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Perception 9 / Survival 9: The horses went west. It would be a fair assumption the horses startled the boar, and the bandits chasing the horse got the aggression for it.
Vasaam finds the wagon pretty much intact. The bandits don't protest, being both injured and having seen your team's efficiency.
Lariel wraps up what he saw was a wet gash on one of the mens' legs, which matches with a bloody smear on one of the boar's tusks.
Vasaam doesn't notice anything particular about the boar. It's solid, it 'was' very angry, but nothing unnatural for such an animal. @ Lariel,
The two injured bandits shrug. "We were the ones driving the wagon alright. Got out for just a minute, then this boar charged at us after some aggressive grunting."
Under magic, and Aletha's attack, the angry boar goes down. The injured bandits visibly calm down, with the adrenaline of combat over, their senses of strain on muscles come back to them.
Angry boar, round 3 Lariel plants his first arrow well between its shoulders, invoking a loud cry from the angry animal.
Aletha & Vasaam
While Aletha manages to divert the gore attack, the impact of doing so leaves her aim inaccurate to properly retaliate.
Angry boar, round 3 Lariel plants his first arrow well between its shoulders, invoking a loud cry from the angry animal.
Aletha lets into the boar, striking a solid wound. It gets even angrier. The stone Leona swirls towards the boar hits, hitting it in the flank.
Angry boar, round 3 Lariel
Lariel gets the 1st arrow in, evoking an aggressive *oink* The 2 injured bandits move and shoot their own arrows.
Coraline holds off on healing for the moment, while Vasaam withdraws to a safer distance. Leona & Aletha
Leona moves past the blue bandit, drawing her loaded sling. In position, she starts spinning and lets it fly. It comes short, slipping out and landing somewhere in the low grass.
However, as it is about to move, Vasaam's spell is unleashed.
As it approaches him, Aletha throws her pilum. Though Vasaam standing between them makes it a close miss.
Angry boar, round 2 Lariel
Adjusted to X dmg.
@ Leona, the boar is far from being out of commission, neutralizing it would be on the agenda still.
Lariel shoots his arrow swiftly, it flies only barely past the boar. Vasaam moves closer and prepares a spell for when the boar comes closer. Meanwhile Aletha moves closer and hurls a pilum at the boar, which comes up short and flies over its body. The injured bandits make distance, and shoot arrows at the boar.
Blue lands his arrow in the shoulder of the boar, while green, in his panic, nearly drops his arrow to start with.
Leona
The injured bandit frantically waves his hand, scared whatever hurt them comes....and it does. It is an angry looking boar.
=============================================
Init:
Round 1 Lariel
The group hikes back into the thickets, the sun setting in the distance behind the thick growth when they arrive.
Trailing the cart tracks, the team approaches a spacious area with 2 bandits leaning injured against the wagon. As 1 sees you, me waves you away with big eyes. "Leave, before it comes back! You're far too visible!" Perception 15, hearing?: Something is grunting behind the wagon, doesn't sound small either.
Aletha, if it isn't abyssal but destined, would it be ok for the GM to take some alternative approach to the future voice's origin?
So sorry for the delay. Wagon encounter coming tomorrow.
Go ahead with the lvl up. Ingame you'll spend a day off, and train with some of the guild veterans.
You make your way back to the city, time turning to late afternoon, around 16:00-16:15 as you arrive at The Warden's Respite. You find Margaret waiting the bar, and giving a solid piece of her mind to an unruly patron who promptly backs down and shuts up. She acknowledges your arrival with a nod, a motions you to come over to hear what you have to report.
Lariel digs his knowledge, both about dungeons and nature. But no tale about a sphere like this comes to mind. Vasaam's studied his share to become a wizard, but not even his lessons have made mention of such an object. With the bandits gone, the one trail you could follow is the wagon's.
For the time being, Vasaam and his pack cover and muffle the sounds coming from the orb. It is still audible, but does not tax your minds. However, fair chance it will continue to do so when they come off.
The ladies all are thrown back, and lie somewhat dazed under the effect of the noises coming from the orb. Coraline has enough focus to stand back up again however, as she focuses her mind sharply.
Round 2 Aletha (prone)
Vasaam detects no magic coming from the box.
Within, was a red'ish purple orb the size of an apple.
There is little time to wonder, as is suddenly starts vibrating with an increasing hum. Some crude sounding whispers come forth from between the hums. A sudden pulse explodes from the orb, not at all shattering it, but hitting everyone nearby. [ooc]Str check 15, pass you remain standing, fail means you are knocked prone. Either way, everyone is pushed 15 ft back. When everyone regains their wits from the outward pulse of force, there are these crude whispers but growing louder, coming from the orb. Mocking and aggressive, they cause your heads to throb.
Pass willsave:
On a pass, you can take 1 action and take 1 psychic damage. See matching spoiler. Fail the will save:
You take 1d2 psychic damage and take no action this turn. Psychic damage:
This translates to a mental strain. It functions *similar* to nonlethal, in that having more points of psychic damage than your current HP, means you pass out from mental overload. Aletha & Leona:
You get +1 to the will saves.
Round 1 Everyone make your saves and decide on an action.
The dried meat looks like jerky. Very likely small veal jerky, if the skewers near the campfire were an indication. Lariel checks every side of the box for indications of traps.
He then starts fiddling with the lock, but it won't open.
Vasaam recovers most of his wounds, and is back to 5 HP. The humming doesn't yet stop, but with fighting over, it does seem to lessen gradually over the span of the next several rounds. The defeated bandit carried:
The tents contain nothing of much value. One holds a simple mess kit and 15 trail rations, and recently dried meat.
Leona goes a short *tsk tsk* "Run along then, with your tails between your legs."Blue and green abandon the campsite.
Green @ Aletha "You were for killing anyhow. We hadn't, could've. Who's bloodthirsty here, eh?" Blue @ Aletha: "See we're all sensible people. We go our separate ways and all.", he gives a short yell towards yellow.
Coraline's not having any of negotiations, and casts her spell.
Round 4 Leona
Coraline's thrust at red is once more affected by the darned brambles sticking out near her toes on the ground. Friends and foes alike standing between himself and blue, it causes the shot to just miss, flying just over the tent into the growth beyond. Red does indeed get cut down by Aletha.
Yellow takes another shot.
Perception 17:
The faint humming is now a little more clear. Yellow is definitely casting another nervous glance over his shoulder. Round 3 Leona steps back and hits the guy for a small bump on the head.
Green (-7) seems a little smarter, caution creeping into his mind to look for a way out, after red is cut down, and himself and blue hurt. Doing what devious bandits can do best when chances are against them, he steps 5ft towards Vasaam, addressing you all.
Blue chimes in, "Yes, we'll part ways here, alright? Nice and easy, no need for more casualties.", is said with a slight smirk.
Vasaam tries casting a spell, but the bandit's hold on him is strong, and the effort results in Vasaam passing out.
Leona does some amazing healing on her part, restoring almost all of Aletha's wounds.
Blue (-9) skirts around the combat, drawing a dagger as he goes.
Green (-5) swings his sword at Leona.
Coraline and Lariel attack for what would be fair hits.
Aletha does land a hit on red, leaving him bloodied with a grievous wound.
Yellow takes aim again, moving further away afterwards.
Round 3 Leona
Being hurt, blue steps away towards Vasaam, sheathes his sword, and attempts to grab him. "C'mere blondie."
Green steps into blue's previous spot, swinging his shortsword at Lariel.
Coraline's uneasy steps moving around the corner of the hedge provides an opening for the man to swings his blade.
A light gash is cut upon Coraline's side as she passes. However this is dealt in kind, but stronger, as she jabs her spear into the guy's flank.
Yellow moves around the campfire, and aims an arrow at Aletha.
Perception 20:
There is a faint humm coming from near the campfire, about where the archer bandit is. Who himself seems to take a quick glance trying to check where it's coming from. ====================================== Round 2 Leona
Both men get burns from the sudden spell.
Leona picks up a small stone from the ground and slings it at the red bandit. However the allies standing in the way protect the man from getting hit.
Blue's sword is particularly accurate, gashing Vasaam across the abdomen, leaving his clothes bloodied and him feeling dizzy from the sudden wound.
"Sad. I didn't think that a group of horse thieves would be giving up equipment for nothing." Barely have these words left Vasaam's mouth, that the four men catch on and turn their weapons towards the party. ----------------------------------------Init:
----------------- Round 1 Leona
To the inquiries about themselves, a short "None of your business." is given. The men hoist their small rucksacks over their shoulders, take the meat skewers, and make motion to start walking north.
Lariel:
The thickets feature many animals of size small and smaller still.
Not everything's been explored, there hadn't presented a pressing need for it yet. That is to say, the areas within nearer to the road are generally safe for travel. Looking for trouble would be going inward into deeper uncharted areas. Vasaam's further attempts are met with less favorable reactions, his words not sounding too good with the four men.
The dismissive one looks over at the 'chatty one'.
The chatty guy follows up,
@Vasaam's question about utilizing the fire.
Coraline's attempt at further gauging the deal with these 4 men doesn't bear much fruit. "Hunting.", one of the others says in a dismissive tone, his thumb points at 2 skinned tiny critters, some meat already on skewers. Probably just enough for 4. "What about you?", the 'chatty' one asks. All eyes aimed at the group.
The four men still look wary of you. Then the speaker replies, "Fine. But the tents are all taken."
There are some strange looks on the men's faces at the unusual greetings about sharks and dolphins. A quick reply, "You make campsites yourselves. We didn't look for others, is that all?"
Green's just attentive enough to hear some sound coming from your direction.
By the moment you 5 gather at the 10ft wide opening in the growth, 4 men stand around a campfire, weapons drawn. 3 with swords, 1 with a bow. #1 (blue): "No wild animal. Who are you? If you're looking for a campsite, sorry, but this one's taken already."
As everyone stands ready to catch Lariel when he frees his foot, he falls and safely gets down. Aletha climbs back down the thick growth. You are able to see but a glimpse, not being around the corner yet to see everything. But the path this last bit was forcibly cut, indicated by broken growth that's not recovered yet. You all make out a conversation that is going on.
#2 "Working on it. I got the other ones, just this one left." #3 "Anyway. Money & jewelry are good pickings. Naive guy, or overconfident, that merchant." #1 "Anyway, let's get this fire going, light will fall soon with this growth." With all the chipped and cut brambles on the path, you'll have to watch your footing. It's unlikely you'd make it without making a sound, but if you're careful, you might make it to the opening with minimal sound.
The party follows Lariel's tracking through the thick growth upon the path. There is a sudden *THWACK*, as something had triggered upon Lariel making his next step.
Lariel's snagged by a deviously hidden snare, and hangs upside down 10ft into the air. The sudden yank throws him against the thick vines before getting suspended upside down.
The rats dead and gone, the group continues their journey through The Thickets. Following the tracks becomes a little tricky at some points, and time becomes somewhere late afternoon when the group nears signs of a clearing. The natural hedges in these parts grow up to 10-12 feet high. Little animals native to undergrowth can sometime be seen scurrying off.
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