GM Choptop's 07-24 Dead Man's Debt (Inactive)

Game Master Ietsuna

Feeling much refreshment from the night's sleep, Boomer gladly follows the elves to their meeting location. He takes a seat across from Selfiir and his beast and mentions to the two elves that have come to greet them, "That is the l...long and short of it. We...we..we're not sure exactly what is owed though. Care to fill us in on that part?"

There is an evil whose source is at a place east called Dehu Inu, where we are forbidden to go. Sharrowsmith promised to investigate but never did, so we require his debt to be fulfilled. If you wish to settle this account, stop whatever it is that has arisen there. Since our stories tied to this place tell us of great battles in the past fought by heroes wielding yellowheart weapons, you may wish to take these.

They have a selection of weapons, all mode of yellowheart.

You get 50 bolts/arrows made of yellow heart in whatever combination you like, and 4 weapons. You may choose either spear,
longspear, club, greatclub, terbutje, or quarterstaff.

Haze will equip himself with some arrows, as he asks, "What properties do these weapons have? Would you be willing to share some of your stories about this dark place?"

Yellowheart wood is sacred to us. When a scout is first allowed on patrol, she is given a club of yellowheart that she must carve to her liking. Most believe them to be only ceremonial, but the stories often carry the truth when written records are lost.

We do not know exactly what the evil is. From time to time, creatures of darkness, usually ones that hide under cover of night, emerge from Dehu Inu and bring increased danger to the jungle. Before now these threats were easily dispatched outside its boundaries. Lately, however, the attacker has become clever and specifically targets Ekujae. Entire families have gone missing. The first sign of this trouble was when a patrol led by one of our best scouts, Kaghaze, disappeared several weeks ago. Dehu Inu means Blood Maw for those who do not know our tongue

"Well, perhaps they will not find the dark so inviting now." The duskwalker stares out into the direction of the jungle.

We'll see how far cleverness gets you, in the end.

Therin grabs a club and tests its heft. This will be fine, I think. We'll do our best to rid you of this scourge.

Arileth selects a yellowheart wood club as well. "We will see that his debt is paid," she echoes the others.

Boomer picks up a longspear, "Th...this will do. You have showed up much hospitality. I p..p..plan on repaying this debt on your hospitality alone."

If there are no more questions we will move on. I'll give it a little longer just to be sure

After Haze takes the 25 arrows, Seldiir takes the 25 bolts.

Then he shrugs and takes a club as well.

"In these stories, what foes did the heroes fight?"

The legend would take too long to explain now and require full trust between the teller and listener. I can say this: the story says that none of Ekujae blood may enter Dehu Inu. For those reasons we cannot tell you as we do not know what is true and what is not

"If the Ekujae cannot enter, who were these heroes?"

We only know that they were not of Ekujae blood.

Seldiir slots a yellowheart bolt into his crossbow, feels the weight of it, and looks at the elf, "Okay, let's go."

As a group you enter to jungle again. After a very short time your guides melt drop off, pointing you down a path. Ahead the jungle foliage thins and becomes an open area of stunted, low-growing brush and grasses that is nearly half a mile wide. The perpetual sounds of life in the jungle fall silent. A series of worn stone monoliths, each roughly ten feet tall and spaced evenly every 100 feet, marks the perimeter of this clearing.

On the northeast border, a 60-foot-tall cliff rises to a plateau above. More of the stone monoliths loom from the top of the cliff. About halfway up the cliff, a ledge juts sharply into the clearing.

The monoliths are covered in a script that is hard to decypher. You can spend a few hours looking over it, studying it and trying to decypher it If you choose to do so the following spoiler is relevant

Mind if I get some of the arrows or are they all spoken for.

The grippli looks over the writing, but is stumped on the origins.

I will allow a redistribution of the ammunition.

I had complete brain fade, because I am also in a campaign with a bolt ace...

We took 50 arrows. 20 for Kuukuruu, 15 for Haze, 15 for Seldiir. If everyone is cool with that.

Seldiir looks at the writing and shrugs, looking at the rest of the group, "Anyone good with languages?"

That's fine with me.

Arileth shakes her head, sparing a glance around their surroundings. "Not a language I know."

Seems like we are moving on then.

There is a cave entrance on a ledge 20 feet up. How are you going to get there?

Seldiir shrugs, "Anybody got any rope?"

If anyone hands him some rope, Seldiir will climb up to the entrance.
climb: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21

If he makes it to the ledge, Seldiir signals to Beaky to fly up after him.

"Can't go on a proper adventure without rope." Haze hands over his 50 ft. length of knotted silk rope.

Arileth titters quietly at the innuendo she read into that statement. "It's got all sorts of uses," she says, following up after Seldiir.

Boomer follows Arileth up, completely boggled buy what other uses rope may have.

thought i posted yesterday...guess not...

Therin is flummoxed by the language.

Not in my areas of study at the abbey.

As they use the rope, he shakes his head at the others.

Kuururuu jumps up and begins to climb. Once up top, he helps secure the rope.

Yay for climb speed

Seldiir nods appreciatively at Kuukuruu as he climbs. When they brace the rope together, he tells the grippli, "That's a real talent for climbing. Do all your people have that?"

A semicircle of twelve wooden stakes, each topped with a severed head, is arranged in front of a wide split in the cliff face. Some are barely more than skulls, their flesh nearly gone, while others appear to be more recent. Two are almost completely covered with ants, busily working to take anything they can eat. The victims appear to be elven. Eleven of the heads have been mounted in such a way that they face toward the split in the rock, while one faces outward toward the clearing.

Four of the heads rise from their stakes and turn menacingly toward the group.

Combat Round 1 Bold May Act

Kuukuruu
Enemies
Seldiir
Boomer
Sadaf
Haze

Slide 4 for map

Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

Kuukuruu fire an arrow straight ahead at yellow.

PBS
arrow: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 121d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

know religion: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

Kuukuruu fires at Yellow and drops it to the ground.

Red makes an attack at Boomer

Slam: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13 Damage: 1d2 ⇒ 2

Blue slams into Therin

Slam: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13 Damage: 1d2 ⇒ 2

Green smashes into Seldiir

Slam: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10 Damage: 1d2 ⇒ 1

Combat Round 1/2 Bold May Act

Kuukuruu
Enemies
Seldiir
Boomer
Sadaf
Haze

Where does Arileth fall in the initiative order?

Ietsuna fails yet again.

Arileth Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Combat Round 1/2 Bold May Act

Kuukuruu
Enemies
Seldiir
Boomer
Sadaf
Arileth
Haze

Haze activates his Darkness blessing and draws his weapon as he moves into a strategic position.

20% concealment.

Boomer grabs his cold iron earth breaker and swings at the thing (red) that just attempted to attack him.

Boom stick: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
B damage: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (4, 5) + 3 = 12

Kuukuruu moves forward and fires an arrow at red.

PBS
arrow: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 151d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Umm...i feel left out...want me to go last....i dont mind...

Arileth unsheathes her sword. Reciting a prayer to the Savored Sting, she touches the exposed birthmark on her abdomen and a wave of holy energy engulfs the undead around them.

Channel Positive Energy, harm undead: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Kuukuruu plugs Red, then Arileth drops all the remaining Beheaded.

Combat over

Seldiir raises his sword, swings and hits a cloud of ash as Arileth’s power washes over the undead, ”This place really is cursed.”

Aye, those things were abominations, to say the least. At least with Arileth and myself, we can cleanse the scourge from here. Our faith will burn the enemy and send them to the depths where they belong... Therin says, checking the area for any signs of more undead.

detect magic as well as a search

perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

"Wh..what were those things? Just hea..hea..heads?!? Nothing about this missions is normal." Boomer begins looking around the chamber along with Therin, keeping a watchful eye on the obvious tunnel heading deeper in. However, the draw of the tunnel really pulls his focus. "What do you th..think is down there?"

Perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3

Form still swirling with shadow, Haze opines, "Eh, you've seen one floating head, you've seen them all. Now...what do you suppose put the heads there?"

"Wh..what were those things? Just hea..hea..heads?!? Nothing about this missions is normal." Boomer begins looking around the chamber along with Therin, keeping a watchful eye on the obvious tunnel heading deeper in. However, the draw of the tunnel really pulls his focus. "What do you th..think is down there?"

You moves forward into the mouth of the cave. The persistent heat and humidity of the jungle fades away quickly beyond the cut in the rock that leads to a sloping passageway. A subtle breeze, tinged with the odor of bat guano, flows from deeper within.