GM_MG's Extinction Curse (Inactive)

Game Master GM_MG

Yeah, sudden blight will greatly accelerate the clearing process.

The keep is to the southeast, there may be an easier path through the wood here, its just that you can't see it from your current position.

Redeemer of Gozreh Leshy. Maybe stick with hard labor. lol.

if we cut through the woods there, we might have a better path instead of climbing the cliffs.... Kvothe points out as they appraise they path ahead

Didy eagerly ventures off into the woods in search of adventure.

Survival +13 for exploration, looking for tracks of anybody leading on or out of this place.

Please place yourselves where you'd like to be on the map before we continue.

Carl settles his new shield comfortably. "Hope we do not need to use this. But past events are showing a trend."

Defend to keep the AC up.

Quietly strumming his lute to a light open tune, Kvothe follow behind his leshy companion into the meadow

for my exploration I'll be detecting magic, not like there's anything around but don't know what else would be useful

Didy nods at Carl's warning and draws his bow just in case.

Ambrosius follows closely behind the new traveling companion, periodically pecking curiously at the vines poking out from beneath his armor.

Carl will reach over and give Ambrosius an affectionate pat once in awhile.

Hey, I got dino lore. Might as well use it.

Assuming my initiative uses Arcana when I detect magic, that seems like my best bet too. With incredible initiative and the hat of the magi I am up to a respectable +13!

Didy finds wolf prints leading off on the clear path south. Two sets of tracks are substantially larger than normal wolves.

"Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! Look at the size of these suckers! I bet there are those giant wolves from the stories in these woods! Dourwolves? No, that doesn't sound right. Anyway, they head off that way," he points out to the others, indicating the clear path south.

Didy moves up for a clearer shot along the path, while marking one of the wolves as his prey. I moved Ambro up presuming that Carl is moving up as well. (Ambro is going to remain adjacent to Carl as we explore--especially now that he is getting head pats!)

The path branches here. One branch curves off to the north, ending in a little glade. A second leads off to the east.

To the south, you see a swampy area of high water. An island in the marshes, accessible by a fallen tree, has an old, ruined stone building on it.

Didy waves people along, eager for adventure, when he should be worrying about where the wolves might be hiding.

As you move forward, you spot a cave entrance into the side of the hill along the eastern path. The wolf tracks seem to mostly go that way.

To the south, you can see several islands in the swamp. The island to the west is ringed in old trees, whose gnarled roots form an almost impenetrable barrier to the north. The only easy entrance to the island appears to be a fallen tree from the central island.

You see flickering light from the western island, possibly from a campfire.

Hearing the ranger describe the paths, she puts it to the group, "So should we check out the wolves den first so they don't find us first? Or should we go investigate that light on the island?"

Carl ponders for a moment. "Wolves are natural predators and there are lots of small creatures," he points at most of the group, "that could seem like prey. A flickering campfire probably means they are done moving for the night, and are settling in for rest. Protecting the circus is higher priority for me."

"Good call! To the wolves!"

The forest ends abruptly where a sheer slab of quartz studded granite looms over the treetops. A cave mouth yawns open in its side. The cave is dark, and its mossy walls are studded with patches of ghostly white fungus. A narrow tunnel at the back of the cave leads deeper into the hill, forking into paths leading north and southeast.

Let me know if you guys want to change up your exploration mode activities. Currently I've got
Didymus - Tracking
Al - Detect Magic
Carl - Defending
Kvothe - Detect magic

going to switch my Exploration mode to "follow an expert" which would be Didy and his tracking

Where would you guys like to go?

Didy plans to keep following the tracks, but he will look around j side the cave for points of interest.

I see you guys moved your icons slightly forward. Nothing changes from the description you received earlier. I assume you'll be moving to the end of the cavern? If so, please move your icons there.

Didy will stealthily scout the upcoming fork in the path for the party. So I will switch to avoiding notice (+11 stealth) and move up to take a peek (and sniff) around each corner.

Didy creeps forward to the end of the hall. There he treads on a caltrop, mostly buried in dirt and dead leaves. The dangers of having no one use the Search action.

Didy is taking 1 persistent damage. Removing the caltrop reduces the DC to stop the bleed by 5.

To the north, Didy sees torches burnt out years ago jut out from crude holes in the walls of this cavern. A fire pit and the remnants of a makeshift camp stand at the center of the chamber. Chunks of granite and dirt are heaped against the rocky walls, as if someone attempted to clear the cave’s floor.

To the south, the ceiling lowers to about 5 feet. Here, a pillar stands on the far corner of the room. Around the pillar a light, white fungus grows.

Didy lets out a yelp of pain and then tries to yank the caltrop out.

medicine: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30
flat check: 1d20 ⇒ 18

As the party moves deeper in the cave, Kvothe quietly begins playing an inspiring tune on his lute. Attempting to sound closer to the entrance with the melody, Kvothe tries to bounce the sounds off the walls of the cave

attempting to mask our location with the inspire

performance to inspire: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (16) + 13 = 29

Carl jumps at the yelp from Didy. Looking at the floor, he takes a few spare shields off his back and tosses it at his feet. Drew a line to show locations of 2 shields to step on.

"Until the rest are found, you may want to stand on that."

He then moves to stand on the other shield, looking into both chambers. +9 Trained in Nature on the White Fungus

The powdery fungus is harmless, likely growing off organic nutrients dripping through cracks in the cave ceiling here.

On the back side of the pillar, Carl can just make out a cloth sack, mostly covered in the fungus.

Didy nods in thanks at George's clever solution for safe footing. He ventures further in, this time careful where he steps. He searches amongst the camp, trying to figure out what the digger may have been looking for or trying to accomplish. He also sniffs to see if it seems that the wolves may have slept here with whoever made the camp.

Searching exploration +13E

"That fungus looks harmless, and seems to be covering a sack back there. If things seem calm over there, I am going to get a stick and see if I can retrieve it."

Carl would step outside and try and find a nice log. Something with reach and between 1 and 2 Bulk. So I can stay out of the fungus and drag the sack to us.

As the branch snags the bag, a burst of yellow spores releases from the side of the pillar.

Quite safe on the other side, Carl retrieves the sack. Oddly, the bag appears far larger on the inside than the outside. Despite the spacious conditions inside the bag, its contents are rather meager: a small pouch full of dust, a lesser elixer of life, and a silver lensatic compass (worth about 30 gold), with the words "Always find your way back to me" engraved on the back.

Looking over Carl's shoulder as he goes through the contents of the bag. Wondering what the "dust" might have been or used for

arcana?: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

if it's a secret roll that's fine, I've got +9 in arcana or occult

The dust is dust of appearance.

Didy tears up as the engraving is read, "How sweet is that! We gotta find out who that belongs to. It needs to get back to them! It needs to!"

As the quarters get more cramped, he sends Ambro back to the mouth of the cave to send Pinchy in his stead.

Finding nothing of interest in the weirdly dug out sleeping chamber, he moves on to the next area. He commands Pinchy to sneak ahead, while the ranger keeps an eye out for dangers.

I am not sure if Companions get to do exploration activities. I know they don't roll initiative, but if kosher I'd like to let Pinchy Avoid Notice (+10T stealth), while I follow behind keeping an eye out for more caltrops and other dangers (+13E perception).

So we don't have to metagame, I will use Detect Magic to try to identify the bag (+11 Arcana).

Whispering to his companions, we can use this dust to find anything we think is invisible or can't see! Very cool Kvothe says before they move out to the next area.

The bag is indeed a bag of holding (type I).

The camp contains a threadbare bedroll and a cracked, aged waterskin. In the bedroll you spot a leather journal.

In a shallow pit in the northwestern corner of the cave, you spot a half-buried chest. Inside you spot a cloak, a set of infiltrator thieves' tools, infiltrator picks, and eight garnets worth 10 gold each.

Carl would hand the journal and tools to Didy. "This may give some insight to the identity of the locket. And you are probably the best to use these. I wonder about the cloak. With it being protected, maybe it is more than it seems. Perhaps someone could examine this?"

Reaching out for the cloak for closer examination Kvothe takes a look

Casing the cantrip detect magic as he does so

+9 for the rolls

The cloak is a clandestine cloak.

"Neat!" Didy exclaims at the treasures they unearth. He pockets the infiltrator tools. He then takes a moment to leaf through the journal. "I bet we'll find all kinds of romantic longings for their lost love!"

The journal is the private diary of a thief named Juniper Winzel, who worked as a pickpocket and cat burglar in Escadar. The journal entries begin in 4700 AR. As they progress, the scale and difficulty of her heists increases, and she begins robbing temples and banks. The later entries detail Winzel's fears that Andera Paldreen, a competent deputy working to rise in the constabulary, had obtained evidence of her guilt. The final entry is dated 4719 AR. Current year is 4721 AR.

The journal also includes a reference to some stolen loot, stashed in a tree outside the cave in a small glade.

hmmm, wonder if the loot is still there? Have to check on our way out

"Chief cop lady! I bet she'd be super happpy to find all the stolen property. And she can probably tell us where we can find Juniper. Though it sounds like she might be in jail." he says sadly.

"But you are right, Kvothe, of course we gotta go look for her treasure! First let's see what other exciting things we find in this cave."

Continuing to explore this path heading South.

This oblong cave has a strong smell of animals. Bones, antlers, and scraps of fur are piled to the east and west. Low passages lead out of this chamber to the north and south, with a foul smell emanating from the south passage.

Carl will move toward the opening. "If anyone wants to look around, I will keep an eye on the archway. Got to practice my 'doorman' skills."

Didy shakes his head as the pungent odors overwhelm his senses. Then he and his trusty pet press forward.

If my Prey is still valid from the earlier tracking I will attempt to Avoid Notice (+12 thanks to the cool, new cloak as I will throw up the hood), otherwise I will Track (+13) so I can mark a prey.

Your tracking is still valid.

Fragments of bone glint among blood‑soaked scraps of fabric, tufts of fur, and unidentifiable fleshy masses that once belonged to living things. Jagged claw marks gouge the cave’s granite walls, and a fetid odor hangs heavy in the humid air.

A massive creature lairs here. Vaguely wolf-shaped, with orange fur and oddly-oversized jaws, the creature wastes no time in springing to attack.