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1) I am based in Southeast Asia (UTC +8) so my posting hours may be unusual (especially for those in North America). I usually update at least one or twice per day. Just to keep the game moving, please post at least once every day and at least once during the weekend. If you disappear for more than 24 hours, especially during combat, I will simply place your character on infinite delay just to keep things moving.
2) Please label all three of your actions. Even if you think what you are doing is obvious.
3) Real life happens, and real life will always take priority over the game, but out of fairness for your fellow players, please let us know if you will be unavailable for an extended period of time.
4) Please complete the Macros and the Slides linked at the top of the page.
5) Questions, concerns? Feel free to share them in the Discussion tab.
6) Let's have some fun and tell a great story together! After all, that's what we are here for.
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Your adventure begins in the small tent city of Hillcross, which serves as a meeting place for Kellids and others traversing the largest
pass through the Tusk Mountains. It is a common waypoint for those traveling to or from the region. The tent city is damp, and the air thick from a heavy rain that occurred the night before, but is still bustling with activity as folk of all kinds pass through.
As you make your way through the city, you hear a tumultuous tapping closeby. Turning to the source of the sound, you see a woodpecker at work, affixing a note to a wooden advertisement board. This note is a hastily scribbled message in Common, calling for help in rounding up
stegosaurus nestlings just outside the city.
As you approach the board, you see the following posted:
Urgent assistance requested! Young stegosauruses loose! Help me return them to the wild! Make haste to the outskirts of town, due west, then south between the two large boulders. Payment of gold provided in exchange for a successful roundup.
—Xila of the Green Faith
As you read the note, you notice the woodpecker hovering nearby.
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The (very) tall Shoanti with dark red hair stands nearby with her arms crossed over her chest. She wears loose dark pants that bloom at the bottom over soft black leather boots. An unadorned light colored dobak tied on the sides covers her torso and hips. She's an unremarkable looking woman except for her eyes; the dark purple irises almost completely cover her sclera, giving her an intense mien.
My cousin's totem is an animal not unlike this one. I will honor her and aid in this roundup.
I will help, she says to the woodpecker.
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Approaching the board, an elegantly-dressed human, wearing a comically large ascot tie, looks slightly out of place. The thin, 6-foot tall gentleman has a neatly combed coif of dark hair with a full mustache, which is often singed by his electrical experiments. He wears an odd set of goggles on his forehead, always ready to tinker. He seems to be struggling with his backpack.
The strange man studies the strange note, and whistles. "An actual stegosaurus. Where I come from, I've only read about them in books." He nods to the gnome and the shoanti in greeting. "Well met, travelers. I'm Tesla. I dabble in magic ... primarily electricity." He continues, "I'm not from around here. Another time actually. I'm afraid one of my experiments went awry." He continues adjusting his mostly empty backpack. Alas, when one isn't blessed with great strength, everything is heavy.
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A two and a half foot tall stuffed rabbit wearing academic robes watches with intrest as the woodpecker affixes the note to the board. He stands and attempts to tip his hat to the bird but fails as it is stitched to his head. He frowns and steps up to the message board to read.
"Oh my goodnethth! Thtegothaurutheth? Incredible!" The rabbit's pronounced front teeth cause him to speak with an exaggerated lisp. Turning to the woodpecker he speaks once more. "I thuppothe you work with Xila? Allow me to introduth mythelf. I am Profeththor Bun Bun, Q.T.E. I would be motht pleathed to provide thome aththithtanth in thith matter." He makes a brief attempt to shake hands with the woodpecker before realizing the impossibility of this endeavor and sheepishly lowering his hand.
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A tall woman with ponytailed hair in her subterfuge suit that hisses and ticks like the sound of gears, approaches the post and reads it. "Wow! This could be fun. But where could this outskirts be?" she asks herself in a whisper.
When Tesla begins to introduce himself to them, she takes this opportunity to ask him, perhaps he may know where could this rounding up be done. "Hello, good sire Tesla. I am Tinsley. You say, stegosaurus. Are you also interested in rounding them up? I would like to join. Perhaps you know where this outskirt is?"
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Tesla nods to the newcomers. He blinks at the talking stuffed bunny. "Well, aren't you an interesting creature?" Not familiar with poppets where he's from, he forgets that it's rude to stare.
When Tinsley introduces herself, he snaps out of his trance, and bows. "Dear Lady Tinsley, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." In answer to her question and in response to the rabbit grilling the bird, he continues, "To be sure, I'm not familiar with the area, but the notice says to head west and look for two boulders to the south." He points to the West. "That way." He waits for others to take the lead and follows along.
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The Shoanti turns to the strange mingling and bows slightly, her hands tucked inside the sleeve of her garment. Well met strangers. I am Jinakka Crushes Twigs of the Skoan-Quah. It pleases me to join you in this worthy pursuit.
These must not be members of that illustrious group that call themselves Pathfinders, for otherwise they would have those odd contraptions that are useful for finding direction.
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So, we have officially entered the (shock, gasp in amazement, no one saw this coming) skill check encounter. The roundup plays out over the course of 3 rounds, each representing about 5 minutes of activity. You are free to use any skill as long as you can make it fit. Creative solutions may get bonuses.
Some Examples:
Nature to calm the dinos
Thievery to untangle ropes
Performance to lure the the curious dinos using odd noises or gestures.
** Be creative **
Each round, you can forego herding the stegosauri and inspect the enclosure. You can make a Perception check to seek. As this is also a secret check, please post your Perception mod and I will roll it for you. You can also attempt both checks but at a penalty due to your divided attention.
Please give me 3 rounds of skill checks. You may use the same skill as a previous check, but with a -2 penalty.
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Following the bird, you find yourselves in a large clearing in a wooded valley to the west of town. It is here you find a haggard Kellid woman in a patterned cloak of several colors. She ignores the sticks tangled in her hair and the dirt on her face as she chases a juvenile stegosaurus through the mud. All around her, nearly twenty young stegosauruses romp across the clearing, play in pools of mud, and trample the ropes and stakes of a ruined animal pen. For each stegosaurus the woman successfully herds toward the enclosure, another storms out, excited to roam and play.
When you arrive, the woodpecker lands on her shoulder, and she slumps away from the chaos to greet you.
"I am Xila, a follower of the Green Faith. When I heard rumors circulating around Hillcross that this clutch was to be sold into captivity, I knew I needed to return them to the wild. As young as many of them are, I believed their herd must be in the nearby lowlands. I paid the trapper’s fee, which was quite a sum, but money is nothing in comparison to their quality of life. I have kept them here while I searched the valleys. I found a herd nearby, with many young missing—it might even be their family. I intended to reunite them today, but
this morning I discovered them like this. They’re quite the handful."
"Before I escort the young to their herd, I need to round them up and calm them down. There are far too many, and I’m exhausted. Please gather them up and bring them to me, without hurting them. While you’re at it, see if you can find out how they broke free—I don’t want to head into the wilderness only to be set upon by some dangerous creature."
Some of the dinosaurs have their spines wrapped in rope from the makeshift enclosure, while others are stuck in the thick mud left by the night’s heavy rain. Others simply run away from Xila as she tries to lure them to the enclosure, taking advantage of the space to play with each other. The young stegosauruses range in size from 1 to 2 feet tall, 3 to 4 feet long, and 30 to 100 pounds.
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Zinnifen moves over to the enclosure to inspect it. "How did all these scampers escape?" He scratches his chin as his hair begins to slowly shift from blue to a mottled pine green and brown and his skin begins to darken toward the color of the muddy ground.
"Oh. No just look at you!" the gnome says, his colors still shifting. "You've gotten yourself all tangled in the rope. Hold still. Hold still. I'll get you out of there in a jiffy."
"Um. Well. Maybe two jiffies," Zinnifen says to the stegosaurus and keeps working on the tangled rope.
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Tesla looks around, marveling at the young dinosaurs.
The odd wizard is much more comfortable in a library or a lab. He's not at all used to herding wild animals. He ultimately treats the situation like one of his experiments and sets to work on repairing the enclosure itself, so the dinosaurs can stay put. He pulls out his repair kit.
He frowns and mutters, "This is harder than it looks!" Realizing he's made a mess of things, he tries to untangle the ropes.
He gives a heavy sad sigh, and apologizes to the group. "Oh dear. I fear I'm making things worse. I'm sorry, I should've stayed back in town." His shoulders slump in frustration.
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Having heard Xila, Tinsley excitedly begins to work in rounding up the young dinos. She starts by approaching one of the young dinos and caressing its head like a baby. "Hello, baby dino, I am Tinsley. How is our baby today? Are you eating well? How did you end up outside your pen? Your momma would be worried for you."
She then attempts the other one to untangle the rope that has gone around the dino. "Poor dino, let me help you with that. I hope you can still breathe with that thing around your neck."
She also tries to play with another dino by sneaking behind her and catch it by surprise, making sure it would run into the direction of the pen.
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Tinsley looks above to what the stuffed rabbit is talking about. "Hmmm. Perhaps we follow that bird, what do you think, Professor Bun Bun Cutie?" she tells the bard, beaming a smile. "Your name is suitable to you. Did you name yourself that?"
The Professor frowns. "Of courthe I didn't name mythelf. My name wath given to me when I wath born. But it'th not Profeththor Bun Bun Cutie. It'th Profeththor Bun Bun Q.T.E. It thandth for Quite Thoroughly Educated."
He ponders for a moment, reminiscing. "I mean, sure. Little Enid actually called me Bun Bun Cutie but what do you exthpect from a three-year old." A ghost of a smile crosses his face. "She alwayth thought it wath tho funny when I corrected her."
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"Tho. The dilemma ith to thafely get the dinoth into their paddock. Hmm...Perhapth if we were to offer them a favorite treat..."
"Aha! I have it." The brilliant bunny looks around and shouts with glee as he finds what he searches for. "Dandelionth. Thegathourutheth abtholutely love dandelionth." He picks a handful of dandelions and offers them to the nearest stegosaurus in an attempt to entice the dino back into the pen.
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"Perhapth if I manage to imitate the cry of a mother thegathouruth calling to her children I could lure them into the enclosure."
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After pondering for a moment on another solution to the problem he decides use some branches and grasses to craft a scary mask and use it to frighten the baby dinos into the safety of the pen.
"Grr...I'm a thcary monthter! You better run to thafety inthide the corral."
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Upon reaching the clearing, Jinakka considered the high-spirited, young saurans, satisfaction coloring her decision to help. Well, let us see if my training can help here.
She strolls over to one caught inextricably, bleating its displeasure, and attempts to pluck it from the mire.
Perhaps I should try to calm it first.
You poor thing, you are really stuck. Let me help.
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You find the footprints of a clawed creature and signs that part of the enclosure was chopped or torn apart.
You don't see anything unusual about the paddock.
Jinakka checks out the paddock for what may have happened. She then tries to calm the baby but it's too panicked to listen. Finally she tries to bodily haul it out of the muck but it's too firmly stuck to move.
Vattqem tries to sneak up on a dinosaur but steps on a dry twig and gives his position away. He then tries to lure the dinosaur back to it's enclosure which works. Flush with success, he tries again but the next baby just ignores him.
Professor Bun Bun tries to recall from his many travels what would lure stegosauri and tries to use dandelions to lure it back to its enclosure. Intrigued, the baby dino follows him back. He imitates the call of a mother stegosaurus to get one of the babies to listen. He then tries creating a mask, which doesn't scare anyone.
Tinsley manages to calm the dino like an old pro. However trying to untangle a baby from the vines gets the better of her. Finally, sneaking up to a baby dino, she manages to scare it back to the enclosure.
Zinnifen inspects the paddock. He then tries to untangle the baby but fails his first attempt. Approaching the problem from another route, he tries again and manages to untangle two babies.
Tesla also inspects the paddock. He tries to repair the paddock but doesn't quite succeed. He then tries to free a dino from the ropes and manages to free two instead.
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While the group is wrangling the dinosaurs, Tesla calls out in his somewhat formal manner, "I say, my good colleagues ... over here, the enclosure has been torn apart." The wizard continues, "Mind you, I'm no expert in tracking, but those look like claw-marks leading away." He points to the destroyed enclosure and the markings.
Tesla finds the Kellid woman in charge and asks, "Pardon me, ma'am. Are you familiar with any creature that may have made these marks?" He indicates the footprints.
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You successfully herd the dinosaurs back into the enclosure and close the gate. You share your findings with Xila.
"Footprints, you say? Xila asks, "Hang on a moment, I have to count them to make sure none are missing."
Xila begins counting the dinosaurs, tapping at sticks in her hair the way one might count on their fingers.
"...eighteen... nineteen... no, that can't be! I must have counted wrong!" Her voice becomes more and more panicked as she repeats the count again. After recounting the dinosaurs for perhaps the fifth time, she cries out in alarm "Babs is missing! Babs is the smallest and youngest of the lot."
You show the footprints to Xila, who studies them closely.
"The tracks head west, " she says, pointing deeper into the wooded valley, "I wonder if the thief captured more dinosaurs than little Babs. If you do find other dinosaurs other than Babs, do bring them back to me so I can try to reunite them with their herds."
"Will you please go after Babs? I'd go, but I need to stay here to make sure these babies don't break out again. Take these. They may help you in your search."
Xila hands you four vials. Two are potions of healing while the other 2 are Eagle Eye Elixirs.
One PC may make a Survival check to follow the tracks.
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Jinakka looks around at her companions, hoping they can't sense her trepidation. She looks down at herself, trying to find a clean piece of cloth with which to wipe the mud from her face. I have never led a group, and so far my efforts were pathetic.
Sigh.
Holding her head a little higher, but still feeling inadequate to the task, she says, "Thank you Xila. Since you have so keenly detected the travel direction of the culprit, I believe I can follow their trail."
She begins to walk westward.
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Jinakka follows follows the tracks and, based on the lay of the land, discerns that they lead to a specific hill nearby. You also notice the tracks of a compsognathus near the camp. As you climb the hill, you start hearing insults being shouted.
Area Map is now posted. It will also be linked at the top of the page.
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As you near the top of the hill, you start seeing find gruesome decorations framing the lair’s entrance. Bones and body parts of various animals hang from ropes and sinew in front of crude paintings of dried blood depicting the skeletons of mammoths and dinosaurs. When you ascend to the top of the slope, you see Babs, tightly lashed to a massive wooden stake a short distance west, toward the hill’s face. The hatchling is unharmed, but frightened. She strains against his restraints and begins letting out throaty cries when she sees you.