Pedron's page

"Wulfric, I like your idea of using a lure. Maybe we could have one of the brothers write out a note. Perhaps like "The trolls seem to have ran into some trouble. We went to help. Send backup if we're not back by dawn." Then one of us could drop it off at the mouth of the cave, all sneaky like. That might buy you enough time to prepare more spells for breaking enchantments. If we can break the dragon magic on a few more, it might give us additional resources for dealing with the dragon and saving the remaining elves."

Following the elves into the woods, Garathane greets them. "Glad you're feeling more like yourselves, brothers."

Having overflown most of the surrounding region, the hunter tries to remember any settlement, gathering spot, or other point of note that the elves would be interested in protecting.

Knowledge (Geography): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Whelp. So much for helping.

Azen, for what it's worth, keep doing what you're doing. We support your bardic diplomacy actions!

I would say let's kick things off after dawn and start the morning refreshed. It could be a rough day.

For tonight, let me cast Keep Watch on everyone and we can utilize one of the blinds in rotation for a bit of extra rest. Rhiannon, tomorrow I'll save a barkskin for you.

After spending some time in thought, Garathane chimes in, "Something Celebeth said has me thinking. Trolls are probably not the most disciplined guards. I bet if something delicious happened to wander by, they could be tempted to chase it. Maybe a nice deer? Or better... a pig! Who could then run the trolls into an ambush just far enough away where the sounds wouldn't penetrate into the cave?"

Seeing his leader go down, the elf's magically sped up arrow attacks take on a frenzied air of desperation.

+1 Composite Longbow (+2 STR), Haste, FF, Inspire, Rage, PB, Rapid Shot 1: 1d20 + 9 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (12) + 9 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 - 2 = 251d8 + 3 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 2 + 1 = 11

+1 Composite Longbow (+2 STR), Haste, FF, Inspire, Rage, PB, Rapid Shot 2: 1d20 + 9 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (7) + 9 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 - 2 = 201d8 + 3 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 3 + 2 + 1 = 12

+1 Composite Longbow (+2 STR), Haste, FF, Inspire, Rage, PB, Haste Attack: 1d20 + 9 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (2) + 9 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 - 2 = 151d8 + 3 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 3 + 2 + 1 = 13

Eyes taking on the glint of the Tiger, the Hunter let's fly his arrows at the troll leader.

+1 Composite Longbow (+2 STR), FF, Inspire, Rage, PB, Rapid Shot 1: 1d20 + 9 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (11) + 9 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 - 2 = 231d8 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 3 + 1 = 5

+1 Composite Longbow (+2 STR), FF, Inspire, Rage, PB, Rapid Shot 2: 1d20 + 9 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (9) + 9 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 - 2 = 211d8 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 3 + 1 = 7

Garathane embraces the strength of the bull and teams up with Rhiannon (Taking a 5-foot step to do so) in an attempt to bring a troll down.

Regular Attack Cold Iron, FF, Prayer, Haste: 1d20 + 9 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 9 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 291d8 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 3 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 7

Haste Attack Cold Iron, FF, Prayer, Haste: 1d20 + 9 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 9 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 151d8 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 3 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 9

Trolls not being known for their subtlety when running into combat :)

Hell, if I had regeneration I would rush straight in as well, subtlety be damned!

"We can always stab them later."

The elf pauses at the looks the other councilors give him.

"What? I mean we can. It's hard to do it in the other order."

Garethane switches his feral focus to that of the Tiger (increased speed) to swiftly intercept the retreating rabble rouser.

"Please sir, please come and talk with Tove in front of the rest of us."

While Garethane isn't terribly useful in social situations, he can at least make sure that there isn't some support for the rabble-rousers hidden nearby. He will patrol the area around Elkmark looking for encampments or evidence that force which could cause trouble is lurking nearby. And with a longstrider cast before assuming the form of a friendly looking dog, he won't be terribly noticeable, will be able to cover a lot of ground, and can pick up on any strange scents, starting with the house that Celebeth staked out.

Nice roll, Celebeth :)

I think making sure the kingdom is secure from enemies within before we go forth to give our lifesblood to trolls is a most excellent idea. Or I just find the trolls scary. Whatevs.

Garathane claps a hand on the shoulder of the uneasy warrior. "Best of luck on wherever your travels take you, Kalaman. Know your work here had value and we appreciate the time you spent with us."

By all means. Wulfric has been waiting patiently so let's get him in.

Gritting his teeth against the assault of the troll and thankful for the healing grace of Erastil, the timely help from Rhiannon, and the confidence of a bard song well sung, the elf continues to trade blows with the creature.

Masterwork Cold Iron Longsword, FF, Bardic Inspiration, Flank: 1d20 + 9 + 1 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 9 + 1 + 2 + 2 = 311d8 + 3 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 3 + 1 + 2 = 7

Inspire courage would be teriffic. It's been a long time since I've been in melee in PF1 and I forgot how deadly it could be! Better to make the trolls dead, amirite?

My placement on the board is assuming 2 rounds of 40' movement can get the Hunter onto a battlement with good firing position.

Assuming a firing position near his teammates, Garethane looses a single arrow at the nearest troll.

Composite Longbow (+2 STR), FF (Dex), Higher Ground, Point Blank: 1d20 + 9 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 9 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 181d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 2 + 1 = 6

"Agreed. We probably should plan to ambush the patrol of 3 near the Hodag's lair and then hunt down the patrol of 4 if it goes well. No guarantee we'll get a chance to deal with them in such small packs again once they start going missing.

Also, I did some math. Beast Shape II lets Garethane move at a 60 ft fly speed. Assuming that he is always double moving, that let's him fly 1200 ft per minute, which works out to 13.6 mph. So in theory, a level 6 feral hunter can cover 160 miles over the course of a long day.

The Kingmaker map scale has edge to edge as 12 miles. That means that 160 miles can cover 13.6 hexes. I will plot courses that don't exceed that maximum.

Here's what I'm thinking:

Initial sweeps will be looking for large groups of trolls or evidence of such. Not taking the time to explore the entire hex, but with Greensight on, Trolls in motion should make easy targets to spot.

With the Troll Camp in J2 and knowing that they have raided the Lizardfolk Village in I3, I'm thinking Garethane can do a scouting sweep starting on the west side of the lake of J4 moving toward J1 and heading back along H1 through H5. That should burn through all of the Greensights for a day.

The next day he can do a sweep starting at the Ferry in J6 and moving through J3, then swing back and return from K1 to the west side of the Ferry in K1.

Does that sound alright to everyone? Modifications and collaborations welcome.

The hunter nods in approval at Celeste's efforts. "Agreed. We just need to make sure that our efforts always draw the trolls further from Elkmark. We probably need to commit some horses to the effort as well. Trolls can cover a lot of ground and don't tire easily. To quote a bardic tale I once heard 'They just keep coming.'

So our job is not just to stop them, but also circle back far enough that our efforts don't inadvertently endanger the town. Where possible, I'll act as the final bait to make sure your forces can break off. Once they're a few hours off your trail, I'll just fly away in the opposite direction. I wonder if I can lead them into being eaten by something even bigger?" The elf ponders before grinning wickedly.

My thought is "get what you need". Got a great idea and we got the credit for it? Do it. It's a collaborative effort after all. It's not like you're a rogue picking your party's pockets "because it's what my character would do". So in summary, go nuts :)

"Well, I'll definitely take that barrel of cooking oil off you. It's not for a fish fry, but close enough." The elf's grin is, frankly, malicious.

May your holidays be happy and warm!

Will Save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

Visibly shaken, the elf adds in "I have no great desire to fight this specter. I also wouldn't want to abandon Godwin. As much as I don't which to miss out on the exploration, perhaps I could provide him an escort home and retrieve the stag lord's body. Hopefully the headless corpse will be easy to identify." After the saying his peace, he shudders.

Sounds good to me. We can always hit the tile SE of the Sootscales on the way back.

Newspaper Drop was a reference to this comment about Old Beldame:

"I think I should find reason to occasionally drop off a nice sweetbread wrapped in the latest broadsheet out of Brevoy to let her know she remains in our thoughts and otherwise give her wide berth."

Garethane will make good on that first newspaper drop and do a literal flying patrol over the outlying settlements.

Sounds like we're all in agreement. After we've checked for information on the old lady and re-provisioned, how about we take the boat up near the Sootscales, check in with them, and then explore the hex southeast of them. That's the last unexplored hex within 2 hexes of Elkmark.

"I suspect some would call her evil, based on her appearance and demeanor. But she is a little dot of order in these wild lands. Unless we find out she is an actual threat, I like the idea of her being out here. I suspect that some troubles will... cease to be troubles while she is around.

I think I should find reason to occasionally drop off a nice sweetbread wrapped in the latest broadsheet out of Brevoy to let her know she remains in our thoughts and otherwise give her wide berth."

"There are dangers to be had wandering around in the dark. There are dangers to be had from the corpses attracting other scavengers."

Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 7 + 1 = 12

Survival: 1d20 + 13 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 13 + 1 = 22

After considering for a moment, the elf replies, "I think it might be best to drag the carcasses away from the camp a ways and harvest a pelt off of the big one at that location. That should both create a lot of scent away from the camp and provide plenty of provisions for whatever is attracted to it. And besides, someone deserves a nice rug out of the evening."

After the harvest / setting the bait, Garethane will cast a "Keep Watch" on himself and Rhiannon should she be agreeable to staying up the rest of the night.

Garethane will take 1st and 3rd so that there is low light vision on all watches.

"I'm going to have to start training some birds to run all this mail back and forth."

Says the guy who picked the *one* hunter class which gives no pets.

"Methinks we shouldn't enter into that yard without permission. Do we have any hospitality gifts?"

Garethane spends the morning flying, acting as both scout and messenger.

The hunter moves as far away from the Tendriculos as he can and continues to vomit in Elven.

"The Elf whispers, don't sneak in there yourself. Let's head back and share what we've found out."

"I'll go with you Celebeth. I'll try to keep us out of the worst of the thickets."

Maybe Garethane's flight around the island is just a little further out then it would have been before hearing Kressik's words.

Got a pretty busy schedule of quivering for four more rounds over here.

The elf's eye's take on a feline cast as he begins begins to defend the ship with his bow. Assuming they're not in point blank range yet

Longbow +1, FF: Dex, Rapid Shot 1: 1d20 + 9 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (8) + 9 + 1 - 2 = 161d8 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

Longbow +1, FF: Dex, Rapid Shot 2: 1d20 + 9 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (7) + 9 + 1 - 2 = 151d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

After giving a bow to the Duchess, the elf takes his bow to the bow and takes up watch.

Garathane's knowledges of wood, woods, and the woods (+9 Knowledge: Nature, +13 Survival) would be of some assistance for selection of timbers.

To a lesser extent (or a higher DC as mentioned above), he will happy to put his skill at small scale woodcraft (+9 Craft: Archer / Fletcher) to help as well.

For the record, few of my characters have Knowledge: Engineering because... escapism? And besides, otherwise all my characters would be OP ;)

Garathane would love to participate in Archer's day, being a Erastilian himself.

But rather than competing, since he is an authority figure, he would gather all of those too young for the main competition and fire two arrows into the target. Anybody who gets an arrow closer to center of his better shot is given a gold piece. Anyone who does better than his (intentionally) worse shot is given a silver piece.

The elf in question ends up not spending a lot of time lingering in Elkmark proper. His ability to cover a lot of ground quickly allows him to visit the outlying settlements, farms, and camps helping out where he can as well as doing a bit of training for the guards and patrols that they set up. He also seems to be becoming a one elf post service, going to Oleg's fairly regularly.

All this flying around also serves as a patrol in and of itself, and several small predators are taken care of over the course of the weeks with ambushes set up with the other patrols and those performed solely by himself.

I like the concept of a "Star Elk". Also, good to go.

Thanks for doing the math, btw. Tis much appreciated.

Back to back makes sense. Our rulers were gallivanting for a bit, so it might make sense to buckle down and knock out some of that actual... ruling stuff.