Nearly gods... (Inactive)

Game Master BloodWolven

then by all means come with next time if you desire, communication is key my dear, though I do believe next time it shouldn't be an issue"

"Well, it's a good thing you are alright. lots of grey weirdos in there."

"Yeah, hey, next time you wanna tag along go for it. Just figured you'd rather watch the horses. Somebody had to. And I'd probably cause trouble." Azulth shrugs and dismounts. "Where's the pretty lady in charge of this thing, again? And where's the weird guide guy?"

"Ok, well I get your points." She says a bit dismissively. She looks at Azulth and shakes her head, "Almah should be in her tent, which is at the center of the caravan, nonetheless with her guards. Dashki likely is wandering around or at his tent over on the West side farthest from the caravan."

in that case I'll go inform Almah of our success, so we ca get moving he says before doing as he said

"Yup, we'll go see the pretty lady now!"

"Agreed," Arasmes adds, pulling his keffiyeh back over his face as he felt the anger of the sun.

The sun was just starting to pound its unforgiving rays upon each of your skins as you approached Almah's tent. The guards there put their hands on the weapons at their sides as one stood a little straighter with the polearm still in his hands. "It is morning if you wish to speak with Almah you can wait and we will fetch you when she is ready for an audience or go speak with Gravel, he is over in that tent."

"That works fine, thank you, I can wait"sorry my post was apparently eaten, I thught I had already posted

sorry, thought i had already posted as well. auto-pass sense motive.

Feel free to post what you generally do in those hours.

After a two hours one of the guards comes and collects you.

Almah looks as beautiful as ever with her shroud about her and the gold trimming making chinking sounds. She smiles at the three of you and quietly asks, "What news do you bring?"

During the hours waiting alton cleanses himself very thoroughly as he does after every adventuring day, following that he inventories the items taken from the ruins I've completely forgotten
any additional time left over he spends in communion with the divine.
When the time comes to report back Alton responds with a grin, saying, "your pest problem has been solved,"

Arasmes helps Alton with the inventory after cleaning himself up a bit. With all those creepy grey critters around, it was hard to avoid feeling unclean.

"We can move into the monastery then?" With the likely agreement to her statement she thanks them. "Then once we are secure in the monastery you may start your forays to the conquered village of Kelmarane. 200 gold each was the price and the chest there has your wealth in it."

The chest has 1000 gp within it.

Almah and the rest of her party pick up stakes rather quickly for a caravan and soon are on their way to the monastery with your group. Almah asks that you go in once more and make sure it is clear with her people.

Later Almah calls the group to her new room. "I will not have any of those gremlins staying in this monastery, take them away or kill them as you choose. I hope to have a new report from you tomorrow."

The region immediately surrounding Kelmarane is dominated by rugged, craggy hills and stony badlands. The village of Kelmarane is to the North a little over a mile and pesh fields are between the two. To the East of Kelmarane over the river and about a mile travel is an old shrine. To the North West there is a ruined fort about a mile from Kelmarane. Also to the East about a mile from the monastery is a trade route. To the North of the old shrine by a mile, looks to be a large waterfall barely visible from the monastery.

Almah convenes her entire party in the monastery chapel and sets out her plan.

"After everyone has settled into their new accommodations, the adventurers, do you have a name for your group? They are to make a scouting mission into the outskirts of the village in an attempt to gauge the forces defending Kelmarane."

She warns them not to attempt to fight their way to the battle market, where she presumes the gnoll tribe has set up shop, as preliminary intelligence suggests that the forces there are sufficient to overwhelm any small group in the case of an all-out attack. Rather, Almah encourages guerilla strikes
into the town, taking out its defenders a few at a time and exploring the ruined buildings on Kelmarane’s lower slopes.

She is open to alternative plans from your group, but refuses any that involve the members of the Pactmaster Guard and doesn’t intend to waste her mercenaries
lightly. They are, after all, her only hope should the PCs fail. She places a rotating shift of guards (and your group if you’re interested) at area A3d to keep a constant watch on Kelmarane.

If you set out for your first scouting mission immediately, you pass the guards, who have piled the soiled mattresses from area 15 in the nave and set the odious things on fire. Otherwise a stink arises from the burning and you can easily find the source.

Is there a place that you plan to mark as your own place of residence in the monastery or wait for the others to do such?

Arasmes agrees to patrol the entire complex once more to ensure it is open.

"A name? Hadn't thought of one."

ok, waiting for others to post apparently doesn't work... Guess I'll post something... Hmm
"Is a name really needed? We get the job done, that's what matters, we let our actions speak for us, eventually, should we get that far, people are bound to give us a name of some sort, at that juncture we can either accept it then or decide on a new one then, should we not appriciate the name given"
As for where to spend the night Alton choses a spot on the top floor with a good vantage point as possible, and he makes sure that the goblins and undead are stationed somewhere close.

Almah responds to your statements and questions, "No name is needed just wondering if you have one." With that settled she continues with orders and letting everyone the plan ahead of them.

Does your group head out now or rest?

It is now day, as you explored and cleared the monastery during the night. Most of the monastery is now filled with the people of Almah's caravan.

One of you still has an urge to dig in the courtyard.

Arasmes, in need of rest, seeks some shade and something relatively soft to lay on. Maybe pile some sand in the corner of a building, or under a tarp.

Where in the monastery do you take your nap Arasmses? Use the map, though the crypt is likely the quietest place.

If the gremlins are found, the people of the caravan will either try to kill them or let the martial members know of them.

Arasmes won't sleep in the crypt. Too creepy. The room at A15 looks alright, provided enough materials remain for at least a makeshift pad on the ground, even if it is a pile of blankets.

Alton will make sure the room and surrounding area the monsters and undead are in is marked "do not enter"

So leaving the gremlins with Baris in the 'kitchen/forge' or bringing them up with you to the second floor?

Arasmes, you can see packs of others in the room. Though making your makeshift pad you fall asleep quickly. When you wake up Almah’s guards have claimed this chamber. One of the guards says once Arasmes wakes up fully, "Thank you Arasmes for clearing out the monastery but Almah wants us close and we would appreciate it if you found another place to settle."

Garavel comes to each of you when not busy doing anything, "I recommend that you take the dormitory, A18, I want to keep you close for Almah's protection."

Father Zastoran transplants his impressive potion collection to the laboratory, intrigued by the glass apparatus and alchemical implements discovered there.

"Sorry, just figured this was the designated nap spot. I'll find somewhere else."

When Garavel comes, Arasmes nods in agreement and heads to the A18 dormitory to inspect the premises. If all is well, he will wander about the camp, looking to encounter the others of the party or be hailed by Almah for their next task, if any.

Almah has already charged your group to begin hit and run tactics on the town, or at least to start scouting it out. Alton is upstairs watching the city from the 'perch'.

Arasmes rested likely 8 hours. As does Alton, who rests while one of the guards watches at the perch. Now that you have slept and are rested, it is in the afternoon, what will you do?

Jelissa is in the Dormitory, she has made the place rather livable and has killed a man sized spider to boot. Its carcass is roasting on a spit in the North West corner of the room.

Arasmes seeks out Azulth.

"So, skirmish the gnolls, reconnoiter their forces and activity... How do you want to proceed? I ask, as you are the sneakiest one among us."

ok since azluth won't answer I will, I'm tired of waiting on the guy
"Personally I think this to be a fine time to use our latest aquisitions, perhaps we could have they and I working as distractions to occupy the main force, while you guys take out leadership, then when one of us finish with our tasks we close in on the other's task trapping them between us"

Jelissa seems to be around whenever your group is talking, she is doing her own thing but in the room. She sits and plays with bones and dice. It is kinda eerie how she is just there.

The caravan folk begin to settle in more. The camel driver comes by after a while and asks, "Is there a kitchen in this monastery, my wife would love to have a proper place to make food for us all. Any ideas?"

"Perhaps, Alton. But i do not control those buggers. I'll be back momentarily. I have a hunch."

Arasmes proceeds to the courtyard.

Arasmes returns to Alton, his hands covered in strange, patchy moss and his fingers ending in claws. "Hmm, i had an urge to dig, and i found this strange business. It ought to be good in the future. I bet it would have been good against the slimes. On a different note, if you can control those cretins, then by all means your plan is sound."

"I can controll the skeletons, though their only strength is in their durability and their numbers, that and they thankfully retained their immunity to their living bretherin's curse, but they lack their ability to produce it, or any other abilities they had in life, still it's hard to kill a skeleton with a sword, though a hammer works just fine, I choose skeletons because hardly anyone uses them these days, it's swords that all the rage, easy to learn, easy to make, ah listen to me, I'm babbling again, anyway, I do hope that given I can control the others given that I can control half of them, monkey see, monkey do and all that rot"

"Well, I will defer to your ideas on that front. I have always relied on my mind and body alone, but your minions are certainly an asset of yours. Azulth might have snuck off to do something, perhaps we should go on without him? We can leave word with the folks in camp in case he comes back looking for us."

Let me know what your actions are so that we can progress.

Arasmes will continue to follow Alton's plan, in absence of orders.

my plan was made under the assumption that you'd have PC level backup...

Now I am confused, Alton are you resting until a certain time? Plan to head out when with your little army. It sounds like you want Arasmes and Azulth to go assasinate the leader perhaps with some NPC help, as your army and you make distractions. Let me know when you want to head out and if you have any other preparations before that.

that's about right, with jelissa joining whichever group she wants, but the problem is that azluth hasn't posted in a month...

@all: I got a response from Azulth, he has been busy IRL lately but said he would try to check in and catch up. That said, i wouldn't expect too much (based on my pbp experience).

"I can go spy on the leader, perhaps kill him. That might be difficult, surrounded as he is by his people. Do we have any specifics on him? What does he look like, or will it be obvious? I can leave whenever you are ready, I have already rested."

Well the two of you with some NPC help could start working on the distractions and when he shows up, they can head off to do such. Just let me know about what time you want to leave the monastery, likely noon at the earliest. Something might happen before you leave.

"We should leave at dawn, when those who had the night shift are fatigued and those who who are in the day shift are not fully awake, this will bring about the maximum possible level of chaos"
in other news, just woke up from coming home from going on vacation, wee

"Sounds good. They have the advantage at night, in any event, so a nonstandard approach may be key."

So the Dawn of tomorrow.

Night 1:
If you are on watch over Kelmarane

About midnight you hear an almost impossibly loud, yelping howl that seems to come from the roof of the largest structure in Kelmarane, the huge round citadel known as the battle market. A minute or two later, a faint, similar
call can be heard from the distant Pale Mountain, a call-and-response that must be some form of long distance communication between gnoll tribes.

Dashki identifies the call as the infamous Howl of the Carrion King, a nightly message from the ruler of the Kulldis tribe in Kelmarane to agents of the gnoll monarch in an unknown hidden base on Pale Mountain.

perception: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (15) + 10 + (1) = 26

Arasmes turns to Dashki. [b]"Do you think they're coming from those distant fires?[/ooc]

Dashki looks over to where you are pointing and shakes his head, he seems rather confident in his words, "No most likely from the tribe in the town and up on the Pale mountain unless another... no if another tribe of gnolls were around they would stay silent to the call at least until they cleared out the first ones."

"So who do you think is communicating?"

Dashki looks at Arasmes a bit confused and says again, "Like I said before, it is the infamous Howl of the Carrion King, a nightly message from the ruler of the Kulldis tribe in Kelmarane to agents of the gnoll monarch in an unknown hidden base on Pale Mountain. Unless you mean the lights you see over in the fort, then I don't know."

Take the better of these two:
sense motive: 1d20 + 12 + 1d6 ⇒ (9) + 12 + (1) = 22
sense motive: 1d20 + 12 + 1d6 ⇒ (5) + 12 + (4) = 21

"You know I am an investigator by trade, yes? I am skilled in seeing what others would hide from me. What is it that you aren't telling me?"