Lords of Light (Inactive)

Game Master Zizazat

You have all been called forth to the Bloodspeaker Toka's tent. Garra and Yanick have been inside the tent many times and know the array of fetishes and charms Toka has, using them to understand the will of Gorum as well as the wishes of the honored dead. The acrid smell of fermenting pesh milk greets you as the tent flaps are pulled open. There are 6 small wooden cages stacked just inside the tent flap on the right side and Toka stands up from tending a small pot of something foul smelling he was stirring. "Yes, yes you have arrived. Come closer children, I have a great honor to share with you."

Toka has been the Bloodspeaker for Gul'Furom for as long as you have been alive. He is a strong man, but also a very engaging speaker. The will and the wisdom of Gorum flow from his mouth, and his knowledge of the tribal history is second to none. He is a man approaching middle age, and while his time as Bloodspeaker has softened him none would dare call him soft. He burns with the warrior spirit of Gul'Farom and his words hold a strong sway over Elder Kora'Mol.

He smiles widely, his eyes bright "As you know the Trial of the Lightbringer is at hand, and the Ritual of Stardust is but 15 days away." He gestures to the wooden cages, "You will honor Elder Kora'Mol and the entire Gul'Farom tribe by completing part of our contribution to the Trial. You are tasked with capturing six badgers from the nearby woods. Alive of course." he looks at Josi as he says that last bit. "It will take the tribe 3 days to reach the Ritual site, and you should reasonably be able to track and capture the badgers within 7 days. Of course any dire badgers you manage to capture instead will only reflect greater honor on the warriors of Gul'Farom."

Nodding his head, his eyes glaze over lost in thought as he finishes speaking. He shakes his head and snaps back into this moment with you, "I will answer any questions you may have, otherwise I look forward to your success!"

Josi looks at the others with a smile and says "We should capture six dire badgers! It will bring great honor to us and our tribe!" Josi then turns back to Bloodspeaker Toka and asks enthusiastically "Is there any other details we need to know? If not I'd like to take the cages and prepare to leave as soon as the rest are all ready to go for this great honor you have given us."

"Oh, yes. What could be more glorious than trapping rodents?"

Toka nods at Josi, waving his hand at the cages, "The cages are ready for your use. Make your plans. If you make more than one trip you may return to me any of the captured badgers in the meantime. Garra should be most helpful to your hunting endeavors."

Turning toward Bok, Toka raises an eyebrow and frowns slightly "Think of it as your chance to impress me. The glory of Gul'Farom and the Elder Kora'Mol is better served by this action than your incessant tinkering with broken junk."

Dozens of replies fill Bok's young head, but he knows they're of no use. "Right. Let's go see these cages."

Josi smirks to Bok's reply and says "If you want to go after something bigger by all means we can do that also. Just don't complain if you end up dead or with a few scars like this. (she points at the huge scar on the left side her face.) Our traditions are important and need to be done properly. It is still a test of our skills and a chance to further prove ourselves better then the others."

"Ah, yes, the amazing all-important mantra that is 'tradition.' Let's go make sure we do everything the same way everyone else did. That will show how great we are ..." Bok crankily leaves.

Josi shrugs and shakes her head mutters to herself a little then looks at Garra and Yanick and says "Well he has always been a unique one hasn't he. Are you two ready or have any questions for our Bloodspeaker? Those dire badgers are waiting to be caught!"

Sorry..holiday weekend and family...

Garra watches the others who are to accompany her to the woods to capture the badgers.
"While it might seem like an easy endeavor, badgers are very temperamental creatures, their larger Dire cousins even more. We will need to be quiet, resourceful and respect the ways of the woods."

Toka nods, "Even Bok could kill a badger if he wanted. But to outwit the cunning little buggers? Go with the blessings of the ancestors young ones."

Josi nods and says "Thank you for honoring us with this task Bloodspeaker Toka." Then she walks out to collect the cages and prepare to leave.

"'Thank you for honoring us with this task Bloodspeaker Toka,'" Bok says mockingly. "I can't believe that you two ...of this entire generation, of this entire tribe ...YOU don't take a moment and think about this grouping. Right before the festival. For the festival. We're being shat upon. Again. As usual, 'Little' Josie, and 'Weird Nature Girl.' Send the weirdos out together, maybe they all die."

Yanick smiles "I've been wanting to make a trip to the woods to the south. I'm nearly out of sphagnum capillifolium and I can always use more spruce sap."

Stepping out of the tent, a black raven that was perched on the top of the tent flutters down and lands on her shoulder. She nods at the raven, take a small nut out of her pocket and feeds it to the creature. "I agree Pogh, today is a terrible day to die. Garra where do you suggest we start?"

Garra uses knowledge-nature and knowledge-geography to get the best idea as to where to find the badgers.

Knowledge-Nature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
Knowledge-Geog.: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

Garra you know that the forest nearest the tribe (6 miles) will have badgers, and perhaps a dire badger but unlikely you will find 6 total. The forest along the southern mountains is your best bet and will take 1 days travel to get there and is large enough that you should be able to find all 6 (though 6 dire badgers is hard to say). The forested area further north and west from Gul'Farom is just over a day travel and is also likely to yield all 6.

Going to help look and track with Garra
Knowledge(nature) check:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Survival check: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

Garra mentions what she knows to the others.
"I think we should spend a day travelling and head towards the forest by the southern mountains. It is our best bet."

"That sounds good."

Then lets up get started with all haste. Do any of you need to bring anything? If not, I will join you on the way out of the village."
With that, Garra heads off into the woods.

Got selected for jury duty the same day as my parents came into town ...I might be awol-ish, especially during the day.

The young members of the Gul'Farom tribe set out with the cages toward the small forest growth southeast of the village known as Sullen Hollow. Garra and Klo lead the way, Yanick strolls behind leisurely with Pogh flying around most of the time. Josi knows the Sullen Hollow area fairly well also, as this is the same place as her fateful encounter with the grizzly bear.

Hex Movement
Hex 1 - Plains
Random encounter (1d100 ⇒ 44 <= 10%) - None.

Hex 2 - Plains
Random encounter (1d100 ⇒ 36 <= 10%) - None.

Hex 3 - Forest
Locate safe place to make camp - DC 20 Survival
Garra - Survival +9 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29, aided by Bok (+0) 1d20 ⇒ 9, Josi (+3) 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18 and Yanick (+5) 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20.
Total: 33
Every 5 over/under DC adds/subtracts 5% from Random encounter %
Random encounter (1d100 ⇒ 45 <= 5%) - None. Hex map updated.

You establish a nice camp site in the forest, and the night passes without incident. In the morning you set off in search of badger tracks! DC 19 Survival.
Garra - Survival +9 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19, aided by Bok (+0) 1d20 ⇒ 18, Josi (+3) 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13 and Yanick (+5) 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6.
Total: 23

Garra, aided by Bok and Josi manage to pick up the tracks of a badger and follow it close to it's den.

Tell me your thoughts on how to proceed...

Josi would like to scope out if there is more then one entrance to the den. If so we need to set up the traps and see if we can either spook some out into them or set up food in it and wait. Others thoughts?

Just a quick question...what are we doing with the badgers? Just wondering because Garra could either talk to the badges and get them to come along or use animal empathy. But if they are going to be killed...well that is another story

As you understand it from Bloodspeaker Toka the badgers will be used as part of the Trial to test combat skills of the participants. They are not being killed for fun, but to show a warrior's worth. Any animals killed during the Trial will be prepared as part of the celebration feast at the end of the Trial. They are honored by all for their part in the lifecycle of the valley.

Ok...as a devotee of the Green, Garra would approve of this use. Simply destroying of sacrificing the badgers might not be so easy to forgive.

Ok, so are we going to let Garra try to lure some of them out? I want to find dire badgers too if we get time to look for them

Garra will use her knowledge-Nature to find the best place that badgers might be located once we get to the woods, then attempt to track them to a burrow or lair. Using animal empathy she will attempt to coax them out where the others should be able to place them in one of the cages. Does this sound like an O.K. plan?

sounds good to me

Garra leads the group near a den where there are two badgers, the traps are setup and everyone stands by while she tries to use wild empathy to get the badgers to cooperate.

Wild empathy: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

The check appears to be bad enough to change it's unfriendly attitude to hostile :) I'll get another map up later tonight with a badger combat!

Initiative -

Bok: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
Yanick: 1d20 ⇒ 2
Josi: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Badger1: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18
Garra: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Badger2: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Combat Map

Hopefully this works ok for everyone, we'll adapt/adjust as we go. Thanks!

so we waiting on Badger 1 to go or are you letting us go first?

My bad. Somehow I read that as 8 not 18 so...oops.

Badger1 moves up from D7 to F7 and attacks Garra with a bite but misses.
Attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

I'll see about getting the number line to match up better also :)

"We're not supposed to kill it, right?"

"Catch it and throw in a cage!"

On her initiative (2), Yannick steps in closer (keep 30ft distance) to the nearest badger and attempts to put it to sleep using the slumber hex. DC 16 will save to resist.

"Go to sleep my little fury friend, we mean you no harm"

Sorry but I don't know how to make the green dice rolls appear in the chat.

to do dice functions on this you type "dice" in between "[]" then type 1d20 + # so forth and end it with "[/]" "dice" goes after the "/". to type text like this that is out of combat same way but type ooc instead of dice.

Josi on her turn runs to nearest badger and tries to grapple it.
CMB +3
1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

"Dang it!"

"Yeah, wow, jumping on rodents is really proving our worth."

The second badger moves up and also attack Garra while Josi tries (and fails) to get her hands around the first one.

Badger2 bite Garra: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18
Damage: 1d3 ⇒ 1

Yanick moves in, creepily commanding Badger1 to slumber...
Badger1 Will: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11 < DC 16. Badger1 falls asleep!

Round 2 - Badger1 is asleep so everyone else gets to go again.

on my turn - now initiative 8, I say to Josi

"Hey J, grab the sleeping one and put it in the cage before it wakes up! I will try and take out the one that is eating Garra."

Use a move action to close in on the other badger and as soon as I get within 30ft use the slumber hex again on badger2 this time. Same DC.

Mutter barely audibly, Dammit, really shouldn't have left those nets behind in camp on the washing line!"

Bok will help Josi with the sleeping badger.

Garra attempts to calm the vicious little creature, speaking in a soothing and calm voice, all the while the throbbing of the bite reminding her to be wary of cornered animals.

Animal Empathy: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23

ok do I need to make a stealth check to not wake the sleeping? or can I just pick it up and me and bok put it in a cage?

going to pick up the sleeping one gently on my turn and put it in a cage

Josi - no check needed.

Josi and Bok get the sleeping badger into a cage, no problem.

Garra attempts to calm the angry little beast that's trying to lunge for her thoat and Yanick adds her own soothing words...

Badger2 Will: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 < DC 16. He slumps over asleep and Garra scoops him up gently and deposits him into a cage. Securely locked up, the badgers wake up in short order and growl and make a ruckus trying to find a way out of the cages. Garra is able to further sooth them back into a more mellow state.

"Great job Yanick, putting them to sleep so easily did the trick! Now if only we can find some dire ones."

"yeah thanks, but I get get the feeling that any of these dire badgers won't come so quietly! Anyone get hurt in that little scuffle?"

Yannick uses knowledge History to try and think of any stories / tales of previous groups that have been out hunting dire badgers previously:

1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

"I took a small bite, but it is not too bad. Let us continue to search for more badgers. Perhaps this time I can keep them calm enough to pack up."

Knowledge-Nature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Survival: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

hmmm you sure that badgers live over there? I was thinking more like further down by the river

Knowledge nature 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

following wherever they go to catch more, didn't know if u were waiting for me and bok to post or something

Since the DC 16 vs. sleep is likely to be a very effective tactic for capturing the badgers, I will hand wave catching the remaining 4 and assume that 1 is a dire badger.

Hex Movement
Hex 1 - Plains
Random encounter (1d100 ⇒ 10 <= 10%) - ...

As you make your way out of the forest and into the plains heading back towards your home of Gul'Farom. Managing the badger cages slows your travel, but you still expect to reach the village late in the evening.

In the distance you notice a group humanoid creatures who appear to be heading towards the forest. You notice at least 6 figures at this distance, loosely organized moving on foot. You are sure they are not other Kellids.

Since the plains are fairly open you've spotted them first at quite a ways out (200') and they have given no indications or reactions of having seen you...yet.

Josi tries to figure out what they are

Perception
1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13