Performance to Inspire Courage (Success, lasts 3 rounds)
Zepth calls upon her musical accompaniment to aid her performance to inspire her allies.
Moist gets close to the bubbling cauldron and tries to adjust its runes. The cauldron bubbles more as a reaction but nothing more happens.
Moments later, the cauldron bubbles still more up to the brim but nothing else after that.
❖❖❖❖❖❖ KUPYN'S COTTAGE Round 2 ❖❖❖❖❖❖
Party Conditions:INSPIRE COURAGE (+1 status bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves against fear effects) [Round 1-3 until start of Zepth's turn] ENCOUNTER MAP Other Notes: ☘️ - Hero Points
❖❖❖CHARACTER IN ➤ BOLD TYPEFACE CAN ACT!❖❖❖ ➤ Olegaro (☘️ 1/3)(AC 17, 19 w Steel Shield (20/20 HP))(10/19 HP)
Cobbleswarm (-12 HP)
Rybar (☘️ 0/3) (AC 17)(17/17 HP, 1 temp HP)
Otani Yoshitsugu (☘️ 0/3) (AC 18, 19 w Shield)(15/15 HP, 1 temp HP) | Moderate Curse (see below)
Moist Definitely (☘️ 2/3) (AC 15, 16 w Shield)(12/12 HP, 1 temp HP)
Zepth (☘️ 2/3) (AC 17, 18 w Shield)(18/18 HP, 1 temp HP)
Hanu, Friend of the Wood (☘️ 1/3) (AC 17, 18 w Shield)(18/18 HP, 1 temp HP)
Bubbling Cauldron (Blue) (0/4 disabled, see below) (- HP)
The PCs can either ◆ breaking the cauldron (HP 30, Hardness 5, BT 15) or succeeding at four ◆◆ DC 15 Arcana, Thievery, or Crafting checks to adjust the runes on the cauldron to its previous function (a critical success counts as two successes).
Moderate Curse :
The strain of conflict wears upon your body, even though you gain vitality from it. Making a Strike reduces the penalty from your minor curse to –1 rather than suspending it entirely. You gain a +2 status bonus to weapon and unarmed damage rolls. You also gain fast healing equal to half your level while in a non-trivial combat encounter.
CG male human fighter 1 | HP 21/21 | AC 18 (20 w/shield) |F +7 R +6 W +4 | Perc +6 | Stealth +1 | Hero Points 1/1 | Icons: ◆◇↺ | speed 25 | Exploration Activity: Defend | Conditions: None
Olegaro will glance at the cauldron with concern but focus on the immediate problem of the swarm.
He will step away from Rybar, but keeping out of the boomerang line, and
power attack the swarm (which may be flanked?)melee to hit, inspired:1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 9 + 1 = 18 with his flail for 2d6 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (5, 5) + 4 + 1 = 15 bludgeoning damage
Olegaro step aside and brings another bludgeoning attack at the swarm to crush them! Swarm takes 15 B damage.
The swarm attempts to bring down Olegaro who is trying to crush them into pieces with ◆◆ Grasping Bites!
Athletics check vs Olegaro's Fortitude DC 17:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16Failure
Having failed on that, they continue to ◆ assault him! DC 17 basic Reflex save vs 2d4 ⇒ (1, 1) = 2 bludgeoning damage
❖❖❖❖❖❖ KUPYN'S COTTAGE Round 2 ❖❖❖❖❖❖
Party Conditions:INSPIRE COURAGE (+1 status bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves against fear effects) [Round 1-3 until start of Zepth's turn] ENCOUNTER MAP Other Notes: ☘️ - Hero Points
❖❖❖CHARACTER IN ➤ BOLD TYPEFACE CAN ACT!❖❖❖
Olegaro (☘️ 1/3) (AC 17, 19 w Steel Shield (20/20 HP))(10/19 HP) | DC 17 basic Reflex save vs 2 bludgeoning damage
Cobbleswarm (-27 HP) ➤ Rybar (☘️ 0/3)(AC 17)(17/17 HP, 1 temp HP) ➤ Otani Yoshitsugu (☘️ 0/3)(AC 18, 19 w Shield)(15/15 HP, 1 temp HP) | Moderate Curse (see below)
➤ Moist Definitely (☘️ 2/3)(AC 15, 16 w Shield)(12/12 HP, 1 temp HP) ➤ Zepth (☘️ 2/3)(AC 17, 18 w Shield)(18/18 HP, 1 temp HP) ➤ Hanu, Friend of the Wood (☘️ 1/3)(AC 17, 18 w Shield)(18/18 HP, 1 temp HP)
Bubbling Cauldron (Blue) (0/4 disabled, see below) (- HP)
The PCs can either ◆ breaking the cauldron (HP 30, Hardness 5, BT 15) or succeeding at four ◆◆ DC 15 Arcana, Thievery, or Crafting checks to adjust the runes on the cauldron to its previous function (a critical success counts as two successes).
Moderate Curse :
The strain of conflict wears upon your body, even though you gain vitality from it. Making a Strike reduces the penalty from your minor curse to –1 rather than suspending it entirely. You gain a +2 status bonus to weapon and unarmed damage rolls. You also gain fast healing equal to half your level while in a non-trivial combat encounter.
The whirling slash of wind and wood swirls back whence in came - with a cartwheel in place, Hanu return flights the boomerang to menance the cobbleswarm once again, as it then dissipates into his kinetic aura. Rechannelling that same energy, he "plants" it into the ground, causing a saproling to burst forth, which quickly blossoms into a swaying tree, protective of Olegaro and Rybar!
Zepth imbues magic to Rybar's weapon. Rybar slices at the swarm. Crit, 10*2 slashing damage - 6 slashing resistance + 3 splash weakness (from EV) = 17 total damage.
The damage is enough to bring down the swarm, turning it into mundane stones.
To Hanu and Otani, you can have your actions back. You still have to deal with the cauldron. It keeps boiling to the rim, maybe that is where the swarm came from?
Hanu, Otani, and Moist are up! The Bubbling Cauldron is still bubbling!
Moist adjust one of the runes and the bubbling somewhat decreases. Hanu keeps the tree and stands next to Olegaro.
Ōtani Yoshitsugu. wrote:
If allowed, he could Stride to Cauldron and use thise Strikes?
Sure. Otani gets close to the bubbling cauldron and hacks it. 11 S - 5 Hardness + 9 S - 5 Hardness = 10 total damage
The cauldron bubbles once again, not sure if it is a reaction to Otani's attacks or something else. It then expels more living stones adjacent to it!
Rolling its initiative... Cobbleswarm Again, Perception:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24
❖❖❖❖❖❖ KUPYN'S COTTAGE Round 3 ❖❖❖❖❖❖
Party Conditions:INSPIRE COURAGE (+1 status bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves against fear effects) [Round 1-3 until start of Zepth's turn] ENCOUNTER MAP Other Notes: ☘️ - Hero Points
❖❖❖CHARACTER IN ➤ BOLD TYPEFACE CAN ACT!❖❖❖ ➤ Olegaro (☘️ 1/3)(AC 17, 19 w Steel Shield (20/20 HP))(9/19 HP)
Cobbleswarm Again (- HP)
Rybar (☘️ 0/3) (AC 17)(17/17 HP, 1 temp HP)
Otani Yoshitsugu (☘️ 0/3) (AC 18, 19 w Shield)(15/15 HP, 1 temp HP) | Moderate Curse (see below)
Moist Definitely (☘️ 1/3) (AC 15, 16 w Shield)(12/12 HP, 1 temp HP)
Zepth (☘️ 2/3) (AC 17, 18 w Shield)(18/18 HP, 1 temp HP)
Hanu, Friend of the Wood (☘️ 1/3) (AC 17, 18 w Shield)(18/18 HP, 1 temp HP)
Bubbling Cauldron (Blue) (1/4 disabled, see below) (-10 HP)
The PCs can either ◆ breaking the cauldron (HP 30, Hardness 5, BT 15) or succeeding at four ◆◆ DC 15 Arcana, Thievery, or Crafting checks to adjust the runes on the cauldron to its previous function (a critical success counts as two successes).
Moderate Curse :
The strain of conflict wears upon your body, even though you gain vitality from it. Making a Strike reduces the penalty from your minor curse to –1 rather than suspending it entirely. You gain a +2 status bonus to weapon and unarmed damage rolls. You also gain fast healing equal to half your level while in a non-trivial combat encounter.
Olegaro once more breaks this another cobbleswarm into pieces. To prevent it from happening again, perhaps they need to deal with the bubbling cauldron. Cobbleswarm Again eliminated.
The PCs can either ◆ breaking the cauldron (HP 30, Hardness 5, BT 15) or succeeding at four ◆◆ DC 15 Arcana, Thievery, or Crafting checks to adjust the runes on the cauldron to its previous function (a critical success counts as two successes).
Moderate Curse :
The strain of conflict wears upon your body, even though you gain vitality from it. Making a Strike reduces the penalty from your minor curse to –1 rather than suspending it entirely. You gain a +2 status bonus to weapon and unarmed damage rolls. You also gain fast healing equal to half your level while in a non-trivial combat encounter.
male grippli (poisonhide) cook psychic 1 | HP 12 | AC 15 | F+3 R+5 W+6 | Perc+4 darkvision | stealth+5 | speed 25ft | focus 2/2 | spells 1st 1/1 | Exploration: Avoid Notice | Active Conditions: none
Banana of mending? I wonder if I could work that into a dish... perhaps a banana cream pie or maybe simple banana bread would keep easier in our packs. Moist licks his lips and then his left eye.
Sorry, Rybar. The Cauldron is not a creature you can Exploit Vulnerability with.
Rybar fails to exploit something from the cauldron. He then closes in and attacks the cauldron. 6 - 1 (Hardness) = 1 total damage. Hanu offers banana of mending to heal Olegaro. Otani also attacks the Cauldron! 12 - 5 (Hardness) + 10 - 5 (Hardness) = 12 total damage
Botting Zepth... Zepth continues playing music and gets close to the cauldron and try to tinker one of its runes.
The PCs can either ◆ breaking the cauldron (HP 30, Hardness 5, BT 15) or succeeding at four ◆◆ DC 15 Arcana, Thievery, or Crafting checks to adjust the runes on the cauldron to its previous function (a critical success counts as two successes).
Moderate Curse :
The strain of conflict wears upon your body, even though you gain vitality from it. Making a Strike reduces the penalty from your minor curse to –1 rather than suspending it entirely. You gain a +2 status bonus to weapon and unarmed damage rolls. You also gain fast healing equal to half your level while in a non-trivial combat encounter.
M Tengu Oracle (Battle) 1 HP 15/15, AC 18/19, Fort(T)+4, Ref(T)+4, Will(E)+6, Perception(T)+4 Low-Light Vision, Speed 25' Hero Points 0/3 Focus Points 1/2 Conditions:
Otani looks down at the now leaky cauldron. The Samurai replaces his Katana. The Tengu looks over at the group.
Should we tell him it was already broken when we hack it?
"Well, the cauldron kept spawning monsters at us. We tried to disable the runes to stop it, but it just ... broke instead?" responds Zepth, while wondering what else where they supposed to do.
CG male human fighter 1 | HP 21/21 | AC 18 (20 w/shield) |F +7 R +6 W +4 | Perc +6 | Stealth +1 | Hero Points 1/1 | Icons: ◆◇↺ | speed 25 | Exploration Activity: Defend | Conditions: None
Still dripping blood and with dents in his new chain mail, Olegaro will lean on his shield, sigh and say wearily
"A better question is does your cauldron always totter out of your cottage and start attacking people as they pass by? However we managed to save the town from its assault."
CG Halfelf M Thaumaturge 1 | HP 17/17 | AC 17 | F +6 R +4 W +5 | Perc +5 | Stealth +1 | 25" | Hero 1/3 | Weapon Implement | Pilgrim's Token | Search |◆◆◆◇↺|
Rybar is visually impressed by Olegaro's response. He tries to put his hatchet nonchalantly behind him, and hopes Kupyn won't notice the axe marks on the cauldron.
"Yep. What he said. Cauldron started spewing rock creatures that were out to kill us. Wouldn't want a crazy thing like that ruining your Winter Holidays."
"Spawning monsters?" Kupyn scratches her head on what she just heard. "It looks like the runes I placed on the cauldron malfunctioned." she shrugs.
"Can't blame you for breaking it, anyway." she assures them. "I think we need to borrow from the neighborhood a cauldron to cook on."
Upon hearing what happened at Kupyn’s cottage, everyone in Scallion’s Wrap comes to help her rebuild and make rock stew in a show of Winter Week spirit, even without the magic cauldron. As a reward for saving the town, they each receive their payment, along with a generous helping of rock stew.
---
After the party, Behind the Mask finds and pulls them out for another travel, "I hope you have had a good time here." they say. "I got intel looking for brave guards to join a caravan from a small town of Grayce. It might interest you." they motion them back to their ship for another travel to the small town of Grayce.
"We are going now," they wink, though not obviously, at Rybar.
"That is up to you to know." they hand Moist the scroll with the bounty post.
Bounty wrote:
"Travelers heading to Caliphas seek a group of adventurers of able body and steadfast mind to accompany them onward from Grayce. See the innkeeper, Jakivi Rindix, for more details."
---
The group begins their journey by Lake Encarthan and continues along the Path River to Grayce. It's around lunchtime when they arrive, and the only place they can find a meal is the Ash Inn. As usual, Behind the Mask leaves them to attend to their usual personal affairs before they enter.
As they approach the bar of the inn, the tall Kellid man behind the counter introduces himself. "Greetings, travellers! I am innkeeper Jakivi Rindix. How can I be of service?"
CG male human fighter 1 | HP 21/21 | AC 18 (20 w/shield) |F +7 R +6 W +4 | Perc +6 | Stealth +1 | Hero Points 1/1 | Icons: ◆◇↺ | speed 25 | Exploration Activity: Defend | Conditions: None
"Greetings Jakivi! I'm Olegaro and we'd like lunch for six please. Also, we heard you are the person to ask about some travellers leaving Grayce that need some guards?"
CG Halfelf M Thaumaturge 1 | HP 17/17 | AC 17 | F +6 R +4 W +5 | Perc +5 | Stealth +1 | 25" | Hero 1/3 | Weapon Implement | Pilgrim's Token | Search |◆◆◆◇↺|
Rybar looks on as Olegaro conducts business with the innkeeper. He visually surveys the inn for who's who, while keeping an ear open to the innkeeper's reply.
LG Vanara (Ragdyan) Perfection Seeker Kineticist (Dual Air / Wood) 1 | ◆◇↺ | Explore: Search
Stats:
AC 17 or 18 w/ shield (hard 5) | Fortitude (+9), Reflex (+7), Will (+4) | Perception (+4) | Speed 25
♥️ 18/18 | ☘️ ☑ | ✋ Staff | ⚕ none
"Some rock stew, I saved you" Hanu hands Behind the Mask a small cup of cold broth, smiling.
He hopes into the mysterious figure's magic sleigh...
...and arriving in Grayce, before collecting a few new flowers to decorate his fur, he tells the innkeeper "An entourage, to assist you with your need of accompaniment, we are"
"Greeting mr Jakivi, I'm Zepth, a wandering bard. Besides some nice food, won't you have by chance any work for a group of travelers such as ourselves? We are currently without a set destination and extra funds are always welcomed, you know? If nothing comes up, I can always perform some entretainment for your patrons!" he says with enthusiasm.
M Tengu Oracle (Battle) 1 HP 15/15, AC 18/19, Fort(T)+4, Ref(T)+4, Will(E)+6, Perception(T)+4 Low-Light Vision, Speed 25' Hero Points 0/3 Focus Points 1/2 Conditions:
Otani takes out the scroll with the Bounty post.
"Travelers heading to Caliphas seek a group of adventurers of able body and steadfast mind to accompany them onward from Grayce. See the innkeeper, Jakivi Rindix, for more details."
---
"A yes, it looks like you are interested with the posted bounty." Jakivi then glances at each and one of them. "Well, yes, you are right. I am looking for guards for a caravan, well not for me, of course. If you have not heard yet, there have been some recent attacks on supply caravans traveling between Grayce and the port city of Caliphas. As such, the drivers of a caravan scheduled to leave this afternoon have asked me to arrange for some protection. The caravan is offering to provide whoever takes the job all meals for the three-day journey and a hefty sum upon their safe arrival in Caliphas." he tells them.
He then motions you to follow him into an empty table that is good for six. He even calls a server to prepare their food.
DC 17 Perception to Sense Motive:
You sense that the innkeeper is holding something back. Maybe you can nudge him to tell you something more.
CG male human fighter 1 | HP 21/21 | AC 18 (20 w/shield) |F +7 R +6 W +4 | Perc +6 | Stealth +1 | Hero Points 1/1 | Icons: ◆◇↺ | speed 25 | Exploration Activity: Defend | Conditions: None
Perception (E) DC 17:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
Olegaro will give the innkeeper a quizzical look, and ask
"Some recent attacks you say. What sort of attacks? Also is there anything we should know about the caravan or the road?"
"Well," he hesitates to tell something else but gives in. Jakivi then leans over to whisper. "There is a recent rumor that undead soldiers ambushed a similar caravan less than a week ago. Your lot looks more capable than the guards who set out with that caravan, but I'm still worried." he winces of their group fate with the undead just by imagining it. Your group gains a +1 circumstance bonus to your Perception checks at some point in the game.
GM Screen:
Hanu, Friend of the Wood's Religion (T):1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 Moist Definitely's Society (T):1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Moist:
You are definitely sure that whatever Jakivi is worrying about, the stories of undead in Ustalav are tall tales. You know that such creatures never stray out of the Gravelands to the south, and travelers who stick to the road have little to fear.
