyes are drawn toward a giant-sized spriggan that stands, silent and perfectly still, facing a paper-strewn table in the corner of the common room, one hand clutching a book. The back of the spriggan’s skull is a shattered mess of blood and bone, though his face betrays no notice of this mortal wound. A shimmering nimbus of amber surrounds the spriggan’s unmoving form.

Doors lead to other parts of the inn, and a stairway goes up to the second floor.

"Well, that's something you don't see everyday." Orin says as he examines the spriggan, careful not to touch the glowing aura around it.

Kereek stares openly at the spriggan. "What am doing that?!?"

Prazil cringes at the sight of the spriggan's wound, the little kobold sucking air in through puckered lips as the extent of the damage becomes clear. "That look like it am for hurting very much. Ouch!" He rubs the back of his own head as he imagines suffering a similar blow.

Katerina offers some comfort to the valiant kobold, "Looks like he never felt it." She does however agree strongly with Kereek. "What did that? Any ideas? And the amber aura. Was he attacked by a weeping tree?"

"Some kind of magic, I'd guess. That would definitely make Kereek the person to figure it out. I'm afraid I haven't done much study on spells." He maneuvers around the dead spriggan, trying to examine the book without actually touching it or the amber field.

He appears to be reading "Secrets of the Rashalka Mounds," by Ernst Gavinport.

Several other books lie in a pile on the table.

Prazil scratches his head as he looks around the inn, though he remains contantly wary of the strange spriggan. He quickly abandons any thoughts he might have had for searching the place and instead returns to the others. "Prazil am for making sure Spriggan not be trouble." He nods, drawing his hammer and shield. "If him wake up and am for making trouble, Prazil am for stopping him."

Kereek would like to study this effect...
Knowledge Arcana: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13 and Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

Unfortunately, it's a Know (arcana) check, so...

You think it's some sort of spell effect, but aren't sure exactly what it is, Kereek.

Kereek scratches his chin thoughtfully. "It AM spell, but Kereek am no sure what spell it am. Maybe am best to leave book and gnome-giant alone?"

"Sounds good to me. I've no wish to be paralyzed and stand around while someone turns my head into a bowl. Shall we start upstairs and work our way down from there?"

Leaving the stack of books on the table, a search of the inn’s guest rooms reveals that only one of them was inhabited at the time of the vanishing. An investigation of the personal effects that remain indicate its occupant was a man named Ervil Pendrod. Among the more mundane possessions in his travel trunk is a small library of reference works on Iobaria.

Among them is a centuries-old geography book created by one Carmyn e’Brothasa, chronicler of Taldor’s Third Army of Exploration into the north. One passage is marked by Pendrod and reproduced nearby. Pendrod’s own handwriting in the margin of the text contains a simple but strange note: “Vordakai—perhaps a Nomen centaur god?”

The book, frustratingly, does not provide a location to the semi-mythical island mentioned in the passage, nor does it provide any further clues to Pendrod’s cryptic margin note.

Kereek looks at the books, but doesn't give them much attention. "Where am Iobaria? Am we in Iobaria?"

Prazil shakes his head and shrugs at Kereek's question. "Prazil was going to ask you the same questions!"

Kereek stares at Prazil. Then he shakes his head, muttering, "Prazil am in dumb-baria. Prazil dumb King of dumb-baria."

Prazil's eyes narrow in confusion for a moment, then widen in alarm. "Prazil am king?! Bu- but- Prazil am not for knowing how to be king!" He looks around at the others with worry and adds, "Prazil am not even knowing where Dumbaria is! Ah! This am bad bad. Do you think maybe Baron Jon am for helping Prazil? Oh... oh, this am for being very bad. Prazil am not for knowing me am a king!"

I knew there was a reason why I put a rank into Knowledge: geography.
Knowledge (geography): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

Orin racks his brain for information about Iobaria "It's a nation, in name only, east of here. Mostly nomadic tribes with a few small villages."

Kereek looks at Orin and at Prazil's crisis of kingsmanship and nods at Orin. "So books am about place not here, about man called Vor-Da-Key? Him am centaur god? Maybe him am reverse centaur, with horse head on top and man parts on bottom?"

"Or maybe the source of the problem is the book the spriggan was reading. Some mounds, with or with out dumb kings."

Agnar thinks back to see if the name Vordakai rings any bells.
Knowledge (religion) check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

"Katerina has a point. Kereek, was there any magic on that book the spriggan downstairs was holding? Maybe it was some kind of trap. Book might be safe to take now."