Search Posts
Works getting stupid busy and I'm mentally drained all the time. I guess it comes with getting old, so I'll wrap the scenario and give Chronicles by this weekend. The scenario itself wants you to deduce the conclusion to score the appropriate amount of points. But the conclusion in itself is lackluster, so I can understand why it was not run a lot back in the day.
As you discuss among yourselves, shadows of a bunch of mitflits in the darkness scream out in the undercommon language. undercommon:
"Please, please leave us alone, we don't want any trouble, all the mess was from them, we just want to live in peace again! Take all our treasure." A few coins of gold and silver are thrown your way.
After defeating the swarm, and having some well earned rest, the group searches the area and finds a small pile of junk and minor treasures collected by the Gremlins. The treasures while invaluable look like they belonged to adventurers. Nature DC13:
These blue looking gremlin creatures are Mitflits, Mitflits are self-loathing and pitiful cowards, easily bullied into servitude by other creatures or even slightly more powerful mitflit leaders. They tame insects, spiders, and other small vermin to serve as faithful allies. Mitflits have lost most of their ancestral magic, leaving them to feel incomplete and full of doubt and insecurity. Mitflits find companionship in the other base creatures of the world, and forge strong bonds of friendship with vermin, the only other beings that seem willing to accept them. A social structure, even one in which they are bullied, partially fills the hole within most mitflits' personalities, and they rarely rebel or last out unless their rage hits a breaking point. Beyond the distance, you heard some scuttling noises, along with a few whispering voices.
The blast of water would have probably been effective against the swarm, if they were not quick enough to move out of the path of the torrent. Most of the other attacks strike and remove some mosquitos, but some resistances of the swarm make the attacks not as effective as they could be. Unrelentless the swarm continues to bother and attempt to bleed dry the paladin.
________________________________________________
As a bolt of energy narrowly misses him. The leader erupts in a furious torrent of curses in the language of Undercommon. But he pays no attention to the kobold sorcerer for the time being as he begins to be surrounded by some fierce warriors. The swarm abruptly change direction back into the chilling air of the cave and converge upon the fearless warriors, enveloping them in a chaotic frenzy. The unfortunate pathfinder caught in their path finds themselves subjected to relentless bites from every conceivable angle.
Upon realizing that Kimmo has fallen victim to the bane spell, the goblin retaliates with unwavering determination, landing a successful strike. Empowered by this initial success, the goblin swiftly follows up multiple attack, refusing to relent.
Radiating with unwavering confidence defeating already one enemy, Kidron unleashes two powerful strikes upon the gremlin, swiftly eliminating the threat as the creature falls down in the dirt.
________________________________________________
Swarming Bites:
[one-action] Each enemy in the swarm’s space takes 1d8 piercing damage (DC 20 basic Reflex save) and 1 persistent bleed damage. The young bloodseeker swarm gains temporary Hit Points equal to the damage dealt. A creature that takes damage from the bloodseeker swarm is drained 1 until it receives healing (of any kind or amount). Kidron's sword slices through the cold air with precision and speed as it strikes down the mosquito, swiftly ending its existence. However the little gremlin-like creature was able to see the Paladin's follow up strikes and dodges them with trembling fear witnessing the amount of power behind each swing. The swarm unnaturally moves in the still cold air to avoid the blast of water from the druid's attack.
The sneaky gremlin instinctively sought retaliation at Kidron, yet despite its repeated attempts to swing its shortsword, the gleaming armor of the paladin proved impenetrable, leaving the gremlin frustrated and unable to land a successful strike.
________________________________________________
Kimmo fierce rage and powerful swing knocks the Gremlin a little bit off balance, but the creature stands his ground turns his gaze angrily at the barbarian although somewhat injured.
As the party splits out of mass of insects, Gros bravely enters the heat of battle carefully taking his place behind the Paladin and supporting him with a string of electricity. But with quick reflexes, they barely take any damage from the attack.
The swarm persistently annoys the closest hero within their range as they move in to Sunshine and Upuan's space and attempt to bite them twice.
And similarly in behaviour, the lone bloodseeker persistently attempts to penetrate the Paladin's armor. And after a relentless amount of times, it manages to find a small indentation in the armor to stick it's barbs to and begins sucking blood!
The boss Gremlin enraged by being attacked, retaliates with a strike of his own, but frustrated that his strike missed badly, be begins to switch tactics and moves his arms wildly while shouting curses in undercommon.
________________________________________________
The pathfinders reaction towards the deafening swarm is a sight unpleasant to behold, however the swarms effective nonetheless is weakened by trying to move around them. Kidron through some sheer willpower heroically channels away the poisons effect from his body. Upuan the legchair moves too slowly to attempt to connect against the swarm. short sword in hand, the small misfit moves ahead to strike against the formidable paladin. But once more, the shining armor proves worth it's cost as the sword barely makes a dent.
________________________________________________
With a swift swing of his sword, Kidron dealt a heavy blow to the mosquito, injuring it severely. As the chaos unfolded, a loud buzzing fills the air as a a swarm of bloodseekers emerges from the shadows and moves to engulf the main party from all directions. Amidst the buzzing insects, two blue gremlin-like creatures appear, ready to launch their assault. One of them, previously concealed in the darkness, seemed to be the leader, exuding an air of authority and seeming giving directions to the coordinated attack! The lone bloodseeker retaliates against Kidron attempting to clutch onto him, but to no avail is able to penetrate Kidron's shining armor.
Sneakily, the gremlin from the darkness moves closer towards Kidron and blows a poisonous dart towards the Paladin while he is distracted form fending off the bloodseeker.
________________________________________________
Slides are updated with combat map!
The entrance descending down into the cavern was well worn that the stones made out to be natural steps. Kimmo's torch cast flickering shadows on the rough and damp stone walls, revealing glimpses of the winding path that lay ahead. The sound of your footsteps break the eerie silence but as you moved deeper into, the echoes of whispers filled the cold air. Senses heightened and alert, the Pathfinders meticulously scanned every corner looking for signs of danger and magic, but the cave seemed fairly unusual. However, not too far into the journey, Legchair and Sunshine catch sight of a hostile creature, another barbed bloodseeker! In the darkness unbeknownst to most of the party except for Gros, hiding behind the overgrown Mosquito monster, stands a small blue creature standing a bit over two feet tall, with beady eyes, a pointed nose and ears and a wicked grin filled with sharp teeth armed with a weapon ready to attack. Roll for Initiative!:
________________________________________________
With relative ease, Sunshine and Kimmo swiftly swat away the pesky insects that have latched onto Peaches, providing her with much-needed relief from her tormentors. The dog, though injured, musters up a little ounce strength to softly tug at the clothing of her nearest ally, even before any healing, as if pleading for them to follow her.
With a sense of urgency, you dash alongside the wounded animal, pushing deeper into the mysterious, misty, dimly lit woods in search of Haru, the wandering traveling scholar. Not far ahead, Haru's body lies unconscious among some shrubs. Her body bears the marks of attacks from the very same creatures that had assailed Peaches, identified as bloodseekers. A single mosquito remains barely attached to Haru and poses pose little challenge for your skilled hands as you swiftly remove them from the scene with your weapons. After a much-needed period of rest, Haru gradually emerges from her trance-like state, regaining enough strength to engage in conversation. She recounts fragments of her time in the woods, revealing the existence of a hidden secret door concealed beneath a carpet of fallen leaves. Vague memories stir within her, hinting at the presence of something sinister beyond that door. Realizing her helpless state, Haru asks of you to take some of her belongings, understanding that you may require it more than she does. Among the items bestowed upon you are two vials of holy water, and two vials of moderate alchemist fire.
Kidron with quick succession masterfully maneuvers his sword to strike the insects with perfect precision to protect Peaches from losing life, and then finished off the already injured mosquito. Gros creates an electric arc that would cause some considerable damage to the enemy, nearly taking out another mosquito, as it barely is able to stay attached to the puppy. ==================================
Kimmo blade knocks one of the mosquitoes with perfect accuracy, however the creature seems to be fairly resilient as it remains flying while injured. Peaches observing the opening, attempts to finish the Barbarians attack with a few lunges of her own, but the dog is barely able to keep her vision straight after losing the amount of blood she already has.
The mosquito like animals attempt to grab on to Peaches, and as two of them successfully attach themselves they begin to suck the blood of the poor pup. Peaches looks visibly agitated and unnerved, reacting on instinct the dog will likely lash out at anything near it again.
==================================
Survival:
Even though slightly obscured, he tracks are relatively easy to follow as the team begins to become accustomed to the growth. Not too far, a few minutes into the trail, a cry of help in the sound of a painful howl is heard. Rushing quickly to the scene, you notice a familiar animal, Peaches the dog slightly bleeding and surrounded by three oversized mosquitoes . Perception or Nature DC15:
An animal in distraught may not always be safe to rush immediately to aid as they will likely lash as a reaction instinctively, but could be calmed with the appropriate nature skill or other means. Initiative:
Survival checks:
The path back to town becomes rather easy after all the trekking experienced by the Pathfinders. In town however, you find yourselves at a wits end as the blue hair gnome Galia greets you and the injured person. Medical professionals have left Shimmerford, and it would be a risk to leave the injured Andor in the hands of the gnome.
Survival checks:
After a quick break amongst the loud incessant buzzing and swarms of mosquitos, you quickly return back to the misty woods to investigate the supposed red eyes mentioned by the adventurer riddled with the unknown disease. Kimmo leads the way as he recalls vividly every detail of the path. Awaiting you at the site, is a scene mimicking a crime, pieces of clothes of red are scattered and torn, some hanging among the trees and some left of the ground. trinkets like water bottles, boots, belts are spread across the small area of interest. There are drawings of a runic nature among the trees barely visible by the faint light descending from the treetops. Trained in Survival, DC16:
Though very faint, you observe old, pointed tracks in the ground and scraps of cloth in nearby branches
that suggesting the victim was dragged off and up into a tree. You may follow these tracks with a Survival check. Occultism/Scribing Lore DC18 OR Society DC23: The writings and symbols are meaningless, just scribbles intended to look frightening.
After Sunshine treats the man, he awakens screaming gibberish loudly before coming to his senses. "Who... Who.. are ...you? What... where am I? His gaze and manner of speech suggest some serious confusion. It becomes obvious he is not from the river kingdoms but came to investigate the plague much like yourselves. But any memory beyond arriving at the town seems to be lost, the last things he can remember are terrifying red eyes staring from a darkness, and a tree, a tree that lies not very far from where you currently are, but could get tricky to navigate towards. Sunshine:
While he is recovered, it becomes evident that after two hours he will likely regress back to a poor state without continuous treatment
As Kidron approaches him, the man lays lifeless and passed out among the few insects crawling around and over him. When the paladins hand touches the body, he begins to slightly move and suddenly coughs up a wet lungful of drowned insects and stirs. If you are trained in medicine: It becomes evidently clear that this is not a usual drowning based on his appearance, a bizarre and potentially magical lung disease is what ails him, which is likely to kill him sooner rather than later.
The tracks are hard to follow, but Kidron is able to keep a close eye on them, the tracks however become very obscure deep into the woods, and eventually fade away, making them untraceable. As you look around in the unknown area, the Pathfinders find themselves in an unusual clearing where a large muddy pond lies in the center of it, barely lit by a few rays that penetrate the mist and tree line. While the pond might seem identical to the others around you, you notice unusual movements in the water, light reflections of the surface. Upon closer inspection, it seems to be teeming with unseasonable life—the water
The party struggles at first, branches after branches through the mist unable to get their bearings. But Kidron keeps a keen eye on the boulder set and river trail that Ms Lyon's indicated would be the path leading the Pathfinders to Witchtop Hill. At the peak of the hill, you find a dimly lit grove, through a few rays that penetrate the thick fog, of uncanny, bare-branched trees, with thousands of the townsfolks’ Mosquito Witch dolls nailed to the bark. Curiously investigating the dolls reveals contradictory and confusing information, the dolls are in pristine condition but a patina of grime surrounding them suggest they have been there for a long time. Perception DC 17:
A tiny sword has been discarded among the fallen leaves, suitable for a tiny humanoid. Trained Survival DC 18:
You observe tracks of a Small, humanoid-like creature that approaches the tree, and then flees to the northeast into the woods based on the strides. The woods give an eerie atmosphere, but there seems to also be more to find in the woods.
With a little bit of sheer strength, Kidron is able to slow one of the horses down enough with some form of a makeshift barricade using his scabbard and body to help one more passenger jump off. Before the team is able to react further, the carriage and horses careen off a sharp ridge, shattering the conveyance and killing the last passenger still aboard. The saved passengers are visibly shaken and in shock, but have some form of gratitude that they provide you with any valuable jewelry they have and insist that you take it with you. As you question them about their presence in the town, the indicate they are clueless about the plague and just happen to be travelling in this direction. Following the ordeal, the team decides the next course of action would be to continue on the investigation into the woods. As you traverse further out of the town, the buzzings start to soften as the density of mosquitoes decrease with a thickening fog. Trekking through the misty woods evidently becomes a challenge to keep track of your orientation at any given time.
Unsure what to make of the presumed mad man's ramblings, the party decides for the Pathfinder's best interest, the investigation would continue into the woods of Witchtop hill. As you journey past the ghost-like town, the incessent buzzing and insects in your face ever continue to annoy you in the silence of a usual town. At the gates of the town, in the distance sounds of thumping seemingly come grow louder followed by screaming drowned by the buzzing, without skipping a beat, the pathfinder's rush off to witness a wooden carriage, pulled by six horses without a driver, mout of control whilst it moves at dangerous speeds. The carriage sways dangerous from side to side ever balancing of two wheels at any given time. The horses seem to have an appearance of having multiple brown patches, but upon closer inspection, the colouring is clearly coming from blood coming out of hundreds of mosquito bites. The screams grow even louder as the carriage grows more out of control with every second, and it's passengers are at a great risk.
Quintus squints his eyes as he examines each of you individually, "truth?" he mutters, and then blanks off into space for a moment to fall back at Kimmo's behest. "It’s following me. Ha...hah hahaha! Of course its following me. I’m being stalked by a doll!” Quintus crushes the paper in his hands. “’The iron cave will fall’... what is that supposed to mean? What do you want from me?!” he shouts hysterically at the paper doll.
At first Regis hesitates, but realizing the seriousness of the matter with Gros's growling's, he grudgingly and reluctantly lets the party into the home of Mrs Lyon's. At first she thinks you've come to call her crazy, but realizing that your intent to investigate the mosquito witch was all the seriousness, she sits deep in her chair. “It was all just a joke to them,” the old woman says, her voice pinched thin with bitterness. “They pretended to care, a little, when they were all scared that they would be next. Not much, even then.” “It was up on Witchtop Hill. Up to the north, a little left of the three boulders and past the bend in the stream. We thought it was a dead animal at first, lying on the ground. It was when we got close that it sprung up, tall as a full-grown man. Came after us on its thin little legs. Didn’t matter howfast we ran, it was right behind us. I thought my heart would burst with the running. It was only when we got to town that we dared to look back. But we didn’t find it. Just sharp footprints in the mud, and smears of sicklysweet blood. “And them, with their masks and their dolls and their festivals. They didn’t know what it was like. To have it in their dreams at night, to wake up with its little paper dolls by the bed. If they’d seen it, they’d never have dared. They don’t know what it’s like to see its eyes in every filthy little bug, for the whining of those insects to be like screaming in my ears.” Mordha clams her mouth shut, before speaking again, in a trembling tone. “It took something from me. And I don’t
The innkeep informs you that the "Hunter" was talking to him not too long ago, it would seem the plans for the half-elf in gold armor was to go into the forest northeast of here. Before saying anything else regarding the haggard looking fella, he blurts out loudly “An idiot. An absolute idiot...” while sadly laughing to himself, before jerking himself upright. “Oh, wait, you’re... where are my manners? Sorry. Introductions. I’m Quintus. Quintus Chevunier.”
Sadly, the attempts at convincing Regis has failed, while thinking of a plan, the group investigates the rest of the town.
At the door you're greeted by a rather unfriendly Varisian woman who stares blankly as you make your inquiries, but before you could finish she splashes a vial of cold liquid, one would assume is holy water, at the group and then closes the door while chanting prayers to desna.[/ooc] The inn of the town has seen better days, but the innkeep, Callum Shay, a tanned skinned human, isn't too unhappy at the state of events granted he's been making a fair wages of gold of the adventurer's or so he claims. He isn't particularly helpful as he's seen a fair bit of faces, and none really more memorable than the other. "Are you all looking for anyone in particular?" He ask. Near the desk, hunched to the side near the walls, a haggard looking human with dark messy hair, stubble sparsely forming a goatee, and gaunt cheeks, mutters something under his breath while playing with a paper doll drench from his sweaty hands. The deformed doll looks so ugly it has become deformed and unrecognizable from what it used to be.
Crafting OR Nature DC 17:
This is magnetite, an iron ore that is heavily magnetic. At the door of this household, you are greeted by a young Tian man who goes by Regis Toshida. He rolls his eyes at your arrival, and annoyingly raises his voice"You lot? Again?! This is the third day in a row that you've come to bother Mrs Lyons, haven't you done enough! He doesn't slam the door in your faces, but he is seemingly convinced that he shouldn't let you into the house a third time.
After exchanging pleasantries, Haru bids the team good luck and continues on her way swatting mosquitoes and chasing the overly excited dog down the bug infested streets. Not another soul seems to be in sight as you look around for the inhabitants of Shimmerford. Your investigations of the plague-like ridden town then begin at a little tavern named ‘Hart’s Brewery’. The place seems as dead as the town, and the alcoholic smells that you’re usually familiar to in such an establishment is faint. Behind the bar, the brandy brewer who goes by Rosa hart, a dark skinned woman, seems to be fairly intoxicated with what seems to be foul smelling alcohol. A quick look at the bottles suggest they look like something past it’s expiry. ”Well, if you want some of these, I’ve got a good deal for ya, 3 for 1 gold pieces, what do ya say?” While you don’t believe the drink to be tasteful, perhaps crafting it as some sort of acid like weapon could be of use against an unfriendly hoard of mosquitos. When questioned about anything unusual, she speaks of a foreigner in white clothes named Andor a few weeks back, who had an unusual interest about water sources. Crafting DC 13:
Brewers typically need high purity water for high quality for good tasting alcohol, based on the quality of alcohol she has available this would suggest that water sources around the area are no longer of good quality. Nature DC 13:
Mosquitoes typically need pools of stagnant water to breed. The residents of the Bell Family household seems particularly annoyed at your visit and attempt to avoid any conversation. The household seems like a superstitious bunch as they cover all the windows with white covers, and tell you, ”You be gone now, the Mosquito Witch is a nasty character, she probably can see through everything everywhere all at once! If you have any trinkets on ya, I suggest you get rid of them to avoid her anger! Argh!”, before slamming the door in your face.
|
