Des climbs to the bottom of the ravine and finds the druids body has been ravaged by the hyenas in spite of the big cat's best efforts. Just outside his vision Des sees the eyes of perhaps 30 of the creatures, and several dead hyenas are testament to the cat's ferocity. The big cat is wounded badly and it's pretty clear that the hyenas will probably come back to finish off the cat soon.
There is a disturbingly small number of bones and remains but Des is able to gather them up fairly quickly along with the druids possessions. The big cat watches Des, then when Des leaves it pads quietly behind him.
After a brief scramble up the side of the ravine Des rejoins the group.
Ugh, the Paper in the creatures pocket was a harrow card. Sorry for the confusion.
Ugh/ Des
Des makes out two figures dashing around on the far side of the cactus patch near a cliff. A goat franticly pulls on the end of a tether frothing at the mouth. Even from this vantage Des doesn't see and easy way through the cactus.
Lucius/ Anala
Anala makes a couple futile swings at the little dog creature but it easily dodges out of the way. The little ugly little gremlin cackles a bit more then his eyes bug out a little when he sees the goat healing. "Gaaaahh!! No No No NO!! You help goat me hurt you."
At that point he does a cartwheel between Anala's legs and scampers over near the goat then looks right at Anala and shouts "KRACKUM". Anala's Bich'Hwa vibrates in her hand then shatters into 4 pieces. The goat frantically dodges away from the Pugwampi only getting itself further tangled in the cactus plant.
"HEEE Heee Haww.cough chogh ack! Me breakit!!" And the viscious little pugwampi dances a little victory dance.
Anala scrambles to her feet and charges at the little dog creature. "Garh!" but her blow goes wide.
An crude stick with a sharpened piece of glass launches from a 6" bow lancing Anala in the cheek. 2 HP damage
The creatures hideous voice sets your teeth on edge. "Heee Heeee Heee... my stabbem goat, me stabbem funny man. Stabby stabby. Now me stabby you!! Hee Hee Hee. Ooo looky funny man bleeds. Heee Haww heee!!!"
The little creature scrambles a little deeper into the cactus, seemingly careless of the effects of the scratchy vegitation.
Lucius mumbles some arcane words and then pulls his mace out. I'm going to let you track the HP but one/ round... goat looks a little less dead.
Desvartes
Spoiler:
You look around and circle a bit but no options appear easy. You are still trying to figure out what to do when you hear footsteps from camp. A large bald man is approaching you with a great axe. It looks like one of the people that came with Garavel this afternoon but in the scramble after the fire you didn't get a good look at them all.
Ugh
Spoiler:
A tall lanky figure stalks the edge of the cactus patch, a torch burning a few feet away. The light is limited but from the details you can make out it might be a half elf. As you approach his hand goes to his weapon and he eye's you cautiously. He wears a better version of the gear that the mercenaries by the fire wore but you don't recognize him.
Hello, raising hand to join in and help hold the line.
PbP Noob so please be kind as if I get to join in this is my second time.
NO idea for a character, or class, or race, or anything. Not even sure if I could simple just wander in as this character?
Any advice, hints, links, suggestions will be eagerly pounced upon!
Cheers!
Rules for new characters are on the first page, build a character, create an alias and post the character's stats on the alias page. If you need help with any of that drop me a line here or you know where to find me.
I'm half debating having you wait a week and use the final rules instead though. Alternately if you don't mind playing a cleric of Serenrae you can take over Rob's character. That would simplify things a lot.
Ugh/ Aixa: Dashki looks away at some animal noise in the night and seems intent on something in the distance for a moment then answers you.
"So what, I was here, I was at the fire... it makes no difference. I didn't have anything to do with the old man and his card reading or his fire. Hell... he burned a million candles, it was probably an accident, just dumb luck."
Dashki is quiet for a moment and cocks his jaw open reaches in and tries to wiggle a yellowed tooth. Suddenly, he looks up at you. "I'll bet it was the Pugwampi."
Lucius/ Anala: Lucius' voice drops into a low chant as he starts to summon eldritch energies to heal the goat.
The goat, seemingly sensing the evil nature of the magic runs out as far as it can go on the end of its tether, jerking the rope back and forth and bleating for all it's worth. "Maaaaahhhh meeaaaaahhh!!". The rope jerks too and fro as the goat strains to escape. Lucius, make (2) handle animal/ CHA checks please. And for that matter... two touch attacks.
Lucius summons another flickering ball of light and sends it off into the cactus behind him to reveal nothing but a section of cactus rocking gently as if something brushed it.
Lucius moves forward cautiously watching his footing only to discover that one of the cactus roots he stepped on was a snake causing him to lurch back and bump into Anala's sunrod and singeing his arm in the process. He leaps forward when he gets burned and catches a cactus branch across the face. Then he finally stumbles out of the deadly thickest part of the cactus patch much worse for wear. It's pretty clear that Asmodeus is not the god of luck. 2 more HP damage Lucius
Anala has a moment of uncertainty but manages to skate through unscathed and mutters an apology about the singed arm.
You emerge onto a thin strip of land which drops into a 15' ravine. A bit further along the strip you see a rather torn and bloodied goat tied to a cactus plant before you. Below the goat in the ravine you see some movement, perhaps a large animal or maybe several. Something large sounding thrashes in the cactus behind you. The goat's bleating sounds panicked, almost like a small child's cry in the night.
Your sense of unease deepens.
Make a couple perception checks each and let me know what you are doing.
I'm not going to bother with spoilers. Hope you don't mind, kind of a PITA
Ugh/ Aixa:
"What would you have me do with him? Have you asked him about what he said? I think you should find out more before you make any accusations that might backfire on you." Garavel scratches his chin and sighs but doesn't comment one way or the other regarding going after Lucius and Anala.
Anala/ Lucius:
Lucius' Implight flickers an eerie color in the desert air, highlighting a huge jumble of mis-shaped and deformed looking cactus. Long sharp cactus needles like tiny daggers are visible on the cactus even from a distance. The sound of something large moving through the cactus causes Lucius to chase the noise with his light briefly but other than perhaps a gently swaying cactus plant you see nothing.
The tracks lead directly into the center of the cactus patch, it appears was Savarah was running directly into the cactus patch at this point. Or you assume the tracks are from Savarah anyways.
Aixa/ Ugh
Garavel intercepts you on the way to see Almah. I'll assume for the sake of simplicity you guys talk to him.
"Savarah is missing and you let Aixa and Lucius wander off into the desert looking for her? Do you think this is wise?" Garavel scratches his chin for a moment then looks to Ugh.
"You aren't stirring trouble up with Dashki are you? I heard about what happened with the guards at the fire. It hasn't gotten back to Almah and I will try and keep it that way. Why do you think Dashki is suspicious?"
Lucius/ Aixa
There are a few drops of blood on the cactus with the hair, it appears to be the color of Savarah's but it's hard to be sure. A few feet back it looks like she stumbled over a cactus just under the surface of the sand.
The tracks in the sand leading from here go directly towards a large cluster of cactus which looms on the edge of the radius of your lights. You feel a sense of dread wash over you and the sounds from the camp seem strangely distant. The light from the sunrod seems to flicker oddly giving everything a harsh, almost sinister appearance.
Garavel intercepts Aixa and Ugh as they seek out Almah. "What have you found. Have you discovered what started the fire? Where is everyone else?"
Lucius// Anala:
Spoiler:
Lucius and Anala start heading out into the desert and it's gotten dark pretty quick. You can still see the patch of cactus that the camel herder pointed out but it is getting dark fast. Anala stumbles over a cactus and falls. Lucius bends to help her up and notices a small bit of hair caught on a cactus plant but it's hard to make out in the poor light.
Rob: Good to meet you at the con as well, and good to have you back on the PbP.
Everyone: As much as I liked the idea of a faster paced PbP I also enjoy putting a little more into the narrative and that takes time which is in short supply. I could throw up short little posts if you want and could move things a bit faster but I kind of like doing things a bit richer, giving the NPCs a little more depth. Let me know what you think.
With Rob back I think that fills out our party. Do you guys think we should recruit someone back in?
As you get with in the light of their campfire Hadrah (the wife) starts a bit at your approach. "Oh, Oh it's you. That is the prettiest red I have ever seen. Can you tell me where you got it from? I really..."
Hadrod interrupts "They're here about Savarah wool for brains. She came over here right after the fire askin' 'bout my Rombard." At this point Hadrod sort of shudders and starts to pull on his hair. "A right good lass. I was tellin' her about how he was a prize winning long ha..."
"Now who's ramblin'? She found yon rope by the our wagon.". Hadrah just talks over her husband and points towards the back of their wagon where a small section of rope dangles. "She said something about the rope bein' cut then her animal showed up. Big cat, it looked pretty fierce, skerred the daylights out of me and darn near spook..."
"She went off that way" the husband says giving his wife a glare. "She said something about tracks and such. I'm worried some thief stole my Rombard, he's a prize winner... took the red ribb..."
"I'm sure your friend is fine, she seemed a rough one and that cat she had." Harah shudders a bit, "Nothing was messing with that cat."
"..on at the last county fair. It's the horns you see, ..."
It's pretty clear Hadrod is ready to spend the next hour talking about goats horns before he moves on to the coat and the special lineseed based shampoo he uses on him. Any other questions for the camel herders?
Anala: As you approach the camel herders you see are talking quietly near a small dung fire towards the rear of their wagon. They talk with the ease of people who have been together so long they know what the other is thinking and only have to tell half a joke to understand it.
They are pretty oblivious to your approach, Hadrod, the husband, is clearly upset and nearly weeping.
Bits of ash whirl in the night air and the cloying smell of smoke clings to Luxius' heavy robes which are slightly crusty with sweat from the long day of treking through the desert in the hot sun. The cooler evening air offers some comfort but the robes are long overdue a thorough wash and the accumulated sweat makes them a bit crusty and chaffs. Between the odor and the crusty white salt stains Luxius is concerned about the impression he makes on potential converts.
Anala rubs her nose in an absent minded gesture, unknowingly rubbing a little piece of ash into her skin, leaving a small black trail. While Garavel speaks she absently brushes here hair, watching a couple vultures just barely visible in the last bits of sunlight, circling something in a patch of cactus not far from camp. Seeing the vultures she wonders idly where the druid wandered off to. Anala remembers the druid talking to the camel drivers but hadn't seen her since then.
"Almah, expects some sort of resolution on this issue, Ugh, Anala, Luxius, I'm counting on the three of you to see it's resolved. The rest of you come with me, we're going to see if we can salvage some of the wagon parts or other items from the wagon for trade."
Ugh rubs his scalp with the edge of his axe blade and spits in the dirt. Still a little frustrated that the ranger and gnoll expert turned out to be such a jerk. It's then that Ugh pieces together a couple facts. Dashki said he was by the cook fire when the seer's wagon went up in flames but the guards at Almah's tent complained that he was creeping around stalking her at the time. Ugh had been lied to.
Ack.... I can't believe this. I broke my hip over the weekend so suffice to say I am really F*ed up right now. I am exploring new depths of pain and discomfort!!
I think 3 is enough to get started again, if the others see it and want to join back in that's fine, if they don't then we will look for some new players in a week or two.
Role call. I'm not quite ready to get this back going but should be putting some new posts up shortly. Do we need to get some new players?{Post here Plz
Gah!!! I am seriously out of time... I'm sorry guys but if I want to go to Paizocon I have some work deadlines I need to take care of before then and I just can't squeeze in the time for the PbP right now.
So we can either put it on hold for a month or so or someone else can take over DMing, or it is going to have to end.
I'm really sorry about this... all my gaming activities are going to be seriously trimmed back until I get some personal and work related stuff taken care of.
After talking to the guards and Dhaski the party regroups near Almah's tent. The conversation goes something like this.
Ugh: "Dhaski, stinky man, he need shower."
Aixa: "You're one to talk."
Ugh (Sniffs pits, shrugs): "You will see. Dhaski was at fire, he not see anything. He no like gnolls."
Aixa: "Wait, Dhaski says he was at the fire? The guards said he was over here." Aixa gestures at the tree.
Ugh: "Dhaski's story stink like him."
Anala: "Yeah, seems like he's hiding something."
Thor: "Where's Savarah?"
You creep through the scrubby cactus and you are sure the goat is right no the other side of one last nasty twisted cactus ahead of you but the only way through appears to be a small twisted crawlspace.
one final balance check
Apathy:
Spoiler:
The modifiers on you rolls has been all over the place and generally 3-4 higher than the skill bonus listed on your character sheet. For example in this you have your perception roll with a modifier and +11 and balance (which is acrobatics) as +7 when they should be +7 (+9 with racial bonus?) and +3 respectively. For right now I'm going to assume you are having some confusion regarding the rules or with crystal palace, please familiarize yourself with both.
Also, please go here and create an account and use that when you are rolling so that your character's rolling history is retained rather than just links to individual results.
If Ugh has a casual relationship with personal hygeine Dashki hasn't even been introduced. He openly scratches at something under his armor as you approach then pulls it out and looks at it closely and sniffs it before flicking it away. His body odor is staggering, almost a physical presence.
Dashki glances at Ugh and then away dismissively. He spits into the desert, perhaps as a sign of disrespect to Ugh, or maybe disgust at the subject matter.
"The fortune teller was an idiot and a fool, and Almah a bigger fool for hiring him.", Dashki is obviously disgusted by the Eloais.
Glancing again at Ugh. "You are lucky they sold you into slavery. Sometimes they keep the ones they capture as playthings. Sort of like having a larder that grooms you and cleans your chamber pot until you get hungry."
"I was with the guards at the cookfire when the wagon burned."
Aixa
Spoiler:
Fixx, a clean cut guard of few words talks to you. "We stay near Almah always. The four of us were here when the fire started. We thought the smoke was from a camp stove until the camel herder started shouting. We didn't see anyone near the Seer's wagon. That Dashki was creeping around by the tree though. He's always trying to get a peek at Almah. He has an unhealthy interest in his betters."
Keen swaggers up to the guard "We have uncovered an item which appears to belong to the queen and we are here to return it." To be honest I'm not sure who is carrying the brooch... if Keen is he produces it to show the guard, otherwise he gestures for whoever is carrying it.
"We understand there is a reward for it's return."
Garavel "Have you spoken with Almah's personal guards or Dashki? Perhaps they have seen something."
Anala: I gave you another roll since it's been some time:
You notice the gnoll expert Dashki lurking by the tree, watching you, or perhaps Almah's tent.
Savrah:
Spoiler:
Your unease continues to grow as you continue deeper into the cactus. Shadows seem to jump at the edge of your vision once, you see something moving out of the corner of your eye only to see a lizard ducking behind a rock. As you slide between 2 cacti your longbow picks an inopportune time to shift and catches on a branch knocking you off balance and you are once again plunged into the cactus plants (one more point of damage)
You plunge into the desert after the sound but before you get 15 feet you step in a surprisingly soft patch of sand, causing you to stumble and slam into a cactus plant. Your eyes flash white with agony and you have quills sticking out all over. (1 HP damage). Ahead of you the cactus patch gets much thicker and you realize that you are going to have to be extremely careful navigating or you will be a pincushion before you make it 20 feet.
(FWIW: it is so thick it will require a balance check to proceed)
Keen will browse whatever she has and buy any of the following scrolls he finds: web, glitterdust, sleep, color spray, magic fang, (2) cure light wounds, longstrider, protection from evil, or entanglement. He will pretty much spend his budget of 247gp on whichever scrolls he can find, with preference in the order listed. He obviously can't afford them all but he will get as many as he can buy with promises to come back and visit with her later.
You hear something small moving quietly in the large cactus patch ahead of you then a muted cry, perhaps a small child? I rolled for you. Knowledge Nature (1d20+8=20) or maybe the plaintive bleat of a goat?
I'm curious, I would like to try out having the characters do all the rolling with casting. The system would work like this variant rule: Saves
I would also use critical 'hits' for double damage and critical fumbles on spells.
If a caster rolls a 1 or a 20 he makes a CLC versus 10+spell level on success he either avoids the fumble or makes a critical 'hit' and deals double damage or affects twice as many hit dice of creatures, etc.
I am likely buying a critical hit deck so would use the critical hit deck with that rule.
Let me know what you think.
I guess the follow up question is should there be one roll for AoE spells or one per victim.
Kallien blushes a little at an overheard comment from one of the other guards and perhaps misinterpreting the attentions Aixa is paying her.
"Umm... I really don't know. The camel herder spotted the blaze, we were all over here at the fire. We didn't see anyone over by the wagon when we went to get the fortune teller out."
Thor/ Ugh/ Aixa:
Trevvis, the senior mercenary steps between you and the mercenary you are threatening. "What the hell is wrong with you? You think this is some savage tribal camp where you can bully everyone around you? These two were sitting at the fire with us when the blaze started. I'm going to talk to Almah about what kind of trash Garavel hauled in."
Savarah:
Spoiler:
The tracks take you about 100 yards away from camp roughly towards a large cactus patch near a ravine. You see something out of the corner of your eye, perhaps it's hiding behind a small cactus plant about 20' away.
You hear raised loud voices from camp but they sound strangely distant and deadened making you feel isolated and maybe vulnerable.
Beyond that bit the guards don't seem to have much more to say.
Savrah:
Spoiler:
The track leads off into the desert. How far are you planning on going? The moon is already up and you can see fairly well. A human would likely need a torch.
Almah looks at Almah and says "If I am needed for anything or can help answer any questions I'll be in my tent." then she walks to her tent. Two of the more professional looking guards follow her and stay near the entrance to her tent.
Ugh: Garavel gestures towards the burned out wagon. "That wagon was home of Eloais, a seer and fortune teller who Almah employed for advice. What sort of magic he might have used I'm not certain, I didn't know him well. I have never seen him using overt magic beyond the card reading."
Lucius and Anala: You sift through the ashes and debris from the wagon and discover an assortment of melted candleholders, some broken vials, a crystal ball which has cracked from the heat, an assortment of clay shards. In the center of the debris is the burned skeletal remains of a body you assume was Eloais but is currently unidentifiable.
Lucius:
Spoiler:
You not that several of the melted candle holders were silver and spot a pile of melted coins amoungst the debris.
Aixa: As you do your devotions you attract a small amount of attention and hear what might even be a catcall from near the campfire. After you speak to Anala and Lucius at the wagon, you wander over to the guards at the camp fire. These mercenaries are not nearly as professional as Almah's personal guards, their armor is rusted in places and their clothing dirty. Most of the guards look at you fairly dismissively, one openly leers at you.
Kallien, the guard you helped heal, looks at you with appreciation. She looks nearly fully recovered now though there will be some significant scarring. "After the fire I remember waking up and feeling you healing touch. I appreciate what you did for me."
At this comment the guard who was leering at you scoffs and whispers an obviously crass comment to the guard nearest him and the two share a crude laugh.
Trevvis, who appears to be the leader ignores the comment and speaks to you. "Though it felt odd and somehow unclean... that robed man healed me well."
"We were just finishing dinner up when we heard Hadrah exclaim and point at the seer's wagon. Flames were coming from inside the wagon and we heard some screams. Kallien and I went over tried to pull the seer out but when we got into the wagon I tripped on a carpet in the threshold and hit my head. As it was Kallien was barely able to get me out."
Kallien confirms his story and adds "When I moved in to get Trevvis out my armor got caught on a hook in the wall. Just dumb luck. We should have been able to get him out of there."
Thor: You walk the perimeter of the camp and don't notice much of anything.
Savrah: When you get over Hadrod and Hadrah the camel herders are talking quietly near the livestock. Hadrod is openly upset and when you ask about the goat he starts to pull on his hair.
Hadrah answers you first though, she talks rapidly and it's a bit hard to understand. "Was just finishing up serving dinner to them mercenaries when I saw the fire and "
Hadrod interrupts "She says 'FIRE, the faker's wagon is burning. Them guards got up in a hurry"
Hadrah continues "Trevvis got up and he took one of the women guards over with them but the animals..."
"...they went crazy with the smoke, never seen them panic like that. One second they was calm then they went haywire..." Hadrod just talks over Hadrah.
"We started getting them together then Hadrod noticed Rombard..."
Hadrod pulls his haird and exclaims "OOOooo, Rombard. I know I tied him secure..."
Hadrah holds her husbands hand but looks at you "My husband raised him from the bottle, he's a prize goat that one..."
"I know he would come back, I called him and called him. He thinks I'm his momma..."
Hadrah pats her husbands hand "We keep him a bit apart from the rest of the animals so we didn't notice he was missing at first."
When Hadrah points to where the goat was kept you go and look.
Savrah:
Spoiler:
Where are you searching? Also, your perception/ search should be +7.
The fire continues burning fiercely but with Thor and Anala adding their efforts to the bucket brigade it is eventually brought under control.
In the mean time Savrah and the camel drivers manage to get the animals under control.
As the sun sets in the west Eloais' wagon is little more than smoldering ruin. Steam and smoke sputters from the remains of the wagon but there are no open flames and few hot spots.
After some private discussions with Garavel and Zastoran, Garavel calls you over to where he sits with Almah.
"Almah would like to know what caused this fire. It is possible it was an accident but she is concerned there might have been foul play. Since we were not here when the fire started we are the only ones who are beyond suspicion. Thus it is our burden to discover the cause of the blaze. See what you can discover about the blaze and report back to me.
"If anyone needs treatment you can speak with Zastoran and he has been instructed to assist you."
As the sun sets the temperature drops noticeably. It's still pretty light out but natural light is fading quickly. Once the fire was out the members of the caravan break up into their natural components.
Zastoran (halfling cleric) sits near a wagon reading a text quietly using a magical light source. A small group of professional looking guards stay fairly close to Almah with at least 2 stationed very near her at all times. A larger group of rougher looking mercenaries gather in a loose nit group near the cook fire laughing and sharing a bit of ale. The camel drivers, a married couple, are tending to the animals and ensuring the camel pen is secure. There is one other member of the party who tends to drift around the camp quite a bit, Dashki, a desert drifter hired by Almah for his expertise in dealing with Gnolls.
Anala: If the fire were put out instantly it would be hard to find an something identifiable as human...
Ugh: One of the mercenaries gives you a nasty look as you dunk your head into the primary source of drinking water for the caravan. You think you could carry it if in prime shape but right now you are so beat from the heat it seems unlikely.
With a herculean grunt the wagon Anala and Thor are pushing slowly starts rolling and once it gets out of the rut it gains a little momentum and is easily rolled a safe distance away from the burning wagon.
Savrah continues making headway with the livestock but is struggling with a sheep who runs funny and doesn't want anything to do with the camel driver.
Ugh: Something highly flamable in the wagon catches sending big gouts of flame up from the wagon. Ugh smells something like candlewax briefly then he smells burning hair. Realizes it's his hair that's burning and pats it out. Someone behind him points him to the back of the bucket line.
Lucius: The halfling cleric looks at you and points at the burning wagon. "Eloais, the fortune teller, it's his wagon that burns and him with it. I think he was a fake but Almah picked him up and trusted his council and his Harrow Cards."
Aixa: your patient stirs, conscious barely conscious. She looks dazed and in pain, she tries to talk but her voice is raspy and hoarse.
Savrah:
The camel driver says "It's Rombard, my price goat. He's gone missing. But we need to get thse animals under control before they all scatter."
Go ahead and make another handle animal check.
Aixa: Can you roll for rebuke death twice then? She was at -6.
As the bucket brigade pours bucket after bucket of (your precious drinking) water the fires growth slows a bit but it continues to burn fiercely. Steam and ash fill the air along with burning embers from the fire. Ugh takes dunks his head in one bucket as it passes by him, near the flames it's even hotter.
Savrah (I rolled for you) is able to calm a few of the camels and leads a goat back into it's pen. The camel driver is helping but he is somewhat distracted. "Rombard!" he cries as he looks under a wagon.
The wagon Anala and Thor are working on seems to have sunk into a rut and isn't moving much at all. One of the mercenaries stops pushing for a moment and takes a few seconds to try and push some sand out from under the wheel. "Let try again now, maybe that will make it roll better."
Aixa's patient is still unconscious but is looking signicantly better and her breath much less labored. Trevvis stands up and eyes Lucius suspiciously and looks at his burned arm again which is mending before his eyes and says "I think I'll help with the bucket brigade" and wanders over to help with putting the fire out.
Zastoran looks at Lucius, shrugs "It is a bit like the hells here isn't it. I'm not sure what to tell you. I was just leaving the firepit," he gestures at the now neglected cook fire some distance away, "when I heard a bit of commotion from the charlatan's wagon."
Just then a timber in the wagon collapses sending another cascade of flaming debris into the desert air.
I assumed were attending the one the halfling wasn't attending to, also happened to be the most injured. The one you are tending is in bad shape and rebuking touch would def help. The other is awake and alert.
Flames continue to leap and throw sparks and bits of burning debris into the afternoon air. After the gust that fanned the flames when you arrived the wind died almost completely and the smoke from the blaze settles over the campsite filling your nostrils with acrid smoke. Ugh integrates himself smoothly with the bucket brigade to try and quench the flames.
Thor and Anala rush over to the wagon nearest the blaze and pull on the hitch as the mercenaries push it from behind. The wagon rocks in it's tracks but then one of the mercenaries slips and the wagon rolls back into the groove it was in. Burning debris continues to fall on the wagon threatening to ignite it but nothing is starting to catch yet.
Aixa bandages the unconscious Kallien, a female mercenary who was badly burned trying to pull the fortune teller out of his burning wagon. Nearby a more able Trevvis who eyes Lucius suspiciously. The devil touched Lucius is chanting in a sinister voice and with a flourish presses his palm to Trevis' forehead and shouts "In the name of Asmodeos be healed." A look of revulsion briefly crosses the guards face then relief as the infernal healing begins to take effect.
The animals largely ignore Savrah's attempts to sooth them and the camel driver is running around shouting "Rombard, Rombard!"
Garavel shows little reaction to at Aixa's comment but gestures at the 6 of you "Come with me, let's see what the trouble is."
As you get close to the main caravan the scene before you is raw chaos come to life. About a dozen people are scrambling around the camp chasing animals or scrambling with buckets of water. A clutch of goats and other confused looking animals wander the grounds and the camels in the pen are clearly excited and look like they are about to burst out of their pen. The center of all the chaos is a wooden wagon decorated with garish moons and stars. Bright orange flames cover one side of the wagon and are rapidly growing to engulf the entire wagon and threatens to spread to other wagons.
Just as you come to the edge of the campsite a freak gust of wind blows, fanning the flames and catching up some colorful harrow which were just catching fire. One of the cards gets picked up in an eddy and blows directly at your group striking Lucius directly in the chest. You are momentarily stunned by the freakish gust and the flaming card which is still burning on Lucius' robe. The card is the cyclone, which portends war, arson, and destructive plans.
The central flap of an elaborate tent flips open and a regal woman who is most likely Almah steps out. Surveying the scene she gestures to some men towards the fire then her eyes light on Garavel and her eyes flash with anger.
"Garavel, as usual too late to be of much use." She looks past Garavel and from her expression she is not impressed by the ragtag road worn group she sees. Looking directly at you she says "Find some way to help clean up this mess."
In addition to the fire there are several badly burned guards lying on the ground being tended by a red headed halfling. You also see another wagon near the burning wagon which 4 men are trying to push out of the way. Livestock is scattered and quite near full panic.
I should have mentioned, failure means you take 1d4 non-lethal damage and are fatigued.
Aixa - you can make a survival check to help others in the party if you want.
Heat rules:
Spoiler:
Since we are likely to run into this again I wanted to summarize the relevant heat rules.
Survival DC 15:
Gain a +2 bonus on all Fortitude saves against severe weather while moving up to one-half your overland speed, or gain a +4 bonus if you remain stationary. You may grant the same bonus to one other character for every 1 point by which your Survival check result exceeds 15.
Heat Dangers: (P 330)
A character in very hot conditions (above 90° F) must make a Fortitude saving throw each hour (DC 15, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage. Characters wearing heavy clothing or armor of any sort take a –4 penalty on their saves. A character with the Survival
skill may receive a bonus on this saving throw and might be able to apply this bonus to other characters as well (see the skill description). Characters reduced to unconsciousness begin taking lethal damage (1d4 points per hour).
Just to simplify things I just had you make one check for the day.
To be honest I thought it was a nice touch RP wise. Pretty much everyone else in the party is taking the same penalty since everyone else is likely in armor.
Incidentally, I'm assuming everyone uses Crystal Castle or DM Tools for rolling and gives a link back for results
