Lords of Themselves: A Kingmaker Adventure Path.

Game Master Red Ramage

Maja is a bit surprised to have Pretty call her out. She had wanted to stay quiet, since it was already decided. "Well... I'm not sure how we ended up deciding to spare one, instead two or three. I guess those weren't part of the vote because we were going to spare the one who first agreed to help us. But we really should have been more deliberate about all of this."

Maja deliberates briefly herself. "The way I see it, the leaders - they should face death, because they have the greatest guilt. Especially a man like Happs. No woman should even face even an implied threat like that. Spare whomever you think is most worthy, but don't spare him."

Wise words indeed.

"Honestly, sparing more of them than we need to guide us would be irresponsible. I could not bear to learn that our moment of compassion led to yet more crime at their hands. We must be steadfast if we are to spread the message that Banditry will not be tolerated in these lands." She looks somber, and speaks without looking at anyone in particular, her eyes glued to the silver stag skull amulet. In fact, she almost seems to be trying to convince herself of the truth in her words.

She looks to Idris and steels herself to watch the execution.

Do we need to RP out the execution?

At the very least you need to say what goes down. Who gets executed by whom and what you do with the bodies.

Ok will post later today at lunchtime.

I say we execute all of them except Bill. Cassius then turns to Oleg, Would you like to do it Oleg? Or would you rather we did it? Hell i'll execute all three if no one else wants to get their hands dirty

"I said I would do it. My sword is the best for this purpose."

I'm assuming no one stops and insists on doing it themselves. If someone wants to, we can retcon.

Idris steels herself, chanting a prayer her mentor, the priest of Gorum taught her, while, in Gorumite fashion, banging the pommel of her sword against an old iron pot she borrowed from Svetlana. The percussive sound punctuates her entreaties.

For each bandit, she sharpens her blade with a whetstone to extreme sharpness, and, the bandit restrained in a kneeling position, she makes the slash firmly and without hesitation.

This would be a CdG action in each case. The damage would be 2d8+8 (or +7 if you rule that the additional +1 from whetstone sharpening doesn't multiply on a crit) which is an average of 17 (or 16) damage. If that's not enough to instantly kill them, it would require a DC 26-27 Fort save to survive. I think we can consider them effectively executed.

When she is done with the third bandit, Idris steps away, her legs shaking and the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "Death in battle is so much cleaner, so much less cold... I pray that I do not have to do many of these in the future; that our enemies fall before our blades with blades of their own in hand." She has clearly never killed anyone in cold blood before, and did not relish the job of executioner.

Before Idris does the execution Cassius offers to do it, Your sword may be best, I can do the execution if you would permit me to use your blade? Or maybe Oleg has an axe I could use

I'm assuming Idris will decline Cassius's offer.

Chills run through Maja's body as Idris recites the rites of Gorum and executes each one turn by turn. She is grateful that Idris was left to handle the task with dignity. It was better than having Cassius slay them carelessly, or having Kivan overseeing death matches and selling the bodies...

After the deed is complete, Maja walks up to Idris seeking comfort, and looking for comfort herself. She places a hand on Idris's shoulder. "We should build a pyre to burn the bodies," suggests Maja. It seemed better to keep moving forward instead of lingering with the execution.

"Why are you so eager? I was planning to do it so that I could prove to myself that I could do this dreadful thing, because it seems it may be necessary often as we pacify this land. I would fain give you the sword with pleasure to avoid it, but I have never attempted to avoid my duties."

She looks at Oleg, seeing he also seems to wish to take part.

"I offered them a death by my hand with my sword. I will stick to that if you do not mind. I would certainly not object to you being present."

After the job is done, she places her hand on Maja's, accepting the comfort. She takes a deep breath and murmurs, "Somehow I think that execution is a task that should only be done by those reluctant to do it."

Oleg nods grimly. Indeed. I am too eager to exact revenge, but revenge is a short answer to a long problem. For these lands to be tamed, justice must be dished out, not vengeance. Thank you all for your service, especially you, ma'am, for taking on such a weighty task. You may stay in my rooms any time you need, as long as you need. I will do anything I can to help you in your journeys.

Pretty looks at Idris with a comprehensive face.

Well, the sooner we get moving the easier our task will be. We have 5 horses. We can gather the money of the bandits' equipment to buy another one from Oleg, or maybe two so bill would ride alone. Does anyone want to do anything else before we departure?

_____________
So, the money sheet. I'll be explaining it when I can, so you will get used to it. Also it's not an easy thing to understand.
- We kept: 5 horses, 2 alchemist's fire, 80 arrows, 8 rations, 3 CLW Potions;
- We sold everything else, giving us 433 gold.
- We bought a light saddled horse, lowering that to 348.5gp
- So we got each 58.08 gp as profit.
- Idris bought the composite bow 2str for 150gp, but as she only had 58.08 (aside from the initial gold), she owes the "money pool" the rest. Once she gets to 150 individual gold gained she can consider it paid.
- We still have 198 gp in the money pool, so if any of you want to buy something just say so, and we should get some rations.

Have i made myself clear?

Idris, you mistake my gentlemen like behaviour as eagerness. I only believe that a lady such as yourself should not be involved with such a task. I voted for their death, and if i'm to make a call like that, I need to be able to carry out its sentence. Cassius places his hand on Idris's shoulder for a moment and then begins to prepare the horses for the journey.

Oleg promises to burn the dead bodies in a respectful manner so that you can be on your way. After making the necessary exchanges of goods, Svetlana approaches the group and offers each of you a sprig of mint. Smell it and think of home. It would be my honor if that place you think of is here.

Works for me, Pretty.

Maja sniffs the sprig, then offers Svetlana a hug. "Thank you, Svetlana. If there's anything you need, just let us know." She tucks it neatly into a pocket before finding a new horse to befriend.

Let's find us some more bandits!

Idris, you mistake my gentlemen like behaviour as eagerness. I only believe that a lady such as yourself should not be involved with such a task. I voted for their death, and if i'm to make a call like that, I need to be able to carry out its sentence. Cassius places his hand on Idris's shoulder for a moment and then begins to prepare the horses for the journey.

"I voted the same as you, and I need to be able to as well. In this venture, don't think of me as a lady, but as your comrade in arms. In truth, I am no lady, or I would not be here. Had I noble blood, the Aldori academy would have a place for me. When we were travelling, I told you briefly of my past, but the true reason I did not finish my training is..." She grimaces, as if her mouth held a bad taste, and continues, "the 'honorable' Count Brokav, an instructor who informed me that no matter what skills I learned, I could never achieve the rank I wanted to, because of the circumstances of my birth."

When they are getting the horses ready, Idris suggests that Bill can ride with her, making sure first that he is not in earshot. "I am light and the horse will be able to carry two; also, if he plans some betrayal, I think I will be better at dealing with it than Maja or Sera."

I understand Idris. I apologize if I offended you in anyway. While you may be light, the added weight would still tire out your horse. To give the horses a break, maybe you, Pretty and I could alternate who Bill rides with?

"That's a good idea."

Time for Bill to tell us where to go and what information he has on the bandits.

Pretty talks something with Oleg, and solves the situation:
Ok, instead of buying a light horse Oleg will sell us a stronger one, which can carry more weight. But we can still alternate the prisoner.
Acquired Heavy Horse instead of the Light one. Bought 7 more rations, for a total of 14 plus the initial ones people had.

Bill situates himself to divulge what information he has. Here we go. Like Happs said, the camp is a day's ride south of here, a little west, too. It should be pretty easy to retrace our path even without me. At the camp, there's Kressle and 8 others. Kressle isn't in charge, but she acts like it since she's at the outpost. The Stag Lord runs the show around here. Never met him myself. I only ever work at the outpost, and when I've been to the main fort he hasn't shown his face. Before you ask, no, I can't tell you where the base is. We lower folks don't get to know those sorts of things. Now, at the outpost, we call it Thorn River Camp, there are two watch platforms, at the east and west ends of the camp. There's usually only one guy on watch at a time, but there might be two since they're expecting us. If you untie one of my hands - left, please - I can scratch out a quick map.

Seraphina takes the sprig of mint and breathes in the brisk scent. Home, she thinks to herself. The word summoned up faces more than a place to her mind. Faces that she could never see again, some of them. Her eyes shining with unshed tears, she wonders if anywhere will ever feel like home again.

She says her farewells to Oleg and Svetlana, "Take care of yourselves and each other."

When Bill begins describing the camp she listens carefully and releases his left hand to sketch the map. "What time would your group normally return to camp from this errand, Bill?"

Sera can ride behind Idris and Bill so she can watch for him trying to escape, Color Spray should stop him running if need be.

Pretty pays attention when Sera unties Bill's hand, standing close and holding a dagger in her hand at her back, just in case he's up to something.

This has turned into a full day out and about for me, so I won't be able to post the sketch until tonight. Sorry. :(

Bill sketches out a quick map, showing Oleg's post, a river, and the camp, along with some basic terrain. Here, you can just follow our tracks back. When you get close, you'll get on a path that crosses the Thorn River.

Greenbelt Player's Map

"Well it seems like we know where we have to go now."

Lets continue on

"These tracks seem easy enough to follow." Guidance + Take 10 on Survival = 15.

Pretty keeps and eye open on Bill's explanation.
SM: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

Well, if we are to approach from the north both West and East watch towers will be able to see us. Bill, how far is the camp from the river? Is there a way to get close to one of the watch towers without being seen?

Following the path carved out by the bandits, and with Bill giving occasional guidance, you begin your hours-long journey into the stolen lands. You pass over miles of open plains, broken only occasionally by a small copse of four or five trees. You begin walking along a stretch of plains where the trail is particularly easy to follow, as the 3' tall grass is thoroughly beaten down.

Make a perception check against 23. If successful, you may act during this next bit.

As your horses obediently plod along the trail, you are peppered with a small round of small arrows, followed by scratchy, squeaky yelps. You see a band of 3 kobolds, about 50' away, scurrying off through the tall grass towards the southeast.

Kobold Target 1: 1d6 ⇒ 5
Kobold Attack 1: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12
Kobold Damage 1: 1d4 ⇒ 4

Kobold Target 1: 1d6 ⇒ 6
Kobold Attack 2: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10
Kobold Damage 2: 1d4 ⇒ 2

Kobold Target 1: 1d6 ⇒ 1
Kobold Attack 3: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13
Kobold Damage 3: 1d4 ⇒ 2

The arrows bounce harmlessly off the armor of Cassius, Maja, and Idris, but the little reptiles seem pleased with their attack nonetheless. They holler and whoop as they flee.

If able, resolve your attacks against AC 15 with a 20% miss chance for concealment. The kobolds have 5 HP each.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
So even nat 20 couldn't save me, so I hope this is a nat 1 ;)

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
Does this mean I cannot act at all while they flee? Are they running, btw?

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6. Maja is startled as an arrow lodges itself into her armor.

You could still act, but the kobolds will be at 130' by the time you could react. It would be a tough shot. You'd have to score against an AC of 15 at one or two range bands out, plus 20% miss chance for concealment. Of course, you could chase them, too, I suppose.

Sera gives a startled cry as she searches for the source of the threat.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

Hehehe.. I'm just going to have fun here and have my horse run with a move speed of 50, so 200 ft and then my next action depends on the lighting there. Is it normal or dim light?

Reference to concentration checks if needed.

Knowledge nature on kobolds: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Idris is completely surprised. As the kobolds run away, she tries to fire an arrow after them with her longbow.

Attack, longbow, 1 range increment penalty: 1d20 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (6) + 4 - 2 = 8

Naturally, she misses entirely.

chance arrow is recoverable: 1d100 ⇒ 28 Nope, gone.

Pretty sees Kivan rushing for the kobolds and screams:
No, Kivan! DON'T!

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
Cassius taken off guard tries to get his bow out. He aims a shot at one of the kobolds.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (14) + 4 - 2 = 16

Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 8

Not sure if you wanted me to roll 1d100 to confirm if I hit on the concealment or if it is already included in the AC, so here it is just in case

If Kivan runs after them, Maja follows immediately after.

As Kivan begins to give chase, Cassius releases an arrow, almost quicker than the eye can see, and sends it burrowing into the last kobold's back. It crashes to the ground, letting out a final, surprised yelp.

Kivan chases down the remaining kobolds, having been overtaken by Cassius' arrow. He unleashes a pool of oily sludge from his hands, coating the kobolds and the ground beneath them.

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19
Reflex Save: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19

The kobolds squeal in panic, now aware that they have little chance of escaping since the ground is so slippery. One pulls out a bottle of brown liquid...

Reflex save to use greased item: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

...and promptly drops it on the ground where it shatters, bursting into flame and engulfing the lizards completely as the grease lights as well.

I swear, they were carrying alchemist's fire before you cast grease. I couldn't pass that up. :p

Ouch. Well I guess we won't get much loot out of those guys, or information for that matter.

Gold doesn't burn, and they may survive anyway.

"Um. So, Bill, has your group encountered Kobolds before?"

Bill chuckles. Well, they're more in the same category as big rats for us. There seem to be a whole bunch of them - we see them quite often - but they aren't terribly interested in us. They have their own agenda, and they don't give us much trouble. They probably weren't expecting you to take such offense at them. I highly doubt they came prepared for a fight.

Once the kobolds burn down a bit, you're able to recover 6 gold coins, one alchemist's fire, a shortbow, a shortspear, and some leather armor, all kobold-sized, of course.

Kivan gets off his horse and approaches the little guys looking for any sign of life.

Knowledge(Local) untrained check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4 Idris tries to remember if she has ever heard anything about Kobolds before. However, she knows nothing other than they're small humanoids considered a nuisance.

Oh yeah, beautiful shot. Cassius extends his hand for someone to give him a high five.

Kivan looks over at Cassius.
What exactly is he waiting for?
"Do you have a question Cassius?"

"They're not very smart critters, are they?" remarks Maja to Kivan, as she removes the kobold arrow from her leather armor. She looks for any tracks to indicate where they might have come from. Survival Take 10 + Guidance = 15.

Wh-what? A question? No, i'm waiting for someone to give me a high five. Just something humans do. All you have to do it slap my hand

Cassius notices Maja looking for tracks and decides to help her out.
Survival Tracking: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 3 + 1 = 23