GM Crunch's Tarnbreaker's Trail (Inactive)

Game Master Saving Cap'n Crunch

Athletics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

"Instead of an extra healers toolkit, let's get an extra tent. These only fit 4 people, anyway, so an extra would make for more comfort. Make sure that you have winter clothing, and a good bedroll. I'll pick up a ladder and stow it on the sled."

Thulgrun is ready.
Thulgrun athletics: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28

I will give Ur my extra hero point, if only for his audaciousness!

Typically, unless there is a reason not to, Thulgrun's default exporation mode will be defense

Duma makes sure to get himself the cold weather clothing.

He will not actually take any special exploration activity. Most of these will knock our speed down to half. That will cost us up to 10 miles per day.

Survival: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

Dardax looks over the equipment, terrain, his fellow Pathfinders and ponders...

Ah, good point. Forget that exploration mode

Thanks, Thulgrun. Duma gets my extra hero point.

The Unexpected Pathfinders make excellent time, barely seeing the other teams as they move steadily forward. It isn't comfortable, but it could be gotten used to. When you reach the first checkpoint town, a small village called Marblehold, the sun isn't even setting. A few stray members of the Fangs of the Remorhaz and Without Trace or Fail are clearly visible as you approach. They follow you to watch at the trial's location, just beyond the town's outskirts.

Steam and spray from the Whitegold River hangs in the air as the checkpoint draws near. The wet air carries a cold sting. The snow on the trees drips, plopping heavily to the ground and the snow and frost seem to be clinging only in shadowed nooks and slick patches, despite the frigid air. Race officials prepare fish caught from the banks of the river near the camp. South of the campsite, another official stands near the riverbank. Several long poles lean against a mossy rock. Across the river, the course stretches away from the river and through the thinning trees into the snow-dusted hills beyond.

"When the mighty Balgird Bluetongue lived, he chased his linnorm prey to this very river," an official calls out. "Well, a ways downstream. The beast lay mockingly at the other side, waiting for him. Both knew it could pluck him from the river at its leisure if he tried to swim or ford across. But it watched in confusion as he felled a tree with his axe. That confusion gave way to anger as he ran at the river, holding on to the trunk as best he could, and vaulted over, then to fear as the chase continued further into the frozen wilds!

"Can you replicate this feat? To fail risks your quarry - victory itself - thrashing you back to your side of the river, or running while you struggle across."

Map is up, on slide 2. The tree trunk is actually several vaulting poles. Athletics, Acrobatics, or a creative solution will suffice. Everyone must attempt a check.

Oh what the heck Zarina exclaims as ties one end of a fifty foot rope around her waist before grabbing a pole.

ALLONS ZEE as she attempts to pole vault across, trailing the rope behind her.

acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

(and spending her Hero Point)
acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

Once across, she'll secure the rope to a convenient tree. She then frowns as she dips a finger in the water. Brrrrrr .... Now I know what the Vee Cee meant when he said about the water being close to ice.... Wow. Is anyone able to swim in that?

Immediately, she heads off towards the nearest fire.

"What's good for the goose...." Katerina softly says as she watches Zarina all but fly across the river. With a brief test of a pole, she nods and launches herself at the river, before using the pole to try to follow in the druid's wake.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Ur barely stops as he grabs a pole and tries to make it to the other river bank.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
If he gets another try...
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

Zarina finds herself off to a bad start, but is able to somehow turn her predicament into a near-perfect leap across the river. Olin Tuskbinder, the half-orc from the Fangs, whoops in approval. Some officials race over, talking among themselves excitedly. "That might be a new record distance!"

Katerina manages a good vault herself, albeit one stuck in the druid's shadow.

Ur follows suit, but nearly finds himself in the drink. He barely pushes himself back ashore before falling in. His next attempt is much better, seeing him lightly touch down on the other bank.

Duma sees what Zarina did and is a little confused. He takes his 50' rope, ties it around a tree on this side of the river, then the other end around his waist.

He grabs a pole, takes a run, and pushes off across the freezing river.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

If he makes it across, he'll tie his own end of the rope around a tree on the far side. The last person to cross can untie the end from the original tree and tie it around their waist.

The dwarf grabs a pole and vaults across
Athletics: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (11) + 11 = 22
”Nothing that we didn’t do on a daily basis at Tar Kuata. ”

Duma's rope nearly catches on something to pull him back, but he and Thulgrun end up on the other side. Only Dardax remains!

athletics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

And if a hero point is allowed...

athletics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Dardax manages to fling himself over the rushing river, much to the small audience's delight. "Incredible!" Olin exclaims.

"I don't think I did nearly as well, but I want to try again. If I may?" Without a negative from the nearby organizers, he rushes to the pole and tries to return to the bank from which you came.

But at the apex of his vault, a muffled crack can be heard, and the half-orc topples. The pole looks fine, but he hits the water with a splash and a yelp. Some are roused from their idle watching and rush to help.

Olin will be temporarily represented by Blue Dardax. Anything you want to do to try helping? If an associated skill comes to mind, don't hesitate to roll.

Katerina's eyes widen as Olin falls into the river. Without hesitation, she dives into her bag for her rope, grabs tight onto one piece about 5 feet in, and hurls the rest of the bundle out to Olin. Hopefully, he'll have the presence of mind to grab onto it. "Grab on! We'll pull you in!"

I'm assuming an ranged attack roll with an improvised "weapon" is what I'd need for is?

'Attack': 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

I am assuming that there are poles around us, that we used to vault.

Thulgrun quickly reacts to the sound of the Olin's calamity. He runs out on the bridge, and then reaches out to grab the half-orc. "Come to me, Olin!"

acrobatics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16 If this is a success, it is a critical success!

athletics: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16

Zarina does what she would normally do in this situation. Without thinking, she sprints to the water's edge, dives in and swims out to rescue the half-orc. If she can, she'll grab Katrina's rope on the way.

athletics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20 to swim

Fortunately, Olin has plenty of lifeguards in the Unexpected Pathfinders alone. He is hauled out by Katerina's rope and Thulgrun and Zarina's efforts, among as several others. Though she isn't in the water long enough to be pulled away, the druid feels its bitter cold.

Zarina, please make a Fortitude save. You and Olin are otherwise out fine though.

"Phew! Thanks for the rescue," Olin chatters, now embarrassingly huddled in a blanket as everyone trudges back to little Marblehold. "It wasn't even that bad on my first try. Felt like the plates holding those poles steady were loose! When I got tossed in, I had a good look, and what do you know - they were definitely shimmied out of place."

Slip shod installation? Zarina asks. Or something more sinister

fort: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Duma was busy untying his rope from the tree when he hears the commotion. By the time he gets over to see what is happening, the rest of the group seems to have the situation in hand.

He sees Zarina wet and shivering and walks over to offer her a blanket.

"Here, you'll need this. What just happened?'

Ur comes up to see what's going on. "No one told me we were going for a swim."

”Who would have had access to so that? And why did it wait until your second attempt to fail like that, I wonder.” muses Thulgrun. ”It cannot be the race officials, why would they sabotage their own race?”

”Zarina, how bad was that water? I am wondering if I should go down and take a look. ”

i didn’t realize that the poles weren’t just poles.

Duma considers Thulgrun's words. In a hushed tone, he proffers: "Perhaps someone who thought they were going to be ahead of us in the race made it so that the pole would survive one vault, but not more..."

GM, were the poles all being reused? I don't have a clear understanding of the number of poles here, or really what sort of mechanism they were using to operate them, since having a mechanism surprised me.

Before plunging in the water, Thulgrun takes some time to investigate the setup that he just brushed off before.

Zarina gratefully wraps the blanket around herself and settles down by the fire. Cold she said. But it was alright once I was in there .... you more feel it after you get out. Although I wouldn't like to be in there for too long. Like the Vee Cee said, it was liquid ice

But I had a job to do. Olin was practising polevaults and fell into the water. He said the base plates were loose.

"Was I too heavy?" Dardax asks the others when he struggled with the crossing.
After seeing Olin fall Dardax also goes to help fish him out. "I hope I did not cause the poles to be loose." he says to the others during the curious investigation.

Oh, sorry! There was one pole, and another laid out on the bank, not yet set in the riverbed. That was for if the first one broke. There isn't much of a mechanism, but it was wedged into the bed and fitted with a heavy plate to keep it relatively stable.

Zarina takes 1d6 ⇒ 3 cold damage.

Having managed to get a good look underwater and during the following investigation, Zarina sees the pole's plate appears loosened. Ur can also tell the bottom of the river has been disturbed as if repeatedly rammed with a blunt object, like the plate.

"No. Someone meant for this to happen. You don't think the officials don't like us and want us to fail do you?"

Thulgrun moves back. "I don't know about that quite yet. Could just be that they didn't take into account everything. Let's not jump to conclusions about collusion."

"We should let the officials know about the defective pole and move on. Time's a wastin'...

The officials nod in thanks when you notify them of your findings. "We saw most of it, but worry not, we will check it over shortly," one says. Another looks more concerned for Zarisha - incredibly so.

"Look at that shiver, she's practically frozen over! You'll need to rest for a while. I'll see if I can get a priest, or preferably a doctor to help. Maybe they can inure you to the cold a bit when patching you up." There wasn't anything more you had to do for the the day, though you could have continued your shopping or chatted with spectators and other teams. But this near-fanatical level of worry threatens to slow you down. Perhaps you can dispute the ruling?

Legal Lore, Medicine, or a social skill can help.

"Oh, aye, she's a bit cold. We'll take care of her. Nothing a bit of time in front of a hot fire, and a perhaps a wee bit of brandy can't help."

medicine: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Seeing that his first line wasn't working, Thurlgrun redirects.
"She is definitely heartier than she looks. Storm druids such as herself harden themselves off against the weather, but sometimes it gets a little bit over their heads. We'll get her all warmed up and ready to go. In fact, if there is any lingering chill, a good run in the morning will burn that right off!"

medicine, Hero Point: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

"We'll take care of her and be able to continue when the time comes. After all, this is the Baldertrek isn't it?"

Society: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Yeah ... all I need is to cuddle up to a warm body and I'll be fine. Or two warm bodies - that would be even better. Zarina replies, glancing around at likely candidates. And Thulgrin's right, us storm druids do learn to .... erm .... endure the elements.

medicine: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

Katerina smiles at the judges. "Surprisingly, while dangerous, threats like this are part and parcel for us. I'm sure that we can handle this."

Deception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8 Blah

Despite some mixed messaging, the overbearing official backs off. "See to it you're all fixed up, of course."

Anything you'd like to do before the next leg? Purchases to make, people to talk to, teams to sabotage or spy on?

All that walking has made Ur-Mandr tired. Unless someone drags him along, he'll find somewhere to sleep.

Duma will try to build a fire where there's a clearing.

Crafting: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

Thulgrun walks over to where Leif and his family are setting up camp. "Leif, do you have a moment?" asks the monk. "I was wondering, is sabotage or other such things normal for the race?"

"Sabotage?" Leif's gaze narrows. "This race is all about honor. Even if the thought did cross anyone's mind, the utter, crushing shame it would bring from all sides to be found out...that'd dissuade 'em. Never lived to see that in the Balgirdtrek.

"In your words, 'other such things' might be more common. We pull some pranks on each other, nothing that would really affect anything," Steen rumbles. "Nothing like what I heard happened with that Varki half-orc. Someone pretends to screw with us, we pretend to get annoyed when they win. That part's all an act unless they mean to hurt, because this is something we've all been through together a few times."

Steen's husband Oluf chips in with a cracking of knuckles. "You suspect foul play? I doubt you're asking us permission to sabotage; Leif only says good things. The officials didn't say nothing about that, but we'll keep a weather eye out."

"I am not saying that it was sabotage, but you saw what happened to poor Olin, right? But, keeping an eye out would be a good thing. Thank you, my friends." says Thulgrun.

"I am glad to hear, though, that this is a friendly competition. That is as it should be. But, if you hear anything, I would appreciate it if you let me know! I'll keep you informed as well."

He bows to the family, saying, "Good luck to you all."

"And to you," several of Two Houses chorus back. "You've made a good showing so far. Only one of the four-five days, but 50 miles isn't something anyone can make that quick."

The next day is slow to dawn as the morning sun is 1d4 ⇒ 4 obscured by an impressive storm! The lead director must shout to make sure all teams hear her pleas to prioritize safety over rushing. She also has some tips for doing so. "Tie yourselves together if there's any doubt! I want this taken seriously before our rangers need to pull anyone from an ice floe!"

Day 2! Everyone roll your Athletics/Nature/Survival checks.

After a good nights sleep, Zarina is back in full form and ready to go. She also agrees with the idea of tying the entire party together.

survival: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

"Aye. Would be good idea if it is to get as bad as it seems it will."

Athletics: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26

Duma wakes the next morning, ready to go.

"Yes, good idea to tie us together. I'm not the best fighter if we run into any savage beasts, but I volunteer to guard the rear."

Athletics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

Hero Point here.

Athletics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

"Words of wisdom from the lead director. Good to note." Dardax reminds the others as they begin their day.

Survival: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Katerina won't argue in the face of the wicked weather.

Wait a second, Thulgrun, are you an expert in Athletics? And If so, do you mind if I use Follow the Expert on that? In either case...

Althletics: 1d20 ⇒ 18So a 22 if Thulgrin allows the FtE, and 19 if not

Thulgrin is, in fact, Expert in Athletics. Sorry, I should have realized that mattered! Yes, he would help in any way he can. The team wins, or the team loses.