"Durnast are we being scryed on?"
Durnast, you do not detect any attempts to observe you by means of a divination (scrying) spell, nor anyone standing around in the room invisibly.
Rasina, once Durnast tells her the coast is clear, addresses the group. I overheard the creature mention the Black Monolith being broken, which shocked the hobgoblin priest of Orcus. Our group indicating Richard, Nadeq, and Mikka traveled to a place called the Tomb of Abythsor, where we discovered a Black Monolith. We learned there was a group of Orcus priests who were seeking the Monolith. We were able to break it, for want of a better term. So as you can see, if the Orcus priests learn we did this, our lives would be forfeit. Also I believe the creature was after us, instead of you.
She sits back and awaits questions from the other party members.
Rasina, once Durnast tells her the coast is clear, addresses the group. I overheard the creature mention the Black Monolith being broken, which shocked the hobgoblin priest of Orcus. Our group indicating Richard, Nadeq, and Mikka traveled to a place called the Tomb of Abythsor, where we discovered a Black Monolith. We learned there was a group of Orcus priests who were seeking the Monolith. We were able to break it, for want of a better term. So as you can see, if the Orcus priests learn we did this, our lives would be forfeit. Also I believe the creature was after us, instead of you
She sits back and awaits questions from the other party members.
"Or maybe this monolith prevented it to leave the desolation. But now, what do you plan to do? If you think about going north, we could help each other. Some of Montague friends set out into the desolation a few days ago. We know they were attacked. We were planning to go there when we met you. I think we should leave as soon as possible."
Yes, I agree with you, we should leave as soon as possible, once we are fully recovered. We should join forces, as we also lost good companions during our fight.
Mikka quietly intones a few syllables in the ancient language of all living things. She takes a deep breath as the understanding washes over her brain and begins conversing with Windrazor in a series of sqwaks and screeches.
In Hawk
"What did you see my friend, where did the abomination come from."
Some of Montague friends set out into the desolation a few days ago. We know they were attacked. We were planning to go there when we met you. I think we should leave as soon as possible.
Specifically, they left yesterday morning. Gurg returned to Camp yesterday, at sunset, and left to track them down on his own an hour after dawn. He now has an hour head-start on you folks, which is probably important if you're trying to catch up to him while he's still alive.
Alright, then Richard cures Artimus first.
He then quickly moves on to Rasina and Alia.
After the cures he follows Alia and Rasina into the tavern.
He introduces himself, and asks once more if people are in need of Thyr's healing embrace.
"Priest". "If you can help me with my wounds I would be in your debt", Montague states as the group begins to gather.
"I say we gather what we need, take our healing and leave immediately". "the longer we delay, the less chance we find someone alive".
"Unfortunately I have no restoration spell memorized today, but I will do so tomorrow."
"Since my temple got torn down in my absence, I have nothing else to do ... for now anyway."
"If you need more help, by Thyr's grace, I will gladly help you."
"Aw, but i just changed my gold to these.." Nadeq groans while holding out a handfull of iron bits.
So I take it that you're heading out of Camp?
You've made an appointment with the rangers in town, to speak of their experiences in the Desolation, but as the woman you spoke to is suddenly no more than a smouldering pile of ashes, now may be an awkward time.
Richard, Nadequ, Rasina, and Mikka have riding horses and such supplies as they've brought.
Durnast's wand can summon mounts for himself Montegue, and Alia which will last a day's travel.
Artimus, goes to the stables to fetch his horse, and finds that the farrier / stablehand is momentarily occupied. He's an elf, goes by the name of Finn, and he's already drunk enough cheap wine to carry him halfway to incapacitation. (Come to think of it, he was drunk yesterday, as well.)
Please forgi' me, m' good man. But the horses from the Baa- um, the Bard's Gate expedition ha' jus' come back, and some of them are in poor shape. Pretty rotten shape. And they need to be fixed up, afore I can sell 'em to th' next people who wan' to go out into the Des'lation.
"Now, what did you want? Oh! You're going out into the Des'lation!
"Wanna buy a horse? They'll serve you f-f-fathfully till -- Oh! No, you have your own horse. I 'member now. Hand on, and I'll go get 'im.
"It was a 'him', wasn't it?"
Alia stares at the drunken Elf in disbelief: "You've trained your horses to come back. To sell them back! I should not be surprised by anything that happens here anymore."
An adobe house in very poor repair fronts a fenced paddock. A few broken down nags lunch on the sparse grass within, while the sturdier horses which are newly returned are examined by two human stablehands. A large barn of faded planks stands next to the crumbling adobe. A sign painted on its side declares this in large pink letters to be Finn’s Livery.
The elf chuckles to himself momentarily and then takes a moment to focus on Alia. "Wha'ever's out there," he replies in a serious tone, "it don't eat horses. So, what would y' have them do? Wander 'round out there and die of thirst or exposure? What would you have me do? I sell 'em, fair an' square. You buy old Bendel, here, he's yours, fer so long as ye both shall live."
Anybody who walked with Artimus (and Alia) over to the livery:
Heal, DC 17
Heal, DC 20
Knowledge (arcane), DC 24
Sense Motive, DC 15
"Finn", here, is upset with Alia, but he may be one of the most honest men in Camp. He and the stablehands he employs care about the horses.
Heal check
Sense motive
"No harm intended. You are right to train them to come back. I was surprised that they would come back at all with all the walking dead out there."
Richard waits patiently on his mount with the rest of the party.
Rasina nods to Richard as she joins him on her own mount, It looks like the gods have led us here and heard our prayers, no? These new companions are people of good heart."
Artimus overpays the livery-elf and whispers, "We shall talk, you and I, when we return."
He turns to the rest of you, "Are we set, then?"
Yes, Artimus, I am ready to leave. Somehow I believe we have worn out our welcome here.", glancing nervously over her shoulder.
Artimus overpays the livery-elf and whispers, "We shall talk, you and I, when we return."
He turns to the rest of you, "Are we set, then?"
Alia grabs the leathery things that you use to direct horses and walks her horse to the road leading to the desolation. She clumsily climbs on it.
I am ready. But before we set on this journey, let me warn you about what we can expect. On the road north, we will find the Ashen Waste. This is a desert-like land with tombs of the Army of Light. I've seen panther ghouls there. There are also a weird weather phenomenon called Bone Storms.
To the west, there is another desert call the Death Fields. It is said to be littered with battle sites and fallen soldiers.
I've also been told that to the north are two other areas. One is called Chaos rifts and the other the Boiling Lands where carrion crawlers dwell.
Oh and one last thing. Expect everybody and everything you'll encounter to try to kill you.
With that, Alia breathes deeply and walks her horse forward, scrutinising the ground to follow Gurg's tracks.
Survival
Alia also growls to Swiftpaws. At her signal, helower his nose to the ground and joins her tracking.
Aid another
The climate of the Desolation is universally dry. A few heavy rainstorms hit in the late fall, but otherwise the land remains bone dry. In fact, the ground stays so dry that there is an almost constant haze from whitish, powder like dust that constantly rises with the ever-present breeze. This haze lends to the overall gloominess and feeling of isolation and despite the vast openness even sometimes claustrophobia on this plain. Occasional dust storms whip up and race south, usually petering out before reaching the Camp.
Thousands of beings died here, good and evil, extra planar and mundane, Celestial and Abyssal. It is almost as if the lands retain a memory of that time of strife and countless horrors. The number of voices that were stilled, to never be heard again, is beyond count. The wind seems to sing a funeral dirge, low and constant; or perhaps it is the voices of those lost. The Desolation is first and foremost a battlefield, and you are merely following in the footsteps of thousands of others who have already fought and bled on this land.
There is a main road leading north through the Desolation, and it appears that Gurg set out upon it. The road itself is bare hardpan, sunk at least a foot below the surrounding ground from the centuries if not millennia of travel it has seen. Tracks do not linger long on this hard surface, as windblown dust quickly erases them, but if Gurg were to leave the road by foot, you would see his tracks in the soft white sands of the Ashen Waste to the east, or the bald rock, thin soil and brittle bones of the Dead Fields to the west.
Alia, I'm assuming that the party is riding, at 4 miles an hour, which imposes a -2 penalty on your Survival rolls. To avoid that, you'd want to be moving at a walking speed, but then you'd never catch up to the giant. Let me know if I need to adjust my assumptions.
Close on to noon, you see a clutch of vultures up ahead. As you approach, they scatter, leaving behind come the remains of a collection of enormous red-and-gold spiders, each the size of a bull, all smashed to pulp. The area surround the corpses is covered in a tacky substance, and Gurg’s footprints are clear, having danced around the area. A solid bootprint is embossed into the broken skull of one of the spiders.
A mile further down the road, Gurg’s tracks become clearly visible, moving off to the east (into the Ashen Wastes) at a sprint, and swerving erratically. Perhaps he was following something and adjusting his angle of approach. Perhaps something terrifying was pursuing him, and he was trying to dodge its attacks. Perhaps the spiders had poisoned him, and he was hallucinating. There are no other tracks. After several hundred feet, his footprints calm down again, and turn north, running parallel to the road.
The horses have difficulty moving in the deep ash-white sand. Your speed here is slowed to 3 miles an hour, and the horses are considered to be moving at a hustle. (They'll fatigue after two hours, at which point, they'll start to take lethal damage. This isn't going to affect Durnast's conjured mounts, who'll likely wink out before the damage proves too much for them, but a flesh-and-blood horse would suffer 15 points of damage by sunset.
As you turn north to follow the tracks, Windrazor spies something on the ground, ahead and to the right. It looks like it may be bodies — recent if the red stains visible upon them are any indication.
Alia, I'm assuming that the party is riding, at 4 miles an hour, which imposes a -2 penalty on your Survival rolls. To avoid that, you'd want to be moving at a walking speed,
Another point, I suppose Swiftpaws will suffer the same problem as the horses. To avoid that, I'll cast endure elements on him.
No, he'll be fine. Even a really big wolf doesn't sink into the bone-white powder the same way as a horse burdened with rider and tack.
At Windrazor's cry Mikka looks up.
"There's definitely something over there. We should reign up soon and give the horses some rest."
She sighs. "Such death, such a defilement of the land."
At Windrazor's cry Mikka looks up.
"There's definitely something over there. We should reign up soon and give the horses some rest."
She sighs. "Such death, such a defilement of the land."
"I agree with you. We must remove the evil that keeps killing the land. Let us rest the horses for a moment and go and look at the corpses over there. It may be some of Montague friends."
Alia stops her horse and jumps from it. Bow in hand, she advances towards the corpse looking for tracks and any traces of hostile presence, both on the ground and in the air.
perception
survival +3 for looking at tracks around the corpses.
Rasina rides along in silence, her celestial blood tingling on approaching the Desolation. She feels a sense of loss and pain, which affects her deeply down to her bones. The smile that is usually on her face has fled, chased away by the oppresiveness of the area.
On hearing Mikka, she grimly adds "I think we will see much more, I'm afraid."
She dismounts and follows Alia, drawing her weapons as she approaches the bodies, looking for signs of ambush.
Mikka dismounts as well, drawing her staff from the quiver on her hip as she follows.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Approaching, the party finds two corpses lying on the ground. Both are but a few days dead, with the blood on their clothing and armor mostly dry and covered with a light layer of the white ash. They are a chainmail-clad dwarf and a leather-clad human. Both obviously died in battle from the wounds they bear.
DC 20 Heal check
If you make that check: DC 20 Knowledge (religion) check
Looking over the bodies: DC 10 Perception check
Looking over their equipment: DC 15 Perception check
DC 18 Survival check
Rasina looks over the corpses . "What a grisly scene. I wonder who did this to them. Do you recognize these men?"
After that, she casts a minor incantation on the equipment .
Heal
Perception
Survival
"They were well prepared for the trip, and carrying much of value, see the sword hilt on this one? The dwarf was...."(she pauses, interrupted by a dry cackling cough)"..wounded by an axe, although I can't tell if it was the killing blow."
She looks puzzled.
"In fact, whatever they fought didn't leave tracks," she looks at a set of tracks trailing off.
"These might be from a survivor"
Montegue, these two people are unfamiliar to you.
Rasina, the man's rapier is faintly magic, as is the scrollcase, and the dwarf's waterskin. Nothing else: no other magic weapons, no magic armor or clothing.
Richard sees the barren waste as another obstacle to overcome, another obstacle to the evil that reigns everywhere.
He wraps a scarf around his face, covering his mouth and nose.
He has no tracking knowledge so he let's his newfound party members (too early to call them friends ;)) and Mikka do the tracking.
At the sight of the beaten up spiders he winces ... he hates spiders ... especially big ones.
Still shuddering from the horrible spiders he spots the two dead bodies.
Dismounting he steps closer to inspect their wounds.
"Well ... The sand and heat have already taken their toll ... I have no idea what happened to them."
"I guess the heat and the vast emptiness got to them."
Rasina recovers the magical items, and hands them over to Artimus "These items have a dweomer on them, so we should examine them later when we get the chance."
Montegue, these two people are unfamiliar to you.
Rasina, the man's rapier is faintly magic, as is the scrollcase, and the dwarf's waterskin. Nothing else: no other magic weapons, no magic armor or clothing.
Montague dismounts as soon as the signs of combat appear. After examining the corpses he simply turns to the party and tell them that he does not recognize the bodies. They are not of his expedition, and certainly not Gurg, so lets do what we're going to do and proceed.
While Richard examins the human corpse, Alia bends on the dwarf one, carefully removing the axe blade.
"Richard, can you tell us if the wounds on the dwarf and the human were done by this weapon ? The killer may have been the third one."
Healing to aid Richard
"If there are not your friends, we should hurry after Gurg. Let's mark this spot. On our way back, we may want to bury them and try to track the survivor"
Healing to aid Richard 1d20+4
Edit: That should put you up to 20
Everybody's moving on, then?
When Alia points to the weapons, he suddenly realizes something.
Examing the rapier and the axe he comes to a startling conclusion.
"Either these two we're enemies ... or they went mad."
"It looks like the wounds on both are made with these weapons ..."
"Strange ... No other tracks you say ?"
"Strange indeed, and cost these two their lives."
"They are beyond our help ... shall we continue after Gurg ?"
With a small prayer to Thyr, he leaves the bodies and mounts his horse.
Everybody's moving on, then?
Alia moves back to her horse with a last look at the surroundings to commit the place to memory, should they want to come back.
"As you say, Montague. We should be on our way to catch Gurg. After his fight with these spiders, he must be weakened"
To be more precise, Richard, each of them was killed by his own weapon: the man with the rapier was killed by rapier wounds. The dwarf's own axe-blade is buried in his leg.
And there are tracks, of a Medium humanoid, leading off to the northeast. As Mikka says, perhaps a survivor.
You take the rapier with you and head north.
Swiftpaws is glad to be away from the bodies. They smell too strongly of blood.
You continue, following Gurg's footprints north, for another hour. At one point, it appears he stopped to eat something (Swiftpaws still catches a whiff of honey mead and the crusts of a savory bread lie scattered on the ground) before moving on.
Shortly after that, Razorwing swoops down to land next to Mikka. There is a pack of wolf-like things, about as large as Swiftpaw, not as muscular but very fast, coming from the north, coming up from behind a ridge. At their current loping speed, they're going to be upon you in two or three rounds. The ridge Razorwing indicates is a large dune, about 100 feet in front of you. So you have some control over the distance at which they'll come into view.
Approaching, the party finds two corpses lying on the ground. Both are but a few days dead, with the blood on their clothing and armor mostly dry and covered with a light layer of the white ash. They are a chainmail-clad dwarf and a leather-clad human. Both obviously died in battle from the wounds they bear.
DC 20 Heal check** spoiler omitted **
If you make that check: DC 20 Knowledge (religion) check** spoiler omitted **
Looking over the bodies: DC 10 Perception check** spoiler omitted **
Looking over their equipment: DC 15 Perception check** spoiler omitted **
DC 18 Survival check** spoiler omitted **
Heal Check (1d20+4=5) "Looks like they died from exposure to me" Montague deadpans.
Perception (Looking over bodies) (1d20+14=20) "Though that Axe blade injury would seem to indicate otherwise".
Shortly after that, Razorwing swoops down to land next to Mikka. There is a pack of wolf-like things, about as large as Swiftpaw, not as muscular but very fast, coming from the north, coming up from behind a ridge. At their current loping speed, they're going to be upon you in two or three rounds. The ridge Razorwing indicates is a large dune, about 100 feet in front of you. So you have some control over the distance at which they'll come into view.
If they are wolves, they can close that distance to us quite quickly. Let's move back a bit, so that we can kill some before they come close. And be careful, they are likely to try to trip you. So stay close to each other not to get swarmed.
Alia will lead her horse about 40 feet behind (140 feet behind the ridge), jumps from it and draw her bow. She will ready an action to fire on them as soon as they are over the ridge.
Rasina adds I will join you and guard your rear. It would not do to have them surround us.
Richard dismounts, casts a Shield of Faith on himself and readies his shield and mace.
"If they try to surround us .. go back to back .. this way you can't be attacked from the rear."
All right, let's set this up on a five-foot grid. The top of the grid is north, and is divided into columns designated from A (at the west) to Y. The rows are designated 1 (at the north) to 45. You start, facing north, in the area between F25, P25, F35 and P35. The ridge runs from D5 to T5, and is elevated 10' from your current position. (The territory just north of the ridge, C1 to U1, D4 to T4, is elevated 5' above your current position.)
Reminder: your mounts are fatigued.
The terrain of the Ashen Waste will impede combat movements for most people. The first two 5' blocks of ground movement in any direction cost an additional 5'.
The DC for Acrobatics checks is increased by 2. Your CMD to resist being tripped is reduced by 2. A DC 10 Acrobatics roll is required to stand up from prone. (Out of combat, you can Take Ten.)
--+--+--
Let me know your intended actions for Rounds One through Three. (They'll appear sometime during Round Three.)
In particular, I'd like to know who ends up on horseback, and if you're off your mount, where you are, and where you'd like to send the mount.
Round 1, Out of Combat
Alia Wolfsdottir -- begins K25, moves to K40, dismounts
Swiftpaws the wolf -- begins
Artimus Borne -- begins in L27, dismounts and moves to L24
Durnast Kal -- begins
Chamomile the pseudo-dragon -- begins
Mikka -- begins
Windrazor the eagle -- begins
Montegue -- begins
Nadeq Shuzar Qedan -- begins
Rasina Songhair -- begins in K29, moves to M40, dismounts
Richard Trannyth -- begins in I26, dismounts and moves to I24
Round 2, Out of Combat
Alia Wolfsdottir -- readies an action to shoot anything coming over the ridge, and to see what the lupine creatures are.
Swiftpaws
Artimus Borne -- readies sword and shield
Durnast Kal
Chamomile
Mikka
Windrazor
Montegue
Nadeq Shuzar Qedan
Rasina Songhair -- loads crossbow
Richard Trannyth -- casts shield of faith
Round 3, In Combat
Alia:
Artimus:
Chamomile:
Durnast:
Mikka:
Montegue:
Nadeq:
Rasina:
Richard:
Swiftpaws:
Windrazor:
Them: ???
So:
24 - Durnast
21 - Mikka, Swiftpaws
19 - Alia, Windrazor
18 - Montegue
17 - Rasina, Chamomile
15 - Nadeq
7 - Artimus
1- Richard
?? - Them!
"well, wether the tracks belongs to the murderer or a survivor, the person is probably dead by now, claimed by this rotten waste"
---
Nadeq dismounts his horse and prepare for combat. With his bow in one hand he reach into his spell component pouch and finds a handfull of spider web. With this in his hand he readies the word for a spell that will put an end to most creatures charge.
Whipping out an exotic feather from one of the many pouches he keeps for such things, Durnast glances between the dune and the sky... "Anybody want a ride... UP?"
Durnast can cast Fly on his mount, which should be able to also carry another rider if somebody would also prefer to deal with the unexpected company from above the fray. If nobody does, Durnast just casts Fly on himself, and flies ~30' up whichever the case. (round 1) Cam is riding on his backpack for now, and if I don't have a passenger, I leave my mount next to another one, making more of a defensive wall for anybody wanting cover.
If the dune is only 10' high, 30' up should be enough to get sight of these creatures...?
Mikka dismounts drawing her staff out as she does.
"Perhaps they are simply wolves on the hunt. If so, then what right have we to kill them for seeking food. Allow me to determine if they are of the natural order. If so I can communicate to them that they will find no easy prey here."
She pauses a moment for another dry cackling breath to pass. When she resumes speaking her tone is darker, carrying and edge to it.
"If they are somethong unnatural though, well then we'll have to scour the beasts from the land."
Perception
Knowledge Nature
If they are something sinister or battle seems unavoidable she will cast Entangle DC16 during the 1st round to get as many of the wolves as possible.