Are you going (a) straight north, to check on the figure that lies more-or-less in the direction of the mesa, (b) north-by-northeast, making a bee-line for the mesa, ignoring the figure, or (c) over to the north-south road that you've been paralleling, which lies perhaps a mile to the west (for ease of travel)?
Rasina turns to Durnast, asking, "How long do you think it will take us to reach the mesa?"
Turning to the rest of the group, she offers, If it is no more than a couple of hours, then we can check on the figure, whether it be Gurg, or someone else. If not, then we best head to the mesa, because we need to know what lies up there."
If we want to check out this figure, with amount of time left on my Fly spell, Durnast can zip ahead to about 2/3rd the distance he spotted it at and get a closer look/ get within earshot.
If we want to check out this figure, with amount of time left on my Fly spell, Durnast can zip ahead to about 2/3rd the distance he spotted it at and get a closer look/ get within earshot.
"Good idea, Durnast. We can move straight north until you come back . Then either catch up with the figure or go north-east to the building."
"Alright then. Keep it together, everyone." Durnast says, adding <If anything happens, keep in touch>, via Message.
Also, no sight of the extra ghoul wolf(s) I thought I had counted?
Rasina sees Durnast fly off, and says to everyone else, but keeping her eyes on Mikka, "So, are we ready to proceed?"
Richard looks up from tending to the wounds.
"I think we should take a look at the figure. I could be Gurg."
"If he's still alive the coming storm will surely kill him."
"Besides that, it's more or less in the right direction ..."
Perception: . Durnast and Chamomile fly forth, as quickly as possible, to get a better glance at the figure to the north. After a bit, Cam turns to Durnast and says, "Looks like it's upright and moving, boss." Durnast, you're at the point-of-no-return. If you want to get back to the party before the fly dwoemer wears off, you'll need to turn around now. Do you want Chamomile to come back with you, or continue to scout ahead to get a better idea?
Also, no sight of the extra ghoul wolf(s) I thought I had counted?
None.
It seems like she would have arranged for us to bring any gear a party such as ours would need.
Such as?
. As you head back, the spell fades while you're still several hundred feet away from the party. (Maybe time got away from you during the discussions after the fight, or you misjudged the distance you could travel out and return safely.) You land, and walk the last quarter-mile back to the others.
The party is following Mikka's lead straight to the mesa, yes?
oui
It seems like she would have arranged for us to bring any gear a party such as ours would need.Such as?
"There is nothing to do in a sandstorm besides covering eyes, nose and mouth to avoid suffocating. Then cover the rest of the skin to avoid being skinned alive and get the horses to crouch to make a barrier against wind."
Durnast sends Cam on with instructions to verify if it is Gurg or not, and then head back (if Gurg notices and wants to talk, that's fine, but don't go out of the way to). I'm guessing via Empathic Link I would at least pick up a general result of 'success/relief', 'confusion', 'danger' before I get back to the party...?
Alia, you'll have 30-45 minutes warning before the storm hits. Also:
Durnast, you got it exactly right: first "success/relief" then "confusion" tinged with "alarm".
Your mounts trudge on through the powdery sands, clearly taking nonlethal damage from their efforts. For those of you with living horses, dismounting and walking besides them might provide some relief, but would slow you down a little. You should still be able to reach the mesa, and the building, a little before sunset. (If you wanted to intercept the walking figure, and still make it to the mesa before nightfall, you could, but that would require riding.)
Chamomile makes his way back: "It's the giant, all right, boss, or at least, it's mostly him."
Mikka silently rides along at the front of the group. As her horse tires she places a hand against the mare's neck healing the wear of the day's ride.
That helps your horse some, Mikka, but you can still hear her breathing laboriously.
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 at that speed a flesh-and-blood horse would suffer 15 points of damage by sunset.
Alia, you'll have 30-45 minutes warning before the storm hits. Also:
** spoiler omitted **Chamomile makes his way back: "It's the giant, all right, boss, or at least, it's mostly him."
"What do you mean ? Is he dead and still walking ?"
The pseudo-dragon turns its attention from Durnast to Alia, hovering in the air.
"No, no. He's still alive, although I think that's just his stubbornness. But he's got some things ... chewing on him."
Rasina feels her mount tiring, and asks, "Should we walk our mounts along, to save their energy?"
Riding, at 3 miles an hour, I presume. Ploughing through the ashen wastes is hard work.
"No, no. He's still alive, although I think that's just his stubbornness. But he's got some things ... chewing on him."
Frowning at the news, Durnast draws in a breath of air:
"...Look, I may not think much of the stinking giant personally, but we know him and leaving him to die to what is probably more of this undead filth is not how I roll. We should have the abilities to take care of undead", looking at Richard, "And if he's patched up, Gurg should be able to tell us more about this area and what he ran into earlier. Having his club on our side probably isn't a bad thing... And much better than his corpse coming under the spell of this evil land. In any case, he is the reason we took this side-trek out this direction, so let's make it worthwhile."Mikka silently rides along at the front of the group. As her horse tires she places a hand against the mare's neck healing the wear of the day's ride. Casts cure light wounds to get rid of all non lethal damage
"Ahem, there's more horses here than just yours, Mikka. May as well let brother Richard here's heavenly graces relieve all of them at once, and save your own spells for when they can do the most good."
Mikka's head slowly turns to look over her shoulder, her eyes devoid of emotion.
"Do you have a way we can get to the giant and back before the storm hits? Do you know how to survive a bone storm? Can you protect everyone here? I can't, and I have no intention of having another friend die today. He saw the shelter the same as we did and if he wants to head further into this wasteland, that is his choice."
Mikka's head slowly turns to look over her shoulder, her eyes devoid of emotion.
"Do you have a way we can get to the giant and back before the storm hits? Do you know how to survive a bone storm? Can you protect everyone here? I can't, and I have no intention of having another friend die today. He saw the shelter the same as we did and if he wants to head further into this wasteland, that is his choice."
Rasina looks hard at Mikka, a burning look in her eyes "So you would condemn this Gurg, one of nature's creatures, to a horrible death in this gods forsaken waste, simply because it is his ...choice?" her voice rising several octaves as she speaks.
And how do you know it is his choice? Are you sure he is not being forced somehow? Are you just assuming this for your own conscience's sake? Getting caught in this storm may cause all of our deaths, true, but this is a risk we need to take, I cannot let him suffer, and I would hate myself if I knew I compromised who I was. Like you hate yourself now, Mikka.
Unconsciously she had been clenching her fists, she slowly lets her fists unclench after her speech.
Mikka turns completely in the saddle her eyes finally showing emotion. The air around her seems to ripple with heat as wild elemental energies seem to stir for a moment.
It seems an eternity as the women lock eyes until Mikka takes a breath, dropping her gaze and nature, such as it is in the Desolation, once again calms itself.
"I'm so tired"
"I for one see no reason to help someone whom will do nothing to help themselves". "From the stories I hear he almost killed much of your party, then refused to wait for the rest of you before entering the waste by himself". "I too believe he gets what is coming to him". I see no reason to endanger the rest of the party and the mounts for such a selfish, and ignorant brute". Montague then dismounts and begins to run alongside his mount heading towards shelter.
Rasina feels a wave of fatigue wash over her bones on Mikka's reply, realizing she has not recovered from the fight with the black swarm thing.
"We are all in the need of rest, especially our mounts. We should see if Gurg can be...saved. If not, then we press on, as we always have...together."
"Richard, is there anything you can do for our mounts, we will need them in order to escape the storm, like Mikka says."
"Ladies! The ONLY reason we headed in this direction is to track down Gurg. This isn't a charity hospital caravan, we came here to get information which may keep us alive if we are to make it to Tsar."
"If you need to re-asses your participation in this endeavor, that's completely understandable. Any sane person probably would. But if you are part of our group, you can't charge around like a chicken with it's head cut off.... If we want to seek shelter by the mesa or in the building atop it, Gurg isn't all that much of a detour."
Just a couple of quick fact-checks.
He saw the shelter the same as we did and if he wants to head further into this wasteland, that is his choice."
For what it's worth, Mikka is probably mistaken here. From the ground, the mesa looks like nothing more than another unremarkable dune, and it conceals the building. Durnast, and before him Windrazor, only noticed the structure because they were elevated.
If we want to seek shelter by the mesa or in the building atop it, Gurg isn't all that much of a detour.
At his current rate of progress, that's correct. (Although why Gurg is walking through the Ashen Wastes, parallel to the road, instead of taking the road itself, is currently something of a mystery.)
I believe from what Chris wrote, we will all (except Montague, who's as fast as a horse) need to continue riding our mounts in order to reach Gurg and arrive at the mesa in safe time. We will only need a Channel or two if necessary from Richard to refresh the Mounts in order to do that.
Almost true. You'll need to ride in order to reach Gurg and then the mesa by nightfall. When, or if, the storm hits is a different question.
"Indeed Durnast, we came out here to find Gurg .. We found him .. let's get there as fast as possible."
"I can also take care of the horses, if we all stand still for a few seconds, I can ask Thyr for his divine healing for everyone."
Richard grabs his holy symbol and addresses his god.
"Thyr, have your healing powers wash over us ...!
Nadeq rides up next to Rasina and reach up to lay his small hand on her shoulder and give it a squeeze.
"I know how you feel. But if you are right, and he is indeed being forced to leave the road we should approach him with caution. Some undead creatures have infectious bites that will turn yourself into an undead should they kill you. If a living Gurg allmost wiped out our new comrades here, I don't dare imagine what an undead Gurg would be able to.." He swallows hard and let his words hang in the air.
"But i know you won't rest before you save him, or at least try, and because of that I will follow you. Not because I pity the stubborn fool that would walk out here alone, when aid was offered to him." He smiles at her and kicks his horse forward
"I just hope saving him, won't kill any of us." he mumbles as he leave her.
Rasina nods at Nadeq, ?Believe me I don't want to die out here any more than you or Mikka does. If Gurg cannoy be saved, then I am sure Mikka will know what to do." She smiles at Nadeq, feeling some of her good humor returning.
I pray you are right, my friend.
At Chamomile words, Alia stands up straight in her stirrups, a determined look on her face.
"I am with you Durnast and Rasina. We cannot let him die alone here. Let's move quickly and we can be back to the buiding by sunset. I will watch out for the storm if it comes our way."
When Richard's wave of life energy washes over the party, healing all the horses of the damage they'd endured, Artimus seems to sit up straighter and shake himself free of some thoughts preying on his mind.
"Alia, Durnast, Tinthariel the elf, and I slept last night as guests under Gurg's ramshackle roof. So long as he seeks revenge upon those who killed his fellow Pounders, our goals are aligned with his. My good monk, Gurg was the last person to see your caravan alive yesterday, and he may be the best resource to recovering them."
He turns his horse straight north. "Lady of Freya, I understand what it is to lose an ally. Indeed, three of us have yet to rest and grieve the loss of a good man and ... fierce woman, whose company we'd looked to share. And more than most, I know what it is like to fear death anew, to feel helpless 'gainst the onslaught of tempest, terror, and the torments of the pit itself.
"Which is why we do this together. I swear by the heavens and the god who reside there, you will never shoulder any burden alone, nor stand bare-backed against a foe, while I draw breath. Come; let us see what this giant is about."
--+--+--
If Monegue or Mikka (or anyone else) is continuing to head straight to the hillock with the structure, let me know. The rest of you ...
--+--+--
You move off to intercept Gurg. After a half-hour, you realize that he's moving northwards himself, and at this tempo, you're just barely closing in on him.
So you spur the animals to a trot. They're still fatigued, and this is a good way to exhaust them, but there seems to be little other choice.
Perception check, DC 25, or Survuval, DC 15:
An hour later, the sun has been swallowed by the dark clouds to the west, making the entire landscape darker than normal, with a sky of washed-out green. The storm is closer, and it does seem to be a large windstorm. (Richard, one of these blew through Camp during the time you had your temple there. It would have done a fair amount of damage to anybody caught unprotected outside.) (Alia, it doesn't appear to be a bonestorm --not at this time, anyway-- and you'd estimate that you have still got at least an hour before it hits.) And you come close enough to Gurg to hail him.
He turns, and you can see he's still alive, and breathing in ragged bursts. Pushed to the limits of his own endurance, he looks at you through a haze of confusion.
Perception check, DC 25, or Healing, DC 20:
Survival check DC 15
Perception check DC 25
"Gurg, we told you we would catch with you and we did. But you seen injured and night is falling. Come with us we have found a building that may protect us for the night. We will rest and start again tomorrow."
Perception (1d20+14=20, 1d20+14=24)
Montague follows the group but stays back about 100' when they confront Gurg. He just doesn't understand the fascination with making the rude, evil, and dangerous individual their friend. Who wants a friend you could never trust. But he stays close enough that he can help out when he turns on the party and tries to make mince-meat out of them.
Sense Motive, DC 15:
"Wolf's daughter? Is that you?"
Perception
"Gurg, my name is Rasina, are you all right?"
Gurg doesn't even look at Rasina. "I have not even the strength left to raise my hand and kill mys-"
He chokes, and a slimy red worm, looking like a small hagfish covered in blood-red goo, pushes its way out from under his massive tongue, loops over it, and begins to burrow back into his right cheek, with a combination of chewing and muscular action.
Gurg doesn't even look at Rasina. "I have not even the strength left to raise my hand and kill mys-"
He chokes, and a slimy red worm, looking like a small hagfish covered in blood-red goo, pushes its way out from under his massive tongue, loops over it, and begins to burrow back into his right cheek.
Alia runs towards the giant. "It is I. What happened to you ? What are these worms?"
A Heal check of 10 tells you that these are some variation on the dread Rot Grubs, eating Gurg alive from the inside out.
A Heal check of 10 tells you that these are some variation on the dread Rot Grubs, eating Gurg alive from the inside out.
"Richard, Mikka, they're eating him alive. can you do anything ?"
"Richard, see if he is alive", Mikka says as she reigns her horse in running through options.
"Look, his trail .. I think we should hurry to catch up to him."
"Oh no .. Rot Grubs .. Those are vile little worms."
"Please, stand still .. let me tend to your wounds."
"At least I can heal you from your wounds, but I do not know how to get rid of the worm."
"I hope our ordeal get's a good nights rest, because I'm exhausting my healing powers .."
Richard grabs his holy symbol yet again, asking for the healing power of his mighty god.
Richard grabs his holy symbol yet again, asking for the healing power of his mighty god.
Good. There is no surface change in Gurg's condition (38 hit points is a small fraction of his injuries) but probably gives him enough stamina to endure the cure.
Rot Grubs need to be hacked to death, burned away, killed by negative energy, or poisoned. Some grubs are just under the surface of the host, and some bury themselves deep into the tissues of the body cavity. To kill a surface grub, a direct attack from fire or piercing weapons delivers half damage to the grub, and half to the host.
Your Heal check identifies five grubs slowly making their way through Gurg's body.
Mikka, these things don't normally infest mammals, because they're too vulnerable near the surface. They prefer hosts with exoskeletons.
"Gurg, we need to kill the worms. This will hurt but you will be fine afterwards."
Assuming Gurgs does no stop her, Alia moves in taking a knife out of her belt and looks for a worm to kill.
Perception
Attack damage
First Perception:
Second Perception:
"Gurg... Glad to see you again.", Durnast says in a dull tone of voice.
"Where are you headed? Do you remember where... it happened in this landscape?
The hill yonder may offer shelter from the brewing storm, we sighted a building atop it. We should keep moving."
<Can anybody destroy the worms in him? Healing him first, then poisoning, or something to damage everything in his body, if he's strong enough to take it? I see more worms... in his belly and shoulder... and that leg wound may be the source of them.>
"What did you run into that you got these from? We met a pack of ghoul wolves ourselves, but nothing like this."
Rasina murmers, "Forgive me." as she draws her rapier out and ains for one of the grubs moving under Gurg's skin, in his leg.