Barega still had eyes only for the fat man. He took a step toward him as he clumsily floated off from his mount, then thought better of it. This man dares to insult the very air in this way -- with the great fury of the storm so recently present, and His strength still lingering? It will be the last time...
"Flee if you must, seed-eaters! It will make no difference!" Barega's maddened shouts trailed off into a howling gale of inhuman noise, as he concentrated on some great spiritual effort.
Success
Valsavis grunts as the tenacious raider refuses to die. He redoubles his effort, taking a quick step to bring him into range with the bleeding thug before slashing both of his blades at the man's back, beads of sweat flying from his brow from the continued effort under the unforgiving sun.
His offhand blade connects once again, causing even more blood to soak the raider's black garb.
If someone does point out the fleeing raiders to Valsavis he turns to them and yells across the broad sands, his voice tinged with the ecstasy of his bloodlust, "Hey, didn't you attack us? Get back here and die like the others!"
Ala'a watched in frustration as defiler and the halfling fled. She could catch the halfling if she ran flat out, but decided the defiler was the greater threat.
"Azzfarriss, va'krawl!" she said, trying to draw attention to the fleeing defiler.
Summoning the power of the burning flame, she pointed a finger at the foul sorcerer and spoke a word that she hoped would set his nerves on fire, locking them in place.
I'm out of town but may be able to recap tonight.
Gbaji?
Lalali?
Game on!
Gbaji gritted his teeth through the pain - it was nothing new, after all - and punched at the nearest raider.
Sorry guys but I just got in my hotel room so no recap tonight; hopefully tomorrow.
Focused on her own survival and not having a weapon in hand, Lalali stepped back to dodge the raider again and concentrated.
Turn 035 is up.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
LALALI MINDTHRUST
, yes
BAREGA STARTS SUMMONING
VALSAVIS HITS FOR 5 HP, KILLS, DEMORALIZE
ALA'A CASTS HOLD PERSON
, fail
GBAJI MISSES
RAIDER RETREATS
Gbaji grinned as the defiler dropped from the sky and crunched into the ground. He checked to see that the halfling and the raider he had traded blows with were making a break for it in earnest. He knew the type - with their leader down, they had lost their appetite for a fight. He then trotted over to give the defiler a good kick in the head to make sure he never got up again.
Barega broke into a wicked grin as Ala'a brought the floating fat-man down, and stifled a bark of laughter as Gbaji ran over to crush the man's skull with a vicious kick. But he maintained his howling chant. After several seconds, he finished and pointed toward the fleeing halfling. Two spinning dust storms erupted from the sand and sped after the villian, leaving a sandy haze in their wake.
"Be careful -- sometimes they booby-trap their bodies," Barega called to Gbaji, and then took off at a run after the fleeing halfling.
Ala'a smiled grimly as the defiler crashed to his death and was finished by Gbaji. The movement of the fleeing halfling caught her eye and her smile widened. Spinning Ash-Caller in her hand, she set off after the cowardly savage at a brisk run.
Assuming you overtake the halfling on his kank and he fights, what is the plan?
@Barega: woodland stride if for woodlands. I would consider something different for a druid that was raised in some other environment (desert, silt sea, etc.) but this is not the case for Barega.
I'll try to recap tonight.
Game on!
Lalali was bleeding heavily and fel exhausted by the fight, having taken several cuts from the raiders blades. She slumped down on the sand and reached for another of the healing fruits.
So close...he nearly killed me...all that violence. It´s really a bad world. All the more reason to protect Korgunaard and help him to succeed. I need to take more care next time.
She looked around where the other were and where the elf was running off too, wondering about the fog.
Valsavis' quarry dead, he finally turned his attention to how the rest of the party was faring. Seeing the fat man crash to the sands and be still, he barked a laugh, which turned into in a full-blown guffaw as Gbaji caved in the man's skull. He screamed a battle cry in approval, pumping his fist in the air. With the halfling well out of his range, the raider fleeing south caught his eye. "I guess that one's mine!" he bellowed as he sped off after the fleeing kank.
Turn 036 is up.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
Ala'a caught her breath as the battle-fires dimmed and her tongue unraveled. Inspecting the body of the dead halfling, she looked for valuables and anything that might shed light on the origin of the raiders. She also turned her eyes to the horizon, searching for signs of other pursuers or a settlement of some kind.
Returning to the group with her findings, she helped Barega search the defiler and other raiders. She paid particular attention to the condition of the raiders' bodies, trying to determine if they were well-fed or bore evidence of living in a particular environment.
"They could range a considerable distance on kanks. Perhaps you can shift into your feathered form and try to determine where they came from, Barega," she said. "With the wagon hampering us, we don't want to stumble into another group."
Barega caught up just as Ala'a was finishing off the halfling archer. "Aha! I owe you a debt. Two debts. Your flame brought the arcanist down from the air. I am not sure that I could have done it."
He kicked the fallen corpse. "And these... Betrayers of the Green... are the lowest of the low."
He approached the frightened kank and attempted to calm it while the elf went through the villain's posessions. Then he gave the corpse a once-over himself, trying to take advantage of the somewhat rare opportunity to acquire halfling-sized goods.
He paid particular attention to the fallen man's water. "Hmm. I would say this is days' worth of water, for one his size." He looked around, his eyes pinching closed as he squinted against the harsh sunlight. "I would say that their den must be within ."
When they had rejoined the others', Barega seemed to notice for the first time how bad a condition they were all in. He approached Lalali and Valsavis, doing what he could to close their wounds.
He then began going over the bodies, taking a few items the others had left behind, and again attempting to estimate how many days' worth of provisions they had expended.
The halfling wrinkled his nose as he came to the fat man's corpse. Cautiously, he went through the man's posessions, looking for anything that might indicate his recent activity or affiliation.
At Ala's suggestion, Barega grunted. "Perhaps tomorrow, I do not think I could manage it again so soon. But I will take a look."
He examined the ground, orienting himself as best he could to the direction from which the raiders had come.
Then hummed a resonant tune to himself, and closed his eyes for a few minutes.
"No, I do not see them. Not within a few miles, at least. The cowardly raider still flees carelessly, tiring his mount. I will find them in the morning."
Barega looked around, and cursed as he spotted the vultures. They were fast. There was a certain beauty in it -- the way the brutal environs of the wastes had pushed the creatures who lived there to ever greater heights of efficiency. Life would not be denied, no matter the odds. But, in this case, it was inconvenient.
"The vultures are here already. We should get moving; other, more dangerous scavengers will likely see them circling and follow quickly."
His eyes settled on the lamed kank. "But give me just a few minutes set this creature right." He approached the creature while snapping his mouth in a series of strange clicks, which seemed to calm it. He then set to removing a splinter of wood from the wagon from the beast's leg, and binding the wound with some coarse cloth torn from one of the raiders' shirts. He then swapped a fresher beast into the wagon's harness.
"That should do it. Let us be on our way."
Gbaji stood over the body of the defiler and watched the last rider escape over the dunes. He winced as the pain from his wounds began to make itself felt. At first he didn't begrudge the rider his escape, but as the others began to talk of others coming he felt a twinge of worry. Nevermind, he was alive at the moment.
We walked back to the wagon to check on Kornugard, but the man was still unmoving. "I agree, we need to get moving."
OOC: I guess it all depends on semantics...
According to PF, there are different difficulty levels with corresponding guidelines for building these encounters that are based of the average party level. This is what I'm using to build these encounters since I have nothing to go on; remember that the base of this adventure is an old AD&D adventure.
The difficulty levels are: easy, average, challenging, hard, and epic. So to me, a 'hard' encounter should be one where at least one of the PCs is incapacitated and an 'epic' encounter may very well entail the death of a PC or two. I threw at you 2 5th-level and 5 4th level NPCs (according to guidelines) and you blew them away.
Maybe you guys are just too good and I have to step it up a notch. :)
I'll move this along tonight.
Questions/comments?
Game on!
Valsavis' persuit slowed as the realization dawned that he would never catch the fleeing raider. Chest heaving, he trotted back to the group to find they were already going through the remaining bodies. "At least we got most of them. A planned attack or just our bad luck?" he looked to the others, silently inquiring about their findings.
He sucked air through his clenched teeth as Barega invoked the spirits to close his wounds. After the pain subsided, he nodded his thanks. He busied himself with cleaning the gore off of his blades with cloth and sand while the others reported their findings. "Gather up what we can use, leave the rest. Let's move while we still have daylight to see by." He helped the others load the wagon and made a circuit around the battlefield, scanning for anything they may have missed before they set off.
He turned his gaze to the road ahead, scanning the horizon for a potential site to set up camp for the night.
Oh yeah, I forgot to answer that question -- sorry.
I think it was fine. With somewhat different dice or tactics (e.g. if i were a 5th level wizard, the first thing I would do is make a wand of invisibility; cavalry are devastating on a charge; etc -- the encounter could have been made impossible without changing the NPCs at all), we would have lost some PCs. So that probably means it's hard. It was perhaps straightforward, but that's not bad.
So, I don't know. I thought that was fine.
Turn 37 is up.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
Upon seeing the iron daggers on the bodies of the raiders, Rata scoops up a pair of them and stuffs them into his wide belt. "In case mine break," he says.
Glancing over Barega's shoulder in passing, Valsavis froze mid-stride, his blood turning to ice in his veins. "That comb... It couldn't be... Mechanically, Valsavis bends down, ignoring the halfling's inquiry as he slowly takes up the bone comb lying in the sand. It was masterfully carved, a delicate celestial motif decorating it's surface. He rubbed a calloused thumb over the crescent moon that dominated the design. "This... was my sister's. Shrasa's." He clenched the comb in his fist, his eyes narrowing from from blank astonishment to fiery rage, "What did this bastard know about my sister!" emphasizing his frustration with a hard kick to the dead man's ribs.
Valsavis spins on the halfling, "You said two days - which direction? Tyr?"[/b]
To Valsavis: Wether planned attack or not, it was close. That one nearly cut me down. Thanks for saving me!
Guess i owe him something, really need to take more care
Thank you too, Barega, your healing powers are a grat blessing!
Lalali, still wounded and in a condition as bad as the rest, remained silent for a time, wathcing the efforts of looting and clearing up. She possesed little interest in mundane things like weapons and armors.
That strange bell didn´t go out of her mind though...
At Valsavis outcry she snapped out of her thoughts.
Your sisters? That´s...unfortunate. How would he come into the possesion of this? Where was your sister? In the city? And what does a halfling do with a comb? She looks to Barega questioningly.
Barega flinched as Valsavis turned toward him, then considered. "Tyr... It could be. Their trail leads in roughly that direction, and they do not have the dessicated look of desert creatures." He glanced somewhat sheepishly at the elf, then continued. "The fleeing man also heads roughly in that direction. Let us press on as far as we dare tonight -- if we use fresh beasts, we may be able to travel longer into the night and perhaps overtake him."
Barega paused and looked at Lalali, then shrugged.
"When I was little, we found a man. He looked like - like, butchered. The old woman in the village crossed themselves... and whispered crazy things, strange things. Only in the hottest years this happens. And this year, it grows hot. We begin finding our men. We found them sometimes without their skins... and sometimes much, much worse. They called him, the demon who makes trophies of men."
The halfling threw the raiders' water and feed into the wagon, then stiffly climbed up to begin driving the kanks, leaving the corpses to the vultures and to the Wind.
After the sun had sunk and they ordinarily would have stopped, Barega switched fresh kanks into the wagon's harness and tied the tired beasts back with the others. Then he urged the group to press on for a few more hours, with Ala'a scouting ahead in the dark. After a few hours they came upon a rock that would provide some shelter against the wind, and set up a camp. Barega asked the spirits of the place to help conceal them from predators and hunters, and suggested that they keep the usual watch.
Gbaji puts a heavy hand on Valsavis' shoulder. "I know what it's like to lose a sister," he rumbles. "If she's in Tyr, we'll find her."
Ala'a nodded at both of Barega's suggestions - Tyr seemed a likely destination, and the extra kanks would allow them to cover more ground before setting up camp.
Thoughts of Tyr and her brother preoccupied her as she ran alongside the wagon carrying Korgunard. They had not parted on good terms ...
She found herself near exhaustion when the halfling finally called a rest. After scouting the immediate area, she returned to the group, coaxing forth the inner flames needed to clean and seal their remaining wounds.
She conserved a portion of her power, in case something attacked in the night, but the desert was quiet and empty. Before walking away from camp to say her morning prayers, she moved among her companions and healed what remained of their battle wounds.
So our destination is Tyr now? Do you think Korgunard will be in safety there? Lalali shot Korgunards body in stasis a worried look.
She was a bit uncomfortable with the thoughts of entering a big city - again. Memories of her youth and the escape just several days ago came to her mind. Too many people there, too much thoughts, too much noise. All bad for focus and concentration. And too many desires.
Thank you too for your healing magic, Ala´a. We are most fortunate that we have that!
Perhaps i should search for ways in my mind to do something similar, it´s proving really useful.
At night she sat down and tried to figure out the magic of the halflings cloak, the jewelled collar, the fruits, the amulet and the 4 scrolls.
So our destination is Tyr now? Do you think Korgunard will be in safety there?
Barega shrugged. "I do not know. The she-wizard suggested that we make for Tyr with Korgunard, but not what to do once we arrive. And we may overtake the raider, to find answers for this man." His face softened somewhat as he indicated Valsavis.
Turn 038 is up.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
Gbaji's entered an easy stance, non-threatening but ready to break some heads should the moment come. The question made him think of his own home village - before the slavers came. Were these from a hidden village of escaped slaves too?
"Well, we ain't masters, chum. My master's dead. I should know, I killed him, but that was a long time ago now. We're just heading to Tyr, not looking for trouble. Who are you?"
In the camp: Ahhh i think i know what those are! Well this cloak here seems a perfect fit for Barega...for everyone else it´s not really a cloak. It will keep you warm and dry at night and cool in daytime. And can someone of you use real magic? Anyway, i would like to take this bell here, or perhaps someone else an shake it just before i manifest some powers of the way. It makes the minds of all those who hear it more susceptible. What do you think? What we don´t need we can perhaps sell in Tyr. They should be in need, so we might get a good price. We will surely need the ceramics on our journey.
The next morning when the mob suddenly surrounded them out from nowhere Lalali looked around, taking in the newcomers and wincing a bit about Gbaji giving away so much about himself.
Welcome to our little camp here. We are used to guests introduncing themselves a bit more friendly normaly, but since you asked and it seems important to you, like my friend here said, among us there is no master nor slave. Allow me to ask, who are you and where do you come from? I hope you are not here to make yourselves master and us slaves?
She made soothing and calming gestures with her open hands, showing that she had no weapons or vile things in mind, adressing all of them but also searching for key figures .
Ala'a listened carefully as Lalali described the magical effects of the treasure they had recovered. None seemed particularly useful to her - the fire spirits provided similar powers - but the fruits, especially would be useful to the other warriors.
"You should divide these among yourselves in case I am not close by to heal you in battle," she said. "I'll keep the templar's cloak for the time being - it still could come in handy as a disguise, or in case we need to interrogate anyone. I don't have a need for these other tools - take them if you do, or we can try to barter them in Tyr for something more useful."
~~~~~0~~0~~~~~
Ala'a resisted the urge to draw her sword when the newcomers appeared. She thought about what she knew of the surrounding territory and the tribes and raiders that called it home. Based on the questions, she had an idea the visitors might be part of the slave tribe known as the Free. She wouldn't put it past them to help themselves to some water, but she didn't think they would resort to violence unless provoked.
"My companions speak truly - there are no masters here, and those among us who were once slaves threw off the yoke long ago," she said. "Those among you with scars and brands can sympathize, I am sure. We seek only to pass on to Tyr, where we have business that will benefit many of the less fortunate, in Tyr and elsewhere."
She decided against saying any more about their goal, but hoped to see some sign that the newcomers were open to reason.
1. Barega looked at his current cloak, and shrugged. "I am warm enough. Perhaps we can barter it in Tyr, as the elf suggests. This is a finely made bow, but to my shame I never developed much skill with such weapons. These fruits are useful, but I think you may make better use of them than I."
He scowled at the knotted strings and scrolls. "Being this close to such abominations makes my skin crawl."
2. Barega watched quietly as the group approached. They did not move like soldiers, but they were hard-looking folk and surprisingly well armed. But they had first thrown words instead of spears. And it was the will of the earth-spirit of this place that they would find the hidden camp -- this was reassuring. He placed his hands in plain view on his knees and lowered himself to his haunches, in what he hoped was an unthreatening gesture, and decided to let the others speak. He examined the approaching figures, and the surrounding area, looking for any other signs of trouble.
Sorry for the delay.
Turn 039 is up.
Question, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
PS: Does anyone know of another player that would enjoy our type of game?
1. The halfling watched the wizard for a time before responding, searching for any signs of compulsion or deception. ( ) Sensing nothing amiss, he relaxed slightly.
"There was one event. Perhaps. Yesterday morning, as the sun rose, we were assailed by powerful mental images: a dark tower, under assault by nightmare creatures under the bright moon. It was hard to understand. There was urgency, foreboding. We were instructed not to follow the road, which is how you find us here. I am not sure that this message was from Kurgunard, but it... felt like him."
"None of us recognized this tower, and I have not seen anything like it while scouting the surrounding area. Do you know of such a place between here and Tyr?"
"What is happening in Urik? How did you make your escape? We caught scent of one hunting party, but that is all we have seen." "How long do you think we have until Kurgunard's spell fades? You should look in on him -- maybe you will see something we have missed."
2.
It is said that you carry the Great One with you, though we do not know what the Great One is.
"Perhaps they refer to our Giant," Barega deadpanned, nodding toward Gbaji. "Who spoke these absurd things to you?"
As far as we have been told, Elentha was instructed to find a group of escaped slaves who fled Urik a few days ago.
"Instructed by whom? I can tell you that we are no slaves."
I just want this mission to end so that we may return to our village.
"What power do they have over you, to make you leave your village?"
The wastes have become strange in recent days. Animals stand still for long periods of time, staring north toward Urik as though waiting for someone or something to come. Other places have been deserted by the animals, leaving the inhabitants of the wastes hungry and more violent than usual. Why are these things happening?
Barega appeared interested by this.
"Forces of great potential have been loosed. The land itself murmurs to itself with the possibilities; it may be that the creatures smell it on the Wind. Whether the possibilities will be bear fruit, I do not know. Which places have been deserted?"
1)
"The visions do seem to be coming from the preserver," Ala'a said, after listening to Barega relate the dream of the dark tower. "It is clear some part of his mind remains active. We were attacked by a swarm of thri-kreen, but he was able to drive them off, somehow, without saying a word."
Addressing Elentha, she asked: "Do you know where we are supposed to take him next? And what of the others who were present at the ritual? We saw the elf as we were leaving Urik, but have seen nothing since. After the attack in the sanctuary, I don't think he trusts us. Not that I trust him that well, either."
"Your people also should be on the lookout for a templar leading a group of hunters - we lost him a few days ago in the desert, but he could still be on our trail. And these black-cloaked raiders - can you tell us anything of them? The group we encountered had a defiler with them."
2)
Ala'a shrugged as Jeevo recounted the strange occurrences.
"It could be Korgunard, I suppose - the thri-kreen certainly reacted strangely to his presence. Perhaps he upset some balance when his ritual was interrupted. Whatever the reason, we should take him where he seems to want to go and hope his condition can be reversed before things get worse."
1) Addressing Elentha, she asked: "Do you know where we are supposed to take him next? And what of the others who were present at the ritual? We saw the elf as we were leaving Urik, but have seen nothing since. After the attack in the sanctuary, I don't think he trusts us. Not that I trust him that well, either."
Eliantha was pensive, "Yes, I think I can communicate with him but this is best done at nightfall. Will you stay with us long enough until I find out where we need to go?"
Ala'a considered - she didn't like the idea of staying in one place longer than necessary, but they were essentially wandering blind at the moment. She nodded, then gestured for the others to follow the Free wherever they led.
Gbaji? Lalali?
Turn 040 is up.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and.or suggestions?
Game on!
Fabian
Ala'a listened quietly as Nemburri vented. When the woman was done, she picked up a stick from the fire and held it, the flame twisting in the wind.
"Tell me, is fire evil? Is it good? It cooks your food, so it doesn't make you sick. It keeps you warm at night and drives off predators. It can also burn you, take everything you own, leave you scarred and hurting," she said. "Good and evil, master and slave, these things come from how the fire is used. Korgunard, this Great One, is filled with fire. But he has used it, so far, to light and warm those around him. Do you mistrust everyone who wields a flame? Or do wait to see how they use it?"
~~~~~0~~0~~~~~
Ala'a laughed - not unkindly - at the mul's exuberance.
"I don't know if water will well up from the ground when he walks - he hasn't done much walking at all, from what I've seen," she said. "But he did manage to calm a swarm of hungry thri-kreen, which was far more useful at the time than a drink of muddy water."
She kept a smile on her face as she rolled the thoughts over in her mind. The fervor with which some of the tribesmen seemed to believe in Korgunard was surprising. It could prove useful, sure, but it could be dangerous, as well.
It has been ages since the gods deserted Athas, she thought. I don't know that we should create new ones now.