Grond reaches in through the door and tries to grab Thorak to drag him out of the dismal cavern, but fails even to get a grip on him. Fire shoots from Roylenna's hands but hits the door and dissipates harmlessly. Sandros withdraws back through the door to Q6, parrying all the time, but as he sheathes his rapier he leaves an opening and the monster reaches out and tears him up badly . Sandros makes an ugly face and draws his dagger, prepared to continue the fight.
Now Thorak.
Sorry, but my take on this is even though they were ogres once, they are undead and not of the giant type. Anyway, it easily hit AC 19.
Sandros, seeing Thorak step away from the doors, snarls, "No, you fool! We have to hold our position and make them come to us! The door is the key - they must approach and die, one at a time! Fall back!"
"Fool am I! We'll just see about that!" Thorak, ducking swinging undead appendages, steps back through the doors. He immediately goes to one knee, raising his shield over his head to provide even more cover and lashes out with his axe. Aiming for the legs of the nearest ogre he hopes to topple the thing in front of the doors.
Sandros withdraws back through the door to Q6, parrying all the time, but as he sheathes his rapier he leaves an opening and the monster reaches out and tears him up badly .
Correction: Sandros does not draw his dagger.
As Thorak falls back fighting, the lumbering monstrosity pursues him relentlessly and lands another stunning blow, felling him to the ground.
Grond roars in fury and with a titanic effort pushes the doors shut. Roylenna speaks a magic word and Grond grows to ogre size, holding the doors against the zombies pounding on them from the inside. Luckily Grond's increased strength (and mass) is sufficient to hold them shut. For now.
Grond is next, then Royl and Sandros.
"Wake up, Thorak!" Roylenna will spend a round trying to shake the dwarf awake, forgetting what little she's learned about healing in the heat of the moment.
Heal check to stabilize Thorak (1d20+4=6)
"Sandros, are you all right? You look ... like you are not quite here. I would use my green fire on you, but I don't think it will work again so soon, and Thorak's pretty bad off. Do you know anything of healing?"
"Grond, you've saved us with the door -- can you hold it a few moments more? I need to stop Thorak's bleeding, and I think you will have to carry him back to camp."
Grond valiantly throws his entire weight at the ancient doors, trying with all his might to contain the undead menace. While Roylenna desperately slaps Thorak, he loses another hit point. Sandros, white-faced and weary from blood loss, fumbles with his belt and manages to extricate a healing potion.
... and the zombies burst the door open, flinging Grond backwards .
Grond, Royl and Sandros are up.
Is Thorak concious? No he's not, hmm. Grond is in a real bind here. Wait a minute, no he's not. He knows just what to do and will do it as fast as he is able. Grab Roylenna, all his effort is in this, he will fling aside zombie ogres if needed.
Once he has her firmly in his grasp, tucked under his arm like a spring piglet, he will give one glance towards Thorak. Grond will know if it is possible to make a wild grab for Thorak's belt. If he can, he will run 4X movement carrying the two, then drops the dwarf and continues at full speed to camp. If the dwarf is too heavy he will either hurl him towards the entrance or drag him at least 10' before dashing on.
Needless to say, if making a try for Thorak risks his and Roylenna's hide, Grond bids a rather un-fond farewell to the brash fool.
Some Die Rolls:
Strength Check: 4+4=8
Dex Check: 20+3=23 (natural 20!)
To Hit Melee: 6+4=10
To Hit Ranged (dwarf throwing): 15+3=18
Hmm, Some more D20s:
12
12
20
4
3
14
That was 10d20 from Wotc die roller, lol. I think I prefer Dm rolling, is that an option?
As Grond staggers backward and sees the giant zombie burst out, followed by its kin, he panics, grabs Royl like a piglet and runs for it. Sandros gulps his potion and follows suit. The zombies seem hesitant to leave their cave and that's the only respite you need, running for your lives and not looking back. With a shudder you wonder what unpleasant fate might lie in store for Thorak.
You return to the wagon a both crestfallen and decimated group. Greta is asleep and Proteus is anxiously pacing to and fro, awaiting your return. As he realizes that Thorak no longer is with you, his shoulders sag.
I guess you have some things to say to each other before you continue your journey.
All the way back to the fire, Sandros' face is a mask of rage and grief.
Proteus is anxiously pacing to and fro, awaiting your return. As he realizes that Thorak no longer is with you, his shoulders sag.
"You left us!" Sandros roars as he re-enters the camp, "You left us, and now that stupid, stinking, good for nothing dwarf is dead!"
With an inarticulate roar, Sandros hurls himself at Proteus, tears streaming down his face even as his fists clench in fury.
I guess you have some things to say to each other before you continue your journey.
Roylenna protests leaving Thorak even as Grond flies through the trees, but he refuses to consider anything but putting distance between the two of them and the menace in the crypt.
When he finally sets her down at the camp, chest heaving, she looks up at him and, tears in her eyes, gives him a hug.
For Grond:
Roylenna sits and stares into the fire for a long time, crying silently. When Proteus asks what happened, she says, "Even the dwarf realized we had to run, but they knocked him down, and, and, I couldn't wake him up!"
Stopping to compose herself, she blurts out, "He was hurt badly, but we couldn't move him, and they burst through the doors and Grond couldn't hold the doors anymore and Sandros was about to collapse, too..."
Once the three returning warriors come within thirty feet of Proteus, he pulls out the wooden symbol of a rod encircled by a single serpent from beneath his armor. He holds up the ward and says "Vitae." A blinding light bursts forth from the talisman .
"Where's Thorak?" Proteus says with great concern.
As Sandros clenches his fists and hurls himself toward Proteus, Proteus drops his hands and prepares himself for the blow.
Sandros plows into Proteus, knocking both of them to the ground. For several moments, the two roll over and over across the camp, Sandros shouting incoherently, Proteus with an almost preternatural quiet.
In moments, though, Sandros and Proteus fall away from each other, gasping. Sandros' fists are bloody, but Proteus is largely unhurt; slick, shiny red dots, barely visible in the firelight, can be seen on rocks and roots in their wake.
Sandros lies on his back for several long moments, catching his breath. He then slowly sits up, wipes the tears from his eyes - leaving a long smear of blood in their place - and climbs into his bedroll.
"Wake me for my watch," he says quietly, and does not speak again.
Proteus turns to Grond and Royl. "You two rest. I'll take this watch."
Grond sets her down and moves on to stare at Proteus, his mask unreadable. Finally, he speaks, "He's not dead. Not now." Grond could blame Proteus for not being there to heal him when it mattered, but he doesnt. He made mistakes himself, that almost cost him and others dearly. He will swallow his pride, but make sure that the rest are swallowing their own.
Too bad, really. Grond had wanted to have a dwarf in his debt. Practically a gold-vein. Not that berzerker though. Grond is just glad Roylenna didnt have to die. That would have been waste.
He looks up, is it dawn yet? "Stoke that fire! Saddle the mules! Thorak may yet return!"
Uh, or rest, if that is possible. G'nite :)
Once Proteus thinks the group sleeps soundly, he says a prayer for the fallen comrade. He begins to softly sing a melodic lament in a futile attempt to soothe his own feelings of failure.
The smell of cooking must have woken Greta up, for she comes climbing down from the wagon, wolfing down some breakfast together with some swigs from her hip-flask.
She notices the sullen silence, Thorak's absence and Sandros's unkempt looks, and silently nods. "But you're okay, at least", she says to noone in particular. "Let this be a lesson to you. Today we cross Fool's Pass and we've lost our best fighter."
After finishing her breakfast, she rises without another word and goes to tend the mules. In a little while you're on your way again.
The terrain becomes rockier as you go, and it feels as if you are forever going uphill. At a few particularly steep places you even have to help pushing the wagon. You will indeed be glad when this ill-fated trip is over.
Suddenly a great rock crashes down into the path just before you, giving Hank and Heather a frightful start. A booming voice announces in barely understandable Common. "Little ones! Give me your money!" Looking up, you see the biggest and dirtiest person you ever saw, stepping out into the road before you. He must easily be 12 feet tall, and is dressed in filthy rags and carrying a large sack over his shoulder. He is also wielding a wicked-looking and bloodstained club with tufts of fur still clinging to it. He puts down his sack, opens it and grins expectantly.
When Sandros wakes, he realizes that Proteus took his watch in the night. As he sits up, he shakes his head slightly, saying nothing. His morning ablutions consist of some squirts of water from his waterskin, scrubbed across his face to remove the dirt - and the blood.
The smell of cooking must have woken Greta up, for she comes climbing down from the wagon, wolfing down some breakfast together with some swigs from her hip-flask.
She notices the sullen silence, Thorak's absence and Sandros's unkempt looks, and silently nods. "But you're okay, at least", she says to noone in particular. "Let this be a lesson to you. Today we cross Fool's Pass and we've lost our best fighter."
Sandros accepts the rebuke in silence, staring out from the camp, roughly in the direction of the cave. The corner of one mouth twitches, in amusement or irritation, it's hard to say.
After finishing her breakfast, she rises without another word and goes to tend the mules. In a little while you're on your way again.
Shortly after everyone begins moving, Sandros drops back to have a short, quiet conversation with Proteus.
His expression firms somewhat, and he looks directly at you at last. "I will not ask your forgiveness; there is no reason for you to grant it. But I will offer you this instead: my oath that it will not happen again."
Suddenly a great rock crashes down into the path just before you, giving Hank and Heather a frightful start. A booming voice announces in barely understandable Common. "Little ones! Give me your money!" Looking up, you see the biggest and dirtiest person you ever saw, stepping out into the road before you. He must easily be 12 feet tall, and is dressed in filthy rags and carrying a large sack over his shoulder. He is also wielding a wicked-looking and bloodstained club with tufts of fur still clinging to it. He puts down his sack, opens it and grins expectantly.
Sandros blinks once at the figure. "You have no idea the magnitude of your poor timing," he says, then rushes forward, blade whipping free of its scabbard.
Once Proteus thinks the group sleeps soundly, he says a prayer for the fallen comrade. He begins to softly sing a melodic lament in a futile attempt to soothe his own feelings of failure.
Still sitting up and staring into the campfire, Roylenna falls asleep when the adrenalin and her intense grief give way to exhaustion. Unless Proteus does something to change this, she will remain there all night.
For Black Tom:
Roylenna will walk behind the wagon to one side, kicking the occasional rock with her toe.
Assuming Proteus continues to follow the wagon, she will talk to him about last night, trying to figure out what she should have done differently.
Suddenly a great rock crashes down into the path just before you, giving Hank and Heather a frightful start. A booming voice announces in barely understandable Common. "Little ones! Give me your money!" Looking up, you see the biggest and dirtiest person you ever saw, stepping out into the road before you. He must easily be 12 feet tall, and is dressed in filthy rags and carrying a large sack over his shoulder. He is also wielding a wicked-looking and bloodstained club with tufts of fur still clinging to it. He puts down his sack, opens it and grins expectantly.
Roylenna rushes forward to get within 25' of Grond, makes a gesture with her hands, says "Vos Maximera" and the half-orc grows in size to rival the giant bandit.
Still sitting up and staring into the campfire, Roylenna falls asleep when the adrenalin and her intense grief give way to exhaustion. Unless Proteus does something to change this, she will remain there all night.
Proteus hears a sound and looks with a start in Royl's direction. It takes him a moment to realize that even though she looks as though she is sitting up staring into the fire, in reality she is sleeping.
"Who would have thought such a small thing could snore so loudly," he muses.
He grabs a blanket from his bedroll and makes his way over Royl, placing her on her bedroll and covering her with the blanket. "Sleep now, small one. Let us just hope I can hear any intruders over that stertor."
Assuming Proteus continues to follow the wagon, she will talk to him about last night, trying to figure out what she should have done differently.
Proteus is more intent on learning about the occupants of the tomb than trying to offer advice. He questions Royl closely discerning as much as he can from the small bits of information.
"Little ones! Give me your money!" Looking up, you see the biggest and dirtiest person you ever saw, stepping out into the road before you.
Init 10+0=10: Proteus will quickly make his way up to Sandros touching his back and says, "Dux."
Black Tom
Sandros
Oh no not again.
Well, it looks like I am first to react. I will hurl my javelin (which I use as a walking stick, it is my default weapon in hand) and then pull my falchion. (I am assuming since I have the highest init I am not enlarged yet? I wont include any of the modifiers from the spell.
To hit: 14+3=17. Dam 4+3=7.
Seeing Grond confronting the giant directly, Sandros hurries off the path, into the scrub alongside, trying to get behind the foe and distract him for Grond's benefit.
Init 10+0=10: Proteus will quickly make his way up to Sandros touching his back and says, "Dux."
Round 2 action:
As you all let out a collective gasp at the sight of the giant, Grond is the first to react. He hurls his javelin at the giant, but it just bounces off the giant's tough hide. The giant looks at him incredulously, obviously not used to being stood up against, then picks up a large rock from the ground and flings it back at Grond, who nearly collapses under its weight.
Roylenna uses her magic to make Grond grow to ogre size while Sandros takes a roundabout route through the rocks on the side of the path, aided by Proteus's magic touch. At that point Greta screams: "Stop it, you fools! Are you going to get us all killed?" Then she shouts something to the giant in a strange rumbling language.
The giant seems a bit puzzled and fingers his club pensively. Are you going to press the attack?
"Wait!" Ow.
Staggering under the blow, Grond picks himself back up to his full 1hp sature. "Excuse me, did you say pay a toll? I thought you said throw a pole, sorry!" Grond will give his most ingratiating smile, and try to shrink and hunch himself back to puny sized.
"Our friend merely demands tribute! Let us give him a valuable treasure!"
The group readies in defense and it is clear the party means to fight. Seeing the near perfect shot by Grond and how it merely bounced off the giant's chest, Proteus is thinking twice about the proposed action.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Say you're sorry for attacking the nice giant, Grond" exclaims Proteus. He looks at the giant, "Perhaps there is a way we can work this out, we don't have much but is there an opportunity for negotiation? Maybe a nicely cooked meal where we aren't the main course? Heh, heh. We are great at conversation and it must get lonely out here." He tries to muster a friendly smile to the giant, then he gives Greta a very sideways look.
"Wait a minute! Tell him what REALLY happened to our treasure Proteus." Grond smiles up at the hairy horror. "We were attacked and our treasure, great mounds of it, was stolen from us! By a pair of ogres so pathetic they weren't even alive anymore! Can you believe it?"
Grond has the hatchings of as plan...
In the rocks, Sandros kneels down, easing his rapier back into its sheathe and slipping his bow off his shoulder. He strings it carefully and slips an arrow from his quiver, but waits to see how the scene before him plays out.
The giant seems a bit puzzled and fingers his club pensively. Are you going to press the attack?
No. If Greta says stop, Roylenna stops. I don't speak Giant, but I'm guessing she just did.
Roylenna retreats toward the wagon and tries to hide behind the mules as she casts Message on the giant.
Stealth check (?) to disguise her arcane gesture (1d20+7=21)
The giant looks quizzically at Proteus. He doesn'r seem to understand Common very well, but he looks more interested than hostile. He answers something to Greta, who keeps talking. Although you can't make out the words, she is clearly crying and wringing her hands. Then she points at Grond, speaks some more and dabs her eyes with the hem of her dress.
Finally, she climbs into the wagon and with difficulty rolls out a barrel of something. The giant comes over (as you carefully keep your distance), picks up the barrel like nothing (or like a piglet, say) and walks away with it.
Greta wipes her brow. "That was close. Now tell me, where in the world did I get the stupid idea of hiring you lot?"
She gives a brief rehash of the conversation: she told him that she wasn't carrying any money, that all she owned was tied up in goods (herbs and stuff, nothing very interesting), and a little brandy. That got his attention.
"I told him that I would have to come back this way, and that he could rob me then if he was so minded, but right now the brandy was all I have (together with some leaves and other uninteresting stuff). Fortunately he's dumb as a rock. I've come across him before. So I spiked the brandy with a wee bit of poison. With any luck, he'll be blind as a bat as he wakes up tomorrow." Greta chuckles, and somehow her chuckle sounds a bit ominous.
Pointing to Grond she adds: "And the next time you get a bright idea: don't."
You continue your journey, the wagon a little lighter and Greta's mood slowly improving. You emerge unscathed out of Fool's Pass and the terrain is starting to look a little more amenable.
At the base of the hills you spy a strange tower standing not very far from the road. It is about 50 feet tall and has no visible doors, windows or chimney. It's rather a barren spire-shaped stone structure.
At the base of the hills you spy a strange tower standing not very far from the road. It is about 50 feet tall and has no visible doors, windows or chimney. It's rather a barren spire-shaped stone structure.
"That is an interesting tower; it reminds me of stories I've heard told of great wizards locked away in such structures to do nefarious deeds." Proteus says out loud to no one in particular.
Greta wipes her brow. "That was close. Now tell me, where in the world did I get the stupid idea of hiring you lot?"
"I'm beginning to wonder that myself," Sandros mutters under his breath.
"I've come across him before. So I spiked the brandy with a wee bit of poison."
Sandros glares up at her. "You might have mentioned that."
At the base of the hills you spy a strange tower standing not very far from the road. It is about 50 feet tall and has no visible doors, windows or chimney. It's rather a barren spire-shaped stone structure.
Sandros' sullen mood does not improve with the better terrain. When the unusual structure appears on the horizon, he shows no sign of interest - or, in fact, of having seen it at all, wrapped up instead in his own thoughts.
Grond will quietly shift to the back of the party. He has seen enough of being a front line soldier for now. Let some one else take the heat and the tree-trunks!
Grond looks upon the tower with lustful greed in his heart, wondering what eldritch wonders it might contain, and what their fair market share might be. He says nothing however, concerned that his spur of the moment actions did not serve him well so far on this trip.
Grond will quietly shift to the back of the party. He has seen enough of being a front line soldier for now. Let some one else take the heat and the tree-trunks!
As Grond walks near Proteus, he sees Grond wince in pain from the injuries sustained earlier. "Grond, I haven't had my wits about me since that close call with the giant."
He pulls out his talisman and says "Vitae" once, then "vitae" again.
Proteus can tell that his attempts seem attenuated, as though something is interfering with his ability to properly connect with life force.
"Vitae," he says again . A visible look of unease flashes across his face and he settles into a pensive trudge.
Grond will quietly shift to the back of the party. He has seen enough of being a front line soldier for now. Let some one else take the heat and the tree-trunks!
"Sorry, Grond, I'm not much use. I thought that we would have to fight and it would help if you were bigger. I don't know what to do anymore..."
"I don't think it will help, but let me try my green fire on your wounds."
You trudge along in sullen silence, passing the tower without further comment. A little later you realize that you are now entering orc territory. Here and there are old totems, rocks arranged in crude patterns, paint daubed on the cliffside and even the odd shrunken human or animal head.
A few hours later you come upon a path sloping upwards to the left. With his superior elven vision, Sandros can make out a pair of double doors hanging loose on their rusted hinges leading into the hillside.
"Yeah", says Greta and spits on the floor. "That's the old orcish ruins, that is. Many adventurers have gone missing there, I can tell you that." She gives Hank a sharp rap with her stick and he picks up some speed, at least for a little while.
Not feeling up to exploring any more dangerous ruins before you've had a good night's sleep, a proper meal and possibly even a bath, you continue on your way.
Finally you emerge from Fool's Pass, leaving those accursed hills behind you. The terrain is more forested here and the ground is a little more plain, making your progress a bit faster.
As you move in under the canopy of the overhanging trees, though, you get an unpleasant feeling of being watched.
For Grond:
For Sandros:
For Sandros:
** spoiler omitted **
Have I taken any ability damage yet?
Sandros's mood, if anything, worsens as the group progresses. A far cry from the cheerful figure of the previous morning, he is snappy, short-tempered, and irritable, constantly wiping his brow and muttering about the heat.
Perception (1d20=19, +2 if sight or sound)
Initiative (1d20+4=10)
DM:
Grond feels a certain itching across the back of his neck... as he crosses through orcish lands, nervous of meeting kin, but miraculously he makes it across without shedding orc blood. Not that he would mind, he might enjoy it too much. Thankfully he is more human than orc, or so he tells himself. The magical helping healing of his new friends eases the pain somewhat, but it is a long day's march.
"Wait! What was that?" Grond thinks to himself "Oh no I am feeling less than half as healthy as I should, my head-to-toe still aches from getting trunk-pummeled." He limps. He stumbles. He lags behind. He holds his javelin as a cane or crutch, fire-honed point up, leather throwing thong tightly bound about his throbbing wrist, ready to cast. The fachion, only gift of his father,was hung over his back, its point dragging in the path behind him.
Perception (+2 sound) (1d20+0=1)
Roylenna walks along behind the wagon, sometimes beside when the trail allows. Her attitude is improving with typical halfling resiliency, but she's still thinking of her failures of the past 24 hours and doesn't really notice much as they walk.
Apparently she's still a bit twitchy after recent events, however.
She casts a concerned eye toward the weary half-orc from time to time, but she's not sure he's interested in her company, so she continues to keep her own.
Proteus keeps a watchful eye as they head into orcish lands. He secretly hopes they don't come across any hostiles. After recent events, he isn't sure his abilities will allow him to be useful.