Initiative: Valnir | Garret | Thayn | Balak | Shivaan* | Clacent* | Krenshar** = Round 5
Status
Bless ~ Everyone receives a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls and against fear effects. (9 rounds)Balak: 8/11 hp, grappled.
Clacent: Frightened (1 round)
Thayn: 7/10 hpKrenshar: 3 damage, grappled.
Partial cover and concealment with a 30% miss chance.OOC
Clacent, it was 4 rounds of frightened in total. So next round is when you can act. Also yes, you can provide the others with help, so long as you don't approach the krenshar.Balak, no, it was its turn - it took a full attack action on you (bite/claw/claw) but only one of them managed to hit. Same for this round (full attack with light weapons at a penalty). You get a +5 bonus to grapple checks for this round, by the way.
Valnir's dagger flies off through the night sky, propelled by arcane power, but the elf's aim is so incredibly wide he wonders if he didn't pronounce one of the words of that incantation wrongly. Garret pushes his way into the undergrowth while Thayn fires off another arrow; unfortunately, between the trees and the people blocking his view of the krenshar, his attack is ineffective. Perhaps he'll have a better go of things with the longspear?
Balak is unmoved by the krenshar's claws, and this time manages to wrap his strong arms around the cat's body. It yowls and hisses and thrusts and wriggles, but the tiefling is resolute in not letting it run away. Shivaan circles around behind the krenshar, his morningstar at the ready, while Clacent begins to feel that the effects of the krenshar's screech were starting to wear off...
The krenshar, surrounded, decides to not struggle against Balak's grasp but instead attempt to claw his face off. Though able to avoid the worst of it, the beast manages to rake across Balak's face, cutting down his cheek.
Initiative: Valnir | Garret | Thayn | Balak | Shivaan* | Clacent* | Krenshar*
* = Round 5Status
Bless ~ Everyone receives a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls and against fear effects. (8 rounds)Balak: 6/11 hp, grappled.
Thayn: 7/10 hpKrenshar: 10 damage, grappled.
OOC
Clacent, correct! You can act in this round. My apologies for taking you out of the fight for so long :P
Despite the krenshar's limited movement, its tough hide seems enough to displace Valnir's magically propelled dagger as he manoeuvres it carefully to avoid stabbing one of his allies. Meanwhile, Garret gains a couple of temporary ranks in Profession (gardener) as he slices apart the undergrowth. Urdel Thunderhoof's longspear in hand, Thayn rushes across the campsite and takes a stab at the beast, elucidating a very angry and pained yelp.
Undeterred, Balak drags the krenshar out of its hiding spot beneath the trees, and Shivaan follows closely behind him, although his inexperience with the morningstar is clearly evident. Clacent, able to get a good look at the krenshar for the first time, decides it might not be as scary as he first thought...
The krenshar, badly wounded but clearly unsure of what to do, decides to continue its attempts to simply kill the thing grabbing hold of it and then run away. Another claw mark scrapes across Balak's chest, but no doubt the tiefling would weather that as well...
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As if some malevolent force tugged on his hair, Shivaan jerks his head back and gazes to the sky. His grasp loosens and the unbloodied morningstar falls through his fingers to the ground. Visions cloud Shivaan's mind and through sheer will he maintains his good intentions. Waves of positive energy flow from his body like a conduit, partially closing the wounds of his allies.
"Your existence on this plane is at at end!"
There's a sudden loud crack as Balak breaks the krenshar's ribs, and the creature lets out a final whimper of pain before turning limp in his arms.
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"What happened? Was I dreaming? Why are you guys wounded? I'm really unsure of what happened." as Clacent walks around the camp, he notices the slain beast. "Whatever happened, at least we got this beast down or should I say you guys got this beast down right?"
Clacent will take the fang of the krenshar and a few sturdy vines and make a necklace out of it.
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Here Balak, why don't you take the eight berry that the Centaurs gave us, it is supposed to heal your wounds if I understood correctly
With that Garret hands Balak a goodberry.
You are very brave, grappling with that beast put you terribly at risk. I am sorry that I did not really contribute to this fight.
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Relieved at the Krenshar's demise, Shivaan drops to the ground, sitting briefly beside his morningstar. He shakes his head, sheathing the weapon and turns upwards.
"Friends, our mettle has been tested this night. Thank the gods."
Shivaan dismisses the light from his shield, slowly stands and wanders back to the campfire.
"Please, Thayn, take my goodberry as well, after I see to our Krenshar wrestler, I will tend your wounds. I have no need for violence in my mind now. Balak you are a brave warrior."
Shivaan places his hand on Balak's shoulder and lowers his head in a solemn incantation.
"Hrmmm, I seem to have misplaced a bandage. No matter, perhaps some good old fashion hand waving should do the trick eh Thayn?"
With a curious smirk, Shivaan beseeches his god once more for the benefit of his allies.
"Much better! Well done everyone, and with that, my watch has ended."
Shivaan sits in quiet prayer before returning to sleep.
L1: Bless, Shield of Faith
L0: Unchanged
Domain: Expeditious Retreat
Thayn has a close look at the dead krenshar. Despite the apparently large amount of animals it had killed as of late in order to draw the ire of the centaur, it seems to be surprisingly thin and malnourished. The krenshar is male, but perhaps a combination of a hard winter and a new family to feed resulted in a desperation to hunt whatever it could...?
In time, the group returns back to their sleeping backs and tents, with Shivaan continuing his watch in quiet prayer until it's time to swap places. Thankfully, it appears that the failed krenshar ambush would be the only terror in the night, and the morning dawns with no further incident.
In the morning, while the Pathfinders have breakfast, pack up their gear, and otherwise get ready for another slog through the woods, keen ears pick up the sound of hoof-beats from not too far away. Shortly thereafter, three familiar faces emerge from the woodland; it is Urdel and his hunting band. Slung over Thunderhoof's shoulders is a collection of fur pelts, mostly from wolves. They appear to be reasonably fresh pelts and as of yet not fashioned into anything. One of them notices the corpse of the krenshar and excitedly points it out to Urdel.
The centaur leader's eyes widen at the sight and he turns and bows deeply to the group. "My friends, you have destroyed the threat to our forest home. We are eternally grateful for your assistance," he says, almost emotional in his obvious sincerity.
"We cannot offer you much in thanks," Urdel says as he straightens up, tugging the furs from over his shoulder and offering them to the group. "All we have to give are these furs."
"The high areas of the Kortos Mounts can become deathly cold overnight, even in the warmer months such as now. You may find that these come in handy. Please, take them; I only wish we could offer you more for your assistance."
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Thank you for your gifts, fellow woodsmen. Know that you fine spear performed honorably in felling this beast. But, be on guard, there is some reason this creature has come to these lands. And I am not sure what that reason is, it may very well be more dangerous then the beast itself.
Thayn spends his time collecting nuts, tubers and preparing small game for the upcoming trek through the mountains. He bundles thick dry branches and handfuls of kindling that he straps on the mule's back with Garret's permission.
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Balak thanks Shivaan for his healing, watching with an impressed look as his wounds close.
His demeanor the next day is one of respect for his comrades who he had fought with for the first time. He still gives those who didn't or were unable to contribute to the fight with dubious glances.
The arrival of the centaurs and Garret's words make him bow. He doesn't smile but his eyes glint with pleasure.
He accepts a grey wolf pelt and drapes it over his shoulders. It looks good on him, and he rarely takes it off after this.
Urdel trots over to Balak and bows to him specifically, thanking him profusely for his efforts, before responding to Shivaan's question. "We are currently on the very edge of the forest. It should not be more than an hour or two before you emerge into the mountains, even at your slower pace." The centaurs remain for a short while thereafter, asking questions of the Pathfinders' lives beyond Absalom and in turn sharing short stories of their tribal life in the forests of Kortos. They explain that they are going to collect the krenshar body and return it to their tribe so that their shaman can perform a proper soul sending for the predator, hoping to calm its spirit beyond death so that their lives are not haunted by a spectre of its kind again. In the end, the Pathfinders and the centaurs amicably part ways, and you turn your attentions to the road ahead of you.
Though the terrain had turned hilly the day before, it swiftly becomes evident that the situation is only serving to get worse. The trees thin out, at least, being replaced by firs and pines, but instead of cloying undergrowth there is precarious boulders, gravelly cliffs, and occasional sharp inclines that cause everyone to pant and wheeze. Soon enough, you leave the wild woods behind as you find your way into the base of the Kortos Mountains.
It takes some time to find the mountain pass depicted on the smuggler's map, but with the rangers' expertise in this matter they soon set everyone off on the right path. Despite the devilish cliffsides you scrambled up to find the pass in the first place, the passage through the mounts is surprisingly easy to follow, winding around the base of the mountains and avoiding the worst of the terrain at higher altitudes. You follow along a shallow, pebbly riverbank for a couple of hours, and beyond that a lightly forested copse with one absolutely enormous dead tree in the centre; it appears to have been struck with lightning at some point but never collapsed. You occasionally must hike up sharp inclines or pull yourselves over rocky outcroppings, but for the most part travel is on largely flat ground.
You notice that, even in the middle of the day, the temperature up here in the mountains is much colder than it was back in the forests. The closed-in canopy easily trapped in the warmth of the day, but here--with massive, snow-capped mountains and very little in the way of shelter--the heat dissipates much easier. The further you go--especially during the times when the trail leads up higher--you even see unthawed frost on the ground. As the afternoon drags on, and you head up a particularly high summit, you feel the chill of light snow flurries caress your cheeks and melt away instantly.
With light beginning to fade, the group starts to keep an eye out for somewhere to set up camp. Circling around a cliff, you catch sight of something quite odd up ahead on the slope of the trail: a half-destroyed covered wagon, its front side covered in frost and a little bit of collected snow.
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"Wait," as Clacent lowers down his body, wary of a potential ambush.
Clacent will approach the wagon as stealthy as possible and check if its safe.
Stealth:
Perception:
If safe, Clacent will tell the party to approach and maybe setup camp here.
Take 10 on Survival: on making a decent camp for the party, better if they would aid him too.
Clacent sneaks up to the wagon, silent as a stalking krenshar, hiding behind nearby boulders and rocks where he can before peeking inside.
Inside the wagon are the half-frozen corpses of three humans, apparently ineffectively huddled together in the corner of what was once their wagon. They are decked out in heavy winter travelling gear: wool-lined coats, heavy leather boots, and thick scarves. Their clothing seems a little tattered but is otherwise in good condition. They seem to have once gathered around a small wood-burning stove, but it was clearly not enough to keep them from succumbing to the cold temperatures. It seems that there's enough firewood in the ruined wagon to keep that stove lit overnight.
Clacent watches them for a short time, ascertaining that they are not the living dead, but nothing inside the wagon moves at all.
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Balak, with his new wolf pelt mantle, climbs the steep paths with great vigor, but even he shows some fatigue by the time the wagon is reached. He stands ready with his hand on his sword hilt while Clacent investigates, and when the all-clear is given, he strides up, glancing into the wagon at the corpses before looking out over the view from this height. "We better bury them proper. No good letting their spirits be restless." he says.
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"Let's not make the same mistake these people did. We only have 3 winter clothes, maybe 4 if you would let me sew those furs into one. May I suggest that whoever will sleep, be given the furs and if it is their turn to watch, they give those furs to the other who will sleep."
Take 10 on Survival to make another winter clothing:
"I think its the most we can do, after all even if they're dead, they were still able to help us in their own way."
Clacent will help Balak bury the bodies.
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Garret looks in the wagon:
Clacent, wouldn't it be better to use these pelts as extra blankets than as clothing?
Do you think that Victor and Rolf need extra blankets? I have three spare blankets that we can use, so have one to spare for us all
I will make a nice warm broth this evening, that can simmer on the fire so that the person on watch stays warm. And considering the space in the wagon, would it be better to keep watch with two people? I can pitch my tent, but I guess it will be colder in my tent then in the wagon.
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Thayn walks the perimeter of the camp, looking for any signs of danger, natural or not and stopping to peer into the wagon. He occasionally looks towards the sky to assess the weather. Once he returns to the camp, he strengthens the broken wagon to better hold the heat of the stove, builds a second fire outside and a small lean-too to act as a windbreak and catch the heat of the fire for those on watch.
For any dangers around the camp and anything interesting inside/around the wagon.
Fort save roll, looking out for danger (i.e. potential rock slides), forecasting weather.
For any unnatural weather or natural features.
I agree with Garret concerning the furs, an outfit will help one, but blankets could help many. Staying huddled together would be better then sleeping in a tent, if it is going to be cold. Those with magic may be able to help us endure the night, as well.
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Shivaan shivers and huddles in the wagon. He attempts to meditate for an hour, focusing his mind on the weather and the challenges it will present. He waves his hands inside, making liberal use of resistance spells to bolster his allies.
After meditating inside the comforts of the wagon, he finds Valnir and Garret.
Friends, we are not rangers nor do we have the strength and fortitude of Balak, perhaps this spell will help you weather the effects of this nasty weather.
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Thank you Shivaan.
Guys, lets pool resources. After all we are in for this together, so we must support another. One of the pathfinders credos is "Cooperate" and it would not do to stop cooperating at dinner time.
After that Garret starts cooking and shares with all the party if they want.
Garret cooked a very nice beans and sausage dish.
After dinner Garret takes the leftovers and uses it to prepare a broth that will keep the people at watch warm.
After the dead are buried nearby, Thayn and Clacent start working together to set up the area around the wagon as best they can to insulate themselves against the cold. Thayn approaches the task with a very methodical mind, directing the others to find things to help bolster the wagon for their camp overnight as he and Clacent work on starting a fire and doing some minor camp construction.
On top of a rocky outcropping Shivaan is able to find what looks to be an old eagle's nest, if eagles made nests some five metres in diameter. Inside the nest is a collection of soft downy feathers and grasses that he's able to pilfer and bring back to help insulate the wagon. Meanwhile, having seen a few scattered pine trees not too far behind where they came from, Balak is able to retrieve some pine cones that are especially useful as fire starters and kindling and keep the stove and campfire burning hot all night.
Shivaan magically fortifies Garret and Valnir from the elements, while the halfling serves up a particularly masterful dish that has just the right amount of spiciness to keep a fire going in the eaters' bellies. Soon enough, the Pathfinders split off into their watch, with two outside with the ponies and the rest sleeping inside their warm wagon camp.