The jungle is still except for the shreiks coming from Ten as he dances around getting the spiderweb off him. There see to be no more zombies, and all the wild animals have fallen silent. The noisome piles of rotting corpses perfume the air with the stench of a day-old battlefield. As the group catches its breath they can already hear the hum of legions of jungle insects headed in to claim their piece.
Vilya stands in the midst of the battlefield, weapons drawn, dripping with blood and ichor. A palpable wave of anger radiates from her as she carefully cleans and sheathes her axe and sword.
"I hate zombies. They never carry any treasure."
Ten rolls on the floor a few times like a man on fire trying to put out the flames, but in reality he is hoping to crush the swarm of spiders that cover him, in his minds eye. Eventually he calms down and going from a blueish green hue to a pale white he vomits.
"I hate spiders," he says, looking sheepishly.
Trying to regain his dignity he stands up and inspects the at peace zombies. "I hate undead, an abomination against the natural order, I would like to find out who is doing this and make them taste my steel." Ten looks to see if he can work out if these zombies came from the plantation that was recently closed down for making zombies or if they are from some where else.
Knowledge religion, can we work out who made the zombies or what religion. (1d20+6=22)
"How easy would it be to track these to their source?" he asks in general.
Ten:
These zombies are from a plantation, which plantation is anyone's guess. People go missing all the time in the jungle. The bodies are so decayed that even their kin might have a hard time recognizing them. There are a few with machetes (3) still in scabbard, and a successful K(local) or a Profession(smith) might ID the maker's mark
Ten relates what he knows about the undead (feel free to read the spoiler above), "Can anyone identify who made these machetes?" he asks.
Egan goes about looking for any arrows he can retrieve, and overhears the conversation. "I can't help you with the maker of the weapons, but I'm sure I could track the zombies back to where they came from if you wish". "I doubt they tried to hide their trail".
Knowledge (Local) Check. (1d20+6=26)
Joleesa dismounts and joins the others, letting "Wheezy" nose around.
She has a look at the bodies and the weapons and says, "I think I may be able to help you there Ten"
Joleesa takes a look at the machetes. Every one of them has something wrong with it, like a broken tip or a crack in the blade. Probably why they were left behind by the necromancer. Deftly unscrewing one's pommel, Jo pulls the blade's tang from the handle to check the maker's mark.
She recognizes the mark right away, three triangles, one pointing down on the other two. The mark of House Akkavin. Akkavin is the noble house that operates the Temple of the Shark Gods, accused of human sacrifice, demon trafficking and consorting with the dread Sahuagin. These blades must have come from their manufactory in the Shambles District.
Egan goes about looking for any arrows he can retrieve, and overhears the conversation. "I can't help you with the maker of the weapons, but I'm sure I could track the zombies back to where they came from if you wish". "I doubt they tried to hide their trail".
Egan finds all but one of his arrows, but they are all buried deep in the decayed flesh of the fallen zombies. The feathers are fouled with rot and he can see that they are a loss, except for the arrowheads.
Casting an experienced eye on the trail, Egan finds plenty of evidence of the zombie's passage through the jungle. The trail leads into deeper undergrowth, but a half-blind orc could follow their passage.
The rest of the party realizes that they are covered in smelly zombie spatter. The paper-cut-like slices and piercings of the obsidian shards begin to ache as the adrenaline leaches out of their systems.
"We should track these things to their source, and eliminate the threat. A new zombie-making group could pose quite a serious threat to Tanglewood."
Ten Foot nods his agreement with San, "Who is still injured?" he asks looking around.
I will do another channel energy (or two as required).
The rest of the party realizes that they are covered in smelly zombie spatter. The paper-cut-like slices and piercings of the obsidian shards begin to ache as the adrenaline leaches out of their systems.
"Eurgh. This is disgusting."
Vilya sets about retrieving her mace.
Vilya tracks down the zombie that 'ate' her mace. With a bit of judicious surgery and a deeply held breath she retreives her ichor-encrusted mace from the undead's body cavity. She is feeling the need for some lye soap after the deed is done.
San waits for Ten do any additional healing that is necessary, then sets off following the zombies' trail. "We can worry about cleaning up later. Five gold says we'll be fighting more of 'em, anyway."
The jungle slowly returns to normal. Screeches and hoots sound from the treetops and there is the rustle of small animals in the underbrush.
Beta rules on Forest terrain:
Trees: The most important terrain element in a forest is the trees, obviously. A creature standing in the same square as a tree gains a +2 bonus to Armor Class and a +1
bonus on Ref lex saves (these bonuses don’t stack with cover
bonuses from other sources). The presence of a tree doesn’t
otherwise affect a creature’s fighting space, because it’s assumed
that the creature is using the tree to its advantage
when it can. The trunk of a typical tree has AC 4, hardness
5, and 150 hp. A DC 15 Climb check is sufficient to climb a
tree. Medium and dense forests have massive trees as well.
These trees take up an entire square and provide cover to
anyone behind them. They have AC 3, hardness 5, and 600
hp. Like their smaller counterparts, it takes a DC 15 Climb
check to climb them.Undergrowth: Vines, roots, and short bushes cover
much of the ground in a forest. A space covered with light
undergrowth costs 2 squares of movement to move into,
and it provides concealment. Undergrowth increases the
DC of Acrobatics and Stealth checks by 2 because the leaves
and branches get in the way. Heavy undergrowth costs 4
squares of movement to move into, and it provides concealment
with a 30% miss chance (instead of the usual
20%). It increases the DC of Acrobatics and Stealth checks
by 5. Heavy undergrowth is easy to hide in, granting a
+5 circumstance bonus on Stealth checks. Running and
charging are impossible. Squares with undergrowth are
often clustered together. Undergrowth and trees aren’t
mutually exclusive; it’s common for a 5-foot square to have
both a tree and undergrowth.
...Other Forest Terrain Elements: Fallen logs generally
stand about 3 feet high and provide cover just as low walls
do. They cost 5 feet of movement to cross.Forest streams are generally 5 to 10 feet wide and no more than 5 feet deep. Pathways wind through most forests, allowing normal
movement and providing neither cover nor concealment.
These paths are less common in dense forests, but even
unexplored forests have occasional game trails.Stealth and Detection in a Forest: In a sparse forest,
the maximum distance at which a Perception check for
detecting the nearby presence of others can succeed is 3d6
× 10 feet. In a medium forest, this distance is 2d8 × 10 feet,
and in a dense forest it is 2d6 × 10 feet.
Because any square with undergrowth provides concealment,
it’s usually easy for a creature to use the Stealth skill
in the forest. Logs and massive trees provide cover, which
also makes hiding possible.
The background noise in the forest makes sound-based
Perception checks more difficult, increasing the DC of the
check by 2 per 10 feet, not 1.
"Well lets see where they come from they". Egan states and heads for the jungle making sure the party is following.
1d20+15=27
Survival (Tracking, Favored Terrain)
Egan begins his tracking. The clumsy undead have left a trail easy to follow. The smell alone coming from rotted fleshy bits that were ripped off by brambles would make them a cake to trail.
Egan follows along the game trail, his keen eyes picking out the details as he goes. He manages to warn the others of a few jungle dangers: A rotfang snake that suns on a branch, a giant venemous centipede that erupts from a rotted log.
After about a mile of travelling the jungle suddenly opens up to a marshy area. The trail of the zombies heads through the mud and muck, the broken cattails showing a clear path. Huge dragonflies hover over the still waters and off in the distance there is the deep Hoonk Hoonk call of some big dino herbivore. The sandy verge of the marsh is humped with small domed sand piles. The insect population is fierce here, and the setting sun burns red and hot in the sky. Thunderclouds are thickening in the hard blue sky.
Ten Foot gathers all the wounded together and unleashes another healing surge, Channel positive energy (3rd time today) (2d6=8) 8hp healed!.
He then sets off following Egan.
Fort Save as required for jungle humidity. (1d20+5=9)
Fortitude Save. (1d20+5=7)
The merciless sun beating down is taking it's toll on Joleesa, even though she is riding on "Wheezy". She tries to shift her hat to compensate but even so she ends up with a light sunburn to her pale complexion.
Survival Check. (1d20+4=24)
Her experience with the Lizardfolk of the area has served her well though and she navigates the jungle with ease, following the trail ahead of the others and avoiding the many dangers.
Arriving at the marsh, she takes a quick scout around while she waits for the others to arrive.
Perception Check. (1d20+5=15)
Fortitude Save vs. Heat (1d20+10=27)
Egan finds the stifling heat pleasant as they continue onward.
Ten starts to sweat profusely. He feels the humid air weighing down on him. Joleesa feels the effects of the heat as well.
Non-lethal damage to all who don't make a DC 15 Fort save: 1d4=3
San, Egan and Vilya feel the heat, but manage to keep cool
The group casts around, trying to get a good look at this swamp. It looks to be and old oxbow of the small river Tanglewood is set near, and there is about a mile worth of reeds and muddy water in the area. Several mossy 'islands' stick up from the center of the submerged area.
Jo:
Egan:
Survival to help the others; Perception (1d20+7=9, 1d20+9=14)
San's determination to track down the undead makes him oblivious to the plight of the rest of the group, as well as his surroundings ...
"Wheezy" starts to pace skittshly, despite Joleesa's calming words.
As the others arrive she says, ""Wheezy" has picked up something but I'm not sure what. Maybe more Zombies. He doesn't like Zombies."
Tobias manages to remain unflustered by the jungle heat.
Ten Foot douses himself in regular baths of conjured water, but despite that he still feels ill.
He stops next to JoJo, "JoJo is correct, dumb animals can sense many types of undead, we should be on guard, watch the water especial." He grins at JoJo to remind her he is joking about Wheezy being dumb.
Ten Foot douses himself in regular baths of conjured water, but despite that he still feels ill.
Ten feels his siesta snacks lurch in his stomach and his vision blurs for a quick moment. He recovers, but feels faintly nauseous and very tired.
Egan motions for the group to gather. "See that vine covered mound over there". He points. "It looks to be man made not natural". "I believe the tracks from the zombies originate there".
"I miss my painting studio, this jungle heat is opressive" [ooc]Seven Eagle fails his fort save.
Egan motions for the group to gather. "See that vine covered mound over there". He points. "It looks to be man made not natural". "I believe the tracks from the zombies originate there".
"Looks fun. Let's go, right now!"
Egan motions for the group to gather. "See that vine covered mound over there". He points. "It looks to be man made not natural". "I believe the tracks from the zombies originate there"."Looks fun. Let's go, right now!"
San shakes his head. "You just want to kill something. Well, so do I." He draws his greatsword, uses a charge from his mage armor wand, and starts toward the mound.
"When we get close, can we stop while I prepare myself spiritually?" Ten Foot asks, his hands trembling as the sun stroke takes it's toll, "it will take nought but a minute."
He begins trudging after the others, cursing under his breath about not buying a mount.
"Don't forget that you need to cut zombies into chunks for maximum effect, not stab or crush them" he announces to the group, and hefts his axe to illustrate the point.
The swamp is covered in canes and cattails. Ferny fronded barrel trees rise from the murky water, their roundish trunks looking like giant carrottops. Moving towards the hillock Egan pointed out is difficult, there is little dry land about.
The party slogs in, sinking up to their knees in mud. They attempt to follow the path of the zombies as they go.
Joleesa doesn't want to impede "Wheezy" in the muck and so jumps down and walks. She leads him with one hand and her Rapier in the other. She keeps glancing down at the mud and muck on her boots though and wincing.
Jo:
Intent on his goal, San's attention isn't as sharp as it might be ...
Movement rules on terrain {for reference}:
Undergrowth: Vines, roots, and short bushes cover
much of the ground in a forest. A space covered with light
undergrowth costs 2 squares of movement to move into,
and it provides concealment. Undergrowth increases the
DC of Acrobatics and Stealth checks by 2 because the leaves
and branches get in the way. Heavy undergrowth costs 4
squares of movement to move into, and it provides concealment
with a 30% miss chance (instead of the usual
20%). It increases the DC of Acrobatics and Stealth checks
by 5. Heavy undergrowth is easy to hide in, granting a
+5 circumstance bonus on Stealth checks. Running and
charging
are impossible. Squares with undergrowth are
often clustered together. Undergrowth and trees aren’t
mutually exclusive; it’s common for a 5-foot square to have
both a tree and undergrowth.
Bogs: If a square is part of a shallow bog, it has deep
mud or standing water of about 1 foot in depth. It costs 2
squares of movement to move into a square with a shallow
bog, and the DC of Acrobatics checks in such a square
increases
by 2.
A square that is part of a deep bog has roughly 4 feet
of standing water. It costs Medium or larger creatures
4 squares of movement to move into a square with a
deep bog, or characters can swim if they wish. Small or
smaller
creatures
must swim to move through a deep bog.
Tumbling is impossible in a deep bog.
The water in a deep bog provides cover for Medium or
larger creatures. Smaller creatures gain improved cover
(+8 bonus to AC, +4 bonus on Ref lex saves). Medium or
larger creatures can crouch as a move action to gain this
improved cover. Creatures with this improved cover take
a –10 penalty on attacks against creatures that aren’t
underwater.
Deep bog squares are usually clustered together and
surrounded by an irregular ring of shallow bog squares.
Both shallow and deep bogs increase the DC of Stealth
checks by 2.
Sorry guys AFK till Sunday PM. Please DM Egan till then.
Ten Foot does not like wading through the muck one bit, his boots sucking with each step. He chops down a long thin branch to act as a probe and a walking stick. He offers this cheery thought as he goes, "You do know there could be zombies in this muck just waiting to grab your ankle?" he continues probing ahead as he goes.
Perception check as requested. (1d20+3=7)
Ten Foot is so intent on the muck around him that he fails to see little else.