Shivering in the cold, you and your fellow Pathfinders stand before the ruined east face of the Fallen Fortess. Just a few hours earlier you were warm and comfortable in your quarters at the Grand Lodge in Absalom. But then your venture-captain Adril Hestram summoned you with bad news. "Five days ago Balenar Forsend left the Lodge without telling anyone," growled Captain Hestram. "I've just learned that he was seen entering the Cairnlands in the direction of the Fallen Fortress. I'll wager that young fool decided to be the first to explore the the site, hoping to grab all the fame for himself. Now he's likely dead or trapped somewhere in the ruins."
The Cairnlands is the desolate battlefield that surrounds the city of Absalom. Littered for miles around are hundreds of abandoned seige engines and towers constructed over the millennia by the city's would-be conquerors. The Fallen Fortress is one such ruin. Magically sealed after the death of its forgotten master, a recent earthquake caused part of the castle to collapse, opening its interior for the first time in centuries. Balenar had been asking Hestram to send him out there for many weeks, only to be turned down every time.
"So this is my very first assignment for you," continued Hestram, "find Balenar and bring back whatever is left of him. Also, make note of what you discover along the way. I have a strong suspicion that someone or something has moved in there since the last earthquake finally broke its magical wards. So beware, don't get yourselves killed, and most importantly, don't disappoint me."
A picture of how the venture-captain looks like in a better mood.
Delphey shouts "Look Out!" as she takes a step back and unleashes a sling stone at the first dog.
//edit forgot to set post as Delphey
Lycia quickly surveys the situation, trying to determine the dogs' numbers. She readies her crossbow, loosing a bolt at the nearest one.
Lycia quickly surveys the situation, determining the dogs' numbers. She positions herself in front of the lead dog, chants a few arcane words, and unleashes a vivid cone of clashing colors at the three ferals.
Concentration roll:
EDIT: Re-posting as Lycia
More annoyed than actually threatened, Kol tightens his grip on his great sword as he lurches forward, hoping to end this nuisance as quickly as possible.
OOC:
Initiatives
Delphey's throw at Dog #2 hits!
Lycia stops short of the lead dog and casts color spray ...
Dog #1 save - FAIL
Dog #2 save - SAVE
Dog #3 save - FAIL
Dog #1 and #3 fall on their sides, unconscious.
With one sweep of his sword, Kol dispatches the remaining wild canine.
Combat is over, unless the surviving dogs are allowed to regain consciousness in their current state.
Lycia kneels down, getting a closer look at the ferals. Poor things. Are they rabid?
"Perhaps we should put these poor beasts down, before they recover. I'm fairly certain they won't be friendly if they come to, especially if they're rabid."
1d20+4
She stands, her knees popping. "They do not appear to be diseased, although I am no expert in animal lore. I would think that, if they are anything like the strays that haunt Absalom's alleys, they will be frightened enough to leave us in peace and slink away, once they reorient themselves. I do not believe they will be a threat to us any time soon, for my magic will keep them blinded and sluggish for a time after awakening." Lycia levels her gaze at Delphey and Kol. "What say you?"
1d20+4
"Oh I don't know. Leave them I guess. Did you see where my sling stone went to?"
Delphey attempts to find the shot and recover it.
perception ->
"Oh I don't know. Leave them I guess. Did you see where my sling stone went to?"
Lycia glances down at the dead dog, gently nudging it with her boot. "I cannot say that I have, Delphey. If I must hazard a guess, I would say that it is firmly lodged in this beast's body. I suppose you could try digging it out, but . . ." She shudders.
"At any rate, maybe it is less cold inside this ruin. Shall we?"
Lycia glances down at the dead dog, gently nudging it with her boot. "I cannot say that I have, Delphey. If I must hazard a guess, I would say that it is firmly lodged in this beast's body. I suppose you could try digging it out, but . . ." She shudders."At any rate, maybe it is less cold inside this ruin. Shall we?"
Kol looks down at the fallen dogs sympathetically.
"Agreed. Let us press on."
Kol looks down at the fallen dogs sympathetically.
"Agreed. Let us press on."
"As Captain Hestram has expressed, this place may not be empty. It is probably not teeming with a multitude of devils, or the like; nonetheless, I would advise discretion."
Lycia smiles at Kol, and nods toward Delphey. "Of the three of us, Miss Dobbs may be our quietest." She places a hand lightly on Kol's shoulder. "You, however, are our strongest. Would you lead? I can produce illumination upon something of yours, if you require the light."
Lycia smiles at Kol, and nods toward Delphey. "Of the three of us, Miss Dobbs may be our quietest." She places a hand lightly on Kol's shoulder. "You, however, are our strongest. Would you lead? I can produce illumination upon something of yours, if you require the light."
Kol, struggling to hide his content at the compliment , nods in approval.
"Come then, let us discover what has become of this Balenar."
Kol taking the lead walks towards the entrance, observing what he can along the way.
"Indeed." She smiles at the barbarian once more, and returns her attention to the halfling. "Delphey, if you are ready, shall we begin our search for the errant Pathfinder?"
"Oh I don't know. Leave them I guess. Did you see where my sling stone went to?"
Delphey attempts to find the shot and recover it.
perception -> 1d20 + 5
Delphey wrinkles her nose as she looks over the bloody carcass. "Found it! She looks to the other two. "I don't want to lead. I'll tell you to stop if I see anything that looks like a trap." Delphey follows staying a few steps back of Kol.
Dogs dealt with, you move into the interior of the tower. The southern wing of the structure is choked with rubble and impassable. The northern wing of the tower seems to have escaped the collapse, but everything is covered in a thick layer of stone dust. Cobwebs cloak the ceiling and hang down the walls like gossamer tapestries. A single archway stands open in the southwest wall.
Walking closely behind Kol and next to Delphey, Lycia utters a few arcane syllables. Her ring glows with pale light.
Delphey carefully scans the floor from side to side, looking for anything out of place.
Kol spots a giant spider waiting from the ceiling above! He warns Lycia and Delphey just in time.
The ceiling is about 15' high.
Please roll initiative and declare / roll your combat actions.
"Oh, lovely." Lycia backpedals against the south wall and pulls her crossbow from her pack.
Delphey moves up along the east wall and fires a sling shot up at the spider.
Kol drops his great sword, taking a 5ft step forward while drawing a Javelin and heaving it at the spider.
Delphey hurls a stone at the spider but misses.
Lycia steps back and readies her crossbow.
The spider squirts its web at Kol.
Attack - MISS
Kol advances, throws his javelin and hits!
Round 2 begins!
Kol snarls angrily at the spider,"Come down here, so I can crush you like the pest you are!"
"All in good time, Kol. Perhaps our ministrations shall lure it down!" Hoping that her jest suffiently masks her revulsion for the spider, Lycia calmly loads her crossbow, carefully takes aim, and looses a bolt.
Delphey tip toes straight ahead to position herself directly behind the spider and reloads her sling with another bullet.
Kol's second javelin impales the great arachnid. It hangs onto the ceiling for a while before it drops onto the ground dead.
A quick search reveals that the all the other rooms on the first floor are choked with rubble, and are impassable.
Lycia sighs in relief as the spider falls. Hungry dogs are one thing, but giant spiders? She tries not to think about the way its multifaceted eyes glittered in her spell's light.
I am going to need a long, hot bath after this excursion. She begins to imagine thousands of venomous spiders crawling all over her, almost certain she can feel them scuttling over her skin. Trying to appear nonchalant, she swipes away any cobwebs that may have stuck to her--and any imagination-created spider-babies. She silently prays that her companions don't notice her irrational near-panic.
After verifying that she is not host to thousands of skin-burrowing infant arachnids, she quickly scans the floor near the north wall.
The bolt has been lost to the webs above.
The tower stands eighty feet tall and its intact exterior walls are amazingly smooth. The east wall of the tower has collapsed, exposing four floors (including the ground floor.) The tower turret has retained its east wall.
The tower stands eighty feet tall and its intact exterior walls are amazingly smooth. The east wall of the tower has collapsed, exposing four floors (including the ground floor.) The tower turret has retained its east wall.
Kneeling over the fallen spider Kol attempts to salvage any of the javelins he used to fell it. Glancing up at Lycia he grumbles, "Foul beast isn't it?. I am quite fortunate to have such a formidable warrior by my side", bellowing a hearty laugh at Lycia's obvious distress.
Walking back to retrieve his sword he smiles kindly at Lycia, "Worry not. For you stand behind my sword and not at its tip."
Turning to Delphey, "Shall we continue then little one?"