GMBP's In Pale Mountain's Shadow (Inactive)

Game Master Fighting Chicken

Working over the rough ground, Vanedar steps forward to engage the big hyena. "Blood and Iron!" he screams, spittle flying from his lips.

Att: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21 dmg: 1d12 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

Move (1 action); Rage (1 action), Attack (1 action)
HP 59/68 (+6 temp); +3 to conditional damage; -1 ac (ac 19); Rage 1/3

Bloody Iron! Zeva screeches mimicing Vanedar as she moves to flank the very large Hyena and cut at its haunches.

The mega-hyena yelps as Vanedar and Zeva's attacks land, bloody gashes lashing across the creature's hide, blood spraying through the air. Still, it stands, possessed of the fury of a cornered and hurt animal, locked in a fight to the death.

Baragor, cursing, runs into the bush after his camel. The mega-hyena flinches and howls under the weight of Kalum's diefic power, before lashing out at the halfling. Its jaws snap furiously against the priests armor, yet again unable to find a soft spot to dig into. Then the creature turns towards the east, as if to flee into the brush...

Zeva squeels with an unsettling laughter as her dog slicer lives up to its names.

Vanedar's arms burn as he wields his axe with a mighty fury. 'Gorum! Watch me!" he screams.

The hyena dies, mewling and yelping as it is cut down. Battered from Kith's rock and staggered from Zeva's surgical strikes, the beast finally falls as Vanedar severs its head from its neck. Slumping forward, the hyena's body rolls to its side, its blood soaking the sandy ground.

Your camels are gone, scattered into the brush, as is your companion Baragor. The thorny brush of these flats wave slightly in a steady wind coming down from the mountains.

Filthy Camels! Get back here Kith screams at the uncaring desert landscape.

This is unacceptable He grouses as it becomes clear that Baragor is not coming back with their beasts of burden. First the damn dust storm and now this?

Kith's sweat covered skin, already pale, turns almost ghost like as he realizes the depth fo the predicament they're in. He might have to... Me might have to walk.

Hoisting the Hyenadon head up in the air Zeva dances to celebrate their victory. Then holding it off to the side she gleams, This will fetch a coin or two. Should we go after the one that scampered off or leave him to fetch the camels while we press on?

Breathing heavily, Vanedar looks down at the little goblin. "Zeva, I did not know you were a follower of Gorum."

Settling her fast breath with a deep exhale, Zeva smiles, pointed ivories with flecks of blood, Yeah. As it suits me. You too then, right? Blood and iron, till no conflict to wage. You one of his priests?

"I had survival gear on my camel. I'm inclined to go looking for it. Doubt she went far - she's sweet tempered, but lazy."

"Fah! Priests! A warrior needs only his axe and a strong arm!" Vanedar growls as he shakes the hyena's blood from his axe. He finishes by wiping the huge blade in the sand at his feet. Satisfied that the grit has cleaned the gore from his weapon, he looks around.

"Now to find these damnable beasts..."

In the end, the camels are large creatures, and gripped with fear they tore through the brush, leaving easily followed trails in their wake. Kallum's camel is close by, just beyond the edge of combat, waiting for its friend to find it. Vanedar's on the other hand, takes some time to track down, and tries to evade the party once spotted. Once finely caught up to, it seems to have run straight through a thicket; the camel is covered in scratches and burrs.

You find Baragor's camel, along with Baragor himself, at the bottom of a shallow ravine. It seems as if the dwarf wrestled with the camel, and at the ravine's edge; one of them slipped, taking the other with it. The camel is alive, barely, but in no condition to be ridden or used as a pack animal, with one leg obviously broken.

Baragor, unfortunately, bore the brunt of the fall; the dwarf's lifeless eyes stare up at the cloudless sky, his head twisted unnaturally atop his neck. Were there time, you would undoubtedly morn and bury your companion, but at is it is, you'll have to leave Baragor where he lay, and hope that the animals leave him as well.

-----------------

By early afternoon, the brush, brambles, and stunted trees have receded, replaced by a sandy flatland bordered by the winding tributaries of a river. The small river flows down from the slopes of Pale Mountain, cascading over a few small waterfalls. The widest fork of the river passes to the north of the sand flats, most of which are saturated with enough water to be packed hard.

Kalum Navigator, again leading, misses a key clue; the mixture of sand and water has created a deceptive hazard. Kalum's camel steps into the sand and before either priest nor camel realize it, they sink, and Caramel tips to the side, spilling the priest into the sand pit!

At the same moment, a nearby dune of sand explodes, a large, six-legged insect with powerful mandibles charging from the dune. Acid erupts from the creature's maw, spraying over the party!

Kalum is delighted to be reunited with Caramel, but makes a mental note - 'Keep my critical gear closer to hand and easier to dump!'

When they finally find Baragor even the normally irrepressible halfling is subdued. "Bad way to go." he mutters. Quickly he calls a prayer to Abadar, and while the camel is soon up and ready the dwarf is just as still as before.

"We don't have time to return him to the soil in this ground." he says sadly. "Everyone grab some rocks, we'll make a makeshift cairn for now and leave."

Kith doesn't have much idea how to get Kalum out of his predicament but is able to dodge away from the worst of the sudden acid attack.

He waves his arms and send a chunk of stone flying towards the worm.

GWARAGGH! Zeva screeches in response to having acid spit on her. Its burning my eyes! The drawing her slicer, she stumbles toward the blurry hair thing and swings away with her best effort.

Desperately Kalum grabs his newly-packed emergency kit and flees Caramel. "Come on girl." he says desperately "This way!"

From atop his unruly camel (into which he absent-mindedly digs his heel), Vanedar observes the dead form of Baragor the dwarf. A compatriot of past adventures, yet the barbarian could not muster any feelings for him. "That's no way to die." he mutters, "No glory in being crushed by your camel." With that, Vanedar yanks the reins around and follows the others.

----------

Any concern over Kalum's predicament is swept away by the arrival of the worm on the scene. "Gorum!" he screams, leaping from his camel and charging the beast, ignoring the acid burning away at him. If nothing else, it will kill the the fleas he's sure he got from that damned camel.

Dismount (1), Sudden Charge (2) HP 58/68

Round 1

Kith's rock and Zeva's attack bounce off the Ankhrav's armor, but Vanedar's swing cracks deep into its chitinous hide. Yellow, viscous blood spews into the air from the creature's wound. Chittering, it lunges at the barbarian, the Ankhrav's mandibles opening and closing like scissors. The Ankhrav's mandibles rend Vanedar, drawing blood and burning the barbarian in equal measure.

Kallum and Caramel push towards the edge of the sand trap but sink, both of them up to their necks.

The other camels, burned by the Ankhrav's acid, panic, and turn to flee. Zeva's camel blunders into the sand pit, while Vanedar's and Kith's run, hooves spraying sand behind them.

Cowardly beasts Kith spits out and steps towards the rapidly sinking halfling and kneels down to grab the most secure hold he can. Which is unfortunately, Kalum's ears.

Come out of there now... The half elf says and tries to pull or, failing that, at least hold on?

No tank, and our healer is in quicksand. Been nice knowing you all.
flat roll: 1d20 ⇒ 2

Vanedar only barely notices his life blood spilling out on the sands at his feet. He raises his arms to the sky, droplets of yellow ichor shaking from the gore-stained blade. He screams to the uncaring heavens as he rages. The air around Vanedar turns frigid, and his breath comes out in a fine frosty mist. Rimes of ice form on the blade of his axe. "Die beast!" he screams, and hacks away at the worm.

att 1: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26 dmg 1: 1d12 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19
att 2: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22 dmg 1: 1d12 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

Rage 1 (Draconic Rage (silver): 4 points of damage on each attack is cold damage); Attack 2, Attack 3. +6 temp HP (26/68). AC 19

Zeva employs her slicer with abandon, her every appendage, finger and toe at risk of being separated grimly from her body before she thinks backward with stars spinning dizzyingly above her head.

athletics: 1d20 - 3 ⇒ (14) - 3 = 11-1str, -2 nonproficiency.Not good. Hoping Kith's grab attempt works. Agile Feat didn't work? Did Caramel make it?
Desperately Kalum called upon his god for aid... but the god of road's powers to ease travel were helpless in the sand.

Kith's throw is true, and Kalum is able to grab the rope just before the sand pulls him under. Struggling against the sand's current, Kalum just manages to once again pull himself back above the surface of the hazard, however, breaking free with a grasp.

The camels fare better, and both manage to struggle out of the sand pit, though the acid still is smoldering on Vanedar's steed. Snuffing and eyes wide, it looks ready to bolt.

Zeva's slice ricochets off the insectile beast's hide, but Vanedar's greataxe bites deep into the creature's antlike head. With a spray of yellow blood, the creature's chitin splits and Vanedar's axehead tears through the beast and thunks into the ground, even as the yellow and green brain of the monster puddles at the barbarian's feet. Toppling to its side, the threat is ended.

Help me... pull Kalum.. out Kith grunts holding onto the rope for all he's worth.

"Yes!" Kalum calls weakly "Help him pull Kalum out!"

The living threat is ended, stop hiding in that lightning sand!. Zeva dashes over to help Kith help Kalum.

Vanedar drops to one knee, his axe gripped in one hand supporting his weight. His breath comes in ragged gasps as the frost slowly fades.

With Zeva and Kith pulling on the rope, Kalum emerges from the wet sand, and crawls to firmer ground. The halfling is covered from head to toe in wet sand and sludge, and looks strangely like a newborn. Tentatively, Caramel leans down and licks the muck from the halfling's face. Vanedar's camel is sprinting across the sand flats back the way you came, and the other two are just visible in your sitelines, in opposite directions.

Pale Mountain looms before you, rising from the dusty plain like a jagged tooth.

Zava sheathes the sliver and claps her hands with a bow as a sort of 'your welcome' when Kalum voices his appreciation. Camels will be useful for getting back. Let's gather them up before the sand decides to act up with another whirling storm.

Yes, very well, let's not forget that we're in a race with some mysterious cult or anything Kith sighs. Well, you animal handling people can go and do your... animal things.

Vanedar rises to his feet. "It's only a small bite mark, and the acid stopped most of the bleeding anyway." he grimaces. He watches the dust trail of his camel fade into the distance. "Stupid camel."

He sighs as he looks away in the distance to the mountain. It was going to be a long walk...

While the others are off hunting camels, Kith, journaling about the sand hazard that he's encountered, notices a glint from the hiding spot that the creature exploded from. Peering into the hiding spot, Kith realizes it is the beast's nest, and within the nest is the dessicated, half-eaten body of an adventurer. The body still grips a battered backpack containing vials of viscous liquid potions, a set of lockpicks and other tools, coinage, and lying next to the woman's corpse is a gleaming steel great axe.

"Not a problem!" Kalum says brightly. "Shouldn't take much then!"
Despite the little cleric's renewed cheefulness, this proves not o be the case. Enough positive energy to heal a troop of halflings vanishes into the apparently endless reservoir of Vanedar's soul.
"You're not resisting or something are you?" Kalum asks, sweat streaming from his brow. "Not resistant to spells? It really doesn't hurt that much?"
Finally, the wound almost gone he stops. "Look, I can try again later, but I want to see to Zeva while I still have some healing left"

Mmm-thank you for the heals. Wish it could remove the memory of the smell or the pain too, but still very much appreciated

Well well, even if we give up now we'll have gotten a little something for our troubles Kith says as he identifies the loot. A little bit of extra healing too to butress Abadar's mercy too! Can someone use this monstrous axe?

"Resist?" Vanedar asks with some confusion, "why would I resist? You may not have the warrior's heart of the skalds of the north, friend, but I've never turned down your ministrations before." He places a meaty hand on the halflings shoulder. "My thanks. Gorum willing, I will fight again another day."

Again, under the assumption we all have adventured together before. I think we may be caught up a bit in the standard 'you're all new to each other' as is typical of a new pbp group.

He looks over at Kith as he hefts the massive axe. The barbarian takes two strides and takes the axe from the half elf, drawing it close to observe. The haft was of a deep mahogany oiled to be almost black. It was wrapped in a lion-hide straps, worn shiny with use. The double-edged blades of the business end were nearly a foot and half in length each. The edges shone with a blue tinge in the desert sun. Vandedar ran his thumb along the blade. "Still sharp." he muttered with some surprise. The base of the dual edges were carved with the visages of snarling lions, their fangs opening towards the blades.

Suddenly the man stepped back and swung the weapon in several entwined arcs, creating a great figure eight about his head. "It seems Gorum approves." he says to no one in particular.

Well perhaps Gorum can help us for the rest of this trip, eh? Kith says.

"We've been over this." Vanedar says, throwing Kith a dark look. "Our Lord in Iron does not 'help', he gives us the strength to fight our own battles, nothing more."

Yes yes, Nethys is much the same unfortunately on more.. mental matters. Would be nice to have an Iomedean along. From my understanding that one is quite generous with sending angels and whatnot to help...

"Abadar is quite happy to help." Kalum points out "And has very reasonable terms."

Vanedar shrugged. As always when the group broke into philosophical debate, he grew bored quickly. He turned towards the Pale Mountain. "We need to move on."