Cult of Cinders - Age of Ashes #2 (Inactive)

Game Master Kittenmancer

The birds are unknown to Amaya, but they certainly look majestic.

Gofran pushes the door open into an irregularly-shaped room. The bed frame, chests of drawers and desk mark it as a former bedroom, although most of the furniture has been splintered and broken. Three tents have also been pitched along the walls, and bits of furniture have been used to start a fire in the middle of the room, although it is now down to cinders. The smell of smoke and swamp lies heavily in the air.

Two creatures resembling giant, bipedal frogs are crouched by the remains of the fire, watching the door intently as it swings open. At the sight of Gofran in the doorway, they leap to their feat, shouting in a language that no-one understands. One of them unleashes an ear-splitting, terrifying croak, while the other throws a javelin at Gofran, which sticks into the doorframe instead of the dwarf.

Attack vs. Gofran: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2 Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Initiative order, bold can act: creatures, Beatrix, Beau, Gofran, Alak, Amaya, Karana, Kyrie.
Karana and Beau are frightened 1.

Kyrie advances to the center, rushing past Gofran. She enters her battle stance and holds up her shield, prepared to meet the enemies’ blows.

Stride, enter Everstand Stance, Raise Shield

“Eep!” Karana gets the willies from the frogmen! She does not appreciate the scare. “You—you are not… NICE!”

She chants angrily in Druidic and hurls fire at the nearest foe!

Produce Flame, (frightened -1): 1d20 + 2 + 3 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (6) + 2 + 3 + 2 - 1 = 12
Fire Damage: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

…but her shaky arm aims poorly!

Uncertain about whether advancing is the right thing to do, Beau pushes after Kyrie with hesitation to his step. Deciding that staying behind Kyrie is the prudent thing to do, he drops the torch and with a flick of the wrist, draws a dagger and throws it at the closest frog.

Action 1: stride
Action 2: drop torch + draw dagger
Action 3: throw dagger (leaving Beau armed with 'just' a rapier)
Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 4

Seeing her comrades rush into battle with an new foe, Amaya makes her way closer that she may see the enemy. "Frogs...?" she ponders briefly before shaking the thought away. She calls on the storm and sends a shock of electricity bouncing between them.

◆ Stride
◆◆ Electric Arc: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6 Electricity Damage
DC 17 Basic Reflex save to both targets.

"I cannot see" Bea complains. Seeing no other option she moves past the Eeping Karana, to right behind Kyrie. "Right behind you, going to... " she wiggles her fingers, chants, and shoots frost through the air at the nearest frog person.

ray of frost: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Reflex save red: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16 Reflex save blue: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

The two frog-like creatures snicker as they easily dodge flame and dagger, but yelp in pain and surprise as Amaya's magic shocks them, and one of them clutches at their side where a patch of frost is forming on the moist skin.

Alak is straining to see over everyone's heads, cursing the narrow corridor. Stride, interact to draw sword, too far for anything else.

Gofran is up.

Gofran draws his greatsword and advances to give combat to the frogman, having little time to think of what they are before attacking.

Act1: Interact to draw weapon; Act2: Stride; Act3: Strike
Strike: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
Damage: 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Gofran's target reaches for his club, taking two swings at the ranger. The first one connects with a very painful thud, hitting Gofran in the shoulder and almost breaking bones.

Meanwhile, the other frogman throws another javelin, this time at Kyrie, and unleashes their own terrifying croak before whipping out a long, sticky tongue that wraps itself around the champion's upper leg, holding her in place.

Alak squeezes past everyone in the narrow corridor, muttering apologies as his bulky frame causes the others to press up against the wall. His greatsword aimed point-first at the creature that had captured Kyrie, he puts his weight behind a skewering attack that leaves a gaping wound into his enemy's side. Stride, stride, strike.

Everyone can act!

> stride
>> cast Produce Flame

Karana attacks the frog with its tongue out.

Fire: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
Fire: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Karana is pleased by her aim as her fireball makes a wide berth around grappled Kyrie… but ashamed as her shot does not curve back toward the enemy.

"There is a sticky tongue around your leg" Bea lets the warrior know helpfully as she looks around her bulk and GLARES at the tongue's owner. The dark shadows that soaked into her in her father's tower leak out for greater effect.

demoralize, intimidating glare: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27 vs will, language doesn't matter, frightened 1 on success, 2 on crit

demoralize 1, spell 2

Then she wiggles her fingers at it to make it frosty.
ray of frost: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11
damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Gofran grimaces as he is hit, losing the air in his lungs. Angry, Gofran tries to figure out a weakness in his enemy before attacking again.

Act1: Hunt Prey (with free Recall Knowledge); Act2: Strike; Act3: Strike OR Stride
Strike: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15
Damage, Precision: 1d12 + 4 + 1d8 ⇒ (5) + 4 + (3) = 12

Strike, MAP: 1d20 + 8 - 5 ⇒ (20) + 8 - 5 = 23
Damage, Precision: 1d12 + 4 + 1d8 ⇒ (1) + 4 + (3) = 8 Crit for 16

Precision applies only once per round, so if Strike1 hits, Strike2 damage is reduced by 3 (Crit for 6).

If the enemy is down on Strike1, will Stride to flank with Alak!

Bea's glare seems effective, causing the frog creature's bulbous eyes to protrude even farther in fear, but her frosty ray misses. Gofran lands a well-aimed hit on his opponent, sending it staggering back a step, croaking in pain.

"Carre not to touch theirr skin! I beleive they arre boggarrds and I've hearrd theirr skin is poisonous!" Gofran shares with the others, glad he was able to push his enemy back.

Kyrie’s shield is at the ready, and it blocks most of the oncoming strike of the javelin. The hardness of her shield with everstand stance is 7, so she and the shield only take 1 damage

She then steps forward and pounds her shield into the foe that struck her.

Attack with Shield: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
Damage (everstand): 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
If that happens to beat the enemy’s AC by 10, it’s a crit and you double the damage

She then keeps her shield up, ready to receive another blow.

Step, strike, raise shield

The edge of Kyrie's shield catches the boggard under the chin with a loud crack, and their eyes glaze over with the shock of the blow as they sway in place.

Amaya is up.

Acting on Gofran's words, Beau draws his bow and fires two arrows in quick succession.

Action 1: draw bow (drop rapier)
Action 2+3: shoot Red
Ranged: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 5
Ranged: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Amaya steps closer to the engagement, trying to keep her arms and legs from shaking as she summons more electricity at the targets.

◆ Step
◆◆ Electric Arc: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6 Electricity Damage
DC 17 Basic Reflex save to both targets.

Reflex save red: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7 Reflex save blue: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

Using a bow in these cramped quarters is difficult, and Beau's arrows both miss their target. Amaya unleashes another electrical discharge, which the boggards cannot avoid. Their bodies seize up, and they slowly collapse face down on the floor.

Both are down, combat over.

At first, Amaya is ecstatic that she is able to consciously control her budding magic, until it dawns on her that she killed two living creatures, even ones that intended the same to them. The moment that thought hits her, she feels an immediate sense of sickness wash over her.

"Excuse me," she says, her voice heavy, as she turns back into the hallway. A mild retching sound can be heard by anyone listening.

I actually thought of this before Amaya’s post.

Karana looks at the pathetic creatures. As Amaya is stepping out, Karana casts a spell on each boggard.

>> Stabilize
>> Stabilize
Takes two rounds.

She then says to the others, “If you believe it is too dangerous to spare them, do as you think best. But… know that I can prevent death in this way.

“Also know that if I believe our enemy will wake up and murder innocent people, I will not prevent their deaths. In this case, I wonder if the boggards attacked us out of fear.” Karana’s use of ‘I wonder’ is not to make a point. She genuinely doesn’t know the boggards’ motives, and is genuinely open to opinions on stabilization vs. delivery of the coup de grace.

Kyrie lowers her shield and nods with her usual grave intensity. ”I agree. I do not think we need to do more violence than necessary.”

Karana's magic stops the two boggards from slipping entirely into death, although they remain unconscious.

Karana smiles appreciatively at Kyrie’s words, then—upon noticing both boggards still breathe!—she steps out to see Amaya.

“You did an excellent job, Amaya. I kept missing—I must have lost my touch since surviving on my own.” Amaya is obviously not proud of her own prowess in battle, so Karana goes on, “And speaking of surviving, I used some magic to leave in a stable condition.

“They are only sleeping.” Karana smiles sweetly, hoping this comes off to Amaya as good news.

"We might need ways to communicating with odd creatures like this in the future. Shouldn't we tie them up at least though?" Bea muses as she starts to look around for anything interesting that would explain why they are here. "There are three tents... but only two of them. So we would be missing one, or these are not theirs."

“You did an excellent job, Amaya. I kept missing—I must have lost my touch since surviving on my own.” Amaya is obviously not proud of her own prowess in battle, so Karana goes on, “And speaking of surviving, I used some magic to leave in a stable condition.

“They are only sleeping.” Karana smiles sweetly, hoping this comes off to Amaya as good news.

Slightly bent over at the waist and leaning against the hallway wall, Amaya nods in understanding, obviously looking a little haggard from her revelation, but she tries to smile at her friend in return. "I've never had to take the life of another sentient creature before. Even for survival. Hunting and fishing are different things all together."

“Neither have I,” Karana replies. “I was twelve (far too young to fight) when my father hid my brother Ramo and I from the Goblinblood War. And I was nineteen (still a child) when I first pointed my spear at a person. It was Tutok, my childhood friend, though I saw her as the enemy as Calmont sees goblins now.

“And just now was also my first time attacking a person. If I could actually hit anyone with my attack spell, I believe I would be distressed as you are now.” Karana silently contemplates the truth behind these words. She then says, “Amaya… I will make a promise to you now. One is, I will always pray to Desna for the magic to stabilize the dying. I am willing to cast this on a fallen foe, though there may come a time that a foe cannot be spared. And that leads to another promise:

“I will listen to you if you are distressed from battle. Feel free to tell me if you prefer a quiet listener, or my attempt at advice though I may lack much experience in many things involving people, not just fighting and killing.” Realizing Amaya has little opportunity to get a word in, “I can listen now… later tonight after you have processed everything… or, both now and later?”

Kyrie lowers her head as she wipes down her shield. ”I have only killed that which was dead already. I have wished with my entire being to kill a specific man. I would have if someone else had not done it before me. I think wanting to kill someone that much is probably worse than killing someone in the heat of battle.” She sighs and tries to force a smile. ”I will do my best to make this easier for all of you. I am happy to talk. I am happy to share the burden.”

Gofran adds nothing to the conversation about killing targets. Not that he enjoyed killing creatures or anything like that, but he had his fair share of battles, both defending caravans from bandit attacks and from hunting down fugitives. He never cared to count those he had felled.

He looks around the room for some rope to tie the boggarts and does so to the best of his abilities.

There is no rope among the meager possessions of the boggards, but strips of ripped bed curtains can be improvised into half-decent bindings.

Gofran also takes note of their equipment - they both wear studded leather armour, and seem to possess a club and three javelins each, although one of those is currently stuck into the doorframe. Each of them also has a grubby pouch at their belt, filled with polished river stones, strips of cured meat, miscellaneous junk and a total of 28 silver coins of unfamiliar minting.

Seeming to recover from her illness, Amaya nods in thanks, "I don't know if I will ever get used to it, but I will do my best to endure, and I certainly appreciate your efforts, both of you."

Standing up straight again, she heads back into the room with Karana, a small part of her feeling relieved to see the creatures still breathing.

Beau has a look at the polished river stones and the cured meat. Are they from these lands or from a place altogether exotic and distant? "Are these creatures native to Isger? Or are they ... lost tourists?"

"More from the portal..." Bea breaths, eager to find the thing.

Gofran smiles to Bea. "Many times it if vise to temperr ourr expectations, little Bea... therre could be no porrtal afterrall, even if I believe therre is one. Betterr bein' surrprrised than disappointed."

"Tempering is all well and good, Master Axebane, but sometimes the savoring of expectation is well worth any let down." she returns his smile, always enjoying a good discussion. Her eyes frown a bit though when the worry pulls her toward a let down "No there has to be something, nothing else makes sense, might not be open anymore, which would be disappointing... but... something."

Leaving the unconscious boggards tied up, the party opens the door to the east, finding it to lead to a very short corridor... and another door.

Exploration actions? Do you go through the second door? Beatrix, I think detect magic does not work through doors and other barriers, but correct me if I'm wrong.

Karana weighs in, “For eighteen summers and winters I waited for a way out of the First World. Hope kept me going.

“I think I must be true to myself. I believe the portal theory has supporting evidence. It is possible. I would like to explore, and find the portal or find there is none. The truth will not necessarily disappoint if it does not match my expectation.”

Karana will SEARCH as the party explores the next room.

Doesn't say anything other than a pulse, so perfectly happy with that.

Detecting magic as her exploration action.

"Maybe a magic bag that swallowed the ecosystem of a faraway place is just now regurgitating it all over Alak's grandfather's keep." Bea offers another outlandish theory, though 'portal' is still her favorite.

"Oh, grandfather would not like that," replies Alak, with a note of humour in his voice. "It hardly looks like it now, but this keep was very likely a very orderly place back in its heyday." He sighs. "If all the floors I scrubbed as a kid in Citadel Vraid are any indication."

As the group opens the second door, they are greeted with screeches and croaks as another boggard and two simian-looking creatures make their presence (and their aggression) known.

Alak reacts first, striding into the room past Kyrie and Gofran towards the boggard, his greatsword drawn. "Right, I've had it with you making a mess of this place!" He swings at the boggard, who ducks at the last moment, the blade passing inches from its head and clanging into the wall.

Alak attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16 Damage: 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
Stride, Intimidating Strike**

One of the simian creatures begins shrieking and wailing, moving with incredible speed to rain chunks of wood and stone on the armiger. They all bounce off the thick plate with loud bangs.

Strike 1: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18 Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Strike 2: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6 Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
Strike 3: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (13) - 2 = 11 Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6
Strike 4: 1d20 - 7 ⇒ (17) - 7 = 10 Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Initiative order, bold can act: Alak, green simian, Beatrix, Karana, Gofran, Amaya, Kyrie, Beau, pink simian, boggard.

Wise not to sheath his sword now that they know these halls are occupied by enemies, Gofran enters the room, trying to recall what the knows about these simian foes, while also looking for a weak spot as he strikes.

Act1: Hunt Prey (with free Recall Knowledge [if crit success, we get bonus!], Act2: Stride, Act3: Strike)

Strike: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18 Vs. Pink. +1 to hit if crit success on Recall Knowledge
Damage, Precision: 1d12 + 4 + 1d8 ⇒ (2) + 4 + (3) = 9

Karana dashes into the room. Though unprepared for battle, she can summon fire!

She hurls a fireball at the archer!

> stride, >> cantrip: Prod Flame
Produce Flame: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Damage: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Gofran wounds one of the simian creatures, while Karana's flames burn the boggard, who croaks in pain.

"See. Three tents, three boggarts, simple math... but where do the simians sleep?" Bea's own logic turns against her. Small space, many enemies, the unarmored little one considers, but then she stops thiking and simply runs into the fray. Her hands weave in a complex pattern as she faces the third potential tent user and then a horror show of colors erupts: violent violets, all too fleshy pinks, and an orange that makes you want to hate all oranges.

move, spell: color spray, fifteen-foot cone, to boggart and a simian, will save vs dc 18, success dazzled 1 round, failure stunned 1, blinded 1 round, dazzled 1 minute, critical failure, stunned 1 round, blinded 1 minute

Beau steps into the doorway and ploinks an arrow at the simian threatening Gofran.

Action 1: move
Action 2+3: attack
Attack vs Pink: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 1
If Crit, Deadly: 1d10 ⇒ 3
Attack vs Pink: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 3

Will save boggard: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Will save green: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

The patterned colour spell blinds and stuns its target, while Beau's arrows find their mark.

Kyrie enters her battle stance and raises her shield before striding into the room, taking up position next to Gofran.

Enter Everstand, raise shield, stride

If the enemy attacks Gofran instead of her, she will use Retributive Strike as her reaction, which will reduce any damage Gofran takes by 4 and allow her to strike it for free, which I’ll preroll for you in a spoiler

Amaya swallows back the bile threatening to rise from her throat at the sound of combat. "Your friends need you. Get in there,"she tells herself, as her feet start to move.

Standing in the short hall, she can make out the enemy in the crowded chaos of the fight. She picks out two, and unleashes lightning, which leaps from one, over the heads of her comrades, into the other.

◆ Stride
◆◆ Electric Arc: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7 Electricity Damage
DC 17 Basic Reflex Save; Targetting the Boggard, and Pink.

The simian creature that Gofran attacked hops backwards, scooping up and flinging debris at the dwarf, bur fortunately Kyrie intercepts the blows with her shield.

Blinded and stunned, the boggard flails around with the club, managing a lucky blow on Alak, while the second simian targets the armiger with unerring precision, hitting him twice in the side of the head.

"Why, you..." grunts Alak, a trickle of blood now dripping down his jaw.

Everyone can act!

Fire Ball: 1d20 + 2 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 + 3 + 2 = 22
Damage: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Karana hurls fire again!

She grabs a javelin so she can hurl that too!

>> Prod Flame
> Draw Javelin (can’t throw it this round)

Kyrie clambers after the simian, hammering down her shield from overhead. She holds her shield up high as she prepares for a counter attack.

Attack with Shield: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18
Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Stride/climb onto the square the simian was in, strike, raise shield