The Iron Carnival - Pentor Lionsmane's Mercenary PbP - #2 Squad

Game Master Monkeygod

"And the fact that we see a Ghost, then Skeletons appear?" Shrugging, Jax shoulders his Musket and runs a hand through his hair.

"Perhaps the book will explain." Nine-Tail will pick it up while Torque plays with his new toy.

"And thanks for that healing. That bit of bones surprised me that something that frail looking could hit like that."

After placing the bones together, Gremm squats down and sweeps them into his pack. He then stands and dusts himself off.

"These things can catch you off guard if you're not careful." He begins to imitate his father once more. "They may be a pile of bones, but the warrior's spirit is still inside. Don't let them hit you, or you'll end up just like them!"

Grinning at the Fighter, Jax frowns a little. "Uh Big Guy... What you doing with them there Bones?"

Reaching down Valen picks up the brick. "Hmmm, I wonder what this is? It's not magical but I'm not sure what type of material it is. Master Silverfist any ideas?" Valen asks walking over to the dwarf and handing him the ornate brick.

Torque looks visibly impressed at the mechanism he's uncovered, before looking to Acune

"This is mere speculation, but it looks like a supply cache to me. If the creator of it finds himself driven from his usual base of operations he'd come here and retrieve equipment to help him survive. Exactly the sort of thing a veteran band of adventurers would build within a day's travel of their keep"

He points to the injector device

"Whould anyone mind if I keep this? We're trying to save a village, we need it more than whoever put it here. I reckon I can use it to upgrade my applicator gauntlet and stop it cutting out like it did on Gremm."

Nodding softly, Jax runs his hand down the butt of his Musket. "Makes sense Torque. Im all for you keeping it!"

Tok raises the brick to eye level, peering at it intently. "Based on my extensive knowledge on all things mineral, my conclusion is...it's stone." Looking up at Valen, he says, "I was a merchant's son. I do not have the extensive knowledge of stonework that many of my people do." Hefting the brick from hand to hand, he does take a closer look. "Wait a minute...this is something...maybe..."

Appraise Check: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

"Bah. I know nothing of it. I've spent too many years breaking stone, not studying it."

"These bones need to be redeemed or laid to proper rest. If we find a burial site or a church of the Dawnflower, we can have that done there."

"That is mighty good of you Big Fella. Your a good gent!"

Valen nods. "My appologies Master Silverfist. I guess the history of dwarven culture proceeded you. I have some feeling it is obviously important. Perhaps that tome you picked up Nine-Tail will lead to a greater insight as to what this object is." Walking over to Nine-Tail he holds out his hand. "May I have a look?"

As the two of you flip through the book, it seems to be in a language you can't understand but does show pictures of the gun Torque has that seem like a how-to guide, a few pictures of the box, though what it's for or what purpose it has is unclear. Also, there are pictures of strange mechanical contraptions, diagrams of firearms, weird looking drawings of what you hope are medical implements and more bizarre stuff.

Torque looks at the pages over Valen's sholder

"Whoa. This is no supply cache. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that there's some high-end stuff sketched out in here"

As Valen flicks through the book Torque attempts to identify the more outlandish designs.

If Torque has enough expertise to make any sense of the diagrams, he'll try to answer several questions:

What type of machine does the book focus on? Is it all military-related hardware (i.e. weapons and healing gear)?

Do multiple iterations of the same machine appear, as if the book is a log-book for someone doing experiments?

Are the diagrams just sketches of the sort that would illustrate a journal or are they detailed enough to be used as blueprints?

Knowledge (Engineering): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Looking out in to the trees, Jax frowns.

Perception-1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

Strolling over to Valen and Torque, Jax frowns down at the book. "Hmm... Mind if I take a look? Maybe I can make out what the purpose of the book is?"

It Torque doesn't get anything and I am given the book, I will make-

Knowledge(Engineering)1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Maybe a Gunsmithing Check too?

Valen nods and hands over the tome. "Alas, the contents of this book are above me. But I am interested in this material. I've not seen it before and I'm not sure of the markings either."

Knowledge [Arcana] 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11 to see what it is. Or maybe Knowledge [Planes] 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10.

*sigh* Why are my die rolls so low?

Torque as you look through the book, you realize that most of it is written in a language you can not understand, but if you took a long enough time to study it, you could probably figure it out. The book appears to be a cross between a journal and a how to manual. Most of it looks like it has some form of combat application, though there appears to be a section that you think is entitled "Conversions".

guys pop over to discussion for an important conversation

"Well, I don't reckon there's much more we can learn from this stuff here and now. The block is a job for an expert and the book could use the attention of a translator. That said, it's got a strong focus on gunsmithing - isn't that your field Fury?"

Torque hands the book to the gunslinger.

"There's plenty more bodies in the ground guys. We should keep moving"

Taking the book, Jax flicks through it a little, before frowning. "If we can translate it... I can use it I think. But that is just guessing..." Nodding softly he wraps the book in an oil skin, before sliding it in to his bag. "I'll keep it for the moment, till we can get to town. By the gods I hope we get out of Ustalav soon...!"

Valen nods. "Agreed. We should get moving before that pale rider shows up again."

Knowledge [arcana] to see if I know any spells that can translate other languages 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26.

After thinking for a moment Valen speaks up."As for the book though, translating it shouldn't be too hard. I've heard of a number of spells that could allow one to read and understand languages they don't know. Should we encounter a scroll or another person with magical talents we could see if they know any of those spells."

"I've got some designs kicking around for a craftsmanship amplifier. There's no need to pay for a spell, I could probably tweak it to give insight into languages. It'll have to wait until we're safe and sound though, I'd need to strip down the applicator gauntlet."

"Speaking of guns, how does that thing work exactly, Fury?" Gremm asks with an almost child-like curiosity. "Father and I saw one while down in Geb, but we were rather awestruck. Even father seemed a bit scared to talk to that man swinging his around, so we never learned anything about it."

Currently traveling; will post when I can.

Jax grins and pats Gremm on the shoulder. "Easier if i let you have a shot with it big guy, then I'll explain it all. Once this is done, and we get back to camp, I'll set up a target for you and let you take a shot, see how it feels!" Laughing softly, Jax pats the musket lovingly.

Assuming we've stowed everything of value in our packs (including the bones themselves...) I think it's safe to say we press on towards Grimatar's keep.

You continue on your way towards Grimtaur's keep. The rest of the journey is without incident, and within a few hours you start to see what can only be the fortress looming before you. It's a massive, foreboding structure, very intimidating in appearance. It's rather evident that its been unused. All the windows are dark, the gate is pulled up tight, and there are no other visible signs of life. The entire thing exudes a cold, eerie aura.

"Pleasant," Acune remarks dryly.

Valen nods. "Indeed. I've seen graveyards that were more inviting."

"What is it about this contry that stops anyone building a place that looks inviting? Regardless, we have to get in. I say we should just try the gate. It's shut but it might not be barred. It's either that or try and scale the walls..."

Gremm perks up. "A climb, you say? I'm all for that. I'd be happy to climb that wall for us," Gremm says with a hint of eagerness.

"Let me take a look around back see if there is any sign of life. I'll circle the place and report back." Nine tail sets out at a quick jog.

Is there a lock on the gate? If so I would like to use Acid Splash to melt the lock. If that's ok.

Valen steps forward. "Stand back. I'll try a spell on the lock to see if I can get it off." With a gesture and some soft spoken words Valen uses the same spell he did in combat.

Ranged touch on the Lock 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10 1d3 ⇒ 2

"Lock-picking magic? That's a refreshingly elegent...oh. I see."

Valen laughs heartily and claps Torque on the back, while admiring his handiwork. "Sorry to disappoint. But I have heard of spells that do open locks in a much more...tactful manner. I'm afraid I just don't know them."

Valen, your spell eats away a bit of the lock, but the thing is huge and thus your attempt wasn't very successful. You think it would take you a good hour to melt through the damn thing if you continue on this path.

"I don't suppose anyone knows how to pick a lock the traditional way?"

Nine Tail comes trotting back. "Well, this place is a secure fortress. No sign of life either."

"I know a bit, but I haven't got the tools on me. Looks like Valan is going to have to do it the slow way. I'll make sure I get hold of some lockpick sets when we're next in a decent size town"

How did you guys originally do HP?? I thought we went by max+con at 1st level, but I can't remember.

Gremm attempts to scale the wall, with or without the approval of the rest of the squad. As he approaches it, a large grin plants itself onto his face.

Climb check

1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

I did HP, at least for level 2, with a die roll. Got a one. :\

Yeah, Max at first level, roll at second.

Yeah, I did max+con and then rolled and got a 6. Hence my 12.

Sighing, Valen step beck up to the lock. "Well, perhaps if I focus on one area and weaken it Gremm or someone else could break it at the weakened point." Valen casts the spell again shooting the acid bolt at the lock.

1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12 1d3 ⇒ 3. Is the area flat all around the keep? Or is there perhaps a hill that over looks it?

Ok, you guys musta missed the part where you can take the average if you rolled lower. So in Gremm's case, he rolled a 1, clearly lower than the average of a d10, which is a 6.

Ok, you guys musta missed the part where you can take the average if you rolled lower. So in Gremm's case, he rolled a 1, clearly lower than the average of a d10, which is a 6.

I'm keeping my roll. I'd rather take one method and always stick to it.

Voice of Awesomeness wrote:

Ok, you guys musta missed the part where you can take the average if you rolled lower. So in Gremm's case, he rolled a 1, clearly lower than the average of a d10, which is a 6.

I'm keeping my roll. I'd rather take one method and always stick to it.

Gremm, that is the one method. You roll your HP, but you if you roll lower than average, you take that instead. So you always get at least your average. Going forward lvl 2+ this is how we will do HP.

Gremm, atop the wall, yells out the squad. "Ey, there's a pretty big bar holding the door closed. If you want, I can hop down and get rid of it."

Valen looks up. "That'd be great Gremm!" Valen shouts, Turning to the rest of the group. "But we still have the problem of the lock. I suppose we could just go up and over. But if we have to make a fast escape well, we won't be. What do the rest of you think?

"Just acid the thing. The whole point of this keep is it's been silent for months. What's a few more minutes?"

"I agree."

Gremm hops down from the wall and the rest of you hear him grunt and strain a bit as he lifts the crossbar off the door.