Tobin's page

Tobin comes tumbling out of the ramshackle building's doorway, skidding to a halt and grinning at the sight of his friends all gathered around the well.

"No, no," Kells chuckles "We've been doing a little exploration out this way and that's going quite well. I guess mucking out the well left me moody, is all. We have a few days before we head back, I think. I think we can use another couple pairs of hand if you want to go with us next time. Tobin, if you need to attend any family matters, you know we will wait for you to get back."

"No, no, Kells," Tobin says, "it's just my old ma worrying herself for no reason, as usual. There's no reason to traipse all the way back to town on that account." He pauses, looking thoughtful. "I don't suppose there's any way you can send a message back to her, Grond, saying that we're both okay? It would be great if you could stay with us for a bit!"

"There ya be Tobin, yer ma's been worrin' were ya run off to. What be keepin' ya from headin' home? It not be like ya to send yer ma off to market alone."

"Ah, Grond," Tobin replies with a grin, "you know Ma Longbottom is a worrier. She worries when the goats wander round the back of the barn to find better grazing! And she was going to market on her own long before I came along - I'm sure she gets everything done quicker without me bending the ears of her customers. As for what I've been up to - look, I've found myself a fine new home!" Tobin spreads his arms wide to indicate the ramshackle building below him. "More importantly, I've found some kind and trusty new friends. You'll love them!" In his excitement, Tobin steps forwards and almost falls from the wall. He regains his balance, however, and chuckles at his own foolishness. "But what am I shouting at you from up here for? Give me a minute, and I'll come down!" With a wave, he jumps back into the building.

Hearing a familiar voice, Tobin clambers up through the broken roof of the building's upper floor, where he's been poking around. "Grond? Is that you?" he calls out. "What are you doing here? I don't suppose you've brought any pipeweed from the farm, have you? My supply is running dangerously low," he says, patting a bulging pouch dangling from his belt.

Tobin wrote:

Diamond Lake,

Daggerford ;)

D'oh! And I saw this just too late to edit my earlier post! It's a particularly egregious slip, as Tobin's background is quite closely tied to Daggerford...

"What did we find Tobin," he finally asks the halfling riding on Yorick's stout back, "anything you think we could sell to buy some supplies?"

"Certainly, if we can find the right buyer," Tobin replies. "The ring and pearl we found in all that beetle mess are both exquisite, and must be worth a fair bit. They're so fine and well-preserved, though, that I wonder if they might have some magic about them - can you tell if that's the case, KC? Anyone?" As he asks, he holds the ring up so it catches the light. "If so, that would make them even more valuable! Or something useful we'd want to keep, like these goggles. I've still got those little statuettes we found earlier, too, which might fetch a decent price. Do you want to go back to Diamond Lake, then, in order to trade for these, or just back to our little hidey-hole?"

Quickly tucking his findings away, Tobin smiles at Darie and heads for the doorway. "I agree with KC," he says, "let's get out of here. It's been a tough day for all of us, and I could do with a bit of a rest - without having to worry what might be lurking around the next corner! Let's head back to our lovely home-from-home, relax, and mull things over."

Tobin will appraise the ring and pearl, wearing his goggles: a +4 check (+2 for his Int, +2 circumstance bonus for the goggles, which I'm taking to be equivalent to a magnifying glass here).

"Interesting," Tobin says, wiping his hands on his britches, "I suppose these fellows were grave robbers like us, only less lucky." He gives Darie a wink. "Does anyone recognise that symbol on their armour?" He holds one of the bottles up to his eyes and gently shakes it. "Do we have any way of working out what these might do?" he asks.

What's a flat inspection?

Man, these days are long! ;-)

Hooray!

Man, that goo is sticky! ;-)

Tobin slips his goggles on and starts poking around in the orange goo.

"Phew," Tobin says, "I hope that's the last of them! Darie, you're amazing. We never would have got through this without your talents." Stepping gingerly through the charred remains of the insects, Tobin makes his way into the room that served as their lair. "I spotted some strange shapes in the orange sludge here," he says as he goes. "I wonder what they could be?"

Tobin looks at the swarm of beetles, then at his bow. Shaking his head, he drops it on the floor beside him. His hand goes briefly to the hilt of his rapier, but he leaves it where it is and starts digging in his pack for his lantern and oil.

"I don't have anything to burn them with," Tobin calls out, eyeing the swarm nervously. "If anyone else does, please use it now!"

I'll delay my action.

Tobin you might want to take a five foot step diagonally back. Alchemist's fire hits squares adjacent to the target and I'd rather not get anyone hit by the flame. Kessel's planing to hit the square right in front of you.

Right - I changed my mind from delaying to firing an arrow, and forgot to move! So it should look like this now.

"Nice shot, Loriel," Tobin says, drawing another arrow from his quiver, "but I think you might have made it angry." He quickly takes aim and looses the arrow at the beetle.

Shooting at the big beetle before it can charge us: (1d20+6=21, 1d4+1+1d6=10). That's nearly maximum damage for me (+1 for point blank range, +1d6 for sneak attack, as it's still flat-footed)!

I think the current situation looks like this.

When everyone is in position, Tobin takes a shot at the big beetle by the nest.

Shooting the big beetle with surprise: (1d20+5=7, 1d4=4)
I guess we'll need an initiative roll for the rest of the combat, too...
Initiative for fighting the beetles (1d20+4=23)

"That looks good, KC," Tobin says, "but I'd like to make a small adjustment." He takes the chalk from Kessel's hand and quickly changes the position of his symbol.
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......|. . K .|......
......|D KC|......
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"This way, I can switch to my blade more effectively if and when the big beetle comes out." He hands the chalk back to Kessel, then moves quietly up the hallway into position.

"Maybe we shouldn't bunch up . . ." Kessel begins, "no wait, it's too late for second doubts. Let's just hit them hard and fast."

"Well," says Tobin, "the corridor runs about 15 feet before opening out into the room, so we should be able to stay fairly spread out. Particularly if anyone actually going into the room moves to the left, away from the nest." He takes a deep breath, as if to prepare himself for the conflict ahead. "But you're right - let's go get them now, before any more come out looking for us."

"So that puts me near the back, with my bow at the ready, right?" Tobin asks. He draws his bow, knocks an arrow into it, and makes ready to follow the others down the passageway.

"Ick," Tobin says, under his breath, then creeps back towards the others. "There are two rooms up ahead," he says, "one to either side of the corridor. The right-hand one is swarming with loads more of those beetles - I think it's probably their nest. There's also a huge beetle - bigger than me - in there!" He pauses, and looks over his shoulder briefly before continuing. "The left-hand room is much quieter - there's a big statue and some stone slabs in it, with a dead body lying on one of the slabs. I guess we should try to clean out that insect nest first, if you think we're up to it...?" He looks round the group, gauging their responses.

"Sure thing, KC," Tobin says. He slips his goggles on and scouts ahead as far as the intersection, examining the floor and walls as he goes.

Tobin sits down on the stairs with relief, and then watches the scene unfolding below him with a smile spreading across his face. After a few minutes, unable to contain himself any longer, he scampers down to join the small huddle.

"You're not allowing for KC's talents, Darie," he says, as he approaches. "All this poking around in tombs and getting filthy will sound wonderful once he's crafted it into a glorious tale!" He beams up at the young woman, and speaks more quietly. "Thank you for saving for us. And even more for trusting us." He squeezes her hand briefly, then saunters over to the hole and peers in. "Do you want go down there right now, KC?"

Well, I haven't seen the outcomes of Loriel's or Kells' actions in the previous round, but here are my next rolls, anyway...

Shooting his bow at the eye-creature: (1d20+6=18, 1d4+1=3)

On his next turn, Tobin will attack the remaining creature - either with his bow, backing away up the stairs, or with his rapier, trying to flank the thing, depending on where he ended up after his last turn.

Initiative on seeing the insect swarm: (1d20+4=24) :-)

Scatter and regroup. KC's words made sense - Tobin had seen swarms of insects devour a crop in seconds, and knew that trying to fight them was futile at best. Moving swiftly, he retreated from the beetles, looking for a way to engage the eye-creature behind them.

If Tobin can circle round the beetles, he will, drawing his rapier. Otherwise, he'll retreat to the stairs and get his bow out.

With a last look around, Tobin scurries after the others. "So, what have we learned?" he muses. "At least one of the windfolk lived and worked down here at one time - so I guess this isn't just a cairn. Not in the traditional sense, anyway. Also, they like making statues of themselves!"

"Just a minute, KC," Tobin says, a pained look on his face, "are you saying I'm not tall enough? The effrontery! I'll race you back down the corridor!" With a guffaw, Tobin fakes a lunge for the door.

Tobin pushes his goggles back onto the top of his head. "Well," he says, "it's nice that the sculptor left us a useful gift! It doesn't look like there's anything else in here that's useful or valuable, though - unless we want to take that stone egg with us. It looks quite heavy, though. I wonder how much it would fetch, if we could find a buyer? Does anyone think it's magical?" Tobin eyes the egg speculatively.

Appraising the stone egg: 1d20+2=11

Tobin looks up from nosing around the room, his new goggles giving him a slightly comical appearance. "Of course, KC," he says, walking over to the statue and peering closely at the staff.

Taking 20 on the Search check = 31

Tobin gives Darie an encouraging smile, then moves into the workshop, searching around for booby-traps, or anything else out of the ordinary.

"Everyone come have a look in this next room." says Loriel walking into the ajoining room. "There is an interesting carving in here. What do you make of the arrow symbol on his amulet?"

"I suppose he's another one of the windfolk," Tobin says, peering into the room, "but I've no idea what the symbol means. Darie or KC might have a better idea."

"Huh..." Kells looks impressed at Darie, "How do we find them out then? I mean, I suppose we could try to get Khadath to investigate. Do you think they give the right someone the right knowledge when they hold them? Tobin, give Dairie or Kessel that frost wand... see if they can make them work! That could solve two of our problems."

Tobin hands the metal wand to Darie. "Do you want to give it a go, Darie," he asks, "or are you afraid of a mishap, like KC? I've been really impressed by all the knowledge you've got locked away in that head of yours - maybe it's worth a try?" Tobin smiles encouragingly at the farm-girl-no-longer.

I don't believe you need a command word to activate a wand - just the knowledge of what spell it holds, and the potential ability to cast that spell. Tobin has only the vaguest idea about how these things work, of course!

"Well, it was only a guess on KC's part," Tobin says, "it may be nothing of the sort! If it was, though, it wouldn't be too odd. This looks like a closet of tools to me. If the makers of this place had discovered that the area was prone to mould growths like this, it would make sense for them to store a tool to remove it nearby. I suppose that means they were able to use magic, and thus invoke the power from the wand. Sadly, I don't possess that talent myself, or I'd give it a go right now!"

"I don't think it can be grave robbery," Tobin says, more seriously, "as he wasn't in a grave. I'm sure he was just an explorer, like us, looking for hidden treasures. We should treat him as we'd want to be treated ourselves - giving him a proper burial, for example. But if I met an untimely end down here, I'd be happy to think that my gear might help out someone who came after me."

"If any of us would be the perfect image for some airship captain from far away, it would be you."

"I don't think I'd make a very good ship's captain," Tobin says, staggering around comically with his arms outstretched, "I can't see very far with these on!" He comes to a stop with his hands against the wall. "Wait a minute - close up, everything looks much bigger, and clearer! These might really help with searching for traps, or other hidden things. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that those windfolk knew how to make useful tools, looking at the rest of this place." He pushes the goggles up onto his forehead and gazes about.

"Alright, Tobin, do you keep our treasure safe for the moment?"

"I'm certainly happy to hold onto these statuettes," Tobin replies, "as they don't look too heavy. But I don't want to get too weighed down with treasure, as it might hamper me when trying to jump out from under one of these falling blocks!" He smiles at Darie, encouraging her to share in his half-joke.

"Do you think I would make a decent swordmaiden in time? All covered in armor and spiky bits?"

Tobin laughs warmly, clapping his hands in appreciation. "I'm sure you could pull off any look, Darie," he says. "I fear you might have to fight Kells for that chain, though." He grabs the goggles and quickly ties them on. "How about me? Do you think I could be a studious engineer?"

"Does any of you have an idea what these might be? They don't look like trash, but... what could the use be?"

"I'm not sure," Tobin says. "They might be tools of some kind, as they seem to have been stored here with these others. Perhaps they have some magic in them? What do you think, KC?"

"Well, there's still the side that Tobin is busy on, and it looks mold-free behind this obstruction. Anything back that way, Tobin? Or in the open room to the east?"

"Give me a minute," Tobin says, rummaging through the sack. "I haven't looked into the room to the east yet, but there are some interesting-looking implements hanging in the alcove here, and there's a door in the wall opposite the one we came in through."

"I'm not an expert, by any means," Tobin replies, "but it looks like chainmail to me. And I agree - our fellow explorer deserves a cairn of his own!"

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Kells," Tobin says, "I wouldn't have had any idea about it, either! That's why I'm glad we have our friends with us - to help us out when we need it. In turn, I'm sure your courage and good humour are an inspiration to them, as they are to me!" He gestures at the pillar with one hand. "It looks like there was a trap here, but some unfortunate fellow set it off a long time ago. There's only bones left of him now, but his mail is still shiny! And he's holding something..." Tobin leans forward and pulls the sack free, opening it up to peer inside.

Tobin looks back at Kells and Loriel, sees the two are being ministered to by Tyrion, and returns his attention to the pillar. "I've found a small catch here, in the side of the pillar," he announces to the others. "I'm going to trigger it, once I've done my best to check that it's safe. It looks like it might open something." Tobin carefully searches the area around the catch, trying to ensure that it isn't the trigger for a devious trap.

Tobin will take 20 on the search, then trigger the catch if he doesn't find anything suspicious.

"Easy, Loriel," Tobin says, helping the elf away from the mould and easing him into a seated position against the wall. "Take it easy. You felt a freezing cold, you say? Was it coming from the mould, or somewhere else?" He sidles along to take a peek around the left-hand side of the pillar, looking for any threats coming from the other side.

Tobin chuckles merrily. "Don't worry, Tyrion," he says, "we're not at all experienced at this sort of thing! We have learnt a few things from our previous foray, though - as KC said earlier, carelessness and disorganisation can have a heavy cost in the unexplored places of the world. But where would the excitement be if we all just stayed safely at home? I'm sure you'll be fine - and we're glad to have you along!" He pats the older man on the shoulder fraternally, before heading down the corridor cautiously, keeping his eyes peeled for anything suspicious.

If Tobin sees anything unusual, or comes to a door or stairway, he'll stop and examine it more carefully, taking 20 on the search (20 + 6 = 26).

"The dead eye-thing is just there, in the corridor," Tobin says. "I wouldn't look too closely at it as we go past - it's pretty gruesome." He draws his rapier and eyes the passageway speculatively. "Now, don't we need one of your diagrams, KC, to show us where we should be walking?"

"You see," Tobin says, pointing towards the yellow lantern, "that's the device that carries you down to the lower passage. You just step inside, and it slides into the floor. Would you like to accompany me down, Tyrion? I expect the two of us can squeeze in together!" Tobin walks towards the small room, ready to step inside.

"Yes, I agree that we should explore the cairn to its fullest. Can you tell me what you have discovered already?"

"Let me see," Tobin says thoughtfully, chewing on some mushrooms. "Inside the cairn's entrance was a long corridor, filled with spooky whispering sounds, and with strange patterns carved into the walls. There were some deep alcoves off the side of the corridor, one of which held a broken statue that had some of the windfolk's writing carved into it. Another was the lair of a couple of massive snakes - they would have done for me and Kells, were it not for Khadath's magic. Stairs led down from the end of the corridor into a huge, domed chamber suffused with sparkling light. There was a large sarcophagus in the centre of the room, and seven alcoves radiating out from the walls, in most of which hung a coloured lantern. Oh, yes - there was a fresco of that room earlier on, showing it with all the lanterns present. We found that the sarcophagus could rotate, and when it pointed at the yellow lantern, a chamber only large enough for one person rose out of the floor. It turned out that this would carry us, one at a time, down to another corridor that was lined with statues of the windfolk. Someone had been there before us, and set off a booby-trap that blocked the corridor, but we managed to shift the blockage." He pauses in his recollections, and looks round the others. "Have I left anything out?"

"Exploring the cairn is fascinating, Loriel," Tobin says, through a mouthful of rabbit, "particularly with sharp minds like Darie and KC around to explain some of the mysteries. It would be great to have you along - you, too, Tyrion, if you've a mind to it. I'm sure the place hasn't yielded up all its secrets yet, and I hope we'll find out more about the wind people who made it." He stretches, then clambers to his feet. "But that's for the morrow, I feel. With a hot meal in the belly, and our future provisioning in the capable hands of Khadath and Zereta, I think the only thing left for today is to get some rest!" Tobin shakes out his bedroll, and quickly settles himself in under his blanket.

Tobin takes a sip of hot tea, then leans back against a nearby wall with a contented smile, stretching his legs out in front of him. "It really is most kind of you to make us this tea, Tyrion," he says. "In return, I offer you the sanctuary of the Daggerford Delvers' hideout!" With his free hand, Tobin gestures grandly at the run-down, derelict building. "You are most welcome, too, of course, Loriel, especially if you have Morra's remit to keep KC in check." He winks broadly at the elf, then takes another sip of tea.

"Thanks, Zereta," Tobin says, with a smile. "I admire those who act decisively, though I'm not always able to do so myself." He glances briefly at the bloody mess on the floor, then shudders, and turns away to look around the group of assembled companions, weighing up their condition. "What now? Does everyone feel able to explore down here some more, or shall we head back to the mine building for a rest?"

"Throttling Kells isn't very friendly," Tobin says as he circles the creature, looking for a better opening. When he sees his opportunity, he lunges forward, stabbing the floating thing with his rapier.

Tobin is trying to get into a position to flank the creature - the following attack roll includes the +2 flanking bonus, and also includes a (rather low!) roll for sneak attack damage:-
Stabbing the grapes (1d20+3=18, 1d4=1, 1d6=2)