Motteditor's Reign of Winter PBP (Inactive)

Game Master motteditor

Man, I know where she's going but figuring out what route she'd take to get there wasn't easy!

Tsin, you feel your sword hit something as you swing invisibly, but you don't think it penetrated her tough hide as she fled.

Mal rushes out after her and quickly casts, catching just her backside in the cloud of glittering dust.

Hektir rushes after her, his windy blast just missing her.

I'm going to give everyone a 20 percent miss chance, as she's half-invisible (Hektir's was irrelevant as he didn't penetrate her AC). Also, need full actions from Quinn, Tsin and Pems for Round 5.

Will save: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (6) + 14 = 20

Pems will run after the others. Pretty sure his tiny legs will make that take a whole round!

Round 5 cont.

Quinn follows the glittering backside. move 40 feet in that direction
"Hurry, Tsin, I'll cut her off, but your blade will fell that false maiden!"

assuming the previous Perception check was the standard action for round 5

Round 5, Continued

Tsin bolts through the curtain, following both hag, hiccup, and hot air. She closes the distance to the hideous thing, hoping to slice an ankle.

Charge, Power Attack: 1d20 + 13 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (15) + 13 + 2 - 2 = 28 for 2d4 + 8 + 6 ⇒ (4, 4) + 8 + 6 = 22 damage

Miss Chance, High Good: 1d100 ⇒ 56

"Wait, now... We can't have you snarling about. Trust that if you stop running away, we will finish you quickly. Mestama awaits you."

Round 5, Init 16

ZephTyr keeps on the hag, slamming with his windy fists.

1d20 + 12 - 1 ⇒ (9) + 12 - 1 = 20 to hit; (power attack)
1d6 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 7 + 2 = 11 slam damage.
1d100 ⇒ 85 high is good

1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (11) + 7 - 1 = 17 to hit; (power attack)
1d6 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 7 + 2 = 13 slam damage.
1d100 ⇒ 42 high is good

I've got nothing left to help bring this hag down - it's up to you guys!

Malavarius shakes his fist at the half glittered hag with a whoop, "Ha! Caught you!"

Tsin, unfortunately, you can't charge as there were obstacles in your path.

Hektir's blows again rebound harmlessly off the hag's tough hide as Quin and Tsin rush to join him to stop the creature's flight.

It's clear she's moving faster than everyone but Hektir, though she is slowed slightly by having to squeeze past the barrier.

She'll outpace everyone but Hektir. He can continue to try to follow her, but she's leaving the rest of you in the dust.

Round 5, Init 16

AoO:
1d20 + 12 - 1 ⇒ (8) + 12 - 1 = 19 to hit; (power attack, flank)
1d6 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 7 + 2 = 10 slam damage.

ZephTyr zips in front of the hag, cutting off escape. With 70' move, I should make it.

Regular Attack:
1d20 + 12 - 1 ⇒ (6) + 12 - 1 = 17 to hit; (power attack, flank)
1d6 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 7 + 2 = 12 slam damage.

Round 6

Quinn prays to Cayden for swiftness and chases after the creature. "Come on, Tsin, I'll cut her off, but hurry!"

Cast Expeditious Retreat, speed is now 70 feet, chase after the hag

Pems huffs and puffs and chugs after the others.

Malavarius starts to hustle after the fleeing hag and his young hangers on but he stops after a few feet and waves one hand at the passage dismissively. "Dash it all, don't let her get away!"

Round 6, Init 11

"Don't worry, Quinn. I do not intend to let her get away."

Also casts Expeditious Retreat, speed is now 60'

"Mal, Pems, please yell out if we're approached from the rear. Zeno, same goes for you."

All right, with the expenditure of expeditious retreats and other resources, I'm going to fast-forward this and say you're able to strike her down. Sooner or later you're likely to score a hit.

The brief chase ends as you'd hoped, and you're able to strike the hag down.

"Well struck, Quinn." Tsin looks about the hag for varied items of interest, tossing them to Mal for evaluation. She strides back to the bedchambers, and searches about.

Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (14) + 14 = 28

"An Annis Hag. Hags are not solitary creatures, as I remember them. And it looks like we have three beds here. Keep sharp, boys. We've possibly incurred the wrath of two other hags."

She waits for Mal to finish his studies of anything interesting, then debates the next hallway to investigate.

"Which way? The satyr, what was his name again? He's still flitting about."

Quinn looks about, but his enthusiasm is lacking. Eventually he sits down on one of the empty beds as Tsin continues the search. "It's the worst kind of evil, misleading a heart. I hated these witches when they stole summer, and I hate them more for taking advantage of good intentions. I should have known it was too good to be true, a beautiful maiden trapped in this stony tomb and just waiting for me to save her. Bah, I'm a fool for jiggly bits!" The cleric wallows in his misery for a record 30 seconds before something new catches his attention and his troubles are forgotten, 'Hey, what's that?"

Perception, tent search: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (10) + 16 = 26

ZephTyr admires Quinn's thrust that fell the Hag.

"You sure can pick your women, Quinn. You have an eye like a gibbering mouther," ZephTyr roils airily. "These witches steal our summer, steal our innocence. They steal children from mothers, and faith from the horny. They are the true monsters."

Man, she could have been dangerous if not for those crits!

In addition to the wooden holy symbol you saw earlier, the hag has a phylactery, an iron key and a spell component pouch.

The room holds a leather trunk, which you open to find ragged clothing sized for the hag, a scroll, a bejeweled skull worth 1,200 gp, a leather sack containing 800 gp in assorted coins and small gems, and a wooden case containing what appears to be a collection of children’s scalps.

One of the leather chests in the other two partitioned areas holds just clothing, while the third contains a vial of liquid, a black star sapphire worth 3,000 gp, and a jar of earwigs.

In the southwestern portion of the chamber, a wall of unmortared fieldstone covers the natural cavern. A locked stone door carved with the image of a young maiden walking with a deer in a wood stands in the center of the wall.

detecting magics! I'll take ten on spellcrafts to further identify (net total of 27)

Malavarius recoils with a start as he realizes what the small, leathery strips actually are. "Oh good gracious, these are scalps aren't they?!" The old man shudders in revulsion before walking briskly away from the wooden case.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Rooting around in the neighboring partition, Malavarius sneezes after a minute of prodding lumps of clothing and such with his staff. Sniffling and rubbing his nose, he remarks, "Why's it so dusty over here?"
"The hags probably haven't used it in some time."
"What? Why wouldn't they?"
Zeno shrugs, "Maybe they lost their third member some time ago? Could be there's just one left now."
"I'll be happier when there are none left. Wretched creatures, hags. Keeping children's scalps as trophies. It's horrific!"

Quinn applies a touch a healing to himself, "Anyone else injured?"

Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

His wounds knitted, Quinn places his hands against the carved door and focuses his sight inward, tunneling his mind's eye through the stone like it was soft butter.

Door Sight, only works if the door is less than 15 inches thick

ZephTyr breezes around, waiting the identification of the magics, and generally looking for other witchywitches to take his anger out upon.

He roils and storms angrily when Mal mentions the children's scalps.

He ends up near the door by Quinn, waiting to hear what's on the other side.

Mal, you're able to identify the magic items as a phylactery of negative channeling, a potion of protection from arrows, and a scroll of flame strike.

Quinn, it appears the door leads to a tunnel that descends deeper into the mountain.

"There is just a tunnel behind this door, leading deeper into the mountain." Quinn looks back to his companions, "Should we continue exploring these upper caverns before we open the door? I'm guessing the iron key will fit this lock." Quinn pockets the key for the moment, waiting for the party's decision.

Malavarius emerges from the dusty partition, wave impotently at a few trailing strands of fabric that drag through his beard. When he's finally free of the barrier, he looks to Quinn and huffs. "Whatever we decide to do, I've not much magic left at my disposal today. You young whippersnappers will be at a bit more risk as my protections are nearly exhausted." He frowns at his own words as he wrings his staff in his boney hands. "But pressing on up here before the magic I've knit about Tsin unravels might be wise."

Children's scalps. Rather disgusting, sure. Horrific? Depends on whether the child had to endure the scalping, or was already dead at the time. In Pharasma's embrace, the body is just meat.

Tsin nods as Malavarius assents to further fleshing out of the floor they're on. She speculates for a moment, deciding which way the satyr might have fled, and decides to head to the northern corridor, beckoning the others to stay close.

"Come along, Mal. If you're going to find your good hat, we have to keep looking," ZephTyr breezes.

ZephTyr flies above Tsin, going north.

Unless anyone objects, ZephTyr put the scroll of flame strike in his polymorphic pouch.

The corridor appears to lead about 70 feet, an archway holding up the stone ceiling about 50 feet west of you.

Just realized the compass rose is on it's side, so you've actually been moving vaguely south from the entrance and the corridor leads west, not north...

ZephTyr continues west(top of the map).

This is where the wind blows.

"I've a few prayers left, Mal, we can continue a bit further, but we should start looking for a defensible place to rest." Quinn moves along behind ZephTyr and Tsin, his eyes on the archway and corridor.

Perception: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (16) + 16 = 32

As you pass through the archway, the area suddenly darkens, making it difficult to see dim light, and the temperature follows suit, your breath suddenly steaming in front of your face. It's just about freezing. Quinn notices the pastoral scenes carved on the wall have also seemed to change, replaced by images of dying, skeletal trees in a wintry wasteland.

You can see the passageway opens into a room ahead of you. Not describing it yet as I wait to see if you advance.

Pems stops in his tracks. "What magic is this? Have we left the statues?"

You can see the passageway opens into a room ahead of you. Not describing it yet as I wait to see if you advance.

You're saying we're going off map, eh?

ZephTyr stops at the coldening, wondering what has changed.

"Maybe we should go back to that door, Quinn? This way seems...wrong."

Malavarius' staff taps slowly and rhythmically as the old wizard follows the group toward and under the arch. "Hmm? What was that? What happened? Zeno? Zeno, why's it so cold and blasted dark on this side of the arch but not the other, hmm?"

Knowledge (arcana/planes) or Spellcraft: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (7) + 17 = 24

Tsin waits, interested to know why the cold has begun to seep in.

"This way seems...wrong."

"When has that ever stopped us, Hektir? Our way thus far has always proven wrong." She doesn't press it, sensing the likelihood of drawing undue attention to her pessimism.

Just multiple maps; it's a big area. Go wherever you want.

Mal, you think the area's probably enchanted with some sort of magical darkness and coldness.

Zeno pokes his head up from the center of Malavarius' winter hat, "Well, obviously it's because of magic."
"What? Well yes, of course it is, Zeno. Do you have anything perhaps a bit more insightful to offer besides that?"
Zeno blinks into the darkness a bit, sticks his tiny thrush tongue out for a moment as if tasting the air, then shrugs his feathered shoulders. "Nope!"
"Bah! Confound it all, Zeno, what help was that? Hmmm? I'll tell you: none! Thrice blasted know-it-all thrush doesn't know up from down sometimes. 'It's magic' indeed. Goodness gracious."

Malavarius continues muttering as he performs an about face and passes through the arch once more, back into the earlier hall. Turning back to the arch again, he squints, trying to see if it appears normally lit from the other side or if it still seems dark.

It does seem dark from the other side of the archway. Sorry, didn't read forward enough to realize that when I initially described the hallway..

Pems grins suddenly and scratches Flash behind one ear. "Sometimes I'm really glad you can't talk, bud." He murmurs under his breath.

Quinn prays for a few moments until a single copper coin starts glowing like a torch. He throws the coin down the corridor, illuminating the area of shadow.

cast Light, fling coin

ZephTyr watches as to what happens to the coin. With his darkvision, he hopes that he can see clearly but wonders if there are magics at play beyond that.

"It could be that we return with proper lighting," Zeph moans airily.

As the boys toy with the darkness, Tsin decides to investigate the known, concrete paths first. "Make your observation, then follow me. Let's see what lies this way." Tsin strides towards the Eastern hallway, deciding better to avoid the door to the south at present.

Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (14) + 14 = 28

She continues East, until she can establish what lies at the end of the hallway.

Pems rushes after Tsin. "At least take this!" Pems touches Tsin, casting his ward over her.

ZephTyr follows Tsin back to the East and Quinn's door.

Malavarius stammers incoherently as the others emerge from the darkened tunnel and stride right past him. "What's this? We're going the other way now? I'm too old for all this back-and-forth nonsense, don't you know." He then calls back down the hall, "Quinn? Quinn, lad, look sharp now. Come along, won't you?"

The darkness seems to lift slightly as Quinn's coin arrives, letting light from your side of the corridor spill into it, but unlike the tunnels you've been wandering through, there seems to be no other light. So the coin counters the darkness, but there's no other light source other than what's coming from this side of the archway.

Looking down the other tunnel, it slopes upward as far as Tsin can see. Carefully making her way up it, she realizes it splits at the far end, looking like it widens into a pair of caverns.

ZephTyr waits, wanting to go the door on the map.

I feel like we're all going different directions or maybe confused on where we are. There is a big Mal on the overall map. Zeph wants to go through the door to the South/left of bighead.

Malavarius waves Quinn over as he emerges from the darkened hall. "Ah, there you are, lad. The others wandered off that way. Here, help an old man walk, won't you?" Malavarius rests one hand wearily on Quinn's shoulder, still leaning on his staff in his other hand, and let's the Caydenite lead him back to the others. As they walk, the wrinkled mage offers, "Do you know, my boy, we're in a rotten place. A positively rotten place. We've got dark and frosty halls, devilish satyrs flying about, and nasty hags - maybe even a full blown coven of the wretches! Baba Yaga can have this wretched place and keep as far as I'm concerned. But, even with all this trouble, I'm a little worried at how quick Tsin is to bring that sword of hers to bear." He pauses, looking to Quinn intently in anticipation of agreement.

I think you are, Hektir. You're at the door to the left of the map, Tsin's at the passage toward the bottom of the map and Quinn is at the archway to the top.

Tsin retreats to join the others, satisfied with her initial take on the end(s) of this corridor.

"We have two cavernous rooms that lie down that path. We have a door requiring a key that we likely possess. And an archway that lies in darkness. Where shall we look next?" Tsin looks to the east.

"Locked doors tend to stay locked. I'm not sure if the caverns are clear. The satyr chose to flee through the archway or into those caverns. I suggest we clear the caverns before unlocking the door, in case this place doubles back on itself."

Tsin points to the east, and waits.

If consensus is reached, she returns down the hallway, angling left in selecting the first of the two caverns.

Quinn helps Mal, though he barely listens to the critique of Baba Yaga's interior decorating skills and guest list for this stoney tomb. "I really thought she liked me. Such a dirty trick, taking advantage of a man's instinct to protect the fairer half. I fear I won't have a normal relationship for weeks after this quest."

The direction chosen, Quinn continues helping Mal along as they follow Tsin toward the caverns.

Tsin points to the east, and waits.

ZephTyr floats after Tsin, keeping above her.