The Hollow Man (Inactive)

Game Master trux

Given a moment out of the golem's reach, Morti remembers what he'd been thinking just before the thing turned on his party.

Morti, you realize something after following the hollow man's victims. You know that he goes along a winding way through the forest based off of where his kills are "posted up". If you skip him here, you can catch him at the next bend in the trail and possibly ambush him.

Maybe it can't attack us if we're not on his path?

He calls out, 'e's got a trail 'e's following, an' you're standing on it, Mikka! Fall back to the sides!

...Maybe he can't attack *anything* that's not on his path? Can we get to Levoca? Evacuate it?

know local: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

I'll wait for GM info on my roll

Kakao looks back and forth between Mak and Mikka, hesitating as he tries to determine what to do next.

At Morti's words, Kakao scans the path he saw the monster take. "Are you saying the animal corpses guide him? What happens if we move them?"

Delaying to see what Mikka does.

Heeding Morti's warning Mikka withdraws, paying close attention to whether the creature follows or keeps to the path.

Seeing Mikka flee from the Hollow Man, Kakao drops his sling and draws a dagger as he moves back to the animal corpse. He then tries to cut it down.

Free action, drop sling. Move action, move and draw weapon. Standard? action to cut away the corpse. If Kakao can't reach it, the second action is move to try and climb up to where he can reach it.

Untrained climb: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (12) - 2 = 10 In case it is needed.

Almost as an afterthought, he moves his lights up and slightly behind the Hollow Man so as to illuminate the battle and still give himself enough light to see what he is doing.

[dice=know local]1d20 + 6

I'll wait for GM info on my roll

Seeing Mikka flee from the Hollow Man, Kakao drops his sling and draws a dagger as he moves back to the animal corpse. He then tries to cut it down.

Free action, drop sling. Move action, move and draw weapon. Standard? action to cut away the corpse. If Kakao can't reach it, the second action is move to try and climb up to where he can reach it.

[dice=Untrained climb]d20-2 In case it is needed.

Almost as an afterthought, he moves his lights up and slightly behind the Hollow Man so as to illuminate the battle and still give himself enough light to see what he is doing.

Kakao, You get the animal corpse down.

(Just to keep everything straight) Okrin, Karl, Caramir to act.

Okrin continues to move, but stays close to the group.

Single move, ready shuriken attack (if Hollow man continues to approach Mikka).

Why did it stop running? Of course. The fire. Mikka, everyone, it is scared of fire! It only stopped running when there was none. Fire is the great cleanser. Make a flame with magic if you can. Or set the forest alight. We can drive it back, destroy it.

Karl pulls out a torch and lights it up.

Or set the forest alight.

What!?!? Didn't he see what just happened?

Remembering how the tree ignited so quickly, Kakao screams "No!"

"No Karl. It will burn out of our control" - Caramir answers his companion, stepping away from the creature as much as he can.

"Perhaps if we create a circle of dead animals around him, he can be contained?" - he offers.

Double move.

The hollow man finishes his moan, giving a parting bark to Mikka before departing to the southeast.
Still within range, but it's up to you guys whether it is worth it to tick him off further at this point...

Mak shakes himself awake and regains his feet. umfghphuf

I'm not sure which way Levoca is from us. I looked at the map and it seems to me that the Hollow Man is moving off in a completely different direction than it came from or was headed.

Puzzled, Kakao watches the Hollow Man walk off in a new direction. "Does anyone know what is in that direction?" He still has the bloody animal remains in his hands.

Please check that your HP totals are correct so I can figure out who other than Mak needs healing and how much.

That's generally the "towards Levoca" direction, though he may be a couple squares off his prior trail? trux, can you clarify -- is he appearing to resume his trail vs. go off in some new direction?

If 'e's following a trail, I think we can still get ahead of 'im, if we head that direction? points Morti to the south. Not that I know what we do then -- confuse his trail? Warn the village? We can discuss on the way.

He starts off before doing a double-take at the rest of the group, And...Where's Cyanne, then?

He starts off before doing a double-take at the rest of the group, And...Where's Cyanne, then?

Right...most of them didn't see it. Well, I better find something to say she would have liked as an initial summary.

Kakao goes back to retrieve his sling and then moves to where he can the blue tree and shield. Positioning his lights around the shield, he points to the blue tree. "She heard the calling of her goddess and followed it."

"What do you mean she answered the calling of her goddess?"

"What do you mean she answered the calling of her goddess?"

"Come look and see. There are still obvious signs of what happened. Her holy symbol, Kel's shield, is still there marking the site." the small gnome says as he gestures ahead at the tree.

Knowledge Religion checks are probably appropriate.

Looking towards Caramir, he adds "Although I think she would want you to take the shield. Something to protect yourself with."

Nodding breathlessly.

"I could run ahead, but it doesn't seem wise to separate."

Caramir does pick up Cyanne's shield, staring at it for a long time, and apparently oblivious as to the immediate threat at hand.

I am unclear as to whether moving the dead animals around had any effect or not.

Nodding breathlessly.

"I could run ahead, but it doesn't seem wise to separate."

"Would be wise to come up with some sort of plan first. Taking the time to heal the current wounds might also be in order."

I am unclear as to whether moving the dead animals around had any effect or not.

To my knowledge, it still hasn't been tried yet. Please correct me if I'm wrong here.

I'll let you guys plan some more. end of combat.

"I...still don't understand what happened to Cyanne, but I 'spose you'll have to explain later, if we're to do anything about the hollow man before he reaches Levoca.

The animals--do you think they are the trail 'e is following, or is he following some aura, and they're jus' a grim marker along the way?"

-Posted with Wayfinder

"I was sort of hoping to try and find out." Kakao says, still holding on the carcass he took down from the tree. "Do you know of any animal carcasses tacked to trees in the direction he went? I'm a bit turned around, I'm not even certain if the monster is still headed to Levoca."

Looking around, he adds "We need to find some other way than just attacking it. Seems to me we put everything we had into this battle and barely injured the creature. Only thing I can come up with is trying to confuse it by removing or moving the markers."

listen, this creature is scared of fire. We can drive it away. Or kill it. OK, maybe lighting the forest up was a little to much, but think. It was running away, not from us, but the fire. That's our weapon.

The hollow man finishes his moan, giving a parting bark to Mikka before departing to the southeast.

Is the Hollow Man going towards Levoca?

Survival: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

Looking toward Caramir.

"We need to protect the village. Is the thing headed that way? Does anyone know."

yup, he's still headed to Levoca, where warm bodies are in good supply.

"He is Okrin... We cannot allow it, or we must find some way to fight hi there..." - the elf shakes away the stupor, packing the shield, and following after the Hollow Man - "Come! We talk while we move!"

"He is Okrin... We cannot allow it, or we must find some way to fight hi there..." - the elf shakes away the stupor, packing the shield, and following after the Hollow Man - "Come! We talk while we move!"

How badly hurt is Mak? I assume he is the worst off.

Pointing across the gully, Kakao points out "Leaving behind our belongings?" and then points to Mak and says "Without first healing the injured?"

Looking to Caramir for an answer, Kakao then asks "Can you tell me if the monster is still following the carcasses? If it is, then perhaps moving enough of them would have an effect."

Looking towards Mikka, he states "I believe you said it isn't very smart. Surely there must be a way to outwit it, or cause it to get lost."

Setting off after Caramir, Morti calls back, My belongings can wait, and we can talk about outwittin' it while we move. I won't dally here while th' thing advances on the village.

Indicating the more southerly route to Caramir, 'is path traces a curve, and we can gain on him if we cut straight through.

[1] The hollow man is still walking his same route towards Levoca
[2] Since the path he took last night is kinky and wandering, you can take a more direct route and intercept him along the way, or beat him back to the village. It would depend on your luck.
[3] It will take time to gather your camp supplies you left across the gully.
[4] Karl knows the answer to "So, at which point did we lose control?"
[5] You won't be able to tell if the corpses are directing it until you make a proper experiment of your hypothesis there.
[6]You can always wait here and see if he comes back, if you prefer.

Party actions please? Are we after the man or intercepting him?

Kakao starts heading towards the camp. "We need to put out the fire. I'm not one to allow Cyanne's sacrifice be undone in a foolish mistake." As he says this, he gestures towards the blue tree.

Shouting as he hustles, he adds "I'll follow you best I can once the fire is out. I would suggest trying to find a place in the trail that meanders furthest away from the village. That would be the best point to move corpses if we are going to try that."

I'm assuming Mak is the most hurt. Still don't know how hurt he is.

With a quick look back, he adds "Mak looks the most injured. Perhaps he could pack up camp while the rest of you scout the intercept?"

I'm going to put the camp fire out. You don't leave the stove unattended.

We'll see you an' Mak in good time, then! calls back Morti.

To those accompanying him, I think it's worth tryin' to 'steer' the monster by movin' his waypoints -- per'aps trap him in a circle and buy some time?

Changed our roll20 maps. Blu Hat for Mortigruppen. Red Hat for Kakao Club.

Feel free to draw and make notes on ze map regarding routes. Just note which color you used when you post here.

I believe Mak is still at 6/12 since your healing. His page is up to date, I just don't use him often.

Kakao creates water, but it seems like he's creating less than he should. Without measuring and making a few spellcraft calculations, it's hard to say exactly. Somethin else strange happens at the campsite. Anyone who returns there can see this.

"Sure, make the greyskin do all the work. Just like a flyer."
Mak is smiling as he complains.

"Keep your heads about you, millers." He shouts after Morti and his group as they take off into the woods.

Karl follows morti's group. Once the gnome is outrun he says

ignore the gnome morti, the only way we can end this thing is through fire. Nothing else hurts it, or scares it. Forests recover from fires, I know this my family's livelihood depend on them. But this thing will slaughter us and the village. What's more important, some trees or people's lives.

Kakao creates water, but it seems like he's creating less than he should. Without measuring and making a few spellcraft calculations, it's hard to say exactly. Somethin else strange happens at the campsite.

Profession Confectioner, penalty for not using tools: 1d20 + 9 - 2 ⇒ (7) + 9 - 2 = 14 Estimate amount of water. Plenty of people just guestimate ingredients

Kakao mutters to himself, "This woods is just full of surprises."

"Sure, make the greyskin do all the work. Just like a flyer."

Mak is smiling as he complains.

"Keep your heads about you, millers." He shouts after Morti and his group as they take off into the woods.

Looking up at Mak, Kakao smiles and states "Flyer? I prefer to keep my feet firmly on the ground." This fellow has the oddest turns of phrase.

Looking around, he adds "So what is the minimum we need to do to prevent critters from destroying food and equipment while we are away? Fire is out, so give me a task that doesn't take much height or strength."

Untrained Survival, Aid Mak with camp: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23 Sure, now when I don't need it as much I roll good.

lol

it definitely seems like a lot less water than normal. The power lost is definitely going into the plants.

Pointing across the gully, Kakao points out "Leaving behind our belongings?" and then points to Mak and says "Without first healing the injured?"

Looking to Caramir for an answer, Kakao then asks "Can you tell me if the monster is still following the carcasses? If it is, then perhaps moving enough of them would have an effect."

Caramir was about to answer Kakao about his possessions, but Morti echoed his thoughts exactly, so he addressed the other issue - "We will need to take a further look, I am not yet sure if he follows the cadavers" - he adds, running off.

To those accompanying him, I think it's worth tryin' to 'steer' the monster by movin' his waypoints -- per'aps trap him in a circle and buy some time?

"If we get to Levoca before he does, we may have a chance to test that Morti" - he nods, pressing on with his companions, following the path indicated by Morti.

"I'll stay with Kakao and catch up."

Kakao takes over packing away the camp. He directs Mak and Okrin swiftly Leave the Bedrolls, take the rations, bring Mikka's armor.

Blazing through the woods loudly, Mikka, Morti, Karl, and Caramir haul off into the midnight shadows, the way lit only by Karl's torchlight.

Morti's party comes across the trail. Morti easily finds a tree he remembers. It is a large oak tree where a large rat hangs from a single iron nail. It was a clue from earlier.

Caramir and Morti both know this: The hollow man is likely approaching this very minute.

The dancing lights went out shortly after the combat ended.

Just before leaving, Kakao suggests "Grab one loop of rope. We may need it.

Can either of you provide us some light? I can see, but it would be better with more light."

Untrained Survival: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

"Unless someone has a better idea, let's follow where the others went crashing through the brush. I'm not sure exactly where the Hollow Man's trail goes, so I have no way of anticipating where we might be able to get ahead of it."

Move out! Kakao will try to hustle enough to keep up with the other two. If Okrin or Mak have a better idea, Kakao would follow their idea.

In a quick motion Okrin picks up a small stick. With a flip of his other hand the stick lights up.

"There we are. That should help us see our way."

"Let's simply remove the dead animals from here to Levoca" - Caramir comments to the others, taking down the rat corpse - "I don't think we have much time" - the elf adds, looking for the next dead critter.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25

Feel free to remove whatever dead animals you can come up with. Smaller than a boar, larger than a snake. Just tell me just how exactly you go about removing the animals that are nailed up.

Since they are nailed, Caramir will simply rip them down, unless they are nailed through bone.

Unceremoniously, the elf begins ripping down the dead animals, piling them in a single place - "Lets try to make sure no path of dead animals remains towards Levoca, and pile them in one place - we need to understand what moves Him"

Unconsciously, his thoughts drift to Shade, as he again wonders what could have happened to the cat he had befriended.

Trying to do something like:
........................|||||.................
........................|||||.................
........................|||||.................
Hollow Man.......|||||.................Levoca
........................|||||.................
........................|||||.................
........................|||||.................
...Path devoid of dead animals...

Morti eyes the nail left in the tree as Caramir removes the grisly remnants of rat. Kakao seemed t' think it was the nails might be driving the creature? May's well try to move those as well?

He pries at the nail with the edge of his dagger, trying to work it loose from the tree.

strength?: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16

Karl stands watch, nervously awaiting the approach of the golem.

None of you seem to suffer any ill consequences from disturbing the animals. Morti tears out a nail, and a chunk of the tree with it. You retreat before the hollow man, moving further towards Levoca. You collect a good numbah: 1d4 ⇒ 3 three animals over a mile or so. Do you continue tearing down the things? For how many miles?

Kakao and the other group dadh off into the forest. You find a few marks here and there of Morti's hurried crashing through the forest, but the other group did not leave any signs among the trees. Tall, imposingly solid tree trunks pass by under the arcane glow of your lights. This should be the way.