GM Jhaeman's "Crypt of the Everflame" (Inactive)

Game Master Jhaeman

T'Shar moves his arms and shoots again, targeting at the closest wolf.

Attack: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 3 + 1 = 11 Touch, vs. Black, PBS
Damage: 1d6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 + 1 = 3 Ew

Move to gather, standard to shoot burning blast - DC 13 to save vs. catching fire

Uaine moves forward to dissuade a wolf with a punch to the jaw, undeterred even if it's already on fire.

Stunning Fist vs. Black: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Nonlethal Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5 plus DC 14 Fortitude save or be stunned for 1 round

Never mind!

Steppinwolf moves to intercept Blue before bringing down his greatsword upon the beast.

gs: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18 slash: 2d6 + 6 ⇒ (1, 5) + 6 = 12

Surely's witchcraft works perfectly, and one of the wolves falls asleep on its feet. T'Shar sends out a spiral of flame that singes the fur of a wolf circling to the north of the camp, and a second later Uaine darts in to try to punch it in the jaw but it leaps away too quickly. A massive swing by Steppinwolf sprays the campsite with blood, leaving his foe staggered.

Yellow is asleep, Black has taken minor wounds, and Blue is severely wounded.

Ao is up.

Poor stubborn fools....

"Kyaaaahhh!" Ao cries in a crystal-clear voice as he bursts into motion against the wolf facing Uaine!

Assuming I can charge UNDER that tree...
masterwork gandasa, bless, charge vs Bet-On-Black: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28
Holy smokes Bullwinkle, that's a THREAT!: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
OH S+!$...!: 6d4 + 6 ⇒ (4, 4, 2, 3, 2, 2) + 6 = 23

I'll just let you illustrate what just happened, shall I DM?

The predator becomes prey as Ao's gandasa nearly splits the wolf in half!

Suffice it to say, that wolf is no longer a threat.

One wolf is down and the other is asleep on its feet, but clearly starving, its willing to risk overwhelming numbers for the chance to secure a meal. It leaps for Steppinwolf's throat! Steppinwolf pulls out of reach just in time.

The attack missed.

Initiative (Round 2)

T'Shar
Ao
Steppinwolf
Uaine
Surely
Wolves

Bold should go!

Yellow is asleep, Blue is badly, badly hurt.

Surely looks at the remaining wolf and wills it too to sleep, while responding to his companions, "My sleep magic doesn't last long- try to strike the sleeping one before it wakes!"

DC 14 Will or sleep for 1 round for the blue wolf; yellow wakes up at the end of my turn I believe

T'Shar moves towards the sleeping wolf and pulls his spear to attack it in melee.

Standard to draw spear, move action to get in melee with the yellow wolf.

A bit too far away, Uaine steps behind T'Shar and lightly taps his shoulder.

Casting Guidance.

Tsukiyo H. on a bicycle, and those above numbers were without Steppinwolf's bonuses! This round, on the other hand...

Ao tactically clacks his way to the other end of the campsite (literally walking through the merrily-roaring campfire on his way, as though to do such a thing without so much as a singed trouserleg was an utterly banal sight), in position to assist whichever front may prove to need it more.

Double-move. :/

Steppinwolf attempts to finish the wolf off.

gs: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19 slash: 2d6 + 6 ⇒ (6, 1) + 6 = 13

With Steppinwolf's attack, another starving wolf is laid to rest!

But the sole remaining wolf suddenly wakes up, remembers where it is, and tries to bite T'Shar. But, still drowsy from Surely's hex, it stumbles instead.

Natural 1 on the attack.

Initiative (Round 3)

T'Shar
Ao
Steppinwolf
Uaine
Surely
Wolves

Bold should go!

One poor wolf left :) Someone call the RSPCA!

Ao moves in for the coup de grace (in the truest sense of the term, if not the most technical)....

masterwork gandasa, bless, courage: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
damage: 2d4 + 3 ⇒ (3, 1) + 3 = 7

Steppinwolf heads over to help dispatch the last wolf.

This issue looks handled, but Uaine isn't about to drop the ball in case more help is needed. She moves in to cut off escape with a kick.

Unarmed Strike, Flanking, Bless, IC: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Nonlethal Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Ao and Uaine work in perfect unison to dispatch the last wolf.

Good work everyone, we are off Initiative.

Fortunately, after the frightening interruption of the wolf attack, the rest of the night passes uneventfully.

You've all had a night's rest and get back hp equal to your level and recharge daily-use spells. You also use one day of the rations from the backpacks given to you by the mayor.

After just a few hours walk in the crisp morning light, the trees around the trail begin to thin, revealing a field of short, green grass that leads to the shores of a wide, calm lake reflecting the overcast sky above. This must be Gray Lake, a good place to refill waterskins and take a brief rest.

Sadly, the picturesque scene is marred by the presence of a dark form on the ground next to the water. When you carefully approach, you realise it's a decayed human body covered in huge bite marks over its upper torso.

After the wolf attack, ["Is anyone injured?"

Surely can healing hex everyone 1/day so if anyone is still hurt before the nightly reset I can heal them and still be able to the next day.

The next day, looking at the body. . .

"Do we think these are caused by more wolves?"
Knowledge Nature: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

I'm fine, thanks. - T'Shar replies, brashly, as he swings his spear aimlessly in the air.

The next day...

Maybe? Look at all these bite marks! - he speaks, not really being any smart, wise or trained to interpret what he's seeing.

"No injuries here." Uaine is glad to retire once more.

At the lake, the tiefling looks over the area before checking the body, though she doubts its killer is an imminent threat. "It doesn't look recent, but only one way to find out for certain..."

Heal: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Steppinwolf is completely clueless.

I see nothing, I hear nothing, I know ... nothing he finally admits.

Perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (19) - 1 = 18

"Hrm- here is a very finely crafted short sword, and looks like 87 gold- newly minted coins these, from Tamran, with the leader of Nirmathis on the face."

Perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (8) - 1 = 7

T'Shar is as clueless as Steppinwolf and seems oblivious even to what Surely says. The Ifrit is thoughtful, as if any simple mental task is truly difficult for him.

"Very good, MacGinney-san," Ao says as he approaches to examine the sword, taking it for a couple of practice swings. "A fine weapon, although my preference is for heavier steel." He holds it forth, grip pointed outward. "Would anyone else care for such a thing?"

His glowing eyes finally alight on the corpse, and he kneels gingerly down to investigate.

untrained Knowledge (Local): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

"This man's clothing...they would once have been quite the mark of wealth and taste. Surely he could not have purchased such finery in humble Kassen. If you say his money is of Tamran mint, then most likely he was from there."

Heal: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

"All that is long over, now; this corpse has moldered under the light of at least a few moons...as for who, or what killed him, there is no telling."

T'Shar is glad that at least his companions can do more of the analysis work. The young Ifrit seems constantly agitated, as if the fire in his blood is burning him from inside out.

Just to be clear, I'll happily keep the sword if nobody else wants it more.

"If the wolves got to him, it wasn't recently," Uaine says in agreement. She makes a quick note of the team's findings. "It doesn't sounds as if he was local, but maybe someone in town will know more or care about him."

Maybe we should carry him with us back to town? To see if he can be recognized, maybe give him a proper burial? - asked the Ifrit, not the minimum social decorum - To be honest, it's not like he's moving anywhere any soon, so I guess we should first focus on our mission.

We should return him to his clan ... err ... tribe .. I mean family

Good role-playing folks! It looks like a couple of suggestions are on the table: taking the body back to Kassen or moving on with the mission. I'll give you a bit more time to decide.

"The Body has kept long enough; it'll keep a few days more- we can stop back by and collect it AFTER we've finished what we are here for."

Leaving Gray Lake behind, you continue on. The trail leads ever deeper into the Fangwood, through a twisting maze of trees and confusing ravines. After about three more hours' walk, the trail tops a small rise. A broad valley spreads out before you, the opposite side of which looks like a writhing serpent. This must be Serpent Gorge, and the Crypt of the Everflame is supposed to be at the bottom!

But the sides of the valley are steep and a cold rain has started to fall, making the ground slick and treacherous. It won't be easy to make it down to the bottom of the valley.

The default option is to descend the slope, which will take half an hour. You can also descend more slowly, which takes an hour. In either case, I'll need three Acrobatics checks from each PC. I can give some small bonuses to the checks depending on how you approach the matter or other precautions you take.

Steppinwolf is being slow and careful, using any handholds he can to stay upright, basically releasing then catching on the way down.

acrobatics: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
acrobatics: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
acrobatics: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

"Agreed. Whatever we're up to, it won't be easier with a corpse in tow."

Not too light on her feet, Uaine opts for a controlled jog down, hoping it doesn't devolve into a tumble.

Acrobatics: 1d20 ⇒ 20
Acrobatics: 1d20 ⇒ 18
Acrobatics: 1d20 ⇒ 7

Ao looks down at the treacherous path ahead with trepidation; this would be a horribly meaningless way for it all to end.

He prays to Tsukiyo as he takes the time to doff and stow his scale mail, then draws the rope and grappling hook Mayor Uptal provided them with.

"Remember this, gentlemen? I am no mountaineer, but this could help us all if we took turns anchoring and relocating it while the rest of us use it on our way down."

He also takes the slower and steadier route, while his unnatural length of chain appears to do its best to serve as a piton and extra grabbing limb.

Acrobatics: 1d20 ⇒ 10
Acrobatics: 1d20 ⇒ 3
Acrobatics: 1d20 ⇒ 1
uh-oh; I think that's worth my folio reroll (UNLESS bonuses/DC discounts from precautions make even a '1' enough to pass): 1d20 ⇒ 18

Hope all those bonuses do it for me!

Acrobatics: 1d20 ⇒ 2

Acrobatics: 1d20 ⇒ 12

Acrobatics: 1d20 ⇒ 7

Surely attempts to carefully pick his way down after the others.

Steppinwolf and Uaine make it down safely, but not all of their companions are so lucky! Ao slips on the rain-soaked slope and slides a few yards before crashing into a tree. Fortunately, he's able to get up and make it the rest of the way down. Surely fares worse, slipping and sliding through thickets, scraping himself on rocks, and finally landing at the bottom with a crash. From the top of the slope, T'Shar watches and waits for her turn to try the perilous descent.

Ao, you take 3 points of nonlethal damage. Surely, you take 4 points of (lethal) damage.

T'Shar is up.

"Allow me to help you with that," Ao says as he looks down with a slight grimace at Surely's twisted landing posture. He reaches out a hand, and a subtle silvery hue flashes through it and into Surely's body...

Lay Hands On Surely: 1d6 ⇒ 5

...which is suddenly right as rain!

Ao then carefully re-dons his armor (perhaps with the assistance of another).

While waiting for T'Shar to descend, the rest of you see what must be the entrance to the crypt.

An archway of stone is set into the side of a small hill at the bottom of the valley. Moss has overgrown many of the details, but one is still quite clear: the keystone of the arch is carved with a flame symbol with a stylized rune in the middle. A pair of horses and a trio of ponies lie slaughtered next to the archway, each corpse still tied to a post set into the ground nearby; a swarm of flies hangs lazily in the air above them.

Beyond the archway is a darkened tunnel that leads to a pair of massive wooden doors, one of which is slightly ajar.

A picture of the archway is on Slide # 2.

T'shar makes his way carefully down the slope to join the rest of the group.

Botting T'Shar.

Acrobatics#1: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11
Acrobatics#2: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
Acrobatics#3: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

I'm guessing we're going to have some folks travelling and celebrating, etc., so this is a good place to pause and you can enter the crypt once we return. We'll pick things up around the 27th.
Sound okay to everyone?

Good here; I'm out of town Wed-Sunday