GM Michael's Falcons Hollow Chronicles

Game Master Dread

you didnt use your hero point. you still have it

Wincing as he shifts his stance, Falkwyn ponders the situation for a moment, then says, "Let me have a look around, nearby. If there's no structure to secure, then we might have to simply deal with it. I'm no expert on defenses, though. In any case, it might be best to rest here and simply feed the fire. Keep watch. I agree we should rest before continuing, especially Thallin. He's at risk in his condition."

Bow in hand with an arrow nocked, the half-elf looks over the campsite, moving outward in a slow circle until he has reached the edge of the firelight. And then a couple of steps beyond, but no more.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

Survival: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Falkwyn sees nothing around the campsite. No hostiles. No lurking watcher. No structures. Just forest.

After several moments in deep concentration, the woodsman returns to the group and shrugs and says simply, "If there's anything nearby, it's beyond my abilities to pick it out."

'We wont feel any better without rest, lets set watches as before and see what the night brings. I might be bruised up but there's still fight in this heart if the forest wants to start one!'

Straug eases down and attempts to sleep despite his bruised and maybe cracked bones.

'Wake me when its my watch lads, I'm hurt, not dead. Ill still do my part.'

realizing theres no better place than the lumber camp the group settles in to sleep around the still burning campfire...which lends the thought how long ago was it made.

as the group begins to arrange their sleeping sacks around the campfire, and ground their packs, they glance around at the few tents ....They know theres nothing dangerous in the tents, but as for anything else, they do not know.

Cathoris and Thallin take the first watch as they did the other night.

Straug begins to take off his armor setting his weapons beside his sleeping sack.

20%for the night random encounter: 1d100 ⇒ 22 no encounter for the evening

Alexander sighs with no better options, they would do what they must.

Let us take a look around the tents at least. Perhaps there is some clue or such?

He will take a little bit of time to search the tents in the immediate area.

take 10 on each for 18.

Thinking about the possibility of tainted well water, Cathoris conjures up water. It’s not much, but I have some fresh water here. Better if we don’t drink any we find here til we know more. Where do you think everyone went? He asks the question abruptly.

Cathoris creates some drinking water instead of drinking from the possibly tainted well water. The well could be seen from the camp.

While Straug beds down Alexander starts going through the tents. Thallin and Falkwyn sit in pain wondering about this venture they hound.

It doesn't appear there was any struggle in camp. Just all the loggers up and left...or were taken.

All personal belongings are still here as is any weaponry they had. There are 20 light crossbows with 20 crossbow bolts for each. An odd collection of spears, battle axes, hand axes, and daggers. Among the daggers is one well crafted one made out of cold iron. You find one cure light wounds potion. And assorted coinage totalling 150 gold.

"Best if we hang on to the coin and that fancy dagger for sure," Thal says, "you can never tell what scoundrels could come in and just steal the thing instead of trying to return them to their rightful owners as we are." It's just possible he doesn't entirely mean that bit about returning things to their owners, but at least he voiced it so it sounds good.

We will definitely make better use of these things than the owners who left them behind, lad. At least for the time being. - said the cook, helping look at the gear as they prepared to move on.

Strange that the weapons weren’t touched. I wonder if they all succumbed to some kind of madness and wandered off. In the morning, I can look around to see if there’s any trace of them leaving camp. I’ll be able to see much better in daylight. Cathoris puzzles the situation over in his mind as he prepares for watch. He also considers the inferiority of his vision compared to his companions. I wonder if there’s any magic that can change that, he wonders.

Yes, a good Idea, if we hold onto it, it will be easier to give it back if we find them. Though, I would say we should let it be until the morning. Perhaps they will come back? Though, I will take a few of the weapons. As it appears we may need them. He says as he places a hand axe and the cold-iron dagger on his belt. He will also pocket the potion before revealing it.

Perhaps Cathoris. Hopefully it is only madness, and not some virus to turn them into creatures like those wolves were...

He would then prepare his bedroll.

After everyone went through taking any weapons they might want and divvying up the coin the group settles in for the night.

First light comes and the band of would be adventurers awakens to
Birds chirping and a light frost on the grass . A brisk fall morning . Cathoris checks the bandages of the three injured and removed the bandages knowing healing will come to their wounds.

A quick look around in daylight finds a trail leading into the forest that looks fairly well travelled with recent human sized prints and smaller...Fey ones.

Cathoris wakes and finds the morning peaceful, reminding him of waking early to tend the sheep. He hoped that they were being well cared for. Before anything else, he moves to the edge of the camp and sits in silent meditation as he watches the sun rise.

Later, Cathoris looks over the tracks, pointing at them with his staff. Interesting! See there! Fey tracks. The path looks pretty well trod, but I should be able to follow them. He kneels down to take a closer look.

I’d like to try to identify the tracks with a Know Nature roll. Then, I’m rolling survival for following the tracks.

Know Nature: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16
Survival: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Also, Cathoris has prepared Create Water, Guidance, Detect Magic, and Cure Light Wounds.

Falkwyn stretches gingerly when he awakens, feeling better, though his leg still offers twinges of discomfort. Still, he recognizes that the pain lets him know he's still alive, and accepts that what is, is.

Before bedding down the night before, he'd retrieved a handaxe and one of the crossbows and some bolts. The archer far prefered his bow and arrows, but considering the fact that the group didn't know exactly what sort of problems they were marching into, having more ammunition along - especially when it was so plentiful - seemed a good idea.

"Fey tracks? Where?" Chagrined and probably too hard on himself for having missed the tracks in the darkness the night before, the half-elf moved to where Cathoris stood and looked them over.

Survival: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

Falkwyn mused, "Yeah, definitely fey. Human-sized too. They went this way...Weren't hiding it, either. I'm pretty sure we can follow them." he pauses then asks, "Have any of you had experience with the Fey before? As much as I've been in the woods, fortunately I've only had glimpses of their kind. Alexander? Thallin?"

Any throwing axes mixed in among the hand axes? If so, Falkwyn would take one of those instead.

He's standing in the midst of darkness. Voices. Noises. He feels threats all around, but cannot see them. Cannot make out their words. Cannot move.

Join me a voice says, coming from within him, clearly not one of the voices from the darkness.

He can feel the sinister presences around him growing closer. He tries to struggle against whatever is holding him in place. He fails.

Embrace my gifts, the voice comes again.

He's becoming more frantic. Every fiber of his being is screaming at his body to move, yet it remains immobile.

Will you let them take you, or will you let me in? the voice asks.

With a resigned sigh, he opens himself to the voice. Sudden and unexpected power surges through his body. He moves with speed he'd never had before, striking enemies down with his weapon as well as with blasts of some mysterious energy.

His enemies gather together and surge forward at him.

He charges.

He lets out a scream as they're just about to crash together and..

Thal awakens with a jolt. He gives a quick glance around hoping he didn't look too awkward awakening from the odd dream. Some sort of fever dream brought on by his wounds, maybe? A brush with death could shake anybody up, he thinks. Yet, in the back of his mind, there lingers some curiosity about this strange vision.

Getting himself up and around, he joins some of the others in inspecting some tracks. "Pure fey, no. I've known some fey-blooded beings, sure. A sorcerer, some Gnomes, but no pure-bloods."

Intelligence Check to See if Maybe He's Read or Heard Something Helpful?: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14

For anyone wondering, the dream sequence is a tie-in to his eventual leveling up and becoming an occultist. Some of the items he carries host some sort of spirits who are reaching out to him, which he doesn't know.

The last watch was Falkwyn and Alexander so while Alexander was stowing the camp and feeding the fire to burn for a good length of time, Falkwyn went to the tracks where Cathoris and Thallin were already bent over looking at Straugh and Kronk slept later than the others and were just now waking.

They Fey Prints were only a few inches long and looked like child foot prints. they were side by side though with human booted prints.

They secured weaponry and gave thought to follow the prints or to do further checks of the area around the camp, or to check out the well.

Ignorant of pretty much everything about feyfolk other than the tales told to children at bedtime, the half-elf decides to try and be useful and he heads toward the well while Kronk and Straugh awaken.

"Rise and shine, sleepy-heads! We've got a mystery to solve." he calls in a friendly manner while he walks, fully aware that those two men had saved his life the night before. And before this is all over, it's likely we'll all have a chance to be saving each other in one way or another. I might have to rethink my inclination for solitude out here. I've seen them around, but I don't really know these men yet...a situation I think I would be wise to correct.

Falkwyn approaches the well slowly, looking around for anything out of the ordinary...though in truth, he didn't expect to find it. If something was wrong with the well that was obvious, well, that wouldn't be a very good trap, would it?

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

Survival: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

Falkwyn walks around the well and picks up faint older tracks of small feet like at the trail. Fey were here. By the tracks it looks like they climbed up stop the rocks surrounding the well.

He peers inside and way down below the waterline he picks up some netting tacked to the side of the well. Only someone with vision that could see in the darkness would be able to see it. To the human eye it would be all but invisible.

Kronk approaches Falkwyn still yawning and scratching his back.

Howdy, me boyo. - he said, finally stepping by hid side to look - Top of the morning to you. What do we have here?

Holding onto the top ledge, the woodsman leans carefully over the well opening, squinting into the darkness. "Well, other than the fact that there are Fey tracks that lead to the well and up the sides...I'm...I'm not really sure, Kronk. There's some sort of netting on the side of the wall down there. Just below the water..."

Roughly how far down is the waterline, GMMichael? Within arms reach or much farther down?

Hearing Falkwyn identify that there's something in the well, Thal comes over, deliberately standing beside Kronk in case things go sideways, and also peers just over the edge.

"Can't see much of anything down there," Thal says, "and I'm not expert on wells, but I'm fairly certain they don't usually require nets.[b]"

Thal oonders for a moment and the says, "[b]If anyone has a grappling hook, I have a rope. Perhaps we could fish the net out of there? I really don't fancy any of us trying to swim down there to get it just in case this is the source of the problem."

Falkwyn tries to estimate the distance and feels the waterline is about 8 feet down, and that makes the netting 8 1/2' down. It doesnt look like its floating, more like something is securing to the side of the well.

It likely is whatever caused the sickness came from this net. Or, at least, its a possibility. I have a grappling hook. Its proven useful in many a situation.

Alex thinks after he answers the group.

which does not bode well.. I had hoped it was merely bad water.. I am unsure if our group is fit for dealing with fey creatures. Especially several of them...

Straug cracks one eye open and looks around before tentatively moving any muscles. Bandages have been removed? Guess I slept through that, must have been hurt worse than I thought. He gingerly stands up and pokes about at his ribs and other hurt bones and muscles. Not bad for a single night of solid rest, I'm not back to normal but maybe another night like that and I'll be solid as deep stone. Looking around at the camp and activity and remembering the task in front of them he grimaces. [/i]Though whether Ill get a day without wounds is yet to be seen.[/i]

As he stands up and pulls himself together he sees the pile of weapons amidst the camp. 'Oi! You lot find anything else in the camp? Lots of these lads wont appreciate their gear being ransacked and they dont have much of a sense of humor either....assuming they are still alive. He trials off looking at the oddly silent camp around him and realizing how eerie things have become. He shrugs and searches through the gear for another throwing axe or two. He also picks up the light crossbow in best repair and 60 bolts to go with it. Cant have too many options...

He sees the group at the well and totters over polishing off some morning rations and chasing it with a few mouthfuls of water. 'Whatcha lookin at fellas? Need a dwarf's eyes?' He peers down the well to get a better look at the netting.

Need confirmation on whether there are throwing axes in the pile of weapons, if so Straug will take 2

Looking through the weaponry only hand axes are available

Looking through the weaponry only hand axes are available

Got it. In that case what does Straug see down the well with his darkvision. Ill roll Perception if its needed.

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

Thal begins getting the rope and grappling hook ready, but waits to hear what the Dwarf might have to offer on the nature of this strange net.

Straug looks down and the dark water of the well all but covers the netting he can see just below the waterline . There's something inside the net-like bag and it's secured to the wall of the eell

Cathoris looks over the wall of the well with the others, providing no new perspective. So... Who’s going down?

Straug looks at each one of them in the eye, seeing their expectant gazes in his direction.

'Oh Nine Hells, yes I'll go down I know youre all thinking it.'

Straug starts unbuckling clasps and putting down gear. He gets down to his chainmail, pauses for a moment, and decides to leave it on. 'There's a whole mess of you lot I'm sure you can handle a little extra weight.'

He strolls over to the pile of weapons from the various tents and pulls out one of the hand axes to take down with him leaving all other weapons behind.

'Small hole to go into? Send the dwarf! Creepy well with diseased undead bait inside? Send the dwarf!'

He cinches the rope around himself and fastens it to the grappling hook from his gear and holds the other end to the group expectantly.

'You ready lads? I'll be expecting an extra handful of the loot for this and if I get hurt worse than I am I'll be needing a swig of that healing flask. Here we go!'

Climb: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (12) - 2 = 10

Not sure if i get any other modifiers from assistance, if so they aren’t factored in.

Thal watches as the Dwarf moves about in a huff complaining about how the dwarf is being sent into the hole and quietly responds, "I was thinking we'd just fish it out with the rope but..."

It's an easy climb down with Kronk and Alexander holding the rope. Cathoris and Thallin keep an eye out for any assailants realizing how vulnerable they are...but none come.

Falkwyn stand peering inside.

Straug gets to above the waterline and exams the netting bag that's affixed to the side with some natural fibers that the sap inside turned to glue when they were cut. The remnants of the fibers still stuck too.

The bag holds large clumps of black fungus.

He knows he can scrape the glue off and retrieve the netted bag, but it'll take getting into the water.....

How are things looking down there, mate? - yells Kronk towards Straug, not really able to see much from where he is holding the rope.

Falkwyn chuckles at Thallin's comment and mutters, "Me too.", then calls down the well, "Well, are you simply zombie bait or is there something there?"

Oh, that makes sense. Cathoris replies to Thallin’s comment. He stands by the well looking out for trouble.

Falkwyn stand peering inside.

I first read this as “Falkwyn stands peeing inside”, and I burst out laughing. I guess peering is more in context.

that would be one way of getting Straug 'in the water' ;)

Straug rolls his eyes hearing the comments echoing down the well.

'Yeah I thought o' that boys. Didnt want to risk sending a hook down here and tearing open the net or it just coming open on its own and spilling whatever Gods forsaken mess is in this net into the water and fouling it permanently. One of you want to take that chance then pull me up and have a go. When PayDay beats you into oblivion for ruining the camp permanently remember youll still owe the rest of us 50 gold each for the trouble!'

Not sure about the smarts of some of these lads. How is it the cook seems the most combat ready and world wise? Straug thinks grumpily to himself.

He waits a few moments for anyone of the group to volunteer to fish out the net with a grappling hook or rope instead.

'I'm none to excited about getting in this fouled water so speak up if youd rather try it that way! If not then sheddup and let me get about this nasty work! The net is attached to the well by some sticky sap or glue. I'll have to get in the water to completely pry it free.'

Falkwyn chuckles good-naturedly at the dwarf's griping, then frowns and turns to Cathoris, "Any way of knowning if the water is harmful to the touch? I have no doubt it's poisonous to drink..."

Waiting for a response from any of the others, the half-elf thinks for a long moment then adds, "Maybe we do this both ways at once? Let's lower a rope with a grappling hook on it, then have Straug attach the hook to the netting, and then try to cut it free from the wall?"

A small pause, then, "I'm open to other suggestions..."

'Good idea lad! Send it down I'll make sure its secure and doesnt tear open as we pull it up.'

Straug gets in the water as little as possible reaching under to cut the glue/sap from the wall, makes sure the grappling hook is secure on a good part of the net and makes sure the net wont come open as its pulled up with him.

Alexander struggles a bit to help hold the rope.

Kronk, what did you eat during your life? You hardly-hepm, seem hurg, phased by the weight.

At the mention of another rope and hook.

What does the contaminant look like? Could you grab one and bring it up? Perhaps I, or, maybe someone else, has seen it before?

Alexander struggles a bit to help hold the rope.

What does the contaminant look like? Could you grab one and bring it up? Perhaps I, or, maybe someone else, has seen it before?

’Its all coming up in the net mate, or at least i intend it to! You’ll get a good gawk at it then. Nine Hells you can eat some of it if you want but let me get my axe to hand first! Straug says with a laugh, weirdly kind of enjoying himself and the bizarre turn of events that’s led to him dangling down a well by a rope fishing out a sack of some nasty fungus.

If this is what the life of an adventurer is about sign me up! It’s clear I’ll need some healing magic if I’m going to take this up. Straug still feels the pain of his wounds as he deftly maneuvers in the well. Cant have every infested wolf that comes around throwing me off like this.

It's easy enough to scrape the sticky vine sap from the earthen wall of the well.once unstuck Thsllin pulls the soaked netting bag of fiberous material filled with black fungus clumps up out of the well.
Straug did get fairly soaked doing the job though. Water splashed over his chest and shoulders as he scraped beneath the waterline. Only his feet weren't wet as off as that appeared.

It didn't appear the fungus infected water did anything if it wasn't ingested though.

Straug leaves the rest of the crew to sort out what the gunk was he dragged out of the well for now. He cleans himself off as best he can making sure to wring out any water soaked into anything and dries out the best he can.

Despite his many 'long walks' he has never really had trouble like this before. A brush with an undead wolf and the adrenaline and stress from being lowered into the well have him excited but also pensive. In his desire to reconnect with his dwarven roots his thought are drawn to Dwarven diety and how he might seek their help as he pursues this new line of work.

Thal looks at the strange fungus they've pulled and racks his brain trying to think if he's ever heard of anything matching its description.

Intelligence Check: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

Well, I have a diet full of fried cheese and melted bacon fat! - Kronk replies Alexander, as he waits for the others to analyze the fungus.

Falkwyn crouches down next to the fungus-filled netting, drawing a dagger and very gently touching the tip to the black, fibrous material.

Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14

"Hmmmm. Nasty stuff, this." he murmurs as he investigates.

Neither Thal nor Falkwyn are quite sure of what type of fungus it is, but they are sure this what sickened the camp...wherever they are