An unnamed siege castle has stood in the Cairnlands for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Magically sealed after the death of its forgotten master, no one has ever been able to breach it. Recently, a minor earthquake rocked the land, accomplishing in moments what dozens of scholars, sages, and adventurers could not achieve in years – the quake caused part of the siege castle to collapse, opening its interior for the first time in centuries.
The locals now call this tower the Fallen Fortress. You gathered and decided to take on this venture after seeing a posting on the community bulletin. A wealthy collector has hired you to collect any historical or valuable artifacts that might still be within the ruined tower. If you succeed, each of you will receive 250gp.
It’s only a few hours’ journey from the city’s walls to the Cairnlands, where the Fallen Fortress lies open for exploration.
Chombo is hanging out in the inn in which he is staying. He is making note of how much money he has left as he orders another round of very cheap ale.
Urhan enters the inn and sees the only other patron is another half-orc he knows. "Yo Chombo! How's that arm treating you? Haha! I see you got my message. Did that halfling messenger I sent try to get you to pay for it? I think we got a great opportunity here. It won't just be you and me either. There's a girl I know - she knows my son. Anyway I think she's in."
Urhan looks around for the innkeeper. "Chombo - you seen that fat innkeeper Wilson?" Scanning the room, he sees the large man walk out of the kitchen. "Willie! How the hell are ya? No music tonight? Why's it so slow anyway? I'd give you the same deal as always but there would be nobody for me to sing for." One thing Urhan has always loved about being a traveling performer is his ability to sing for a meal. He's not sure whether it is the performing or the free meal that really does it for him.
Curious eyes dart over the cheerful half-orc, keeping track of him as he goes about socialising with another half-orc man and Wilson the innkeeper. Aicard leans forward over his cup, now half empty. This has to be the guy: big, loud and seemingly able to bring people together .. no wonder Shae was drawn to him like a moth to the flame.
Opting to wait before approaching the merrymaker, Aicard leans back once more and impatiently awaits the arrival of Shae.
Dakka slips into the inn as quietly as he can and stands in the shadows for a moment, waiting quietly to see if anybody notices him. His head bobs a little as his attention flits quickly between the patrons.
Dakka is looking shabby and road-worn, as he always does. His feathers are unpainted and he wears nothing colorful or shiny. His cheap armor is drab and ill fitting.
He tilts his head with interest at Urhan as he speaks. "Do you only sing for other people?"
There is no apparent sarcasm in his tone.
Without waiting for an answer from Urhan or an invitation to join them he sits down next to Chombo but says nothing further. Rather than greet anyone or introduce himself he begins absently preening some feathers on his left bicep for a few seconds and then suddenly looks around.
"Ale!" He says abruptly and then goes back to preening.
The large man grins when he first sees Urhan and then scoffs at his friend, poking fun at him and joking, "It's still early, you fool of a bird!" Willie wipes his hands on his apron before clapping Urhan on the shoulder. "Good to see you again."
He moves on, not wanting to interrupt his customer's conversations, and goes to bring the strange bird-like person a tankard of ale. "Best ale we've got," he says cheerfully, before noting, "If you don't want anyone else's mouth leavings, you'd be best off bringin' in your own jack for the bar, but we do try to keep 'em clean."
He gestures towards the board on the wall, a dark slate with chalk describing the prices. Ale is noted as being 4 cp. "Jus' make sure an' pay afore you head on your way." That said, he goes and helps a few of the other early arrivals.
If the innkeeper's teasing bothers Dakka it is not apparent. Upon receiving Dakka eyes his mug of ale speculatively for a moment, and then quickly dips his beak in.
"Yes, I suspected ale tastes the same now as is does at any other time. I will sample again later to be certain.
Also, staring early alleviates worry about 'mouth leavings.' If you call that foolish, so be it."
Urhan looks at Dakka Nobu with his best smile. "Hello there. Come to hear me sing then? I don't usually...well I suppose I could just..."
He begins singing a rather bawdy drinking song in elvish - which he doesn't actually speak but he's heard a thousand times so while the words might actually be totally wrong, the quality of the singing and the intent of the song is hard to miss. After a minute, he smiles and bows to his audience of 1.
"Haha. Just for you my good man. Urhan Quinn at your service."
He holds out his hand as introduction to the Tengu.
Shae burst through the door, "Hey Willie! I hope you don't mind me bringing Scarlett in here. I don't want her scaring off any customers for you since I won't be out there with her. You know how some of the people get when they see a wolf by itself."
Shae glances around the room and makes her way towards Aicard, but pauses before she passes the others. "Chombo, Urhan, it's pleasant to see you both as always! Will there be singing tonight?" Her eyes shine with excitement when talking and her hands are always moving. She laughs and continues towards Aicard, smiling, "And my dear Aicard. I hope you weren't waiting long for me."
Scarlett stays to the right of Shae, occasionally pressing her body against her.
The innkeeper only shrugs at Dakka, saying, "Well, so long as ya like it, there isn't a problem!" With a grin, he moves with an easy stride.
Halfway through another guest's order, he starts as the door slams open, but shakes his head as Shae and Scarlett enter. "As long as she don't bite and you warn folks to keep from getting up to mischief with her, it won't bother me none." Willie tells her.
After taking a few more orders, he disappears through the swinging door at the back. The next time he appears, though, he's holding a bowl of meat that he sets on the floor and gently presses it closer to Scarlett with his foot. For all he's a business owner, he can't help liking animals, especially the canine sort.
He glances around the room and sees that he's got some time. Then, he leans towards Urhan and his friends, saying, "I hear you lot are going to try your luck against the Fallen Fortress. Ol' man Fletcher says he's sending you over to see what you can rustle up?" He looks at them with inquiring eyes, obviously curious.
"Thank you Willie!", she turns and looks at Scarlett, "Go ahead Scarlett, you know Willie. What else did you hear form Mr. Fletcher?"
Scarlett walks towards the bowl, but passes it and rubs her head against Willie and then proceeds to eat the meat from the bowl.
"It's true, then?" the man asks, seemingly pleased. "Then you're really going? He only said that he'd asked you to go and look for some old odds and ends for him - didn't say by name or anything, o' course, but... Well, who else would ask but you lot? You were lookin' for adventures, after all!"
"Welcome everyone. Is everyone ready?" says Chombo as he smiles a toothy smile at everyone.
Dakka watches Urhan's performance, occasionally tilting his head as if in curiosity. When Urhan is finish he nods as if in agreement to something the half-orc has said.
When Urhan sticks his hand out Dakka's head tilts rapidly the other direction and he takes just a moment longer than natural to stick his own hand out.
Then he dips his beak rapidly into his ale several times.
When Shae enters his attention rapidly snaps to the newcomer and her wolf, but he says nothing to them.
"I am not so much looking for adventures as trying to find them before they find me." Dakka says, still looking at the wolf.
Then he looks over at Chombo. "I can't be sure that I am ready, but I don't intend to become any more ready."
A reserved glance is shot at Shae when Wilson mentions a fallen fortress. He scrapes his throat before hailing her in return,"Well there you are!"
The man then proceeds to get on up from his chair at his lone table to join the others. He is more than a little socially awkward around so many strangers. Already Shae was mixing and mingling in with the bartender, two half-orcs and .. a birdman? Aicard had never seen any of Dakka's kind back in rural Taldor.
Aicard could only hope that Dakka did not notice him staring for that briefest of moments. A faint hope. Ok, he saw you, just smile and nod. And so the Taldorian did, awkwardly acknowledging Dakka and the fact he clearly had never seen a Tengu before.
Dakka notices the strange man looking at him. He returns the human's stare with equanimity. He forgets to nod in return because he can't stop looking at the nearby wolf. His attention fixing on it for a few seconds with every minute that goes by.
Only when the feathered gentleman's inquisitive gaze finds a new target does Aicard deem it appropriate to open his mouth,"My name's Aicard, an acquaintance of Shae's. Taldorian, if you were wondering where I got my good looks from."
With some grace he takes a step closer to Shae, clinging on to the one face he knows in this group of strangers.
Shae notices the birdman watching Scarlett, ,"Hey, she's harmless for the most part. If we run into any problems, that's when you'll see her in action. So relax!" Scarlett finishes the meat and sits, almost smiling towards Shae when she hears her name mentioned. "Have we met before? I'm Shae. I see so many people, sometimes I forget names or faces.
Willie's grin broadens at the confirmation, and he rubs his hands together. "So you've finally got an adventure!" He chuckles. "Good on ya! Let me know when you're back in town - I know it's only a few hours away, so it shouldn't be too much of a trek. You can tell me all the details and I'll give you a good meal on the house."
He eyes his crowd once more and nods to himself, saying, "Make sure you've everything you need afore heading out - I imagine you're looking to leave soon." That said, he claps Urhan on the shoulder before going to tend to another table.
Chombo says, "I have finished my shopping and am ready to go."
Urhan meets Shae halfway as she enters the inn. "Shae! It is a pleasure as always to see you. Sadly for you I don't believe you will get to hear any more music this night - you just missed it! Anyway, maybe on the road though if you're lucky."
He bends down and greets the wolf. He's never felt completely comfortable around the animal but greets it warmly nonetheless as you would any friend of a friend. "Scarlett...It's been too long." He gently rubs either side of its chin and then straightens.
Addressing Chombo and Shae, he says "It's good that you both found additional help to bring. That will be good. I'm sure this won't be an easy nut to crack. I'm ready to go when you lot are..."
A pair of curious eyes run over the assembled crew to gauge the gear and tools of the trade. Aicard spots a couple of pitons and rope on the feathered gentleman, but other than that was met with disappointment.
"I'm ready. Brought us some torches, sunrods, a crowbar and rope. Oh, and a shovel. Forgotten things tend to be buried. I take it you do the pointing and talking, Urhan?" The half-orc's name came out a little slow, almost as if the man needed to get a 'feeling' for it first.
"I'm sure I will get you to sing on the road at some point!! Scarlett and I are ready to head out." Scarlett wags her tail slowly at the sound of her name. Shae reaches down and scratches the perfect spot near her ear that drives the wolf wild. She starts to wag her tail slightly faster. "I think everyone is ready then. Willie, it's good to see you as always! We will come back and tell you all about the trip over some ale!"
Dakka nods at Shae's assurances but does not seem at all relaxed. He pointedly does not look at the wolf any longer and instead looks anywhere else, producing a series of soft clicks and trills that might be the tengu equivalent of humming to himself nonchalantly.
"Yes, Urhan I am glad to be included. I am eager to see in what way this place resembles a nut."
"Goodbye Willie, if I am not dead soon then I will talk to you again."
Willie smiles, agrees, and waves you out with cheer. It’s clear that he’s expecting good things from you. After exiting, you follow the directions you were given by your employer and enjoy a relatively uneventful journey to the castle.
The ruined siege castle now being called the Fallen Fortress rises out of the churned earth of the Cairnlands. No doors or windows mar the otherwise smooth expanse of the tower’s walls. The tower is quatrefoil in plan; its eastern wing has largely been collapsed, exposing the interior floors to the open air. Only the topmost level seems whole, though its eastern portion hangs precariously over the mountain of rubble left by the collapse. At ground level, the rubble frames a gaping hole in the side of the building that provides access to the tower’s darkened interior.
"Well it's partially fallen anyway. Looks inviting."
As the group approaches the fortress Dakka unlimbers his bow and creeps froward toward the edge of the rubble. He peers into the darkness and waits for it to do something.
"How would you like to approach? He croaks quietly. "I have keen eyes and I can shoot my bow competently."
"The darn rubble will surely give us away if there are any hostiles in there." Aicard grinds his teeth out of frustration as his mind goes through the many possible situations. Death, pain, injury: they all feel closer than success right about now.
"But we best make sure the ground won't give away before we go in as a group. Care to have a look? Once we know what's up, I don't mind taking point."
knowledge engineering? perception?) so I'll simply roll a d20 to speed things up.
> 5 engineering, 6 survival, 10 perception.
During the hike to the fortress, Urhan bounces from one companion to another, not really trying to learn about them but just keeping up conversation. He is truly amused by his conversations with Dakka Nobu once he realizes how best to take advantage of the Tengu's...communication skills.
"Aicard, you seem to be a cautious man. I'll stick near you. I've been called the opposite at times." Urhan chuckles. "If we are worried about the ground giving way, we could tie a rope around the waste of one of us and have him...or her...go in first. It looks pretty stable to me though."
As he says this, he is carefully stringing his shortbow so that it will be ready at a moment's notice.
Chombo steps up ahead of the group and draws his greatsword. As he passes the rest of the party he says "Let me get a little closer so I can see if there is anything waiting for us".
Aicard blinks at the haphazard approach of the monstrous man and carefully watches him as he goes.
Shae looks at the group and places her wooden shield on her left arm and carries her scimitar in her right hand. "hopefully we are just over prepared for an easy task."
Despite the rubble apparent everywhere, or perhaps because of it, you believe that this tower has done all of the collapsing it intends to for the time being - if something were to weigh heavily on that uppermost, unsupported part, the building might collapse, but seeing as it's supposed to be newly opened, you don't think you'll have any problems actually getting in.
Although you’ve only been examining the tower for a brief time, that time, it seems, was sufficient to draw the attention of a group of wild dogs. They come from the tower, behind the small piles of rubble, to investigate. Each of the dogs looks dangerous – their fur is matted with grime and dirt; Their ribs are visible through their thin flesh. Now that they’ve realized you’re aware of them, they growl and snap their jaws, hackles raised.
Combat Round 1
MAP
Effects
Terrain difficult terrain
Those bolded below may act.
Dakka Nobu
Urhan Quinn
Aicard
Chombo
Dogs
Shae Sasogne
Chombo grins and charges the middle dog to strike him with his greatsword. "Alight, some action"
*Bawk!*
Dakka makes an alarmed sound at the sight of the dogs.
"Predators!"
Dakka scurries around the line of allies looking for a clear shot and winds up next to Shea.
"Shea! Perhaps you should send your friend to negotiate?"
It's hard to tell whether or not he's joking, but Dakka doesn't wait for an answer, instead he attempts to shoot an arrow at the lead dog.
In his alarm, Dakka completely bungles the release of his arrow, which goes nowhere.
"Negotiate! Haha! I love this guy! Seriously though, what kind of heroic epic begins with the slaughter of a bunch of dogs. I might need to use some 'artistic license' when I retell this one."
Urhan rests his guisarme on some of the rubble, blade end up, draws an arrow and fires.
Aicard reaches for his shield while pushing the advance. A wall of iron rises and the drum of war sounds as Aicard pounds his hammer on the shield.
Chombo laughs at Dakka's comment.
Dakka's arrow goes wide, as does Urhan's. Aicard shifts his gear, preparing for the battle as Chombo charges, greatsword slicing through the starved dog easily. It gives a sharp yelp as it goes down. It's comrades both leap forward as their fellow wolf goes down. They move simultaneously, attempting a flank on Chombo. Although they both snap their jaws at him, they fail to catch any of the potentially tasty half-orc.
Combat Round 1/2
MAP
Effects
Terrain difficult terrain
Those bolded below may act.
Dog (Blue)
Dog (Red)
----------
Shae Sasogne
Dakka Nobu
Urhan Quinn
Aicard
Chombo
Aicard sees Chombo is facing off the two remaining dogs all by himself and steps up to assist him, lifting his hammer to land a decisive blow.
Shae turns towards Scarlett, "Attack Scarlett!" Scarlett rushes forward and to the left to attack the wild dog. She stands before it and scares. She attempts to bite the dog, but misses by a hair. She snarls and lowers her head.
Shae rushes to the left of Scarlett so that she could attack the wild dog. She strikes the wold dog with her scimitar and feels the blade connect.
"There's no negotiating with wild animals that are this deranged! Kill them!"
Yes Chombo! Dakka exclaims as the dog goes down. He looses an arrow.
"Two more!"
Urhan quickly grabs a second arrow and lets loose against the same dog he missed before...with the same apparent result.
"Ack...Let's try something else then."
He drops his shortbow and retrieves his guisarme, a smile coming across his face as he does.
Chombo will attack the same dog that Aicard is attack if it is still alive otherwise he will attack the remaining dog.
Shae's order spurs Scarlett into action. Although Scarlett's attack misses - the dogs are more nimble than expected - Shae's attack lands and the scimitar slices into their foe's flesh. The dog yelps, then cowers, whining. Unbalanced, it lowers itself to the ground as if to slink away, fortuitously also ducking the tengu's arrow.
Urhan, too, grimaces at his failed aim when the other dog simply sidesteps the arrow. Happily, Aicard manages to land a blow with his warhammer and the dog drops, skull broken. The body twitches for a moment before going quietly still.
At last, Chombo turns his attention to the third dog. Despite the strength behind his swing, however, his blow goes wide and the dog, injured and clearly unhappy with this turn of events, makes as though to slink away, attempting to retreat.
Combat Round 2/3
Effects
Terrain difficult terrain
Those bolded below may act.
Dog (Red) - 5 hp
----------
Shae Sasogne
Dakka Nobu
Urhan Quinn
Aicard
Chombo
Focused eyes track down the escaping dog as it goes. Hungry they might be, but I guess their own blood isn't what they're thirsting for. At the same time a hand carefully reaches for a leather bag with a cord wrapped around it and with one fell swoop, pulls out a javelin and throws it towards the poor dog.
Chombo will try to catch the retreating dog and attack. "Where are you going little doggie?"