for Yod
At the foot of the bed is a dead dog. It's body is covered with small slashing wounds.
You creep up and peer into the closet. The floorboards are torn up, and the top half of the body is wedged in the hole. What's left of the closet floorboards are covered in blood, as are the closet walls up to about two feet.
I yell back at whomever is behind me "There is someone injured stuck in the closet floor, Come help me get him out"
I'm heading to Yod's aid as fast as I can go.
Right there with you guys.
Ned wanders up behind you guys timidly. When he sees the body of his brother lying there in a wide pool of his own blood, Ned's eyes widen in panic. At first you think he's going to be sick, then you think he might faint. You briefly fear he might run, or perhaps wet himself.
The body at your feet twitches for just an instant, and you hear a muffled grunting and growling coming from under the closet.
I immediately grab the fellow by the back of his shirt or whatever I can get my hands on and pull him back.
Assuming I can pull him back, I immediately drag him as far away from teh closet as possible and then check to see if he is alive.
If all that works and he's alive my next roll will be a cure light wounds on the fellow.
I'll help yank the guy out.
Strength roll 16 + 5 total 21
If Cha already got him out I'll look down into the hole.
Aldergast is stuck fast for a moment, then suddenly gives way as if something on the other end was resisting your efforts but suddenly let go. When he does finally come unwedged, his upper torso leaves a wide slick of blood on the floor. You look down at the man you just rescued and are met with a shocking sight. His face and left shoulder have been stripped of flesh completely - right down to bone.
A half-whining scream of rage echoes from the closet. A goblin stands in the hole, his blood-smeared face peaking up just over the floorboards. He's chewing.
Cha and Yod make fortitude Saves DC 12 or be nauseated for the surprise round.
If you pass that save, the initiative order in the surprise round is...
Yod
goblin
Cha
Fort save roll 16 + 1 total 17
I'll move to B-4 and clock the goblin
Attack roll 13 + 5 total 18
Damage D8 roll 5 + 7 total 12 B+P
I run into the room where all the commotion is and sit and suck my thumb. Or, I just wait until the DM is ready to deal with me and MY actions. Or, better yet, I hurl magic missiles at the DM. I get a +2 for "moon rage".
"Sonofab!&@#!"
Re: Luke's Runelords Thread
Today, November 28, 2007, 18 minutes ago | Yod Akarn (alias of Chuck Damel)
I'm confused, who mooned who?
Re: Luke's Runelords Thread
Today, November 28, 2007, 20 minutes ago | Yod Akarn (alias of Chuck Damel)
Fort save roll 16 + 1 total 17
I'll assume that passes. and that I have a morningstar in hand
I'll move to B-4 and clock the goblin
Attack roll 13 + 5 total 18
Damage D8 roll 5 + 7 total 12 B+P
------------------
Yod - Remember that the surprise round is one half of a round, so you can only take a move action or a standard action. There's no 5' step. Also, since you just made a Strength check, I'm assuming that both Cha and Yod stowed the weapons that were in their hands. In both cases, I'm assuming that somehow involves sheathing or putting down your weapon. How one stores a pokey morning star is an open question. My natural inclination is to rule that you leaned it against the wall to grab the body - meaning that this surprise round would be spent picking up the weapon. Such an action is a Move action that provokes an AoO, but you are not threatened so no worries there.
I'll let you use your excellent attack and damage rolls next turn.
The only character I consider armed at the start of this combat is Eberk.
Cha - The man certainly appears to be dead. His throat has been cut and he's lost alot of blood - and a goblin has eaten his face.
On its turn, the goblin vaults out of the hole and into the closet proper. He has a small makeshift knife for a weapon that is dripping with Aldergast's blood.
Cha's surprise round action is up next. After that, the full group's initiative order will look like this...
Yod
Eberk
Sari
Goblin
Cha
I'll just pull out my weapon instead
I step aside to let the dwarf through. "Sari, there are goblins under the house."
I'm granting both the goblin and Yod a +2 AC due to cover. Nevertheless, Yod's downswing catches the goblin right on the top of its head - crushing its skull and dropping it back down the hole.
Everyone stands there for a moment, soaking up the tension that comes with sudden, lethal violence. There are no further sounds coming from under the floor.
"Is it dead?" Ned asks in a quaking voice.
"What treachery is this? For the love of Desna, now they are attacking children? What else is in the hole, Yod? Ned, you go back to the inn and be with your family. Send the town watch when you have a chance."
There is almost never only one goblin wandering around, the town guard need to take some goblin sniffing dogs and check all the houses.
Maybe Eberk should check out the hole and see if there are any tunnels or passageways under the house??
I stick my head down the hole and scope it out. Kinda checking that there is no goblin sitting there waiting to eat my skin. If I think there is a way to drop into it I will go. I would like to keep my axe in my hand. If that won't work I would like to get down and then take my axe off my back. Before I drop down I ask if anyone is planning on following me or am I scouting it out by myself?
I'll be right behind you if you find anything to explore
Ned turns and makes his way back through the living area and onto the porch.
Cha is not far behind him. There are about a dozen guys from the Rusty Dragon who have followed you, some with small weapons, coming up to the porch as you come out. Ned halts the men at the door.
"Come out here into the street. The dwarf might flush some out. Make sure that none of those bastards gets away! They killed my brother. They're murdering fiends!"
The bar patrons obviously only understand part of this but they catch the implication quick enough and spread out down the building's sides.
One of them grabs Cha's elbow.
"Amele and her children were taken to Father Zantus and someone went for the watch. They should be here any minute."
Cha Spot check DC 12.
You find one of the panel boards used as skirting around the house has been pried loose and then replaced by being propped up in approximately the right position.
Inside the house, Eberk is mighty broad shouldered for the hole, but it only takes two quick chops to take out more of the floor and allow you to drop down if you like.
The ground below the house is pretty much just sandy black dirt. There's less than 3' of head room, so you'd have to crawl around down there. Peeking in with your dark vision, you don't see any other signs of life under the house, nor do you see a tunnel.
If Eberk passes a DC 12 Spot check.
There is a broken hafted weapon like the pole-arm that the cavalry goblin used against you yesterday. Its pieces lay in a small pit in the sand almost directly below the hole in the floor.
"Looks like the goblin got in over here," as I point at the loose board. "Ned, the rest of your family went to the Church. You should probably take them the news before someone else does." I raise my voice so everyone else can hear. "It doesn't look like there are any more goblins here. We'll wait on the town watch and let them know what happened. Everyone should probably check on their own homes and families."
Cha - It's pitch black under the house.
Spoiler for Eberk
Ned nods to Cha and starts up the street to find his sister-in-law. You don't envy him the job he has to do.
The town watch arrives in the form of a gang of five men girt for war. Three of them have long spears and all are armored. One carries a short bow. The guardsman evidently in charge calls to you as they surround the house.
"Good plainsman! Once again, the watch is in your debt. The sheriff is on his way here now."
The sheriff does indeed arrive just minutes later. Hemlock obviously just rolled out of bed and picked up his sword. He's still bleary-eyed.
"Are your friends still in the house?"
"They're in the house. There was a goblin beneath the house...got in through that loose board over there. He busted a hole up through the floor boards and killed Aldergast. Be warned, it's a grizzly scene. The dwarf went down in the hole and is trying to flush anything else out. We think nothing else is under there though, but it's too dark for me to tell."
Being the dwarf that i am i drop down and check around for anymore goblin droppings. If I see anything else I will check it out. If not I will walk out towards cha. My spot is a 12 and my listen is a big fat 2.
Eberk - After about five minutes of crawling around in that cramped space you emerge through the missing siding boards dirty and sneezing, and with nothing else interesting to report.
You mill about with Hemlock for a bit before leaving. He's posting two guards and is going to return in the morning, after seeing you and the scouts off. Maybe some new clue will be found in the light of day. All the more reason to find the ranger.
When you get back to the Rusty Dragon the taproom is deserted. Ameiko is drying washed crockery and stacking it under the bar.
"Once again, you confirm my investment in you! Somehow I'm sure it will be you folks tomorrow who bring in Shal."
You wander up to your beds.
One of Ameiko's employees, and older halfling woman named Bethana, wakes each of you with a gentle tap at the door. It is just a little bit before dawn, leaving you time to stow the gear you will need in backpacks, meditate on the day's spells (if necessary), or just linger for awhile over a steaming mug of coffee.
It's a quiet, misty morning in the streets of Sandpoint. One or two fishermen pass by on their way down to the boats. Most of the shops and residences are still shuttered as you walk up Festival then High Street. Six other men wait in front of the Cathedral. You join them in their wait for Belor Hemlock.
After a moment or two, Belor appears out of the mist coming from the garrison building. There's an old man walking at his side with a cane. He motions for the group to follow and walks north to an old shop called 'The Way North'.
'The Way North' is a map shop owned and operated by an old gnome named Veznutt. He has displayed prominently in one of his show rooms a beautifully rendered map of the area around Sandpoint. Belor walks over to the map.
"I'm sending three riders up the Lost Coast Road in each direction. If she's on the road, we'll find her soon enough. I can't see scouting beyond the Thistle River, so the scouts will turn around there and return to Sandpoint. We'll patrol the road in that fashion until either she's found, or our adventurers return to the road with news."
He turns to you.
"This is Daviren Hosk," gesturing at the old man. "He ran with Shalelu for awhile in his younger days, and may have some insight as to where to look for her." He turns to Hosk.
"Well," he turns and ambles over to the map, "Shal's 'home' - such as it were - is in the Mosswood. She built a couple of them 'flights' as she called 'em. Decks up in the trees like glorified tree stands. She could be there, but if she knew trouble was brewin', or if she got into trouble herself, I reckon she'd run for the tors. She laid alot of traps that are easy to set up in those slopes. She'd be hard to take up there - so she would."
Belor chimes in. "There's a path up into the tors that leaves the road about three miles west of here. If you find her, or run into trouble yourselves, make for the road. Goblins absolutely hate horses, so the mounted men I'm putting on the road should make them apprehensive about following you once you reach it."
Hosk says, "I suppose you know this already, bein' than I'm a legendary goblin fighter meself, but I manage the town stables. I would loan you three horses and a mule if you didn't have a mind to walk it. You'd have to promise to take care of me livestock though. Losin that much stock at once would fair put me out of business."
"Hosk, thanks for the information. We would greatly appreciate the loan of the livestock and we will take great care with them. Any good place to find her or be found by her once we're in the Mosswood or Tors? Belor, any additional information we should relay to her if we do find her?"
"I'm sure we all appreciate the loan of your horses. May Desna keep them, and us all, safe."
I'll follow your lead here, unless of course you are looking for "pests" somewhere, then you are on your own!
"I'm sure we all appreciate the loan of your horses. May Desna keep them, and us all, safe."
I'll follow your lead here, unless of course you are looking for "pests" somewhere, then you are on your own!
"Somehow I think I found one."
I am with Sari on this. I think we should follow Cha's lead on this one.(being all into nature and all) My plan is to hang around and look Dwarfley.
Yeh I think thats all good with me. Head out in the morning sounds good
So who's getting to ride the mule ?
I suppose my new friends are going to start with the short jokes.
Belor speaks. "So I'll send two riders south, since that way is guessed the least likely to bear fruit. The extra rider will stay with the horses while you see if you get any hint of her in the tors, or even in Mosswood itself. Hosk, I'll need another of your horses to bear Shal should they find her."
Turning to Cha, "If you find her, ask her to come here for counsel as soon as she can. It seems unlikely, but it's possible she doesn't know anything of the raid on our town. In every event she has always been a friend of Sandpoint. We need information about our enemies before we can craft a suitable response to their audacity."
Hosk speaks. "Just keep in mind that she runs to the Tors for a reason. She has some well-laid draws up there. Watch yer step - you know?" This with a wink.
It takes a few moments for Hosk to send word to the stables and have the horses ready. In this time Father Zantus comes out to the plaza to see you off. He says a prayer of good fortune and hands Sari a small bag with three clinking potion bottles within.
"Healing potions, just in case."
An a$$ for an a$$ is what I always say. Let Cha have the mule! As for the potions, I dole them out. One for you Eberk, one for you Yod, one for me, and that leaves.......a sassy wink for Cha. Maybe there was one hiding down that poor girl's cleavage that you missed somehow.
With an evil grin, "If there was anything hiding in that girl's cleavage, I'm sure I would have saw it. But if you think it's worth a second look..."
Any time for me to go to this store before we leave?????????????
The road out of Sandpoint, the Lost Coast Road, is narrow and shrouded in mist. The trees of the forest on either side lean over the road to form a roof. There's an absence of wildlife on the ride out, a tangible feeling of vigilance on the part of the forest and its inhabitants. You see very few birds or squirrels, and really nothing else besides. The quiet of the road is a bit unnerving, and your four companions from the watch seem to have very little to say.
Perhaps a quarter hour into the ride, the road bears north and emerges from the low-scrub forest into the weak morning sun shining on the crest of sea-side cliffs. The fog shrouded Varisian Gulf is to your left and the broken heights known as the Ravensroost off to your right. The road winds its way within sight of the coast for at least a mile before turning inland again and plunging into heavier forest.
Just before this turn into the wood, a cart path leaves the road to the right with a small sign that reads ‘The Fairgrounds’. Your companions show no intention of turning off the road.
Has this "Fairgrounds" been checked since the attact on the town?
The fairgrounds is where my family is now. We can make a quick stop now, or on our way back. I'd like to see them.
Has this "Fairgrounds" been checked since the attact on the town?
Unless we are in a hurry or there is some other reason not to I think we should have a look. I'll take first shift on the Mule if my feet won't drag on the ground and it wont balk at me being 300 pounds with my gear.
I motion to our two companions. "I think we're taking a detour to see the fairgrounds." To Sari, "We probably shouldn't linger very long, but let's make sure everyone is safe."
The men assigned to patrol the road are anxious to ride ahead a little faster anyway - out as far as the Thistle River bridge. That leaves just the man with the extra horse, a member of the town watch named Sivian, to accompany you to wherever you're leaving him.
When you turn down the track he has a few words with the other watchmen, then bids them farewell and catches up to you.
The track shows obvious signs of heavy use by wagons. And they're fresh, so it's no surprise when you find the fairgrounds practically deserted.
spoiler for Sari
Sari recognizes the wagons remaining to be those of the southern families - none of your kin save your eldest sister. She married into one of the southern families and she and her family travels with her husband's kin. These kind of reunions are what Varisian festival days are all about. You figure your family must have left word of what they're doing with her, though you suspect yourself that they've started for the wintering grounds by the shores of Lake Ember.
The camp is on a remarkably defensible piece of ground with a natural spring to boot.
spoiler for Cha
This is undoubtedly the way you came into the city. You probably camped in Mosswood or Nettlewood at some point, so I'll allow you a Knowledge (Local) or Knowledge(Nature) check to pick up some extra details on one of those places if you want.