SR's - Great Southern Isles (PbP) (Inactive)

Game Master stormraven

Ushari nods gratefully as she accepts the coffee. She gulps it down greedily (it had been a LONG time since she had coffee, maybe even a lifetime ago.)

After finishing the coffee and washing it down with some cool water (it had been close to scalding hot, just the way she liked it), she turns to the old man and responds, "If you can spare rations for us, so we don't need to waste time foraging in the wild, that would be helpful."

She stands and stretches her body, looking off to the sun rising off the mountain sky, "Also, if you know of any good ambush points along the way and can point them out..."

Fin smells the curious, hot beverage, smells the enticing aroma, and notes that Ushari at least seems to really enjoy it. She looks towards Jayse and Straehan for a moment as if looking for approval before giving a short exhale of determination and shaking her head.

"Fin try?" she asks, looking at the old miner.

After a deep draught (which is immediately followed by rapid breathing as she scorches her tongue and palette), Fin hands her mug to Ushari. With brow furrowed she asks with a pout, "Go now?" clearly chagrined that Ushari passed the test that she could not.

Ushari is surprised at Fin handing her the unfinished mug of coffee. Seeing the exotic beauty breathing hard due to the scalding hot liquid, she realizes the young elf girl had probably never even heard of coffee before.

I wonder if they have coffee on that world where Fin is from. What was it called again....I think it was Elsa...Else...ahhh Elsemar.

She motions to Fin, and holds the still half-full mug to her lips and takes a few sips. "That is how you should drink coffee, if you have never had it before." She hands the mug back to Fin and gives her a reassuring smile. "Trust me, you will get used to it."

Sense Motive 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23

The miner's eyes crinkle in amusement at Fin's reaction to coffee. He restricts his comments to Ushari's questions. "Food we can provide, and I can send a couple of stout lads with you - scrappers. I can't say about what ambushes you might set since I don't know where you'll catch the cart... but my boys know the terrain. They'll be able to help you with that."

In fairly short order, he has supplies and backpacks brought for you. He introduces you to two men. One is a big bear of a man, who is quite familiar with Straehan since he carried the wounded gnome around. The other is smaller and a bit older but there is a calm efficiency about the man and how he handles the sword he's carrying. "This is Porter and this is Jax - the toughest men around here."

Jayse shakes the two mens' hands. "Porter. Jax. I'm Jayse. We appreciate your help. Either of you know how to use a crossbow?" Whether or not either of them can, he continues. "I'd prefer to use you two as support. No offense intended, but when we recover the women, we need to have the two of you safe to get them back here. I can't imagine what they've gone through, and a few known faces will do them good."

Both men nod. Jax speaks for them, "No offense taken, Jayse. And we both know our way around weapons. We've got shortbows we can bring. You deploy us as you need. We're here to help."

Both men are classed Fighters. They aren't in your league but they are definitely a step-up from most of the townsfolk you've met before.

Ushari nods gratefully to the two men, "Porter, Jax, thank you again for assisting us." As she gathers her gear and prepares to move out, she asks the two men "What armor will you two be wearing? I ask because we will need to travel light."

Jax says, "We don't have much in the way of armor here. A bit of leather and a couple of shields. We won't slow you down."

"Ok then, if we are ready to go now, we should get moving."

I suggest a marching order of Fin and Jax up front followed by Jayse and Ushari, with Porter and Straehan bringing up the rear. Cool?

Findelgwing nods and takes up her pack, ready to move out with Jax and Porter helping to show the way. Having the furthest sight and the best eye for tracking, the tall ranger takes point keeping her longbow, Twang, in hand as you move.

I keep wanting to say Jackson Porter when thinking of the NPCs. :D

Jax says, "...We won't slow you down."

Jayse gives a friendly but competitive smile, "I don't know, Jax. We can move when we want to." Finishing up his coffee, he gets up, quickly running through a stretching form to prepare his muscles for motion. His blue blade springs into his hand. "I'm ready to go when you all are."

If we have supplies, I'm good to go. I'm a little more comfortable having Straehan and a stranger at the back. i think it makes more sense for someone with more mobility to be back there with the pirate.

Eric pointed out i used the wrong name, I meant I'd be more comfortable if Jayse was at the back, with Straehan in the middle.

So the order, if I understand it, is Fin & Jax, Ushari & Straehan, Jayse & Porter. If I've got that wrong, let me know.

Jax shrugs. "The race ain't always won by the fastest - particularly when the slow guy knows a shortcut."

Our heroes and sidekicks quickly pack up their gear and head uphill through a narrow gully near the cave. Traveling fast and quietly, the morning passes quickly.

At one point, you cross a trail and see relatively fresh wheel ruts in the soft ground. Jax indicates the tracks and trail with his chin. "That's our wagon. This trail crisscrosses the hills through the widest points. We'll go straighter."

Fin examines the ruts... but can't determine when they were made.

Survival 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11

Ushari sees Fin shrug in confusion, and glances back to the others. "So, we don't know how far they are ahead of us. We should press on."

Jayse - not having a clue how to read anything into the wheel ruts - shrugs, "Then we continue on... we just need to do our best to get out ahead of them. Is there a point where our path and theirs cross that we know they couldn't have made it to yet?"

Porter nods, "Yeah, we'll cross the trail another half-dozen times before we get to the lowlands."

Moving quickly, you press on through the forested hills following a path that is little more than an animal trail. Three more times, your group crosses the winding cart path and three times you spy wheel ruts in the loamy earth. Each time, Fin takes a moment to examine the dirt kicked up from the wheels. She makes no comment the first couple of times.

However the third time, as the sun slowly reaches toward the horizon over the thinning forest and slowly flattening hills, Fin nods at something in the dirt she examines. She wanders off the trail briefly and then returns.

Fin relates her findings to the rest of the party.

In training so can't be verbose.

When Ushari hears the grim findings from Fin, a dangerous gleam appears in her eyes. She reaches into her pouch where Skitter rests, and she utters an oath softly under her breath. You are certain it was not wishing the pirates a long and healthy life.

"So, what is the plan here? Travel through the night and set an ambush in the morning? Or should we just overtake them now?" Her tone definitely suggests she favors the latter option.

"Not much chance we'll lose them if we stop for the night; they seem to be following the trail alright. But if we keep going, we'll gain more ground on 'em."

Jax and Porter don't mask their worry or anger very well, particularly when confronted with the possibility that something unseemly happened to a woman they know. Their discipline is remarkable as they await your decision on whether to camp or proceed on into the night.

Straehan pulls at the dit of hair below his lip, absentmindedly. He looks up at the tall locals. "What's the terrain like up ahead - on both trails?"

Jax considers the question briefly. "We're on the downhill slope. The trees get sparser and the hills become open prairie eventually. The cart trail has a few more switchbacks before it hits the plains. Our trail is straighter and rougher. Got some narrow gulleys ahead and some climbs as well. Could be tricky in the dark, if that's your worry."

He shrugs, dismissing it as a concern. "It's been awhile since I walked this trail in the dark but aside from maybe turning an ankle, it ain't bad... As both trails get to the open, they become wider and straighter. Once we hit the plains, its a whole lot of nuthin' till we catch up to the main road twixt Orfallen and Colona."

Fin bites her lip a bit before turning to Straehan, a solemn expression on her pretty face.

Straehan gives Fin an amused look accompanied by a raised eyebrow and summarizes a fraction of her rolling, mellifluous speech. "Mistress Fin wishes to press on. I concur."

Ushari nods in agreement, "OK, let's get moving. If anyone gets too fatigued to continue, I can pray for magic which will refresh your body."

She looks at each one of the members in the eye and softly speaks,"Those pirates will pay for their crimes, that I promise you."

Your small group hikes on into the night, up and down rocky ravines and heather-filled gorges. Jax was correct. The footing is somewhat treacherous but not deadly. Your pace slows only after a large rock comes lose beneath Fin's foot sending the tall elf tumbling down 15' of culvert. Fin dusts herself off and keeps going - more cautious but only slightly bruised.

Sometime after the witching hour, in the deep corner of the night, you cross the cart path for the fourth or fifth time. With a simple spell, Straehan conjures enough light to reveal the trail. Fin quickly spies the signs of the passing cart but can't determine exactly how long ago it passed. She also notes the cart's track sways some and even backs up briefly before continuing around a clump of trees.

Jayse remains wary, watching for hidden dangers. Staring off into the darkness, something light on the ground draws his attention. He stalks over quietly. He finds the grey dress and discarded body of a young woman splayed casually, half on the trail and half in the bushes. Her eyes stare skyward, her throat cut.

Not sure if it would reveal anything else, but humans are Fin's favored enemy. She gets a +2 bonus when tracking them (when relevant).

Furious though she is to see that the woman is slain when all she wanted was no doubt to simply live, Findelgwing is at least relieved to see that she died with her skin still on her body. At least these pirates had not sunk to that level of depravity.

Ushari is still, barely drawing a breath. For those who are familiar with her, they realize this is a bad sign, as she is usually in motion. She stares at the female corpse for a long time, head bowed.

After a few moments, she waves Jax over, softly asking "Do you know who this is? I...I want to lay her soul to rest."

Thanks for the reminder. It doesn't reveal any significant additional information.

Jax looks down at the girl; sadness and anger vie for favor on his features. His voice is steady. "That's Yetta... I don't know how I'm going to tell her father about this. She was a good girl."

He gently moves her body off the path and puts her limbs in a position of repose. He looks at Ushari. "Go ahead, sister. It's kind of you to send her soul onward... then we have to get moving."

"Yetta...a pretty name for a pretty girl." Ushari bows her head over the fallen girl, while taking out Skitter. She places him on the young girls chest, and pushes a button. A soft lullaby echoes acroos the trail for a moment, before Ushari silences him.

She bows her head again and utters a soft prayer urging her soul to be at peace.

After finishing, she returns to the others with her tears still drying on her face. "Let's go."

Jays shakes his head when Ushari is finished. Despite the darkness masking his features, you can hear confusion in his voice. "These women are the pirates' money for the time being... why kill this one. The young and the attractive bring better prices at slave market, I would think."

His feet itch to continue their pursuit, fearing that every second spent standing still endangers another village-woman.

Straehan kneels down and examines the girl visually, while smoothing her clothes out, trying to be respectful.

When he stands, he says quietly, "I don't think she was abused. This looks like an execution."

Concern for the rest of the women a driving force, our heroes push on. Around the next turn in the path, another mystery is revealed. They cross the cart-path yet again. They see the wagon's wheel ruts turn off the winding and longer main path and onto the 'shortcut' they themselves are using.

"Sh!t... unless someone has a brilliant idea, we may have just lost our opportunity to get out in front of them." He looks at the two locals, "Is there any other way to make that happen? Or should we try to figure out a plan for hitting them from behind? Also, how do we plan on getting the girls away from the pirates so we don't end up with a hostage situation?"

Jax frowns, thinking. "Once they are in the open, if they stay on the path, it kinda makes a big swooping curve. Maybe if we kept going straight - cutting that curve out - we could get ahead of them. But if they go off the track at some point, we've lost them. I don't know where they are taking the girls, so I've got no idea what they'll do once they are on the plains."

Porter adds, "The plains are mostly covered in wheat." He puts a hand about waist high. "It's maybe that tall at this time of the year. With luck it'll give us a bit of cover."

"Is this path a straight-shot down to the plain? Or could we cut off-road and potentially get down into the grass of the plains in front of them?"

Jax and Porter look at each other, silently deciding. With unspoken agreement, Jax replies. "It's pretty straight from here. There are a couple of wiggles, but they aren't much."

Jayse shrugs, "Then unless someone has a good plan for peeling the pirates off the women... let's go get us some pirates.

As they walk, Jayse tries to think of a way of hitting the pirates so as to get to the women quickly and secure an avenue of escape... trying to keep his ears open and feet light in case they come upon the pirate group.

Seeing no other obvious choices, our heroes press on. In a few short hours, you greet the first glimmerings of a cool dawn. As the trail widens and the hills become smaller and smaller undulations, your pace increases. Fin stops only briefly when she sees large clods of dirt thrown off by the wheel. She examines them and announces, by holding up the requisite number of fingers, that your group is no more than 6 hours behind the wagon.

Knowing that you are closing in on your quarry, you halt to rest for a few minutes and eat some rations to fuel your final push to catch the bandits. It is a quiet breakfast, each person lost in his or her own thoughts.

All too quickly for some of you, you set out again. Necessity vying with fatigue. Only Jayse seems relatively unaffected by the all-night trek. With renewed vigor, you set a quick pace, loping through the thinning forest and catching your first sight of the vast plains that stretch northeast as far as your eyes can see. It is an endless waving field of blood-red grain.

You follow the trail down the final sizable hill and approach the staggered treeline - the wide swathe of land where the red wheat and the trees struggle for control of the land. As you jog down the hill, in the distance, among one of the final large stands of trees, you hear a shrill cry and several harsh voices. Their language is unfamiliar to you but the tone is something to freeze your blood. The threat of death and evil hang in the air.

In addition to what is happening in the stand of trees to the northwest, you notice the wheel ruts are following the path which goes roughly northeast. Clearly, your quarry isn't here - something else is.

F's Survival 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (11) + 14 = 25

In a panic, Fin looks at the others and hisses, "Man eaters!" and points out the direction.

She then begins to cast spells upon herself so that she can rush to the women's aid.

Fin will cast Expeditious retreat followed by shield.

Jayse watches Fin prepare to rush in, then hefts his blue blade and looks over at Straehan. "What are the odds you could spare me some extra protection for this fight? It needs to happen fast if we intend to rescue that girl and keep moving after the others."

You got a Mage Armor Jayse can have? Shield won't stack with his mindshield.

Switching to look at the trees theyre about to rush, he speaks to the two fighting men, "I'd still be most comfortable if you two stayed a bit safe. We need you alive when we catch up to the girls. Would you two each pair up with Straehan or Ushari... at least until we know what we face? If things change..." Jayse turns a smirk on the two men, "Well, just be ready to come save our bacon if we yell out."

Finally, he looks over at Fin, "So, do we go in quiet or run in all crazy-like?"

Straehan looks surprised at the question, "For you, Jayse? Why, I'd give Ushari's left kidney."

Straehan casts a spell and touches Jayse on the forehead, intoning "Go forth and kick ass, my son." He looks at the others, "Any other requests?"

Mage Armor on Jayse and Straehan.
Ushari - you have two rounds in which to cast spells.

At Jayse's question, Fin tries to determine exactly how far away the voices are and if there is any chance they can make it in a single charge.

She then turns to Straehan and asks him to translate:
Assuming that it is too far to charge (either due to distance or terrain), she'll put her finger to her lips and stealth using the wheat for concealment and taking advantage of her expeditious retreat to cover as much ground as if she was moving normally (i.e. 60-ft/round).

Once in range, she'll finally charge and attack hoping to end this quickly before the enemy has a chance to react. She goes after the biggest, toughest male enemy first.

Perception 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18
Stealth 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30

Whoosh 1d20 + 10 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 10 + 2 - 2 = 29 charge, power attack
crit? 1d20 + 10 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (12) + 10 + 2 - 2 = 22 maybe
threat only 10 + 5 + 6 = 21 2H power attack
critical hit 10 + 1d10 + 10 + 12 ⇒ 10 + (2) + 10 + 12 = 34 2H power attack

"Gee, Straehan, How thoughtful of you."

Ushari spends the time preparing for the assault by blessing her allies, and calling on her trooper for assistance.

Updated spells memorized.
Rd. 1 Cast Bless on group.
Rd. 2 Activate Skitter.

Straehan gives the small woman a grin, "You know me, Ush... I give til you hurt."

Jayse nods his thanks to the gnome as he smiles at the teams banter. The spell, as always, gives him a creeping feeling of thousands of tiny spiders crawling across his skin.

How does he put up with it all the time? he thinks. But if it keeps blades from my skin, I'll get used to it.

When he sees Fin get ready to move forward stealthily, Jayse does the same, trying to use any cover available to hide his approach.

Stealth 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21.
AC up to 24 for 4 (?) hours.

Once activated, Skitter's legs pop out and he throws a snappy salute to Ushari with this fore-claw. He lets out a brief squeak-squeal. It occurs to Ushari that Skitter may be speaking an actual language... one she could learn.

Doesn't Ushari already understand 'skittish' though? :D

Of course Ushari understands Skittish, she has feline blood in her, he he.

Ushari wonders just how difficult the language would be to learn. Considering the fact Fin's native tongue has eluded her so far does not fill her with great confidence. But Skitter on the other hand...there was a bond between the two. Maybe she could use that to her advantage...

But first things first. She had some people to rescue. Once Skitter has responded to her, she motions him to be quiet and places him on her shoulder.

She then slips quietly behind the two scouts, drawing her rapier as she moves.

Stealth 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30

SR, is there a way Ushari could swap languages out? She currently knows Halfling and could lose it in favor of 'Skitter', since she never spoke to a halfling before. Let me know what you think.