9:30 - 11: Clacent - Valnir
11 - 12:30: Valnir - Shivaan
12:30 - 2: Shivaan - Balak *
2 - 3:30: Balak - Garret * *
3:30 - 5: Garret - Thayn *
5 - 6:30: Thayn - Clacent
Endure Elements: Garret, Valnir
Hour 1 (DC 15)
On watch: Shivaan, Balak
Shivaan: 15 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 27
Thayn: 11 + 2 + 4 + 2 + 2 = 21
Hour 2 (DC 16)
On watch: Balak, Garret
Hour 3 (DC 17)
On watch: Balak, Garret
Hour 4 (DC 18)
On watch: Garret, Thayn
The Pathfinders huddle in to the wagon, snuggling underneath their blankets and trying to eke every bit of warmth out of the cabin as they can. Those on guard outside the cabin are faced with an extremely unpleasant duty as chilling gusts from the mountain peeks constantly barrage the pass throughout the night, quickly sapping the warmth from the ground and from their bones. The scattered and light precipitation that came on and off throughout the day begins in droves overnight, and by midnight it is snowing quite heavily. Those on guard duty outside the wagon in the dead of the night have a terrible time of it all, and they thank the gods for the cold weather gear and the rangers' handy skill at insulating the wagon for when they can crawl back inside.
During Garret and Thayn's watch, they hear the sound of a booming horn, far in the distance; it seems to be echoing between the peaks and is impossible to determine where it came from. Nothing seems to come of it, however.
When morning comes, the snowfall eases significantly, although grey clouds hide the sun. The day is particularly windy, with bone-chilling gusts threatening to blow you off course. Balak and Clacent seem to have caught cold during the night; they can't stop themselves shivering and shaking, and they feel particularly lethargic.
Mindful of the questionable health of their companions, the group presses on through the winding mountain pass, although they must occasionally rest to allow Balak and Clacent a chance to catch their breaths. The snow from last night makes your travel wet and miserable, and there is soon an unwelcome mix of mud and slush splattered over most of your body.
In the mid-afternoon, as the path winds around a large mountainside, a strange, glinting light catches your attention up ahead. There seems to be something on top of a rocky ledge some fifty feet away from here.
Garret swiftly makes his way up the cliffside, grappling hook in tow. After a few moments of catching his breath, he takes in the sight that awaits him there.
Built into the mountainside is a small shrine. The centre of the shrine features a carved stone statue of a long-haired woman wearing heavy armor and holding a blade into the air triumphantly. Beside the statue are a couple of carved stone torches, and in front of it is a large, copper offering bowl filled with an assortment of coins and gemstones. A small engraving on the edge of the bowl reads:
Lady Kayle, May She Ever Watch Over Us
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"Use it, if you need it." Thayn says as he tosses his goodberry to Clacent. He turns to the mountain side and follows Garret up to the shrine. Not having any knowledge of the Lady Kayle, he takes a quick look around the traveler's shrine and then uses the elevation to get his bearings with the map.
He looks across the mountain range, trying to estimate the party's remaining journey over the cold mountains and checks the weather for signs of becoming more hospitable.
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Shivaan witnesses the cold draw precious life-giving heat from his allies as they pass through the heart of the mountains. As Garret yells down to the party about the shrine, he takes the opportunity to bring his mind to another realm. He rolls his head on his neck and draws positive energy from a source from beyond.
Three Channel Energy, Whimsical
One dice less than normal (minimum 1, dice total unaffected.
Dice total increased by one to 2d6.
Dice total increased by one to 2d6.
Total Dice for three channels = 5d6
Total Healing to Party Members within 30 Feet = 13 HP / 2 = 6 HP!
"Bear down my friends! Garret has offered to the gods in our name, this is a good omen. We will survive!"
Thayn finds it difficult to predict the weather, although judging by the chilling winds that frequently rush through the mountain pass, it's probably going to be more cold. He has very little idea of where exactly they are, however trusts in his sense of direction to take them out of the mountains.
The Pathfinders hurry on through the mountains, cognisant of the limited daylight and not wanting to spend another night. You follow along a rather fast running river, climbing down beside small waterfalls as the river rushes to lower ground. At one point you pass by a small herd of mountain goats standing on almost vertical rock some height above you, their kids playing with and head butting each other as the lead male of the herd watches you warily. Pushing yourselves to not rest throughout the day, and even moving through the late afternoon, it is almost completely dark when you reach the northern foothills of the Kortos Mounts.
As you set up camp, there is a loud screech from the skies above. Looking up, flying high above is a small flock of about a half-dozen black-feathered humanoids, their arms and legs like the cruel talons of eagles while their skin shimmers an iridescent snow white: harpies. The harpies seem to not notice you as they pass, screaming as they fly into the chilling winds of the mountains and away again.
The night watch is uneventful, although miserable, for the ground everywhere is sodden and muddy and occasional gusts of wind blow down from the mountains and make you shiver. You're certainly glad for the cold weather gear you still wear.
Setting out across the foothills, you soon spy a wide, shallow lake, and surrounding it is more muddy marshland. There seems to be no other way to go than through the swamp, so you begin the rather thankless task of wading through deceptively deep pools of muck and grime. A cloying fog bank lingers to a height of about a foot off the ground, the thick blobs of mist dancing in between large thickets as the foul stench of swamp gas pollutes the air. Exotic species of vine twist along the vapour-shrouded path and do their best to trip you over and send you flying into the muck. Before long, you've had to pull off a couple of leeches from various places on your body, tripped over a hidden log and landed face-first into the mud, and been near deafened by the constant frog song. Thankfully, you eventually find paths of caked mud that are slightly drier than your initial fare, but the misery nonetheless remains.
When you find a reasonably dry area of the swamp on somewhat higher ground, you take the most of the opportunity to rest and set up camp a little early. Your sleep is fitful, between the insect swarms and the constant sound of splashing fetid water, but nonetheless must press on. Thankfully, as you progress through the bog, the thick rolling fog begins to disperse, allowing you to see where you're stepping, although it's replaced by an increasing amount of twisting vines and grasping mangroves.
After hours of uneventful travel, you spy a large, fallen log lying across the path you were taking, standing five feet fall. Oddly enough, a moldering wooden door covers one of the hollow ends of the log, and a makeshift mud chimney emits a thin wisp of blue smoke from within. From behind the crude house come the sound of someone humming an off-key tune, as well as occasional words in a yapping language.
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Thayn stays in the back of the pack, unable to understand the mutterings coming from behind the house, he cautiously scans the surroundings for some sort of indication of the nature of the inhabitant. He examines the outside of the structures, looking for unnatural growth or unidentifiable foliage that would give insight into the nature of whoever created it.
Thayn notices nothing particularly hazardous around the area; he can't tell what built this structure, simply that it seems to have been constructed out of materials from the local environment. The far end of the log house is half submerged in a murky mire, and as he looks down there, he notices the water part as a crocodilian head pokes up out of the water... it's gone again shortly thereafter, but Thayn gets the impression it would be best to keep out of the swamp on the north side of the log.
Valnir can only hear one voice, although whoever it is seems to be quite talkative, as if they are having a conversation with themselves.
On the north side of the log-house, a small patch of pink-blossomed thistles grow in haphazard rows in the swampy bog as if planted to resemble a garden. Kneeling in the garden is a grey-skinned kobold garbed in a crocodile skull headpiece and a simple tunic made from lilypads crudely stitched together. Around her neck is a vine necklace strewn with sharp teeth and flower blossoms. She appears to be removing weeds from the rows while humming happily. She doesn't seem to have noticed Garret.
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Garret moves back to the group and reports what he has seen.
There is a grey skinned kobold behind the house, she wears a tunic made of leaves with a crocodile skull on her head. She was removing weeds from her garden. Why she did not pull out the thistles is beyond me.
She seemed to be singing to herself, I did not see anyone else. I could not understand a word what she is singing
She looked harmless to me, I say one of us approaches her and asks for permission to pass. Does anybody understand her singing?
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Climb:
"I'll get a good vantage point," as Clacent climbs up the log and scours the area ahead.
Perception:
If there's no danger or threat, Clacent will secure the rope using grappling hook and toss it so his teammates can use it to climb the log.
"Here's a rope, it would be good to follow the other ranger's advice."
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Balak eyes the structure warily. "Any way we can bypass this? No sense bothering the occupant if we don't need to." he asks.
"I agree whole-heartedly Balak. I have never heard that tongue before, and if what Garret says is true, I'd rather not bother a kobold in a crocodile head-dress. We were warned not to veer from the path but with Clacent and Thayn's skills in the woods, our detour should be uneventful."
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"Though with the right words, maybe we can go ask the kobold if we could pass in peace? Swampy areas surrounded by bushes in my experience is a perfect spot for an ambush."
After scouring the area,
"I don't see any danger ahead, if the smuggler was able to pass through this area then maybe he found a way to talk to that kobold, straying away from this path could lead to more dangerous encounters. What do you guys think?"
There's no answer at the door. However, the knocking sound seems to have alerted the kobold out back, who immediately stops humming and angrily (or possibly frightened) shouts out. They don't seem to approach you, however.
Garret's call only gets another angry stream of gibberish back at him.
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To the kobold / door:
In Halfling: Do you speak Halfling?
If only gibberish is coming back (or no answer):
In Gnome: Do you speak the Gnome tongue?
If only gibberish is coming back (or no answer):
In Elven: Do you speak Elven?
If there is a common language Garret repeats the request in that language:
Excuse me, we would like to pass to the other side of this area. Would you mind if we walked past your lovely garden?
If there is no common language Garret turns to the group:
I guess we should treat that as a negative answer, let's see if we can find another way to pass this area.
To the door / kobold (in Common / Halfling / Elven & Gnome):
Sorry to have disturbed you, we will find another way. Have a nice day!
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Valnir attempts to speak to the Kobold. He raises his voice so that she can hear him, but does his best to sound friendly.
One by one Valnir attempts the different languages he knows, saying the following:
Sorry to disturb you, do you speak *language*?
Valnir cycles through the languages he knows that were not already attempted by Garrett in this order:
Goblin
Gnoll
Orc
Sylvan
Should Valnir find a common tongue he continues:
Excuse me, we are sorry to disturb you. We are simple travelers trying to make our way out of the mountains. Our path and your home appear to overlap. We hope you'll permit us passage so we can be on our way.
As Garret and Valnir begin shouting out words in every language they can think of (and possibly a couple of others in the process), the kobold they spotted on the far side of the log decides to clamber on top of her home and take a good look at you all. Her eyes are quite wild with fear (or is it madness?), and she proceeds to shout angrily back at you, waving a bit of driftwood in the air, although of course nobody has any clue what she's going on about.
All of a sudden, the kobold starts dancing about, gesticulating wildly in the air and screeching in yet another language unfamiliar to you all. As she does so, the ground beneath your feet begins to writhe and wriggle as the plant life comes alive and grasps at your legs to hold you in place. Balak, Thayn, and Valnir are taken quite by surprise by the sudden vines and plants that entwine around your legs, and are caught fast. Thayn and Garret notice some movement coming from within the swamp, although before they can warn the party there's a sloshing of mud and muck as a greenish, reptilian head pokes out of the bog. A sinuous crocodile stomps its way down alongside the kobold's log house and looks hungrily at you...
Initiative: Bog Mother | Valnir | Thayn | Balak | Clacent | Garret | Shivaan
Status
You've been hit by an entangle spell; Clacent, Garret, and Shivaan saved against the effect. This makes the green bordered area difficult terrain as well as having the following effects:Entangle Spell:Creatures that fail their save gain the entangled condition. Creatures that make their save can move as normal, but those that remain in the area must save again at the end of your turn. Creatures that move into the area must save immediately. Those that fail must end their movement and gain the entangled condition. Entangled creatures can attempt to break free as a move action, making a Strength or Escape Artist check (DC 13). The entire area of effect is considered difficult terrain while the effect lasts.Entangled Condition:The character is ensnared. Being entangled impedes movement, but does not entirely prevent it unless the bonds are anchored to an immobile object or tethered by an opposing force. An entangled creature moves at half speed, cannot run or charge, and takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and a –4 penalty to Dexterity. An entangled character who attempts to cast a spell must make a concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) or lose the spell.Please make a DC 13 Reflex saving throw at the end of your turn if you are in the entangle area of effect, or else leave it to me to do in the round wrap-up :)
Balak: entangled
Garret: 5/10 HP
Thayn: entangled
Valnir: entangled
The kobold continues to gesticulate after the entangle spell takes effect; this time, the piece of stick in her hands grows to enormous proportions! Well, enormous by kobold standards, at least. Her crocodilian companion pushes its way through the undergrowth and launches itself at Garret, sinking its teeth into his thigh; the halfling has the sudden sensation of being a prey animal...
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Either she mistakes our intentions or does not care. Either way it looks like we'll not be leaving without a fight.
Valnir looks at his feet, annoyed at the effects of the entanglement spell cast by the Kobold. He begins working to remove himself.
Valnir, now free of his entanglement, makes a move away from the giant lizard.
Valnir casts Ray of Frost at the attacking Kobold.
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The twisting, lifelike roots intertwine and reach by Shivaan's feet as he moves out of their grasp.
Well I had hoped to avoid confrontation, but I don't like the looks of that club!
Shivaan moves through his allies (). With smooth sinuous gestures, he manifests a bless spell to strengthen his allies' resolve. Glancing with a smirk, he looks to Garret wading in vines, fighting off the crocodile.
"It seems her garden is overgrown Garret? Perhaps your furious kamas can help!
Initiative: Bog Mother | Valnir | Thayn | Balak | Clacent | Garret | Shivaan
Status
Balak: entangled
Garret: 2/10 HP
Thayn: entangledOOC
Apologies for the slow response, I've been busy all day.Thayn, the bog is indeed shallow enough to stand and fight in.
Valnir, you can't take a 5-foot step in difficult terrain. However, you passed your concentration check to cast defensively, so it just means you remain in place and cast your spell. Incidentally, you add your wizard level to your Intelligence modifier when making those checks, so it'd be a +5 :)
Shivaan, each diagonal step in difficult terrain costs 15 foot of movement. That means you could get as far as G-9, if Clacent was not there. So I put you in H-9.
Valnir shakes himself free of the clutching plant life and manages to quickly whip up a spell before the crocodile can react to his distracted focus, but the subsequent ray of frost simply melts away into nothingness upon making contact with the croc. Thayn struggles against the grasping vines and manages to free himself, at least for now.
Balak doesn't bother with the shoots and grasses that grapple his ankles, simply brute forcing his way through. He attempts to grab the crocodile much like he had the krenshar days before, but it is too wily for him and wriggles out of his grasp.
Clacent does his best to move forward, ready for any incoming threats. Garret tries his trusty garden tool-- er, kama, but the crocodile's hard leathery skin is much more difficult to slice than the undergrowth! He leaps over its snapping jaws in an attempt to escape the entangling vines, managing to pull up his legs high enough to avoid donating his feet for Snapjaw's dinner. Shivaan makes his way south and fills his allies with divine courage.
Bog Mother leaps off of her log home and swings wildly at Garret. Taken quite aback by her ferocity, the halfling is hit over the head with her enlarged stick; he sees stars for a moment before regathering his wits. Her crocodile companion tries again to get a nibble of his favoured treat - little creatures that can easily fit in his mouth! - but this time Garret is not caught unawares and deftly escapes its chomping jaws. That said... he may want to reconsider his current position!
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Garret passes by Shivaan, deftly dodging any would-be attacks during his withdraw. Shivaan sees him coming and immediately readies his mind with a healing spell in place of other protective magic.
"Well done Garret, now get back in there and give them some more!
Shivaan moves out of the strange entangling plants ()