The Crucible of Freya (Inactive)

Game Master Grimmy

Janna allows the magic she was building to subside before standing. once the electrical charge in her hand is gone the breeze that normally surrounds her as renewed.

emerging from her hiding spot, Thank you for the information, I don't get out on these roads much. let us hope there is a hot meal and a warm bed at this waystation, but I am afraid we are without horses. I don't suppose there is any chance you could assist us in this?

Janna's now sultry voice echoing once more in the wind, her eyes pleading for help to move further down the road and as quickly as possible. she strike a pose of the helpless yet lovely damsel in distress that has gotten her out of trouble so many times in the past.

Janna does not seem to mind the rain as much as the others.

Gesturing to the two Knights, the Sheriff speaks pointedly to Astor:

"Don't let the good manners of these men fool you - to show them steel is to bare your teeth to a dire wolf. I beseech you, put away your blade."

^^Untrained, +5 Vhillish and Damien

One of the knights removes his helmet.

"Milady you will not find a roof awaiting you, much less a warm bed. The waystations on this road are little more then gated wooden palisades inside which caravans of covered wagons may spend the night."

Knowledge Local: 1d20 ⇒ 2

Not knowing anything about the patrols in these areas, Astor hesitates to sheath his sword. Looking around to his comrades he decides that his chances of drawing again before someone gets to him is about 50/50. And since they hadn't attacked yet he decided to take a chance. He sheathed, but kept his hand on the hilt.

Knowledge: Local DC17: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Vhillish lowers his arbalest and tips a nod toward the horsemen, then looks to Astor;

"Now now good gentlemen... No need for any hostilities eh? We've all seen our share of cold steel and cold rain..."

The gnome slips a baton like scroll case from his bandolier and offers it to the Sheriff in stiff military precision;

"Letters of Commendation Sah! For myself and the good lieutenant here (gestures to Damien)... Served good and proper in the Grand Duchy's 33rd Foot we did. All and sundry are under our protection Sah!"

Knowledge(Local): 1d20 + 5 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 + 5 = 28

Damien winces visibly as Vhillish produces the documents. He glances around with a slightly helpless expression before busying himself with an overly thorough check of his armor straps.

The Sheriff considers the papers absent-mindedly. You're sure they may as well have been a recipe for flatbread, so hastily does he examine them in the flickering torchlight.

"I thought the half-elf had a military bearing about him. But as for you, I never had a moments doubt."

The Drow's lips twitch at the Sheriff's insult, knowing only too well that many a good man possesses prejudice; that against her heritage was well earned.

She remains silent as the others negotiate with the Sheriff and his men, staying is sight so as to not raise suspicion.

Out of habit, she observes the auras of the officials, using Freya's gifts to gauge the pureness of their hearts.

Detect Evil

Samduc was all smiles and was able to repress a wince:
"I'm fine good sirs. You can see I am in good company."

What a cluster! All I wanted was to get some intelligence, and instead our exact numbers and descriptions are revealed. Now those papers did impress them. I could use some of them.

Not quite, I believe there is a deep gnome still lurking in the shadows undetected!

The Knight who had removed his helm gives a haughty toss of his hair.

"Soldiers then, is it? A fine and suitable vocation for those born devoid of land and title."

A humourless and unpleasant voice comes from behind the closed visor of the second Knight.

"Having served the Grand Dutchy of Waymarch you must be aware that to serve is to give your life... whether it is destined to end in battle or in a bout of dysentary. Remember as you huddle in the rain that your lives are on loan from the Duke!"

As though offended, the sheriff's horse snuffs and stamps his hooves.

Controlling him, the sheriff addresses his charge.

"That will be all, Brodrick! You'll find your feelings are not shared by many of the bravest servants of the realm. And on a frontier road such as this, one never knows who one is addressing, and whether that man may someday save one's life."

Janna smiles at the sheriff and his men. Still, the way station is a ways off, and night fast approaches. You would not want us to fall prey to the creatures you so valiantly defend us against. perhaps you could at least provide escort and see that the gates are opened for us when we arrive?

we need the safety of the way station, else that blasted raven might finally catch up

Janna seems concerned about spending the night without the protection of those Palisade walls

Disinterested but ready the "boy" Jerrid keeps one hand wrapped around his sling and waits. He watches the way they ride and walk and the gaps that appear under the arms and inside the thighs. Even those lifted visors mean a possible weak point.

Could he hit an eye and drive the bullet into the brain. Nah. That stupid woman is going to take everyone inside and they'll know us. Well not me!

"I will remain with the lady and child and keep them safe,"

...the fair-haired knight offers. The Sheriff will hear nothing of it.

"I'm afraid we must not be detained, dear girl. Of the eight footmen in my patrol, 5 remain. We left them some way up the road, they will be this way presently. They will give you safe escort. Keep watch from the clearing where we met you. The stars are bright, you will recognize the banners of Waymarch from that vantage point. Come forth for no one else.

Now I must go! Until they arrive, as always thereafter, your fates are in the hands of Mitra! Or Vannithu, in some of your cases, if my suspicions are correct."

The blond-haired Knight addresses Janna once more.

"You may use my name to identify yourself. Tell them Gerard wills it that you receive safe passage."

Sense Motive: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0 lol...

Damien's eyes shoot daggers at his gnomish companion. He turns and snaps a sarcastic salute in the direction of the surly knight, "The Duke is welcome to my life once I'm damn well finished with it, sir!"

He offers the Sheriff a more respectful nod, still looking uncomfortable, "...an escort would be welcome, sir. Provided you aren't required elsewhere? I notice you aren't travelling with your escort. Looking for someone, sir?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

"Your offer demonstrates courage."

He seems to have misunderstood your words, "Looking for someone sir?", to be an offer to join his unit.

"Perhaps my footmen need your help as much as you need theirs. "

He pauses, considering.

"I will entrust you with some sensitive information.

At the waystation tonight, there is cargo of no small value. We were on our way to see to the safety of the bearers of this cargo when we were engaged by a band of gnolls. They were organized, and unusually bold. We skirmished with them at length, and must now ride on to alert the merchant who we suspect must be their intended target."

Damn, ninja'd. Should I re-post accordingly?

If you want, but I think it all works still. Just insert your post ahead of mine that follows it, in flexi-time.

All good.

Damien sighs, "Very well, sir. Were your men still engaged when you left them?"

"We left during a break from the battle. The gnolls employ hit and run tactics. I would never have left my men, however, if I wasn't certain where the fiends were going."

Unless any one else wants to talk with the Knights and Sheriff, they ride away. Everyone receives 200 ad hoc XP.

Janna seems a bit disappointed about the knights continuing on but at least they have offered the soldiers as escort.

Thank you for the offer. at the very least we will be able to find rest with the merchants staying at the Way station. perhaps even sharing a meal.

Once they ride off Janna looks to everyone else.

We should remain off the road, at least until the soldiers arrive. they have recently engaged in battle, perhaps we could offer our healing services.

Kevezyat looks back the way the two groups had come "How far is this way station, Sheriff ? And how far behind did you encounter the gnoll vermin?"

@kevezyat The footmen are on the way to the waystation already, the riders have just pulled ahead of them after the whole group was delayed by battle. The path of the footmen will take them past your present location on the road. All of you are travelling East.

Also, Gerard is the blond-haired Knight who flirted with Janna and was subtly rude to Damien and Vhillish. The Sherrif, and the really rude Knight, never gave names.

The Sherrif:

"I don't suppose you will slow them down much. Ordinarily they may travel faster then children and gnomes, even gnomes of the 33rd, but they are on the last legs of a long forced march, and weary from battle. But do as you like. "

You detect that he is less pleasant with you then he has been with others. You are reminded of his tone earlier when he asked Samduc if he felt safe around you.

"My men will be passing this way in about an hour. If you make good time you might be at the waystation by midnight. Ordinarily the gate is sealed closed after nine, but it will be opened for you and my men."

Again not fazed by another's reaction to her race, Kevezyat smiles at the Sherrif and says "We will do our best not to be a burden on you men, Sherrif. May Freya guide and protect you.".

She raises a hand in farewell.

Vhillish regains his precious commendation, then stands stoicly silent in the rain until the gentlemen have left.

Upon which he shoots a grim look to his lieutenant;

"Left his lads in this weather... against a pack of yappers! Bloody beastly set up and no mistake! Wait for them or provide reinforcements sah?"

On the trip to the way station, Samduc mentions after some reflection: "Well we found out important information, which is why I wanted to talk to them. We also revealed more if we were trying to keep a low profile than I wanted. But in the end, we get an escort, which is better than wandering alone. Freya is smiling on us."

Astor watched as the whole conversation unfolds. He wanted to be brave enough to speak up when the knights insulted them. But his own past failures to become what he always hoped to be. And then to hear about the gods smiling, on a night like this, it was too much for Astor.

"Freya? Smiling down? A group of pompous windbag knights 'escorting' us on a road where we've yet to see trouble is not exactly proof of the gods. We can care for ourselves on the way up to the station. We do not need them."

Jerrid allows the magi to drop away from his boyish body leaving that grey skin and black shirt and trousers. He listens to here whether the group decides to head for the way station, wait or go back for the 5 men.

He unwinds the leather sling strap and packs it away in his shirt. Out comes the dagger and he starts to clean dirt from under his yellow and black nails. They are long and curved like talons or a badger's claws.

If you decide to press on without waiting for the footmen, it is time to make constitution checks for a forced march.

If you decide to wait in the clearing Vhillish found, it's time to tell me a bit about how you break camp, and who keeps watch, that sort of thing.

Janna turns to Astor (and anyone else that thinks we do not need thier help).

To travel late into the night without decent support only to find our refuge closed up is not exactly the best choice. I say we at least wait for the soldiers. I would feel a bit better in their company as well as ensureing the gates will be open to us

Astor stares hard at Janna. He has little experience with sorcerers, especially female ones. Tonight was not the night to test one.

"Hmph. Fine, if that's how everyone feels. So what now?"

He looks to the bit of shelter they were going for before the interruption. "How about there? We can make camp and then keep a watch until the soldiers come this way. " Without waiting for an answer he begins to walk that way.

Damien watches Astor's back for moment with an annoyed look on his face.

Blinking he turns sharply to address Vhillish, "Boy managed one half decent idea for all the b*!$&ing. We'll dig in over by the clearing and wait, we're as like to run into hostiles as the escort if we go thundering off down the road."

Damien barks at the others in a well honed command voice, "Right, get your asses back to that treeline! All of You!"

Summary of events so far:

*The newly formed fellowship set out from The Starving Stirge, in the City of Reme, on the Second Wodinsday of the Tenth Month.

*The journey took them East, on the Great Merchant Tradeway, which connects Reme to Bard's Gate, and Freegate beyond.

*On the first night they camped at some unspecified location. Janna as yet had remained secretive about her purpose, saying only that they were travelling to the village of Fairhill, which lies about midway between Reme and Bard's gate.

*Promises were made to reveal more when Reme was further behind them.

*Thyrsday was blighted by insufferable rain. In the afternoon, the Drow caught a brace of game hen. Hungry, but with no comfortable place to start a fire, the party pressed on.

*After dusk, the well-trained gnome, no stranger to life on the road, spotted a clearing beyond the treeline, abutting a cliff-face sure to provide some relief from the deluge of rain. At the same time this discovery was made, riders on horse-back were heard approaching from the direction they had come.

*The party succeeded at hiding themselves in the clearing as the riders approached. They were recognized as a Sheriff and two Knights, the standard mounted component of a patrol unit from the Grand Dutchy of Waymarch.

*Confident he could pass himself off as a human child in distress, the halfling Samduc revealed himself. The deep gnome was able to employ magic to achieve the same illusion, but chose to observe from the wood. The others opted to join Samduc on the road.

*The diplomatic prowess of Damien, the charm of Janna, and the military experience of Vhillish were brought to bear, winning over the Sheriff and Knights to disclose sensitive information about activity in the field, and promise them an escort by footmen and admission to the waystation that lay ahead along the road.

After the Knights leave, dark clouds roll in, blotting out the moon and stars.

Who rests and who keeps watch?

Map of the clearing in case of random encounter:

Small Clearing

Edit:

The temperature drops to 50 degrees.

DC 12 Survival to start a fire.

After taking his rope and blanket to construct a makeshift tent, he lays his bedroll out and walks towards the front area.

"I will take the first watch."

He then sits by the fire (if there's not a fire he gathers what dry wood he can find and attempts to make one, he does have flint and steel, make of that what it is) and stares out into the open.

Vhillish sets his pack down and begins to break out some of his gear. Turning to no-one and everyone the diminutive soldier nods toward the fire pit of the clearing;

"If someone could be so bold as to fire up some embers and I'll get the coffee pot on... By jingo some of the 33rd's special hot toddy will see us through until these foot arrive..."

The gnome picks out a small coffee pot, canteen and a small hessian bag of dark beans.

If no-one steps up to start the fire, the serjeant will;

Survival: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

Janna looks over the fire pit and fumbles a bit then finally the wind around her picks up a bit and her hand glows. a bolt of lightning shoots out to the fire pit and with a small blast the embers ignite (or not).

ok ninja's a bit, so did you start the fire of did Janna explode the pit into a fire (well actually she is only level 1 so it really didn't do much anyway)

Just a question but how far off the road is the clearing?

Damien brings the others up short, "What in the name of all the gods do you people think you're doing? You're all more than welcome to give away our position once we have a handful of regulars to help stand between you and some laughing mongrel's cook pot! We have soldiers, likely wounded and possibly actively engaged arriving within the hour!"

He raises his voice to fill the clearing, "No fires, tents or any sign of our presence! We'll give our guests a proper reception. Any of you with a bow, now would be the time to dig it out and practice pretending you know what to do with it. We'll form up at the first line of trees and prepare to offer covering fire. I suggest you all pray to your preferred gods it's not needed!"

Janna missed the survival DC, but Vhillish got it. Same outcome, fire for all!

Clearing is thirty feet from the road.

Map orientation is Up=East, putting the road just off map to the left.

Not if I have anything to say about it :P

Does the cliff face taper off before the road then? how high is it?

Astor gives no regard to the half elf as he continues (or if someone else continues, whatever works) to light the fire. He also still puts up his stuff for the tent, regardless of the outburst.

The cliff face runs perpendicular to the road. The hill is almost thirty feet high at it's highest point, near the middle. The foot of the hill is just off map on either side, left and right, and the cliff face tapers off just before the foot of the hill. So it is basically a steep thirty foot hill with it's easterly side being a flat-ish surface like a wall.

Thanks, that's actually perfect then!

Damien falls silent, he walks slowly over to Astor as he preps his tent. He plants a foot on Astor's coiled rope forcing the man to regard him. Damien's face is impassive, his voice even, "Rain in your ears son? Or are you actually hoping to get someone killed this night?"

Astor stays calm as he stares down at his work, with a foot in the midst of it. This is certainly not what I was looking for...

He stands up, looking at the half-elf. "So tell me, what makes you leader and god? Don't you think this group could handle whatever comes? Others have worked on the fire, but you are the only one barking out orders to stop. Do you want to stay in the dark and the cold? I see some woods over there, you might feel a little more welcome. Now, kindly remove your foot." With that Astor simply stands, not with aggression. He just waits.

Damien barks at the others in a well honed command voice, "Right, get your asses back to that treeline! All of You!"

Kevezyat smiles in the darkness at Damien's assumption of command, lingers on the road a few moment, her eyes probing the dark between the trees.

Turning the walks back to the clearing, she finds Astor and Damien in the midst of their "discussion".

"Astor has the right of it, Damien. You assume leadership where none has been granted." she says calmly. "A fire will greatly improve the spirits of everyone, hot drink and food after such a miserable journey."

Damien stares at the other two for a moment, "I'm sure an attack by Gnolls will also do wonders for everyone's spirits...but, as you say, I'm not in command here. Us civilians are free to make all the stupid decisions we want."

Damien turns with a dismissive gesture and moves alongside Vhillish, "...it's enough to make a man nostalgic for the damned army!"

The half-elf brings out his crossbow,"If anyone else has a little less interest in their creature comforts and a little more in seeing tomorrow. We'll be best served setting up at the top of the hill."

Not waiting to see if anyone follows, Damien walks around the cliff and sets himself with his back to a tree at the top of the hill. Keeping a lookout for the expected soldiers.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Should I keep that 18 as a rolling passive check for the road, or tell you what it yields about your new surroundings now, and give you a further reactive check when new stimulus arrises?

Ah, I'd forgotten you tend to use passive checks for those sorts of things. Unless there is anything particularly unexpected, just use it for the passive check as Damien waits.

Nothing wrong with actively searching either, I just thought it seemed like a good roll, thought you might like to save it. But I see now you can pull those off almost half the time. I'll keep it rolling passive then, as a DC for whatever tries to go undetected by you.