Way of the Wicked - The fall of Andoran, Chapter II (Inactive)

Game Master increddibelly

Aerent steps up and draws his trident. With a grin, he shouts at the half-orc, "Quick, Sindran - use your magic to charm the monster, become its master!"

Assuming that doesn't happen..

Aerent reaches forward to touch the creature:

Touch of Corruption: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25
Touch of Corruption + Cruelty: 3d6 ⇒ (2, 2, 2) = 6

Cruelty: Fort DC 17 or dazed for 1 round

Dominate Monster and Charm Monster are unfortunately out of my purview, though they would have fit thematically.

"Oh, I'm sorry, let me just burn down the whole forest. That will make it amenable to me."

Sindran apparently gets snarky when he's grumpy. Also, does anyone here actually have Survival? We may need a guide. Talon use your Lord Drownington contacts to find a shady ranger for us.

Observing the beast carefully, Caladwhen realizes its potential and urgently calls out before attacking "Try to put it down cleanly, I have plans for this creature!

With a quick motion, Caladwhen produces three glowing darts of energy as she quietly murmurs in elven "Ehte`onta" before launching the darts of energy at the giant reptile.

Magic Missile: 3d4 + 3 ⇒ (4, 4, 2) + 3 = 13

The primordial creature proves an ill-tempered, feisty creature. It shrugs off most of the magic with the confidence of an experienced defender. Still, the heavy armor on its back slowly rots away at Aerent's touch, giving Caladwhen a weakened spot to aim for.

reflex DC16: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17
Fort DC17: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32

6 fire dmg + 6 corruption dmg + 13 force dmg = 25hp down.

The lizard is quite scared of the fire. It tries to clear a path to freedom in the other direction, by smashing the one thing that's currently in its way (=Aerent!). It bends its tail like a whip and shoots out a solid blow.

this time, Aerent gets hit:
atk: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22
dmg: 3d6 + 12 ⇒ (6, 2, 2) + 12 = 22 need a DC23 fort save if it hits.

"I have plans for it too!" Sindran cheerfully declares, watching as Aerent takes a hit. "Do try to stay away from its tail."

The half-orc calls for the beast's attention, ascertaining its fear of fire, and takes another step back to put himself out of the tail's range. He grins savagely and, with a single word, spontaneously sets his whole person on fire, covering himself in flames.

Actually just using the Hat of Disguise to look like I'm on fire.
[dice=Intimidate]1d20+14[/dice]
Target DC: 10+HD+Wismod for Shaken

Oret Stonechild wrote:

Assuming that Caladwhen stopped Oret from entering the monastery, he'll be eager to get out of town as well, and will join Sindran.

Caladwhen will definitely advise against the monastery mission, as the thought of dealing with religious fanatics seems abhorrent at this time.

After meeting with Talon, Caladwhen appears resolved though unhappy at the prospect of moving about the Caer Bryr. "We'll need to find the Horn. Unfortunately, I've learned all I can from the Baron's library if you can call it that. The best thing to do is see it for ourselves at this point.

I had a thought about supplies, it may sound a little crazy, but here me out. Zombies repel living creatures, and they're tireless at their tasks... so I'm thinking Caladwhen could animate a few corpses of some beasts of burden and a few human riders, and we could send them about moving supplies from the base camp to wherever we are. Unless carnivores are desperate and willing to eat rotting flesh, they'll likely be unhampered in their quest to supply us, and they won't betray us like the Baron's men might. We would just need somebody we trust to man the base camp. Make any sense? If we kill this thing, it could make a good candidate.

Taking a step back, Caladwhen calmly eyes the beast and moves her hand towards her spell components pouch.

Oh no, you have to come and wake me up to talk to me. To which I'll respond as follows

Sindran, I don't think a hat of diguise can do animations. You have considerable skill with flame, so I'm sure you'll find a way, but I don't want the Iron Circlet to become too powerful for everyone. Do you have another way of pulling off an illusion?

Good point. I could ... actually set myself on fire? I can cast Light or Spark at will, so I could possibly cast cast Spark on, say, something very flammable nearby? That works for intimidation.

that makes sense. Animals don't go well with fire, so the more fire, the more effect. There's plenty of kindling around that will catch fire. Don't get dead, though.

I'll wait for Cala to post their actions for the 2nd round, so I can deal with their actions and your intimidation in one post. Oret (and Aerent probably too??) is spending the 2nd round recovering from a 'mild headache'.

The link was broken Talon, but I'm game for something interesting happening for rousing the sleeping Strix.

Thinking twice before reaching for her wand, Caladwhen quickly decides instead to produce a scroll from small case by her hip. Unrolling the scroll, Caladwhen quickly recites the ancient Elven written on it "Pelekt ie i' corm en' i' hakar." The scroll is immediately consumed by dark energy, which then begins to swirl around Caladwhen's right arm.

Well, since my remaining attack spells require an attack roll and this thing likely has a high AC vs Cala's low BAB... this is one of those circumstances where Cala will use a True Strike scroll.

Fort save: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30

Grunting with pain, Aerent swears then pulls his longbow to attack the fleeing creature.

Attack, +1 comp longbow (+2): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24
Damage, +1 comp longbow (+2): 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

While Caladwhen's finger magically follows the lizard, preparing to strike the enemy directly in its heart, Aerent simply shoots an arrow in its soft belly.

From the giant lizard's perspective, things have suddenly become very complicated. It is hurting quite badly.

[strike]It swipes its tail again at Aerent - not realizing that Oret might be the greater danger...[/strike]

Er, I thought it was out of melee range? If not, Aerent retreats. He can't take another hit like that. :)

Oops. My bad, you explicitly said so. In that case:

The giant reptile swipes its tail at Oret.
atk(shaken): 1d20 + 14 - 2 ⇒ (11) + 14 - 2 = 23
dmg: 3d6 + 12 ⇒ (4, 4, 3) + 12 = 23
Oret gets to roll another fort save. Blame Aerent, he ran away!

After its last attack, the lizard snorts again in pain and frustration. As quickly as it can, it rushes forwards into the undergrowth. Despite being very long, it's still mostly arrow-shaped. low branches that poke you in the face only bounce off the lizards plated armor, so it could very well escape.

Er, I thought it was out of melee range? If not, Aerent retreats. He can't take another hit like that. :)

Cala will try and make an attack with Freezing Ray before it takes off. Hopefully she can down it.

Desperate to not let the beast get away, Caladwhen runs after it making sure to keep clear of its tail. "Damnit all, don't let it escape!"

Raising her hand up, the energy swirling around her arm seems to guide her towards the beast. Brow furrowed and concentrating, Cala uncharacteristically yells outs "Pelekt!" Immediately, an icy stream of energy darts from her hand and finds its target.

Touch Attack Roll: 1d20 + 3 + 20 ⇒ (15) + 3 + 20 = 38
Freezing Ray Damage: 4d6 ⇒ (4, 4, 3, 5) = 16

Hmm, the link still works for me

Fort Save: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

The tail hits Oret in his midsection, still doing considerable damage, but not stunning him further. He takes the opportunity to severely punish the beast...

Swift Action: Activate Crane Style, Fighting Defensively (-2 to hit/+4 dodge AC (current AC 24 w/Iron Limb Defense), cause one attack to miss that would have otherwise hit/round)
Full Round Action: Kill the thing...
Attack (Unarmed Strike, Fighting Defensively): 1d20 + 9 - 2 ⇒ (16) + 9 - 2 = 23
Damage (Unarmed Strike): 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Attack (Unarmed Strike, Fighting Defensively): 1d20 + 9 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 9 - 2 = 25
Damage (Unarmed Strike): 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

Attack (Unarmed Strike, Fighting Defensively): 1d20 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 4 - 2 = 21
Damage (Unarmed Strike): 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

8 + 16 + 12 + 11 = 47 +25 = 72hp down
Your attacks tear wide gashes in the soft flesh of the dinosaur's belly.
The violent snorting is alternated by gasps for air. The lizard slowly crawls to safety under the lowest trees and thickest brances, doing its very best to avoid any further attacks.

"Oh, no you don't."

Sindran brings his hands up and puts them in the position of a circle, chanting.

Cast: Flaming Sphere (CL 6, lasts 6 rounds)
Glorious Heat: choose Aerent, he regains 2 HP, gains +1 morale attack bonus until end of next turn

A ball of fire drops near the front of the dinosaur and moves in an arc in front of it before finally rolling to burn the beast.

Standard action to cast it, move action to have the ball move in a curve in front of the dinosaur (hopefully setting things on fire) before finally rolling to it.

Damage (Reflex negates, DC 17): 3d6 ⇒ (1, 6, 6) = 13
Burning Magic: if fail saving throw, take 2 damage/round for 1d4 ⇒ 2 rounds
Fire God's Blessing: if deal fire damage, regain 1 HP this round

The dinosaur's heart bursts from the sudden heat. The creature unceremoniously collapses on its four feet.
no point rolling a save, minimum DMG would be enough to get it below 0 HP.

The kindling and what dry leaves are on the forest floor keep burning, though. This could quickly get out of control if you don't intervene.

You've killed an impressive creature. A ferocious animal like this could well be mistaken for a species of 'living tree', like the common villagers mentioned.

"Let's get that fire extinguished. Sorry, Sindran - once we're done here, feel free to burn everything in sight. But until then, the smoke and fire will hinder our mission."

Can Aerent try to put the fire out? Clearing dry leaves away from ones that are on fire, breaking off burning branches so the trees don't catch, etc.

Oret moves away from the flames and watches as the others attempt to put them out. He sits down heavily and examines the large bruises forming on his body. "I...cannot handle another beast like that. We must head back, unless one of you can heal me."

yeah Oret, this one did quite some damage on its own - and that's only a couple of hundred feet into the forest. The evil me is already looking forward to the rest of your jungle expedition *grin*

Aerent, if you act quickly, the fire is still small enough to get under control in under a minute. Once the biggest flames are extinguished, the fire gently crackles, and the result is that a 10ft x 10ft area is now cleared - still smoking a little, but at least that area is now free of the prickly branches and whipping leaves. No mosquitos anywhere, either. A little petty vengeance on the forest!
I'll leave it to you decide if the fire goes out entirely, or remains smoldering on any of the sides of the 10" square.

So - after all this dancing around, which one of you still remembers where North is? And what would you like to investigate next?

Oret does his best to lead the group back out of the Caer Bryr.

..or further inward, if healing is available.

Survival: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

Rushing up to the others, Caladwhen quickly nods at others with a slight grin "Good work everyone." Kneeling down beside the felled beast, Caladwhen examines the body for damage for a few moments before announcing her prognosis "Not to bad. Most of damage down was impact, leaving muscle and bone intact. This creature will serve us well."

Standing up, Caladwhen brushes her hands together and turns to face the others "I have a proposal that will solve our supply problem; I can animate and enslave this creature, and we can use it to be our beast of burden for keeping us supplied." Walking confidently among the others, Caladwhen explains as she continues "The dead make excellent workers; living creatures are unnerved by them and tend to leave them be, they never tire and they never question orders... you can probably guess why I prefer them to the living." Turning about face, and walking in the opposite direction, Caladwhen appears to think aloud as she adds "We would only need to be sure to have a solid ally gathering our supplies in town. Any thoughts or concerns? If not, I can get to work raising this beast."

Sindran can cast Create Water to take care of any fires. Ridiculous amounts of water. We can keep going as I can continue healing with my spells and Wand of CLW. Though that depends on how long Caladwhen needs to work. And I'd vote smoldering if it keeps these bloody mosquitoes away (and hey, we might attract something else to our position instead of having to seek them out! Wait, we weren't trying to do that in the first place, were we....) and it's a neat spot to take a break while Caladwhen does her thing.

"Feh. Oret, come here." Sindran sets his hand alight with a vicious grin. "Let's heal you."

Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12
Cure Medium Wounds: 2d8 + 6 ⇒ (6, 8) + 6 = 20
Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

"I agree with your plan, Caladwhen. Perhaps it can even be ridden! I tire of all this walking."

did Caladwhen just create an undead bus...?

Oret looks around for landmarks (trees and bigger trees and hopefully trees) and adequately discerns North.

To be able to ride the bus-saur, you'd prefer to kill something with a soft, thick fur first, to cover the pointy bits and sharp edges of the armor plates. Right now, it'd be like riding a sled made of nails and glass.

Oret nods to Sindran after he's done with his ministrations...not quite a "thank you", but probably about as close as you're likely to get.

Hearing Caladwhen's suggestion of raising the beast, his eyes widen slightly, but shows no further signs of his surprise...nor his grudging respect.

did Caladwhen just create an undead bus...?

Hah ha! I prefer to think of it more like an undead U-Haul... that just happens to be armored to the teeth.

Seeing agreement among her allies, Caladwhen nods in acknowledgement and sets herself to work. Reverently producing a perfectly polished onyx from a belt pouch hanging on her hip, Caladwhen whispers two words in an unfamiliar dialect "M'aghi nai". The onyx suddenly leaps from her hand, and comes to a stop hovering eerily several feet about the lizards body.

Closing her eyes, Caladwhen kneels down near the corpse, being sure to keep a safe distance. Holding her arms outspread, Caladwhen begins to recite the same phrase over and over again, slightly louder each time "Baer lacyer nomen kas. Baer lacyer nomen kas." As Cala's voice raises, it begins to echo in a strange and discordant manner, the wind begins to pick up, and all manners of creatures in Caer Bryr appear to flee with a maddening haste. Though it is a clear day, it seems to suddenly grow very dark and gloomy in the immediate area... dark magic most definitely at work.

As Caladwhen continues to raise her voice and repeat her mantra, the corpse suddenly begins to twitch, slowly and intermittently at first, but gradually it gains more motion. After a moment, it even begins to groan, as if protesting the indignity of being forced to move in death. With a final yell of her mantra, Caladwhen throws her head skyward, and opens her eyes which appear stark white and glow eerily. The onyx suddenly dissolves into a vapor, which suddenly wraps around the lizards body, seemingly dragging it to its feet.

With a final groan, the great beast is animated and filled with an unnatural life. Standing to full height, the zombie lizard suddenly screams out loudly, fear, anger and despair all clearly apparent in its tone. Looking up slowly and covering her mouth with her left hand, Caladwhen appears reluctant, perhaps even mildly frightened as she stares upon her latest monstrosity. Regaining herself quickly though, a wicked grins slowly forms "It is done." To prove her point, Caladwhen orders the beast to kneel down. As it prostrates for the lithe elven woman, she moves close to it without hesitation, placing her slender foot against its head as a sign of her dominance over it.

I kept thinking about the scene at the end of Jurassic Park (2:50) when the T-Rex screamed out as the banner fell to the ground when I wrote this post lol

I love the idea of having an undead monster carrying your luggage. That's just rich.

The raven looks down from its tree. Wide-eyed, with sincere, deep respect, he mutters: "Aglareb baelnorn...!"

More and more, Caladwhen seems getting her willful familiar under control!

Excellent zombification scene, Caladwhen.

Sindran makes a noise of curiosity. "That's convenient. If that's done, let's move on."

He later tries to ride the beast when he runs out of breath, but frowns as the edges of the armor plates jut out and constantly prod him, stabbing themselves into his flesh when the beast moves.

Torn between having to walk even more or having to constantly endure the experience of an amateur acupuncturist practicing his craft on select sensitive places on his skin with what feels like large crude needles, the half-orc chooses to endure.

Ah, Sindran. Your allergy to physical effort is, in some respects, stunning.

Excellent zombification scene, Caladwhen.

Thanks! Those types of posts always take awhile to write, but are well worth it in the end.

The sun is sinking closer tot the treeline by now. It's clear that today, you're not finding any Horns of Abaddon anymore.
(You get 1 check DC 30 per day, and today's check wasn't close.)
Let's use the little daylight that remains to find out how to park this thing, and then head back to town?

Sounds like a good plan. Let's get everyone with us next time. And by everyone I mean Talon with his flying.

Sounds like a good plan. Let's get everyone with us next time. And by everyone I mean Talon with his flying.

Ya that might make it a bit easier lol

another good reason to close this side-trek.

ALthough it's been fun, the past week was spent on a random encounter. Those are always chancy, in other words I mostly come up with less fun stuff. And although I've never had to stat up a dinozombiebusluggageSaur before, I strongly recommend sticking together as much as possible.

Maybe we should even house-rule this: if you haven't posted, you are going with the largest group. Does that sound reasonable?

also,

Sindran Eithe wrote:

Let's get everyone with us next time.

Ya that might make it a bit easier lol

Talon has the map. Talon has been to the horn! On a friday, I might even let Talon find it again without rolling a dc30 survival check :p...Yeah, Talon would've been useful :D

correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we're all waiting for each other to say we're ready to go to the Horn of Abaddon. In other words, if there's any specific unfinished business you'd like to take care of, do it now; I guess I mean Caladwhen and Talon by that :) I intend to go forward by narrating the travel towards the Horn's area; between the lot of you, and with Talon flying and pointing in the right direction, I'm sure you'll work out one of the least difficult routes through the ferocious jungle. And you have the zombus to push the basic foliage out of the way, making the path both easier to follow and easier to find in case you'd like to go back and forth between the Horn of Abaddon and Farholde. As always, please feel free to comment if you don't like the way we're doing things.

Talon, your first night as a bouncer outside Drownington's Manor went fine; you had a great time spooking self-proclaimed tough guys and knocking out a few teeth. You can come back next week for more, if you'd like.

Sweet, successful bouncer job! Ya I'm all good and ready to go, hike leader Talon

Assuming we're loading our transport with sufficient food, water, etc., before we go, Oret is all set.

Assuming we're loading our transport with sufficient food, water, etc.,

Done. Your characters can prepare better for the trip than we can imagine them doing so. I don't care much for the details and I think a bunch of nets, ropes, basic machetes, indiana jones outfits etc. can be easily acquired in town for about 25 gold per person.

On the evening before your departure, the Baron seeks you out. Surprisingly, Elise Zadaria is hovering intimately around him, suggestively toying with the baron's hair while absentmindedly smiling at some inner joke.

The baron clearly is happy to see you leave, but there's something else to his demeanor as well. A little pride, maybe. Pride of being a small part of this grand operation. "I admit, you're efficient. Impressively so. When you return to Farholde, please remember to use the safe route to my mansion." He refers of course to the secret passage starting at a nondescript hut at the base of Calliver Green - the hill his mansion is built on. "I already anticipate your glorious return."

The instant the Baron turns to leave you to your preparations, Elise's behavior changes from that of a fashionable accessory to a dangerous predator.
"Such a waste to see you leave. Think of how much better your talents could be used here, while another might do the dirty work in the wilderness. Alas."
Before you can answer, she turns on the spot and runs after her lover.

Well - all set. Let's go!

please take a look at the description I posted for Talon's earlier trip, see these three posts to get a feeling of the place.

Sure enough, the giant tree still patrols the area. From Talon's earlier recon, you know it takes him about 2 hours to complete a circle - and he's hardly stealthy, with his thundering footsteps.

Assuming you don't rush in guns blazing, and wait for the Treant to pass and things to quiet down, you can inspect your surroundings at the base of the horn.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27

Oret points to the activity at the base of the horn. "We should probably attempt to enter there. Also, they spoke a phrase that seems out of place - perhaps a password of some sort?"

So, are gobins inherently evil creatures? Could we manipulate them into helping us?

"perhaps a password of some sort?"

So, are gobins inherently evil creatures? Could we manipulate them into helping us?

Caladwhen will know this:

Sindran raises an eyebrow upon Zadaria's departure. "Hmm."

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

"But will our transportation fit, though?" Sindran asks, referring to the zombiebus he's sitting on. "I would like to get rid of the treant eventually. I don't want more of them showing up."

"Perhaps there is another way inside? I'm not interested in climbing into some goblin hole if it can be avoided."

After making sure the treant is well past their location, Aerent disembarks from their zombiesaurus and begins walking forward, searching the tower for something resembling an entrance.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

Wait, I see trees - we're in a forest?!

"Perhaps there is another way inside?"

Not that you can see. there are too many trees in the way :p but common sense tells you that it'd be unlikely that a rock/temple/tower of this size would only have a single entrance.