Dav Theis's page

Dav hears Elaine's request for stouter fortifications. "I can lug a bench over there, or if you help me, we might manage an entire table. Once we're done with that-" Dav is interrupted by a sonorous rumble from his own stomach.

"And once we're done with that, I'll polish a bowl for maximum dazzle. With luck, the sun will set and the guards will have night-vision to be blinded. Which reminds me of a tale I was once told..."

Dav repeats the old wives' tale that pirates actually wore eyepatches to preserve one dark-adapted eye for boarding actions below-deck.

Dav paces around the room, thinking deeply about the prisoners' situation.

"There are archers all around us, right? I know there was one on the other side of that courtyard in the tower. And there's another in the kitchen, Elaine?"

"The problem is: it needs to fit through the door, while still protecting us. If the tables are too big, I will need to find a wedge or something to split them."

Dav turns to Than. "Do you have the spell components? I think I can give at least one of us a minute or two of better resistance." '+1 to saves'. Hey Geoff, can I cast 0-level spells at will? or only once/day?

An idea occurs to Dav while he is pondering the cantrips that he knows. "Hey Elaine, are there some metal bowls handy? I might be able to make a bright light if they can be polished. Maybe enough to dazzle the archers if we're very lucky."

Another thought occurs to Dav. "How many sets of chainmail do we have? I think we will need all the protection we can get."

"I'm not very keen on the prospect of exposing myself to that crossbow out there. Was there a guard in the hallway with mail?"

Dav considers his options. "If you pass the spell components, I can give you all a little magical resistance."

Dav takes a second look at the whiskey. With a double-take, he races over to the pile and picks up the bottle, half-reverentially. "Hey wait... I know that bottle! We lusted after it in bard college! That's the expensive stuff! It would be a crime to splash it on injuries!"
He reconsiders in light of the desperate situation."Okay, okay, avoiding gangrene is a worthy use, I guess, but let's try to conserve it, if we can. It might just fund our escape!"
Dav places the bottle back on the pile, with one final pat of respect for the spirits within.

Dav continues pulling Than towards the mess hall. 'There's lots of thick, heavy tables and such in the mess hall; we can probably make a good stand in there. I heard them discussing about more reinforcements...'

Move action and standard action to continue dragging Than. That's 20ft + 20ft, right?

Then I'll do that! Wish me luck!

Dav shies away from the guard, and continues dragging Than down the corridor. If I can just get through to the dining hall, I might be able to drop the cot on this guard...

I want to continue retreating Than, if I can do so without taking an AoO. Sounds like I want to (total defense) and (Drag Than). I will take an AoO at +4 defense, right?

If Aella retreats, she provokes an AoO from both guards, right?

Dav squeezes into the doorway next to Grumblejack. Move action; Roll20 updated.

He grabs Than's body and begins to squoosh him back into the hallway. Standard action?

Dav drops the mattress near the door to the mess hall. He races down the hallway. 'I'll be there shortly. Hold them off!'

Hmmm. Since I don't have any actual skill in throwing weapons, I'll refrain.

Or Grumblejack? (Now that I've looked at the Roll20 map)

I'm thinking about throwing my dagger. Is there a chance I would hit Aella by mistake?

Dav drags the cot over next to the room's door. Standard action. If I have a move action left, I'd like to head out and see if I can help drag Than into the mess hall.

Dav drags the cot he's gripping towards the door of the dining room. Roll20 updated. He's gonna try to put it next to the door, so that if Aella runs through the door, she can pull it down behind her.

"Elaine, do you have that box of magic stuff? I'll come get it from you once I've put this down."

Yeah, I think we need to retreat & regroup. Who's got the component box? I realized I could have cast Resistance on you... Sorry about that....

I can move those cots by myself, right? I think I'm gonna drag one of them towards the door, and maybe make cover or tough ground in the hallway for Aella to retreat behind if necessary. Worst case: we could shove a few in front of us to make some cover against the arrows.

Dav moves to the closest cot, and takes an experimental grasp of it.

Dav moves towards the storeroom, to see if there are more workable wood pieces there.

Look at it this way: you're building up good rolls for when they will really count! ;-)

When Dav examined the furniture in the guards' mess, he realized that his plan needs a re-think. "These look far tougher and heavier than I thought at first glance... If I don't get any help, I'll have to give up on the tables and chairs, and see if that back room over there has something lighter or more malleable..."

Dav takes a good look at the ball of fire. He is thinking about throwing his dagger thru it at one of the enemies on the far side, hopefully hitting them with a surprise flying burning dagger.

Standard action?

Knowledge(Arcana): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

When Grumblejack goes down, Dav's face falls for a second. There goes my plan to get Grumblejack to help me turn the tables... And I was really hoping that fireballs wouldn't be flying; they seem like really bad news for my improvised bench-shield plan...

But Dav continues with his plan. He ducks into the table-filled room, which seems to him like a dining room for the guards. Move action. If I have any remaining actions, I would like to start chopping the benches into small standing walls, a bit like tower shields.

Dav completes his tale. 'The whalers approached the carcass, failing to spot the three warriors. Jothar waited until they went around to the other side of the whale, looking for an ambush. When they saw nothing, the party sheathed their weapons and returned to the section of whale that they were working on.

The three warriors wiped out the whaling group, and claimed the whale meat for themselves.'

And that's all she wrote! I assume I have to maintain good vocal projection through this turn, otherwise I would enter the room with the tables and see what I could drag into the hallway myself.

I forgot about the material component. That's all for this turn.

Whew! That fumble on the grapple is great! And dodging that dog's attack is good luck too.

I'm glad I'm not in range of that arrow. In a few more rounds, I'll see if I can make some sort of defense against him. Be careful until then!

Dav continues his saga, his words echoing deeply through the stone hallway. 'As the opposing whalers approached the carcass, they were unaware that Jothar and his friends were inside, waiting to attack. Suddenly, the lead man stopped, with a puzzled look on his face. He looked around, and called the next man over.

Jothar said, "They suspect something, but no one will suspect the ambush we have prepared. Let them search and find nothing. Once they relax, we will strike!"'

1 round left. I'm not going to enter the room with the tables, because I think the sound wouldn't bounce right.

I just realized that I could have cast Resistance. Do Zero-level spells need to be prepared? Or can I cast as many as I want per day?

Jeez, I hope that natural 1 doesn't mean bad things for Elaine...

I've moved down the corridor. I think I'm out of range of the Channeling. I'm also eyeing those benches, tables, and such in the next room.

Nope, all I picked up is a dagger. Hopefully it will help with the woodwork...

I do want to move back down the corridor, because I have 2 HP left, and can't really afford to tank another Nega-blast.

30 feet could be pretty far. I'll have to look at the Roll20 map, but I don't know how confident I am in the carrying properties of my voice...

On the other hand, the hallway walls are stone, right? Acoustically excellent stone, right? Hmmmm... ;-)

A 16 on my Will save, and I still take negative energy damage? That's mean...
How far does that Channel Energy reach? I don't have enough HP to withstand too many more of those...
That crazy Concentration check too...

Dav continues the saga. "Jothar, Thorgeir, and Arnkel quickly carved a false side in the whale, using the previous knife-cuts to hide their opening. Jothar was able to see out of a small opening, and he kept watch.

Meanwhile, the other two warriors prepared their surprise attacks. Arnkel picked up part of a whale rib, to use as a throwing weapon. Thorgeir used his fishing experience to cut a large sheet of blubber. He prepared to use it as a large shield. All three of them were covered in whale gore, which they presumed would make quite an impression on their enemies."
2 rounds remaining until retreat. Just hold on!

'I think we're pretty exposed in the courtyard. I'm going to stay in here, and maybe split them up. Like in the epic saga...

Jothar, Arnkel, and Thorgeir would carve out the whale carcass, and hide inside until Thorfinn's clan cut deep enough to uncover them. Then, acting with speed to take advantage of the surprise, the three of them would be able to defeat a large number of enemies.'

3 rounds remaining. My plan is to use it up, then go back to the storage room and make some kind of large tower shield to protect us from the arrows.

'Elaine? I think she's spell-bound! Literally!'

'As Jothar Fleet-Hand and Arnkel were readying their attack, they noticed Thorfinn and others working at removing the whale meat. They had already hollowed out 20 feet of the whale carcass near the middle. The top of the whale was 15 feet above the surface of the sand, and Thorfinn was working closer to the whale's head.

Suddenly, Jothar and Arnkel heard a battle-cry from the woods to their right. As they looked in that direction, they saw Thorgeir 'Bottle-Back' run out towards the whale's tail. He ran up the entire length of the whale carcass, jumping from rib to rib, and when he reached Thorfinn, he shouted, "I'm returning the axe you let me borrow!" Then he swung the axe which was originally Thorfinn's, dealing him a terrible wound.'

4 rounds remaining.

'That guard on the tower may be a problem... I've got an idea, but I would need to go back to that room with the barrels. Let's wallop these guys first!'

Dav glances over at Elaine. Has her enthusiasm level for escaping changed drastically since the wizard cast that spell?

I'm wondering if I should Perform a Countersong... it does look like the wizard is casting some sort of sonic spell. But Countersong basically provides a re-roll of the save vs sonic attacks, which I don't think that spell qualifies as.

I suppose that the best time to Countersong would have been before the wizard cast his spell... if it was an attack.

Ha! I suspect that he does too. I'm trying not to peek at Elaine's spoiler.

Oh no, I'm just making it up each time. I have a few events that I want to insert into the next two or three, but so far I'm just winging it.

I might start preparing ahead a little tho; making up an epic story is a little daunting.

'He's come to what now?!'

Since maintaining my Bardic Performance is a free action, I will double-move.

Ouch! That was an unfortunate roll...

Dav flinches at the sound of the blast, but manages to continue his story.

'In the morning, the storm subsided. The day dawned clear and cold. Unfortunately, the cold reminded the warriors of the famine that had been afflicting the northern island for a long time. The staple crops had not grown well, and food supplies had been running very slim.

The men got closer, and they saw that their enemies had been flensing the whale for a small time before they got there. Fearing that their food source would be gone, they planned to attack!'
5 rounds remaining. I'm running out! Make this bonus count! ;-)

Fight's on! Back to story-telling! I'll move on Roll20 when I get home tonight.
Dav moves to back up his allies, while continuing his tale.
"Jothar and Arnkel approached the fire in the overhang. As they got close, they recognized Thorfinn in the light of the fire. As they reached for their weapons, Thorfinn spotted them too. Seeing that there were two of them, the outnumbered Thorfinn spoke a verse:
Ill luck as of the Strong Outlaw has found me (Strong Outlaw = a reference to Grettir the Strong)
The heat-giver with me is no fighting-friend now (heat-giver = the fire, fighting-friend = fellow warrior)
-I cannot remain with the holders of breakers of shields- (sword-holders, i.e. warriors)
In the wind-with-weight, it will be more useful. (Heavy wind = the snow-filled air)
Thorfinn then escaped, taking with him a burning log from the fire. Jothar and Arnkel gathered the remaining burning logs and reconstructed the fire. Thus they managed to weather the storm, which went on through the entire night."
6 rounds remaining.

Dav halts his story, to allow his comrades to hear better. He follows them down the stairs.

I probably should be trying to conserve Bardic Performance rounds... Oh well ;-P

Dav continues his tale of adventure while moving down the stairs.
'We return now to the terrible storm which stopped the fighting. Arnkel and Jothar, along with many of the other warriors, had to abandon the fighting to gain sheleter. The sun set around this time as well, so that the Northmen had trouble navigating. The temperature plummeted, and the winds and soaking precipitation sucked the anger from everyone involved.
Jothar and Arnkel looked around for shelter from the very fast winds. They found a small overhang, which provided protection from the worst of the wind. As they approached, they saw that a fire had been lit with the dry wood, which had been stacked there by earlier settlers of the sacred island.'
Continuing Bardic Performance: (Oratory): Inspire Courage. 7/14 rounds remaining.

Dav moves closer to the fighting, now that he sees Grumblejack in the way of the danger. He continues his epic tale:
'During the earlier fighting there was Thorgeir, a fighter who had come with Jothar, a fisherman by his normal trade. There was also Thorfinn, a less-than-perceptive enemy of Jothar and Arnkel's. Thorgeir was in the habit of carrying a leather canteen on his back containing fermented whey, to drink during those long fishing trips. In the melee, Thorfinn sprang out upon him and dealt him a blow with an axe between his shoulders. The axe went into something and liquid burst out. Thorgeir fell as if he was dead. Thorfinn let go his axe, feeling quite sure that no bandages would be needed, and the flow of the fighting drew him away. Thorfinn dismissed the loss of his axe, since he had other weapons with him.'
Continuing Bardic Performance (Oratory):Inspire Courage. 8/14 rounds remaining.

Dav takes a deep breath. After a moment to recall the precise word choices and dry delivery which gave the sagas their unique nature, he begins speaking in a clear, compelling voice.
"You all will recall the storm on Isle Freys-Sanctum, which stopped the battle. All of the swordsmen were soaked by torrential rain, which did not improve their mood one bit.
Then, an especially thick and dark cloud rolled in, and Jothar and his brother Arnkel (who were fighting on the same side) suddenly felt heavy blows on their helmets and shoulders. Fearing that they had each turned on the other, they spun around face-to-face. But it was only fist-sized hail pummeling them.
Gradually, the fighting men began to use their shields to protect themselves more from the falling weather than their fellow warriors. They started to gather in the lee of outcrops, or wherever they could find shelter."
Bardic Performance(Oratory): Inspire Courage. 9/14 rounds remaining.

Dav hands the chain shirt to Than, and backs up. I'm not sure we will be attacked soon... I better save my story until it has maximum impact.
I have moved on Roll20.

Dav moves as fast as he can over to Than to help removing the shirt.

Dav moves into the other room and examines the door in front of him, dagger in hand. Is there a window in this door? I didn't have enough speed to walk right next to it

Dav moves out of the cell, past the guarding guard. Taking an additional move action as my standard action. He sums up the epic saga, since there doesn't seem to be anyone to fight. 'The story of the storm, and the things it will bring, must wait for another time. It will be a powerful tale of heroism, survival, and flensing.'
Ceasing Bardic Performance(Oratory): Inspire Courage.

The only guard still conscious is right outside my door... I don't have enough HP to tank another AoO...

Dav continues his performance. "Jothar 'Fleet-Hand' found himself surrounded by the relatives of Magni, who wished to exact revenge. He did not think that he could perform the same strategy again, especially with mutliple enemies. He fought defensively, giving ground only in the direction of the flotilla of ships which the invading group used to travel to Isle Sacred-To-Frey."
Maintaining Bardic Performance(Oratory): Inspire Courage.