The orcs begin rubbing their faces and cursing as Ravena bursts out of the brush with an arrow flying from her bow as she comes. The arrow strikes an orc in the leg, causing the villain to how in pain
Calamity picks up the pace and tries to follow the Halfling, but hesitates wanting to be sure no one is left behind. She turns to quickly take stock of where everyone else is located, when she can’t see Robert, she is a bit startled.
One of the orcs clears his eyes (yel) and when he sees the party coming at him, he snarls, tightening his grip on his great axe
Darlene rushes through the brush to come up behind Ravena,
Good shot, She cries taking out her own bow
Missile Attack, Short Bow, Darlene vs Red:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
But the arrow misses
Quickly! Darlene calls, but not too loudly They are getting away. If they get away they might warn anyone who is on the cave of our presence
Stolos, Robert, Calex, and Marwan are now up at the end of round 1. Calex can no longer see the orcs
Damage tracker:
Before round 1
Glitterdust – all orcs are blinded (ends at end of Calex’s turn round 2)
Round 1
Orc_red – takes 2 damage (10)
Orc_yel - not blinded
Stolos runs forward, whipping out his sling. Stopping just short of where Darlene is, he pauses, whips the sling around, and sends it whistling through the air towards an orc guarding the cave.
This should put me one square up and to the left of Darlene, which should give me a straight line of sight towards the green orc.
Robert charges forward swinging the large blade of his scythe as he comes and the orc on the right of the cave entrance goes down to his weapon in a single stroke
Marwan moves up, and Stolos emerges from the trees letting a stone fly from his sling, which strikes another orc in the head.
Will Calex hustle back down the trail? Ravena and Calamity are up, it is round 2
Damage tracker:
Before round 1
Glitterdust – all orcs are blinded (ends at end of Calex’s turn round 2)
Round 1
Orc_red – takes 2 damage (10)
Orc_yel - not blinded
Orc_red – takes 13 damage (-3, dead)
Orc_grn – takes 4 (8)
Will Calex hustle back down the trail? Ravena and Calamity are up, it is round 2
Yep! Nothing to be gained from up here anymore.
Calex picks his crossbow back up, turns and speedily makes his way down to the cave entrance to rejoin the others. "Time to move, Aniktah. We may be needed down there." he comments as he hastens down the slope.
full move to catch up to the others. Does L-11 seem like a possibly useful spot?
Calamity lets an arrow lose at pace with Ravena as she studies over the battlefield-
Attack:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11Crud xD Damage:1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
It will take two FULL rounds for Calex to reach the path in front of the cave. He must cover a distance of well over 200 feet, including two switchbacks, he will skip actions in round 2
Round 2…
Her hands a blur as she draws one and then a second arrow out of her quiver, launching them with less regard for careful aim, Ravena smiles.
Both arrows hit the target, and the orc pitches backward into the rock wall of the cave mouth clutching at his wounds
Calamity moves up in the cover of the trees to stand next to Stolos, and behind Ravena, firing an arrow of her own she trembles a little as the string grows taunt, realizing she is taking a step toward violence she has never taken before, and she closes her eyes when one of the orcs is in her sights and then releases the arrow
As the wounded orc leans against the stones another arrow strikes directly in his chest and he suddenly goes still, pitching forward.
It is obvious to Darlene that one of the orcs is no longer blind, as he grabs one of his companions by the arm, shoving him deeper into the cave and yelling something she does not understand. This orc then leaps over the fallen orc on his right and circles around to come up on Robert’s back, attacking him with an two handed axe
Melee Attack vs Robert:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
But he stumbles over his own feet as he tries to move in for the blow and misplaces the swing so badly his weapon strikes the ground.
Will Save, Orc_org:1d20 - 1 ⇒ (10) - 1 = 9
Rubbing at his eyes the other orc disappears into the darkness of the cave
Damage tracker:
Before round 1
Glitterdust – all orcs are blinded (ends at end of Calex’s turn round 2)
Round 1
Orc_red – takes 2 damage (10)
Orc_yel - not blinded
Orc_red – takes 13 damage (-3, dead)
Orc_grn – takes 4 (8)
Round 2
Orc_grn – takes 5 damage (3)
Orc_grn – takes 7 damage (-4, dead)
Male Human Fighter 1| AC 18 T 12 FF 16 CMD 16 (18 v Trip and disarm)|12/12 HP | F +4 R +2 W +3 | Init +2 | Perc +6
Robert yells out, "I can't chase the one with this one behind me, I'll attack him. See if you can get by us while I keep him busy." He then tries to take the orcs head off.
Muttering a phrase to himself, Stolos' hands begin glowing with a magical energy. Reaching over towards Ravena, the light transfers from his hands to hers.
It starts to look a bit crowded at the cave entrance.
Robert steps to the side, and brings the scythe around in a wide arc slashing across the orcs legs.
The savage orc screams in pain, drops his axe, grabs at his wounds and doubles over onto the ground
Stolos uses a small cantrip to help Ravena
Darlene rushes past them both and into the cave, and when she has not gone far she stops, in the shadows, and yells
Darlene It’s too dark. I don’t know where he went!
Marwan concentrates on a simple hex and focuses the magic toward the orc who is lying on the ground clutching at his legs
Will Save:1d20 - 1 ⇒ (10) - 1 = 9
The badly wounded orc suddenly goes limp on the ground
Damage tracker:
Before round 1
Glitterdust – all orcs are blinded (ends at end of Calex’s turn round 2)
Round 1
Orc_red – takes 2 damage (10)
Orc_yel - not blinded
Orc_red – takes 13 damage (-3, dead)
Orc_grn – takes 4 (8)
Round 2
Orc_grn – takes 5 damage (3)
Orc_grn – takes 7 damage (-4, dead)
Orc_yel – takes 12 damage (0?)
This battle is over – An orc has escaped into the caves. Look for a new map tonight of the interior of the cave – and start thinking about what you will do for light
Calex arrives at the cave entrance after the frantic exchange of blows is finished. He nods in satisfaction at the dead orcs.
"That makes a few less evil slaving marauders to send to the god's judgement."
He quickly scans the others, and is relieved that he sees no injured among them. Turning his focus upon the opening in the hillside, Calex decides the confined space will not be conducive to the use of his crossbow, and switches weapons, taking his staff in hand. He eyes the darkness with suspicion. A quick flicker of magic has Calex's staff alight with a simple mage light."A simple casting-but very useful. The illumination should last a half hour or so. I can renew it as needed."
SQUEE! The 1st dungeon in the game EVER! oboyohboyohboy!
I can do that as well, should we need it. Now, it would perhaps be best for those suited to personal in-your-face combat to go ahead of those of us of more.. delicate constitution.
Female Human Oracle of life (Divine herbalist) 1 +6 init +perc, to hit, F+, R + , W +, Max HP , AC
Ravena dashes down into the cave also casting dancing lights sending them to the four corners and bends down to track which way to follow the escaping blind orc.
The party moves cautiously into the cave ahead of them. The ceiling is high here, fifteen or more feet above the floor. The walls shimmer with a thin coating of mist, and the air is damp, but cool.
Ravena moves to the front, cautioning others about disrupting any trail left by the fleeing orc, and from the light of Calex’s and Marwan’s spells, she studies the soft ground.
Ravena:
You find two trails. One, which appears to be the foot prints left by the blind orc as he fled, lead off ahead to the south, but stay close to the wall on the right, while in the center of the cave you find the footprints of a medium sized humanoid, followed by two large humanoids. Now it appears as if one of the large humanoids was dragging a foot, limping, perhaps being dragged along by the other large humanoid
The cave goes southward, and at the same time has a slight downward slope. The floor is hard pack, slightly moist dirt. As the cave goes deeper below the hill it grows wider. The fain sound of trickling, splashing water can be heard coming from ahead of you and to the left.
Calex answers Stolos with a serious looks. "I agree with Marwan. Robert & Ravena should be our point since they have actual training in arms. You can back them up, with the rest of us giving support from farther back. Let's see what Ravena finds before we go running into trouble. They've been warned of our presence now, so all we can do is advance and hope we can find and rescue the prisoners before they organize a counter to our arrival."
Calex rubs his chin thinking a moment. "Could the one with the lame foot have been the giant prisoner she mentioned? If so- could they be taking it to their holding area for prisoners? It might lead us to our missing folk."
NPC: F Maetaur Bard/1 | AC 14 , t 13 , ff 11 |HP: 19/ (18) | f +2, r +6, w +3| Init +3, P +2 |CMD
Afraid to raise her voice, Darlene says quietly, I don’t think so. I remember that ranger saying something about the tafganor have a pair of trolls in their number. It may be that one of the trolls was injured by Auria more seriously than she thought. I think the giant who is their slave is the one sitting on the ground at the camp down the hill, by the shrine.
"In that case we may be missing an opportunity behind us. Perhaps Aniktah and I should back-track a bit and see if this is the situation. It shouldn't take a moment to assess, and we can decide from there. We've already lost the surprise element- if the giant can be persuaded to aid us it may give us an unexpected arrow in our quiver to gain the advantage back."
"Auria felt otherwise. I know you don't know her, Marwan, but she's been a font of knowledge in Woodbridge for as long as most of the current inhabitants have been alive. In fact for more than one she is the reason they're alive at all. I believe we can trust her instincts. And we'll never know unless we at least take a look ourselves."
Male Human Fighter 1| AC 18 T 12 FF 16 CMD 16 (18 v Trip and disarm)|12/12 HP | F +4 R +2 W +3 | Init +2 | Perc +6
Robert looks a Calex and says to him, "If you go, we all go. We can't afford to split up. If he is hostile to you it will take all of us to defeat him. If you truly want to do this, I'll lead the way down but, we will be giving the ones here more time to prepare or do whatever they want here."
NPC: F Maetaur Bard/1 | AC 14 , t 13 , ff 11 |HP: 19/ (18) | f +2, r +6, w +3| Init +3, P +2 |CMD
Darlene nods along with everything Robert says, and then asks Stolos to show her the tracks made by the larger creatures
She then gets an idea of her own
Or maybe the one large creature wasn't wounded at all, but burdened with some sort of load, like it was carrying something large, something that was struggling to get free.
And her eyes go wide
They brought Cicily here. I know it.
She moves forward to edge of the light, and looks back at the others
Come on, we have to find her before they do something terrible to her.
"They say that truth is beauty, and beauty is truth. I say that the beautiful have spoken truth, and it should be heeded." With that, Stolos and Zelotes follow Darlene as well.
Darlene waits until those with the light agree to press onward. She wants to seem as if she is not trying to lead the way, allowing Robert to go first, but staying right at his side.
The trail of the pair of large footprints with the single medium sized foot prints among them continues straight to the south.
Very soon the ceiling begins to rise above your heads, and to your left the cave opens into a large chamber. You can hear the faint sound of water trickling off to your left, and occasionally a splashing sound from that direction and below. Moving cautiously you come to a ledge, and the light from Marwan’s and Calex’s reveal a pool of water twenty feet below stretching off into darkness.
You do not stop to examine the ledge or risk falling into the pool and instead are called to keep moving southward, in pursuit of whomever left the foot prints.
The passage turns to the west, and on the right you see a slope that drops down to a smaller pool ten feet below.
The trail leads to a sharp turn in the passage and then the ground slopes downward in a steep drop. The ground here becomes sandy, with small muddy spots and then you are stopped by an unbelievable sight.
You enter a catacomb which stretches off to the east. The walls of this catacomb to the north and south are lined with the bones of the upper bodies of giants
Knowledge History or Nature, DC 14:
These are the bones of giants that must stand 16 to 18 feet tall – the bones appear to be either buried from the waist down, or were collected from corpses that ignored using the pelvis or any bones below that. You are fairly certain that these kinds of giants, once called Stone Giants, are extinct in this part of the world.
The bones rise to a height of seven feet above the floor and include only a portion of the spine, but all of the upper torso, neck and head. The outstretched arms of the skeletons are held in place on the walls with rings of iron embedded in the walls, while looking closely you see the rest of the skeletal remains are joined with iron nails and bend iron clamps.
It appears that there are six of these skeletons, three along the north wall and three along the south, but as the light is brought further into this chamber a hideous realization appears.
The last skeleton on the south wall, close to what looks like a twenty foot wide opening in the far end of the chamber, begins to move. It rises up, revealing its lower body was partially buried in the sand, and when it stands it is fully fifteen feet tall. It wears a tattered and rusting shirt of chain mail armor on its torso, and it carries a large spear which it holds in one hand.
The giant skeleton turns its eyeless sockets in your direction and begins moving toward you threateningly.
Silently Cal gives himself a mental rebuke: "Darlene is right to worry. They intend to gather these folks for slavery and sacrifice. Caution is admirable but sometimes speed is warranted- time to switch modus from staid Woodbridge country knight and politician back to the wizard I am."
Aloud, Calex says "If we wanted to be safe and sound we would've stayed in Woodbridge. Time to move!" He quickly follows the others.
As he catches up to the others, he eyes the surrounding entombed giants in passing, commenting "They were huge! It's surprising such beings have remained forgotten."
When the final guardian begins its advance, Cal mutters "Necromancy. It had to be necromancy of course. One of the few areas of magic I DON'T know..." Still he grips his staff one handed, and draws forth one of the scrolls from the bandoleer harness he wears.
"Magic Missile. Weak, but a guaranteed hit. It will have to do."
Seeing the giant skeleton begin to rise, Stolos is shaken, and comments after Calex, "At least it's only the one that's decided it'll try and kill us."
Calex reaches for a rolled parchment tucked into his bandoleer, while Darlene moves forward and notches an arrow in her shortbow
Missile Attack:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
As the arrow flies harmlessly through the ribs of the giant skeleton, she curses, and says
This will be useless
And drops the bow on the ground
The Skeleton moves at Darlene almost instinctively and attacks
Spear Attack:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (12) + 12 = 24
The spear pierces Darlene below the hip
Damage:2d6 + 9 ⇒ (6, 6) + 9 = 21
As the party watches, Darlene lets out a faint shriek and collapses from the injury
Damage Tracker:
Round 1
Darlene – takes 21 damage (-11)
DM Notes:
Giant Skeleton (1) AC 17, t 9, ff 17 | hp 45 (10d8) f =3, r +3, w +7 | DR 5/B, immune to Cold, Undead | sp 30, Melee (Spear) +12/+7 (2d6+9), or 2 claws, +13 (d6+7) | reach 10 ft | CMB +15, CMD 25
The savage attack on Darlene throws the group into a frenzy of actions as Robert leaps ahead of the others to rush forward and engage the monstrous skeleton in melee. In a split second before he reaches the Skeleton, Ravena smiles and quickly manages to hurl a flask of acid at the creature, striking its leg and causing a cloud of white smoke to float up around the monster’s head, while Marwan takes advantage of the moment to send a jet of searing flames forward burning the bones of the monster’s arms
Reflex Save:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
The flames die just moments before Robert’s weapon clangs hard against its rib cage. The blade slices a bit of bone off but is bounced away before it can more damage.
Robert can tell his weapon is not as effective as it should be against this monster
And with the monster distracted, Stolos slides up near the fallen Darlene and speaks a few words of magic over her lifeless form in the hopes that he can buy just little more time and give someone else a chance to save her from dying.
Suddenly, Aniktah is kneeling beside Stolos and speaking a soft prayer in a language he doesn’t understand. The half-tafganor girl’s hands begin to glow, and she places them on Darlene’s wound
Giant Skeleton (1) AC 17, t 9, ff 17 | hp 45 (10d8) f =3, r +3, w +7 | DR 5/B, immune to Cold, Undead | sp 30, Melee (Spear) +12/+7 (2d6+9), or 2 claws, +13 (d6+7) | reach 10 ft | CMB +15, CMD 25
Calex rapidly unfurls the rolled parchment. As he reads aloud the arcane script, each spell rune bursts into flame as his voice rips out the magic they contain. At the end of the casting the scroll crumbles to ash, with its power released. Using his staff to give the spell direction, Cal causes twin bolts of stiletto-like force to flash into existence and unerringly attack the immense skeleton before them.
Giant Skeleton (1) AC 17, t 9, ff 17 | hp 45 (10d8) f =3, r +3, w +7 | DR 5/B, immune to Cold, Undead | sp 30, Melee (Spear) +12/+7 (2d6+9), or 2 claws, +13 (d6+7) | reach 10 ft | CMB +15, CMD 25
Seeing Robert fall, Stolos turns to aid his companion. Reaching out and muttering in an unknown tongue, he calls upon his magic to cure his friend.
CLW:1d8 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Ravena continues to keep a safe distance from the massive skeleton, launching another bolt of magical acid at it.
Stolos sees Robert fall and risks the wrath of the undead monstrosity in his attempt to help his wounded companion.
Seeing Stolos take the risk, Inektah moves in behind him, and with a few words surrounds the Gymnaga Druid with a spell that she hopes will protect him from harm
Aniktah actually goes right after Calex, but she will cast Sanctuary on him. Once Stolos acts in this round, Robert regains consciousness, is Prone, and can Act immediately, resetting his Initiative to 4, with 2 hp.
Giant Skeleton (1) AC 17, t 9, ff 17 | hp 45 (10d8) f =3, r +3, w +7 | DR 5/B, immune to Cold, Undead | sp 30, Melee (Spear) +12/+7 (2d6+9), or 2 claws, +13 (d6+7) | reach 10 ft | CMB +15, CMD 25
Male Human Fighter 1| AC 18 T 12 FF 16 CMD 16 (18 v Trip and disarm)|12/12 HP | F +4 R +2 W +3 | Init +2 | Perc +6
Laying on the ground and knowing that moving or attacking will draw the skeletons wrath, Robert tries to even the score by bringing the skeleton to the ground as well.
