'23-'24 Round Robin w/ S01-06 Lost on the Spirit Road

Game Master Frozen Frost

Seelah, level 1 champion replacing Ghul. I can't find her level 3 build in the pregens.

Seelah climbs heights and slopes with her might.
Athletics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

The tampered equipment makes you have a late start, but, still you arrive almost alongside of teams Without Trace or Fail and Fangs of the Remorhaz.

A small, frigid stream runs between the dense pines, opening onto a frozen pond. To the east, a few small columns of smoke rise above the trees from several small campfires. To the north, a dozen caribou walk along the surface of the ice, snuffling and pawing at the thin grasses poking up from the snowy shoreline. As a race official watches over the small herd, the wind carries the gentle sound of bells.

"This trial is meant to recreate the events surrounding the loss of Balgird's beloved pack horse. When the steed was lost in a terrible blizzard, Balgird tracked a herd of caribou across the tundra, and watched their behavior from a distance, looking for one he might be able to tame. He spent more than a week trying to get close to the herd, and narrowly escaped death by hundreds of stampeding hooves before he finally managed to sling his saddle bags over the animal's back and lead his new 'companion' out of the herd and into the taiga."

See slide 7 "Caribou Herd"

"Four of these caribou on the frozen pond have small bells tied into their antlers. Your goal is to retrieve a set of bells without disturbing the caribou."

Hints
1. Determine which caribou have bells: Perception check
2. Stealth to sneak up on the bell-carrying caribou to sneak up on it and retrieve the bell.
Or, Nature to calm the caribou while you are getting close enough to remove the bell from its antlers.

Seelah, level 1 champion replacing Ghul. I can't find her level 3 build in the pregens.

Seelah doesn't have a level 3 build at all.

Trying to stay downwind (That means that the blows from them to me, correct? If not, switch it...) Haohji tries to spot which have the bells...

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12 Dammit! >.<

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

Veiled Lady listens intently to find the origin of the chiming of bells. "Which one has it?" she mutters with eyes close before opening it to the direction of the sound.

"There!" she tells them. "That a bit small one has the bell." she gracefully moves toward the caribou and tries to calm it before retrieving the bell from it.
Nature: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Hero Point! Nature: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19

Do we roll checks for every caribou that has the bells?

I think it is just one. They have several so that each team has a chance, I believe...

Haohji tries to listen for the bells, but, while being cautious to keep downwind, gets distracted by some birds in a nearby birds nest.

The Veiled Lady meanwhile seems to preternaturally sense a the quiet jangling of a bell. She opens her eyes and can now clearly tell which closest bell there is. It is on caribou #4. Cautiously, the Veiled Lady walks close to the caribou, and, as it is eating some small plant from the ground, the Veiled Lady is able to retrieve the bell.

To the south, the Veiled lady sees a dead caribou. The body is mutilated and nearly frozen in the cold air.

Now that you have retrieved a bell, do any of you want to examine the caribou corpse? You may examine the body with a Nature or Medicine check.

The dwarf approaches from the dead caribou to perhaps learn the reason of the death. Is it a natural one? He covers his nose approaching.

Nature: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Veiled Lady joins Benkost in examining the caribou corpse.
Nature: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19

"Interesting... What happened to this poor creature?" she muses while examining the body.

The Veiled Lady examines the corpse. From what she can gather, the large claw marks came from an animal of immense size and strength.

You present the bell to the race officials, and they congratulate you. When you mention your discovery about the caribou corpse, the race official mentions that some of the officials have been stalked by a 15-foot tall beast, and they have concerns.

You may speak with other teams or race officials. Otherwise you may rest up for the next day.

Haohji warms himself by the fire, Anyone catch a glimpse of the beast? Are we talking about a cave bear or something? Or could it be something worse?

That could be anything. Does someone know what kind of beasts are lurking in the woods of the region?

Warming himself by the fire should be a great idea. Benkost joins Haohji.

Veiled Lady communicates with the other teams, asking them if they have heard such beast "Have you encountered such beast before?"

Seela goes with the leshy wherever she goes. "What kind of beast could that be?"

You may make Diplomacy checks to see if any of the teams are even willing to speak with you

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

GM: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (18) - 1 = 171d20 + 0 ⇒ (7) + 0 = 7

None of the other teams seem willing to speak about animals, a couple of them even go so far as to suggest that if you are afraid of a beast, you should quit the race.

But, one of the race officials mentions that something has been stalking the officials. But, no one has actually seen anything.

GM: 1d20 ⇒ 81d21 ⇒ 91d20 ⇒ 131d20 ⇒ 171d20 ⇒ 9

The next day, the next leg of the race begins. Snow is falling, it's bitterly cold, and visibility is limited.

──────────
Characters in ➤ BOLD must choose a skill appropriate to your method of travel for the day. For instance, Athletics to power through, Nature or Survival to know the best way, or perhaps an appropriate lore skill. You can be creative to explain why your skill *is* appropriate (for example, Performance to make everyone happy and productive).
──────────
➤ Haohji
➤ Veiled Lady
➤ Benkhost
➤ Ghul

the dwarf sticks to his method to try to anticipate the problems and to find the best way to travel.

Nature: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Haohji returns to bounding through the snow, clearing a path for his fellow Pathfinders! Athletics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14 :(

"We should take this path. It is safe." Veiled Lady suggests.
Survival: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

Seelah pushes the snow with her shield as she traverses the snowy path.
Athletics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

The snow and cold truly hinder your team, and some of the other teams are getting to the next checkpoint ahead of you.

The third day of the Balgirdtrek begins as the competitors approach the Whitegold River.

As you near the Whitegold River, steam and spray from the Whitegold River hangs in the air as the checkpoint draws near. The wet air carries a cold sting. The snow on the trees drips, plopping heavily to the ground and the snow and frost seem to be clinging only in shadowed nooks and slick patches, despite the frigid air.

Race officials prepare fish caught from the banks of the river near the camp. South of the campsite, another official stands near the riverbank. Several long poles lean against a mossy rock. Across the river, the course stretches away from the river and through the thinning trees into the snow-dusted hills beyond.

The officials at the checkpoint as you arrive are visibly shaken and tell you that one of their patrols was attacked in the night and they barely escaped with their lives.

Some of the other teams have seen signs of the creature and some of them are positing their own ideas as to what it could be.

The officials tell you that this trial is particularly important to the Balgirdtrek.

After spotting the tarn linnorm, Balgird gave chase to the beast. The linnorm slipped through the trees and made its way across the Whitegold River to evade Balgird. The rushing river was frigid and cold, and as Balgird approached he could see the tarn linnorm lurking in the trees on the other side, waiting to pluck his exhausted body from the shore if he swam across. Balgird felled a tall sapling from the riverside and vaulted across the river with as much of his gear as he could carry, foiling the linnorm and chasing it further into the wild.

Please refer to Slide 8

Area C1 is the campsite. Area C3 is where it is expected you will attempt to cross the river.

It is possible to swim across, but the water is extremely cold and the river if flowing swiftly southward. The river is 15 feet deep. The preferred method for crossing the river is to use large poles on hand for the trial. Each 15-foot pole has a small plate affixed to the base just below the tip to prevent the pole from simply sinking into the mud of the river.

The goal of this trial is for each member of the party to cross the river, preferably using the poles to vault across the river.

Please give me perception checks.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Cripes

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

Veiled Lady looks around to find something helpful for the trial at hand.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Some of the other teams are able to pole vault over the river with relative ease. Some of the other teams have more difficulty.

How will you attempt to cross the river?

Haohji heads for the log and hands one end of a rope to Seelah and Benkost, i will vault across and hold one end so that those of a less physical aptitude can use it as a railing, of sorts...

Here we go! Athletics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10 SPLOOSH!

EDIT: Scrambling out of the icy stream, Haohji grits his teeth, looking sheepish, but quickly sheds what clothes he can and calls out, Hurry, please!

Haohji attempts the vault, but is unable to swing across, instead coming back down on the same side.

The Veiled Lady notices something peculiar. She notices that the pole provided to the team has had the plate on the bottom loosened. That would certainly make it more difficult to do the vault.

Vaulting requires either an Athletics check or an Acrobatics check.

Does the river count as difficult terrain?

The dwarf shows the pole to the officials.

I beg your pardon but is it normal?

Whew...

As Haohji shakes off the vision of plunging into the icy cold, he looks up from his bum sheepishly, Thanks, Veiled One... I almost took a plunge!

Can I use craft to repair, since we purchased a repair kit?

"We must repair it, see, that plate." Veiled Lady winks at Haoji. "Maybe someone can repair it before we can properly use it."

She will pass Repairing it because she has Crafting -1

The river is a normal river. Looking at it you see it is incredibly cold and the current flows at 20 feet per round.

You can attempt a repair using the Crafting skill.

So the officials say nothing?

One race official calls another over, who both look at the plate.

One says, "That's highly unusual. It shouldn't be that way."

So we are disadvantaged. That’s not fair. Don’t you agree?

I have specialty crafting with Carpentry, would that apply here?

Craft: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23 Add 1 if Carpentry applies... though it seems that I may not need it... o.O

"Well, it's quite unusual, to say the least. We got a supply of poles with plates, but, I've never seen one come loose like this. Ah. Your teammate, Haohji, seems to have fixed it. Now you can continue to vault over the river safely."

Okay, shall I try again? Is everyone's tight and fixed? Did I miss anyone? Haohji finishes checking everyone's pole then prepares to try a second time, securing his end of the rope around his waist and moves back, looking to his teammates, Ready?

The dwarf nods. If you're ready, I am as well. And he waits for the signal.

"Go for it!" Veiled Lady cheers for Haoji to try again.

Haohji grins and surges forward to leap the distance!

Athletics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13 Holy Mary, Mother, and Joseph! :(

Haohji makes another attempt, but halfway, the pole bends back, delivering him to the shore he started on.

When you check the poles, everything seems okay with them.

Changing his tact, Haohji instead tries to use the pole as a balance pole and attempts to cross the log... Assuming that it is an Acrobatics check? This dice roller seems to hate when I use something I am actually good at...

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12 Nope, that hates me too...

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

The dwarf gives a try as well.

Haohji continues to have trouble, but Benkost makes it seem easy as he pole vaults to the other side.

Have you seen? I showed you how to handle this.

Did Benkost take the end of the rope with him?

I'm sure that even if he didn't someone can attach the rope to a rock or arrow or bolt and get it across.

Still waiting for Haohji, Veiled Lady, and Selah to make the attempt.