DM Kathy Thursday July 21st, 2016 11:28:24 PM
[OOC: Everybody take 200 XP for that first scene.]
The first two days of your return journey pass uneventfully. Well, uneventfully apart from all the hangover symptoms. But those are gone soon enough.
The morning of the third day is foggy, with wisps of low-lying fog clinging to the ground. Today's journey will take you past Blackbird Forest, and you could perhaps wish for less ominous weather in which to do it.
You've only been on the road a couple of hours when you meet a party of travelers coming the other direction. They have their heads down and their hoods up, which isn't too surprising, given the weather. But...
Sense Motive DC 5 Highlight to display spoiler: {Something's off. You can't tell what, but something's off.} Sense Motive DC 15 Highlight to display spoiler: {The group is avoiding eye contact, and barely respond to greetings. And they seem....uncomfortable.} Sense Motive DC 25 Highlight to display spoiler: {Nearly everyone in the group is feeling a weird combination of guilt and sorrow. And a resolute determination to put something behind them.}
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 d20+6=15 ; Thursday July 21st, 2016 11:40:43 PM
Alizar felt every bit as bad as his friends. Well, perhaps not quite as bad as Var, Var looked wrecked. So it was unsurprising that Alizar was surprised by the incoming merchant party. They looked... pensive. Uncomfortable even. Not exactly feeling threatened, Alizar called out. "Ho there, are you alright? Do you require assistance?" He did not get an immediate answer from the first few folks in the group, so he repeated his offer a few times.
(Sense Motive: d20+7=16)
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+4=20 ; d20+10=18 ; Friday July 22nd, 2016 8:52:45 AM
(Sense Motive: 20) The bristly hair on the back of Var's neck stands up as the group of hooded merchants fail to respond to Alizar's greetings. He motions for the merchants to stay back, or at least be ready to move, and turns his keen senses to listening for threats that might be creeping through the fog (Perception: 18).
Asteria Amarante (Genevieve) [HP: 42/42; AC: 20; Touch: 12; FF: 20; CMD: 20] d20+2=9 ; d20+8=14 ; Friday July 22nd, 2016 3:34:01 PM
Asteria notices the group, and doesn't like the look of them at all. "Something is wrong with them..." The barbarian places one hand on her battle axe, her thumb moving nervously up and down the smooth wood of the haft. If one of them starts looking shifty, or even just breaths the wrong way, she pulls it out in one fluid movement.
(Sense Motive: 9) (Perception: 14)
--- Readied action to pull out battle axe if the other group looks like they are about to attack
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) d20+6=22 ; Friday July 22nd, 2016 4:35:27 PM
"Must be the hangover but this isn't right. It's possibly an ambush. We can do one of two things," he said while brushing the uncomfort from his face. "We can appruptly shake them up by getting in their face or charge on but I'm always up for a fight. Will will have to get these horses up to speed quickly. " Wil then attempts to leap from the caravan to confront them. He gives the group a few seconds to stop him if they want to rush past. "Hey! you strange travelers," he shouts loudly. "Do you know the way too... umm.. someplace?" His attempt to rouse them falls flat when he forgets the quote he wants to use.
Lornak HP:34/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 d20+7=8 ; d20+8=9 ; Saturday July 23rd, 2016 5:52:24 PM
During the first two days of the journey back to Dirt City Lornak continues to get to know his new companion. It rides on his shoulder making little noise. He regularly unhoods it and lets it fly. It returns when called. Sometimes it is keen on doing its own hunting and scouting ans screeches. The caravan continues it journey and the owl can be seen soaring. It seems independent but is never seen straying too far. Lornak thinks about what to name it.
Preoccupied with his new friend he barely notices the party of travelers coming opposite the caravan. (Sense Motive d20=8) When he finally does, he notices something not right about them... Maybe its the way they move, perhaps they way they are dressed. He puts his guard up and scrutinizes them closely as they shuffle past, waiting to act if necessary. (Perception d20=9)
(OOC - crit botch and a 2. Glad those are out of my system!)
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 d20+1=2 ; Sunday July 24th, 2016 9:49:19 AM
The only thing on Dušan's mind was getting through the day, one foot in front of the other, pretty oblivious to all other concerns. He hardly noticed the other travelers until the others started confronting them.
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 d20+1=2 ; Sunday July 24th, 2016 9:55:16 AM
The only thing on Dušan's mind was getting through the day, one foot in front of the other, pretty oblivious to all other concerns. He hardly noticed the other travelers until the others started confronting them.
Hmerrin glances around at his companions, noting that they don't like these approaching strangers any more than he does. The teen takes a moment of self congratulations. He may be learning some of this guard bit after all.
The fighter strings his bow, and waits with arrow at hand, just in case.
---
Ready Action, if one of those cowled guys attacks, they get shot.....uh....at. That'd be another nat 1 on the ready action attack....sigh
Toston notices the travelers, the fact that something is off about them, their lack of greetings and their uncomfortable-ness.
Toston says, "Well met friends, Tell me is something wrong? We came from Acid City and are on our way home to Dirt City but if you need help we may be of service."
DM Kathy Sunday July 24th, 2016 10:16:28 PM
Sensing something off about the traveles, Var signals to the merchants to hang back, while Asteria and Hmerrin ready for action.
Alizar asks if they need assistance. "No, we're fine, thank'ee," one of the men finally replies.
Wilford asks if they know the way to someplace. The travelers seem puzzled. "We're just going to Acid," the same man says.
Toston repeats an offer of help, but this time the man--and a few of his companions--just shake their heads and keep moving.
Lornak notices the strange group belatedly, and Dušan barely notices them at all.
They keep moving, however, and trudge right past your group without incident.
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+10=16 ; Monday July 25th, 2016 9:50:01 AM
Var raises an eyebrow at the passing group. "Okay... That was weird." He waves at the caravan to resume, letting the wagons rumble past him, and taking up a position at the rear of the column. As the rear guard, he keeps an eye and an ear open on the road behind them, in case their fellow travelers plan on doing anything unwise (perception: 16).
Lornak HP:34/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 d20+6=9 ; d20+8=25 ; Monday July 25th, 2016 2:34:28 PM
"What was that all about?" Lornak wonders as the travelers shuffle past. "I hope we didn't just get cursed..." He says to Var. He tests his knowledge to see if he can remember anything about traveler's clothing or the way they moved and felt. Knowledge Local d20=9)
When nothing come to mind he puts his guard up and watches the environment as they caravan continues down the road. (Perception d20=25)
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 Monday July 25th, 2016 3:21:56 PM
"Did I miss something?" Dušan asks, "I don't think we were cursed."
Dušan shakeshis head to bring his thoughts to order and casts Detect Magic first on their caravan and then on the road ahead watching for any thing out of the norm.
Toston takes the time to study the other travelers. He also thinks to everything he knows or may have heard from hanging out at the WLA since his badge is in full display (OOC: WLA perk can make untrained knowledge checks)
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 Monday July 25th, 2016 9:54:54 PM
Alizar was perplexed by the travelers as they passed him by, not answering. I mean, they DID look a bit haggard from the night before, but he did not believe they looked , 'scary' in any way. His rumination was interrupted by noticing Toston deep in thought. The elf approached his friend, "What are you thinking? Something certainly seemed 'off' with them, though I am not sure what it could be."
DM Kathy Monday July 25th, 2016 10:30:37 PM
After the travelers pass, Var drops back to the rear of the group, keeping an eye out for an ambush, but none comes.
Lornak wonders whether your group may have been cursed, but Dušan is pretty sure you weren't.
Toston is quite sure you weren't cursed, but can think of no other information that might explain the travelers' odd behavior. Alizar is equally puzzled.
About an hour after you pass the travelers, you come to a campsite. The campfire is out, but must have been burning recently; a smell of woodsmoke lingers in the air. A single tent is pitched not too far from the fire ring, and a single horse is tethered nearby. You see no people.
Survival DC 15 Highlight to display spoiler: {At one time--quite recently, in fact--there were more tents pitched here.}
Knowledge: Geography DC 12 Highlight to display spoiler: {This campsite is awfully close to Blackbird Forest, which is probably less than a mile further on.}
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+9=16 ; d20+3=9 ; d20+10=24 ; Tuesday July 26th, 2016 8:59:58 AM
Var surveys the campsite, and makes note of the depressions in the ground where other tents had been (Survival: 15). Var knew from his time spent wandering that most travelers try to be out and on the road at first light, or near enough to it, and it wouldn't *necessarily* mean foul play if a traveler slept in...
"Ho there!" he shouts to the lone tent, "Everything all right, friend?" and listens intently for a response (Perception: 24).
Lornak HP:34/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 d20+6=9 ; d20=11 ; Tuesday July 26th, 2016 1:07:10 PM
Lornak knows from his travels that it is unusual for someone to not leave their campsite at first light. He suspects foul play but doesn't know for sure. (Survival d20=9) "Are we near Blackbird Forest...?" He asks absentmindedly. (Knowledge Geography d20=11) Lornak stays alert however, waiting to see whats inside the tent.
(OOC sorry yall I'm clearly not helping with this one)
When they get to the campsite he realizes geography isn't his strong suit but does notice the fact that their were more tents in the site at one point.
He points this out to his friends and keeps his eyes peeled for anything strange (Perception: 29)
(Survival : 15) (know[geo] :8)
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) d20+1=3 ; d20+7=26 ; Tuesday July 26th, 2016 3:50:13 PM
Wil see's the tent and the single horse. He thinks back to the travelers. "You know robbing and beating a man puts a sour face on you. You don't want to know how I know that." "Anyways, this scene is pretty ominous. I was looking for an adventure the last time we passed this forest." (Perception: 26 - to find traps and any other clues.) Wil stamps out the fire, if it's not a trap of course..
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 d20+1=9 ; Tuesday July 26th, 2016 6:00:32 PM
"Oh! Are we at camp already?" Dušan asks, "I thought we had to pitch a camp or set up our tents by our selves."
While Dušan was clearly out of his element as far camping, he was nervous enough to keep concentrating on Detect Magic. With spell up he pears at the tent dubiously.
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 d20+3=18 ; d20+3=9 ; Tuesday July 26th, 2016 7:25:43 PM
(Survival: 18) Alizar stared around the camp site, it was obvious to him that this was certainly a larger site at one point, but he could not quite figure out what might have caused the rest of the group to leave in such a hurry. The elf focused for a moment, drawing upon his arcane senses to see if he could detect anything, but his sense seemed most dull. Probably due to the several litres of ale he had consumed the night before. He silently cursed Var and his half orc constitution. (Detect Magic: 9)
Hmerrin pulls out both axes, and strides over to the tent.
"Only one way to find out," the teen declares, and pulls back the flap with his handaxe.
DM Kathy Tuesday July 26th, 2016 10:49:09 PM
Many of you realize that there were more tents pitched here last night. The travelers you saw on the road? Very likely--but why did they leave somebody behind?
Wilford has some rather grim speculations about that. Alizar and Dušan check for signs of magic, but see none.
Var calls out to anyone who might be in the tent. Hmerrin takes the more direct approach and pulls back the flap.
The tent is empty.
Looking around the campsite, Toston sees tracks. Well, there are a lot of tracks; there were a lot of people camping here last night. But the tracks that catch his eye are of bare feet. He can't tell for sure, but they seem to start near the lone tent, and head out of the camp in a fairly straight line.
Asteria [Rocky] Tuesday July 26th, 2016 11:10:31 PM
Asteria remained quiet was the travelers had past on the road, though she did her best to flash her 'toothish grin' to them in the most nonthreatening way possible. She had a feeling she came off more like a hungry predator than a friend...
When they reached the camp, she took up a defensive position as as the rest of the group spread out to check the scene. She was not quite sure what they were checking for, probably traps, or bears, most likely traps and bears. Mmmm... bear meat... "Yo Hmerrin! You find anything over there?"
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) d20+7=15 ; d20+7=19 ; Wednesday July 27th, 2016 11:46:18 AM
Wil checks for signs of life near or inside the tent already set up. (Perception: 15) "Should we send out a couple to follow those tracks?" He asks then adds. "If the forest is as bad as they say we should be very careful. Or we could just continue on our way? Maybe nothing happened here?" "Cicero, do you detect something from your ethereal vantage point?" (Perception: 19 - to poll for information. DM Highlight to display spoiler: { Cicero would be a bit grumpy with Wil at the moment. I leave it up to DM's discretion whether you want to grant me any extra info :) }
Lornak HP:34/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 d20+6=19 ; Wednesday July 27th, 2016 1:17:34 PM
Lornak looks from the bare feet tracks to Toston and asks rhetorically; "Single individual. Wandering near Blackbird Forest, alone. Does that seem like normal behavior?"
The hairs on the back of Lornak's neck perk up at the thought of what came out of the tent. He turns to Var and asks; "Can you tell what left them?"
He is not confident that the tent is truly empty and is very hesitant to investigate it further. He takes a step away from the tent. His eyes follow the direction that the tracks go and scrutinizes the horizon in a effort to discern were they might lead. (Survival d20=19)
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:18; Touch 18; FF 14] - CMD 18 Wednesday July 27th, 2016 3:41:01 PM
Toston points out the tracks to his friends making sure that Var sees them as well.
"Maybe we need to follow the tracks caused by this pair of bare feet that head in a straight line?" Toston suggests.
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 Wednesday July 27th, 2016 5:05:48 PM
Var looks over his shoulder at the merchant caravan. "We should keep moving..." he says.
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 Wednesday July 27th, 2016 7:17:23 PM
"So this isn't our camp..." Dušan says disheartened.
His companions watchfulness begins to mak him feel nervous. He follows Lornaks gaze with the aid of Detect Magic.
Hmerrin(HP 43/43 AC21/14t/17ff, CMD 20) Wednesday July 27th, 2016 7:19:33 PM
Hmerrin steps back away from the tent. "Whole lotta nuthin" he calls back to Asteria.
The teen looks back down the road, putting two and two together, and not much liking the answer.
"Those travelers camped here," he declares, with all the certainty of the young. "They camped here, and something bad happened to Barefoot here, and they couldn't or wouldn't help, and they left. Sad about it, maybe, but they left."
The human looks at Var. "We can't. If there is help to be had, we gotta give it. We at least gotta try."
DM Kathy Wednesday July 27th, 2016 11:39:21 PM
At the camp, Asteria takes up a defensive position while Wilford asks his ghost for information. "I ain't goin' in there!" is the only answer you get.
Var suggests moving on, but Toston and Hmerrin want to investigate further. Hmerrin realizes that the travelers you passed must have camped here, and left somebody behind for some reason.
Lornak can tell that the bare feet seem to be making a beeline for Blackbird Forest. As the barefoot trail leaves the camp, you can see that there is another trail, this one of booted feet, moving in the same direction. If you had to guess, you'd say Boots was probably tracking Barefoot.
Asteria [Rocky] Wednesday July 27th, 2016 11:48:32 PM
Alizar considered what Var had said. "He does have a point, we are obligated to get these merchants back to Dirt City." The nagging feeling that someone needed their help tugged at the corners of Alizar's brain. He didn't like the though that he might be able to do something but choose not to. "It is possible we could provide assistance to whoever was tracking... whatever, but we do have a job to finish."
Lornak HP:34/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 Thursday July 28th, 2016 12:03:47 AM
Lornak is now intrigued by the mystery of what when on here. A thought about the goblins enters his mind. "How far are we from the Goblin's inn? Would the merchants be content being escorted that far and parting ways..." Lornak muses. "...we could then return here and see what we find?"
Then Lornak comes to his senses. By that time the trail will have run cold. "What am I saying?! Alizar is correct. As much as we want to figure out when on here, we have job to finish."
Lornak HP:34/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 Thursday July 28th, 2016 12:05:11 AM
(OOC - Rocky's Genevieve, Genevieve's Rocky. Mass Asteria!)
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 Thursday July 28th, 2016 11:13:34 AM
Var fidgets with his longbow and makes a nervous growling noise. "I don't know much about the Blackbird, but if it's anything like the Culverwood, we shouldn't be going in there with anything less than a written invitation."
Var runs a hand through his dreadlocks and composes himself. "Now I ain't scared, but we aught to see what the merchants need of us before heading off on some rescue mission."
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) Thursday July 28th, 2016 5:17:34 PM
Wil jumps up, naive and young. "This sounds like an excellent time for an adventure." "I am not afraid of stories told to me from elders. I am... though... a bit concerned that a spirit that may or may not exist in my head refuses to go near the forest." "My problem is does our concern for this young person trump our concern for trade to Dirt City. How far are we from the city? Is it safe for them to head back?"
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:18; Touch 18; FF 14] - CMD 18 Thursday July 28th, 2016 6:46:26 PM
"I want to help the barefooted person if we can. While we do have a lawful contract with the merchants the barefoot person could be in trouble and may need help. It would be remiss of us not to check it out." Toston says
Hmerrin(HP 43/43 AC21/14t/17ff, CMD 20) Thursday July 28th, 2016 6:54:43 PM
Hmerrin is becoming increasingly agitated as some of the group favor turning away.
"C'mon people!" he pleads. "We gotta at least try! Let's camp here! Call it an early day, all us happy merchants camp out, and we 'uns spend an hour or two trying to save someone's life.
We don't find her, then hey, we at least gave it a shot."
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 Thursday July 28th, 2016 7:13:43 PM
"I think Alizar is right. We already have a contract." Dušan agrees, "Besides, what if good old barefoot isn't in trouble, but is the trouble. There possibly is a good reason the other campers left this one."
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 Thursday July 28th, 2016 9:30:15 PM
(Just realized I did not re-update the heads)
Asteria nodded as Alizar spoke. "I understand what Alizar is saying, but we may be able to help the barefoot person, and I might also get to smash something in the process..."
DM Kathy Friday July 29th, 2016 12:36:37 AM
For a while, your instinctive yearn for adventure wars with your duty to the merchants. You are still at least a day out from Goblins Rest, and several days from Dirt City. The merchants themselves are equally torn. "I'd hate to have you just disappear into that forest," Lukas frets, but Epria chimes in, "Well, of course we have to help! Alemi's sake! If we don't, why we're just as bad as everybody says Dirt City folks are."
"You go on, now," Epria says to you. "We'll wait right here for you at this nice campsite. Keep an eye on the horse for...for whoever it is."
Hmerrin suggests camping, but there's really no need. You met the travelers after you'd been on the road a mere hour; and this camp wasn't much father on. It's barely mid-morning; you have plenty of time to investigate.
Accordingly, you begin tracking. The barefoot tracks aren't all that difficult to follow, and they continue heading straight for Blackbird Forest. About ten minutes after you begin following the tracks, you hear the first shout. It's very faint, off in the distance, and you can't make out any words. As you continue, however, you seem to be getting closer to the voice; it is a man's voice. Closer, still, and you can make out words. "Ebba!" he calls. "Ebba, where are you? Ebba!" The voice sounds hoarse, as if the person has been shouting for a while.
You can see the edge of Blackbird Forest now, not too far ahead of you. As you watch, a man bursts out of the forest, running for all he's worth. He stops, then falls to his knees. He seems to be sobbing.
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+10=23 ; d20+9=11 ; d20+3=10 ; Friday July 29th, 2016 9:55:20 AM
Var nods to Epria and Lukas, and then begins to track barefoot and boots through the mists (Survival: 11), Luckily the tracks are easy to follow, since Var's mind is occupied with asking himself why he never bought that dried mummy's hand or preserved goblin head when he had the chance...
As they approach the line of the forest, Var calls up as much as he can about the Blackbird (Knowledge: Nature: 10 - not sure if Nature applies to magical forests, tho with a 10 I doubt it matters...)
As the man comes running out from the treeline Var plants his feet and nocks an arrow as quickly as possible, then scans the Forest for whatever might be chasing the man (Perception: 23).
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:18; Touch 18; FF 14] - CMD 18 d20+12=17 ; d20+7=11 ; Sunday July 31st, 2016 2:50:20 AM
Toston observes the man (Perception:17;Sense Motive:11) and then says, "Excuse me sir, you seem to be in distress. What seems to be the problem? Can we help you?"
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 Sunday July 31st, 2016 1:12:01 PM
Dušan positions himself strategically (definitely not cowering) behind Hmerrin and Asteria. He alternates casting Guidance between the two in anticipation of conflict.
(OOC: +1 to skill check.)
Asteria Amarante (Genevieve) [HP: 42/42; AC: 20; Touch: 12; FF: 20; CMD: 20] d20+8=13 ; d8+4=11 ; Sunday July 31st, 2016 7:26:37 PM
Asteria stretches both arms rhythmically, one then the other while the group decides how to proceed. When it is decided that they will follow the eerie steps into the place that they were told to NEVER go, it should be understandable when she stops cold. "Wait, what. You want us. To go into the haunted place. Great."
On the trail, Asteria takes up her position at the front of the group, where all barbarians should be. A cold sweat trails down her back as they approach the forest. "This is a great idea." She mutters to herself, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
The yells start, and Asteria takes out her battleaxe. She eyes the tree line until the man comes running out. A sigh of relief escapes her lips before she prepares for an attack from the cursed forest.
--- Pull out battleaxe Readied action 13 vs. AC for 11 damage
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) d20+7=11 ; d20+6=20 ; Sunday July 31st, 2016 7:41:49 PM
"Oh, this will be great," Wil says with excitement. "I know it." Strangely, Wil has become a little more animated lately. Commenting on the sun as it rose in the morning. His consistently dour mood seems to of lighten. He watched as the man lept from the woods. (Perception: 11, Sense Motive: 20) "Oh, Jeez. He looks frightened. Who is Ebba?"
Hmerrin draws both axes at the emergence of the man. Like Asteria, he scans the forest line. Guys just don't sprint like without something chasing them.
Still, he can't help but chuckle at Toston's "Excuse me sir". Formal to the end, our gnome.
DM Kathy Sunday July 31st, 2016 9:18:41 PM
At the man's sudden appearance, Var nocks an arrow and Asteria draws her axe. Not to be outdone, Hmerrin draws two axes. Dušan takes up a strategic position, which is his story and he'll stick to it!
Toston approaches the man. "Ebba!" he calls, seeing you approach. "Ebba, my wife! She's missing! Have you seen her?"
The man is frantic, but Toston's calm questioning seems to settle him somewhat. "I'm Rien Gerrin," he says. "Me and my wife Ebba was going to Acid with some folks--looking for work, you know. We camped nearby last night. I woke early, but Ebba was gone! Just walked right out of the tent! Why would she do a thing like that?" He points with a shaking hand. "Her tracks go in there. Into that...that forest. I tried to follow--I did!" Tears begin to run down his face. "But--but it's horrible in there! I can't--can't--" He breaks into sobs.
Toston and Wilford can both tell that Rien is completely sincere.
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 d20+8=21 ; d20+7=9 ; Sunday July 31st, 2016 10:35:03 PM
Alizar placed a hand on the mans shoulder. "Calm yourself sir, first off, are you injured in anyway? Second, what else can you tell us about what happened to your wife, anything suspicious... you know, other than walking off into the creepy forest anyhow?" (Diplomacy = 21)
Alizar waits for a resonse, taking his own knowledge into consideration and anything the man tells him, he searches his brain to see if he has an inkling as to what might be affecting Rien's wife. (Knowledge: Arcana = 9)
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+10=24 ; Monday August 1st, 2016 9:41:31 AM
Var lowers his bow but remains alert and continues to check the treeline for movement (Perception: 24).
"Come on," Var says once Rien has calmed down somewhat and caught his breath, "You need to find your wife. We'll back you up so's you don't have to face whatever's in there alone."
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) d20+8=14 ; Monday August 1st, 2016 9:47:21 AM
As compassionate as Wil can he knees and ask the sobbing man about his experience in the woods. (Diplomacy: 14) "What can we expect once we step into the woods? What did you see? I have only heard stories." "Why would your wife leave and who were the other travelers with you? We met them on the road here."
Lornak HP:34/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 d20+7=8 ; d20+8=11 ; Monday August 1st, 2016 2:30:35 PM
Lornak frees his owl companion and lets if fly as the group follow the track to the edge of the Blackbird Forest. He notices that the bird's flight path deviates away from the foliage ahead of them. He is confident that the bird will be fine on its own but know's that if it has shied away from the forest that he should be cautious.
Lornak feels a chill go down his spine. He cannot quite recall what form of creature lures its prey when they hunt. (Knowledge d20=8) He completely forgets anything useful when the man comes bustling out from the treeline. Lornak pulls his rapier from its sheath in reaction, ready to act. (Perception d20=11)
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 Monday August 1st, 2016 7:07:52 PM
Dušan follows the conversation. Not sure how many answers they will get he begins to scan the tree line with the aid of Detect Magic.
"If these woods are as dangerous as we've been led to believe, then we should leave with haste. With or without Rein or eEbba may be lost."
Asteria Amarante (Genevieve) [HP: 42/42; AC: 20; Touch: 12; FF: 20; CMD: 20] Monday August 1st, 2016 8:20:54 PM
Asteria stays away from the sobbing man, not too sure how a burly barbarian would be able to help comfort him. Although hesitant to enter the forest, she does agree that it is basically their duty to help out. "Yeah, Dušan is right. We should get moving."
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:18; Touch 18; FF 14] - CMD 18 d20+1=6 ; d20+8=19 ; d20+5=8 ; Monday August 1st, 2016 8:31:10 PM
"Rein, do you have any experience in combat? We understand that Ebba is your wife and you want to do whatever you can to find her but we are adventurers and know how to handle ourselves. We would be more effective if you aren't experienced in these matters if you waited with the rest of our caravan for us to find her. However, she is your wife and if you want to join us I am not going to stop you." Toston says.
He then tries to think about what he may know magically, relgiony or nature related having to do with his story and the woods. (Know[Nature]:6, Know[arcana]:19, Know[religion]:8)
Hmerrin(HP 43/43 AC21/14t/17ff, CMD 20) Monday August 1st, 2016 8:45:45 PM
Axes at the ready, Hmerrin keeps his eyes on the woodline as his companions speak with Rien.
DM Kathy Monday August 1st, 2016 10:23:06 PM
You question Rien, but he has little to add. He doesn't know what might have made Ebba take off in the middle of the night, and he had not noticed anything suspicious the evening before. He didn't see very much in Blackbird Forest, but every time he entered, he was filled with an overwhelming sense of dread, and had to flee. He has made several attempts to move farther into the forest, none of them successful.
Many of you try to think of what might have caused this, and although you have a vague feeling that some creatures can lure people to their doom, you are unable to recall specifics.
Some of you watch the forest intently, but don't see much of anything. The fog still clings low to the ground in patches, and somewhere there is a crow cawing.
Asked his preference, Rien hesitates. "I'm no fighter," he says. "But I don't want to go all the way back to the campsite. I want to know--as soon as there's anything to know. Can--can I wait for you here?"
Assuming you agree to that, he stands anxiously by as you move toward Blackbird Forest, looming ahead of you. It doesn't take long to reach it, and soon you are picking your way through the massive trees. You see immediately what Rien meant; there's a strange, oppressive air in here that's enough to make anyone jumpy. It is eerily quiet. Even the crow has stopped its cawing.
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 d20+6=13 ; d20+8=15 ; Monday August 1st, 2016 10:33:43 PM
Alizar falls into line with the rest of the party as they enter the forest. It's presence was, as best could be described, 'heavy'. Alizar searched his brain to see if he ould come up with any stories he had heard about the forest, and anything that might help them, while staying alert.
(Perception = 13) (Knowledge: History = 15)
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) d20+7=19 ; Tuesday August 2nd, 2016 10:02:26 AM
Wil asked Cicero for any advice. He was the spooky one, stuck in Wil's head. His mother was all but gone once he left Dirt City. (Perception: 19) "Hey, guy in my head. If you can't help me, can you at least give me a heads up when we are running into something?" The doom and gloom was oppressing as he stepped over the brush and roots and into the forest. "You know I have this spell that turns a persons life dark, at least in his head, it's not really fair to the castor to have to deal with it." Wil laughs, his sanity seems a bit thin for the moment.
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+10=20 ; d20+9=10 ; Tuesday August 2nd, 2016 11:48:19 AM
Var gives Rien a shrug and thinks to himself that sitting around waiting would be the last thing he'd want to do, personally.
Moving into the forest, Var takes point, instructing his comrades to stay within sight of each other in the fog. He moves forward slowly but steadily, searching the ground for Ebba's tracks (Survival: 10 +1 for Track = 11), but his eyes keep flicking up to his surroundings whenever he thinks he sees movement (Perception: 20).
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 Tuesday August 2nd, 2016 4:26:03 PM
"Should we tie a rope to each other. If something tries to subconsciously tries to separate us, we might feel the tug." Dušan suggests as he continues to look for any magical auras with Detect Magic.
Hmerrin(HP 43/43 AC21/14t/17ff, CMD 20) Tuesday August 2nd, 2016 6:42:33 PM
"Oh, this is lovely," Hmerrin remarks sarcastically. "Who's idea was it to come in here?"
At Dusan's comment, the teen shakes his head. "We get attacked, a rope is really gonna get in the way. Just need to keep your eyes on your friends, folks."
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:18; Touch 18; FF 14] - CMD 18 d20+8=19 ; d20+5=22 ; d20+1=18 ; d20+1=17 ; d20+1=9 ; d20+1=20 ; d20+12=30 ; Tuesday August 2nd, 2016 7:38:41 PM
"What about if we didn't tie the rope but just held onto the rope?" Toston asks, "I have rope in my new haversack."
Toston searches his mind for anything that he may have heard either through his study or at the WLA (Knowledge [arcana]:19, Knowledge[religion]:22, Knowledge[nature]:18, Knowledge[history]:17, Knowledge[geography]:9 Knowledge[local]:20)
He also keeps his eyes peeled for anything odd. (Pereption:30)
Asteria Amarante (Genevieve) [HP: 42/42; AC: 20; Touch: 12; FF: 20; CMD: 20] d20+8=20 ; Tuesday August 2nd, 2016 7:48:27 PM
Asteria doesn't like being in the fog at all. She searches her mind for any songs to lighten the silence, but can only find old barbarian songs about splitting heads. Somehow, she feels like this wont exactly help the mood.
Asteria keeps her axe out, keeping an eye out for the evil monsters that surely live here. In her head, she visualizes cutting through the thick fog with her trusty blade. It seems to help a bit.
(Perception: 20)
Lornak HP:34/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 d20+6=16 ; d20+8=18 ; Tuesday August 2nd, 2016 9:02:39 PM
Lornak accompanies Var as he follows the tracks into the forest proper. He assists his fellow hunter where he can. (Survival for track to aid another d20=16)
Lornak's been inside "scary" forests before but the feelings of unease that he experiences are completely overshadowed by the ones he's feeling in this place.
Lornak frees his short sword from its scabbard and readies it and his buckler in his left hand. With the eerie silence he is sure he will be ready to confront anything that springs at the group. (Perception d20=18)
DM Kathy Tuesday August 2nd, 2016 11:15:01 PM
You move deeper into the forest. Alizar recalls that the forest has a strange affinity for black-feathered birds: crows, ravens, blackbirds. It is said that those accompanied by such birds are safer within the bounds of the forest. Whatever value "safer" has.
Toston recalls that the forest is only partially awakened, and can be a bit...strange. Some say that singing while you walk through the forest keeps the trees "awake." What happens if they "fall asleep" is unclear.
Var loses Ebba's trail, but with Lornak's help, is able to pick it up again. You move deeper into the forest.
The rest of the group is on full alert, so you hear the voices when they are still very faint. You move a little closer, and you can make out words.
"That's enough out of you, old woman!" a querulous voice says. "If you can't be patient, then go snag yourself another, and I'll do for him, too!"
"So you say, old man!" another voice replies. "From what I can see, the prey's outwitted you. Not that it's hard, half-wit that you are."
"Hush your clacking tongue!" the first voice cries. "I keep telling you, I've almost got it. I know what I'm doing, and I don't need nagging from the likes of you!"
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 d20+6=13 ; Tuesday August 2nd, 2016 11:28:55 PM
Alizar followed his comrades closely, he certainly didn't like the idea of being tied to anyone by a rope, however. Keeping one eye on Var, and one eye on his surroundings, they moved deeper into the forest until the natural sound was disturbed by voices. Alizar froze. He tired to gauge which direction the sound was coming from, then he looked to Var for guidance. Alizar was not the most stealthy of the party, so he trusted in the hunters instincts on this instance.
(Perception: 13)
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+10=19 ; d20+7=8 ; Wednesday August 3rd, 2016 10:04:54 AM
Var's ears perk up at the conversation, and he gauges where the two are in relation to the party (Perception: 19). He begins creeping forward towards the voices, (Stealth: 8) but manages to step on plenty of dried twigs and leaves.
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) d20+8=12 ; d20+7=27 ; Wednesday August 3rd, 2016 1:29:09 PM
Wil was able to quiet the voices for long enough to regain some sense. Unfortunately, he wasn't in the mood for too much of a stealthy approach but he could see quite clearly. The conversation was interesting and indicated hunters looking for lost prey. "This couple is obviously hostile. We need to avoid them or ambush them. Sounds like they may know where the lady is," he whispered. (Stealth: 12; Perception: 27)
Lornak HP:34/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 d20+7=12 ; d20+7=26 ; Wednesday August 3rd, 2016 2:31:46 PM
As Lornak keeps pace with Var he wishes his animal companion was present. He would prefer listening to its squawking and cawing rather than this oppressive silence. The silence is abruptly broken as his ears pick up to voices in conversation.
His eyes set to the ground, he tires to get a bead on the voice's location. "Not that I really want to meet whatever views humans as prey..." He thinks to himself. Lornak scours his memory to determine what type of intelligent creature might eat humans. (Knowledge Nature d20=12)
Lornak motions for the group to slow and be silent. He then carefully moves towards the voices in an effort to get a better vantage to see what kind of creatures are doing the talking. (Stealth d20=26)
Hmerrin(HP 43/43 AC21/14t/17ff, CMD 20) Wednesday August 3rd, 2016 5:55:05 PM
Hmerrin slows down. Then, sees Lornak and comes to a halt, as sneaking is, um, not a strong suit.
The lad does draw both axes, though, and then waits to see what develops.
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 d20=7 ; Wednesday August 3rd, 2016 7:12:24 PM
Dušan attempts to be quiet, as Lornak instructs, but only manages to be slightly quieter then Var. he hopes the conservation is distracting enough to not draw attention to the group. Dušan tries to focus the direction of his Detect Magic spell in the direction of the voices.
(Stealth d20+6=13)
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:18; Touch 18; FF 14] - CMD 18 d20+12=30 ; d20+13=32 ; Wednesday August 3rd, 2016 7:43:16 PM
Toston shares with the others the bit about singing keeping the woods awake.
When he gets close to the voices Toston tries to get a better idea of what the voices belong to (Perception:30) he also tries to sneak up closer to get a better vantage point without hopefully giving himself away. (Stealth:32). Silent as a cat the gnome sneaks up on the gathering. He is curious to know what else is in these woods.
Asteria Amarante (Genevieve) [HP: 42/42; AC: 20; Touch: 12; FF: 20; CMD: 20] Wednesday August 3rd, 2016 9:52:22 PM
Asteria stops beside Hmerrin. Sneaking around in large armor isn't exactly the easiest. It tends to make a lot of noise.
DM Kathy Wednesday August 3rd, 2016 11:53:48 PM
You are easily able to determine the direction of the voices, and you begin making your way in that direction. Some of you are stealthy in your approach. Others....not so much. Luckily, the man and woman are intent on their argument, and don't notice you until you are almost upon them.
"Now look what you've done, you old fool!" the woman shrieks. "We've been discovered!" Except, she isn't really a woman. She sort of looks like one, but she has tattered wings and taloned feet. And her teeth are longer than your average woman's. Knowledge: Nature DC 14 Highlight to display spoiler: {She is a Harpy. She can captivate people with her song.} She is perched on a tree, looking down on a fallen log.
"Not my doing, woman!" the man snaps. "You're the one doing all the nagging." Except, he isn't really a man. He is a small, fey-looking creature with metal boots and a blood-red cap. He holds a wicked-looking scythe. Knowledge: Nature DC 16 Highlight to display spoiler: {He is a Redcap. Those boots pack a wicked wallop, as does the scythe. And when he's wearing his red cap, they do even more damage. You may be able to chase him off with a good-aligned holy symbol.} He is standing next to the fallen log, scowling at it.
And now you can see a patch of white, wedged under the fallen log. You realize that it is a woman in a nightgown, almost certainly the missing Ebba. She isn't moving, and it is difficult to tell from here whether she is still alive.
"No matter," the little man adds. "If they want to play, we'll play!" And he hefts his scythe with purpose.
Hey, look, a map ! The backdrop is just for atmosphere; you guys are not floating in the trees. Ebba is wedged under a fallen log; the other two creatures are definitely hostile.
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+3=22 ; d20+3=14 ; d20+8=27 ; d8+3=6 ; Thursday August 4th, 2016 10:09:18 AM
Var assesses the situation and the targets (Nature: 22 for the Harpy; Nature: 14 for the Redcap) and harrumphs.
Raising his Longbow he fires a shot at the Harpy while she's perched on the branch (27 vs. AC; 6 Damage). "You lads get that little guy, make sure the lady's okay." He says
Lornak HP:34/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 d20+7=22 ; d20+7=10 ; Thursday August 4th, 2016 2:41:42 PM
After getting a good vantage without being seen, Lornak identifies the woman's voice to be that of a harpy. "Grand." He thinks to himself.(Knowledge: Nature d20=22). He cannot make out the male voice because the log the woman is hiding under is obscuring his sight to him. All he sees is the long scythe. (Knowldege: Nature d20=10)
Lornak stows his blades and pulls out his hand crossbow and loads it. Lornak's memory tells him that harpy's can mesmerize people with their song. He tries to figure out a way to avoid being enthralled when a thought enters his mind; The Connaught Rangers.
The stealth maneuvering broken, he scrambles out from behind the scrub he was hiding behind and starts belting the folk war song. He hopes that it will help him keep his focus in the upcoming scuffle. "To the tiny homesteads of the west their recruiting sergeant came!"
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 d20=17 ; d20=16 ; Thursday August 4th, 2016 4:01:21 PM
Alizar fell in with his comrades toward the noise, trying to be as stealthy as possible. It did not take long to come upon the scene of a woman in a night gown, trapped under a log. Alizar's training as a doctor almost pushed him into action when his better sense prevailed, and he saw the rest of the scene. (Nature = 17 Harpy and 16 Redcap) "Great", Alizar said out loud. "A Harpy and a Red Cap. Look, I don't really have time to mess around with you knuckleheads right now..." Alizar reached down into his gut, and pulled forth some of his magical energies, and sent a ball of magic, centered on the Harpy in an attempt to silence her wretched singing. (CAST Silence: Centered on Harpy)
Alizar then turned to the Red Cap and held out his holy symbol, "Oy! Hey 'Herby'!" Alizar had decided the Red Cap was named 'Herby'. "I'm not completely sure what the date is right now, but it's gotta be getting close to 'Yuletide'. Don't you have another hundred rocking horses to build or something?"
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 d100=38 ; Thursday August 4th, 2016 6:05:51 PM
Dušan looks concerned at the lady, "I'm not sure I can make it to her right now."
In the meantime he moves forward and casts Bull's Strength on Asteria.
(OOC: d100 = 38 Ley Roll, Spell is cast, Spell per day is spent. Total L1 1/1, L2 4/1 40 rounds Bull's Strength on Asteria: +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, adding the usual benefits to melee attack rolls, melee damage rolls, and other uses of the Strength modifier.)
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 Thursday August 4th, 2016 6:10:49 PM
(OOC: d100 = 38 Ley Roll, Spell is cast, Spell per day is spent. Total L1 3/1, L2 4/1 Fixed)
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:22; Touch 18; FF 18] - CMD 18 d20+1=21 ; d20+1=10 ; Thursday August 4th, 2016 6:55:47 PM
Toston uses his wand of mage armor to give himself more protection for this coming battle.
He takes in the creatures and recognizes the bird woman but not the red capped man. "She's a harpy and can captivate with a song!" The gnome yells to his friends
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) d20+8=17 ; d20+7=18 ; Thursday August 4th, 2016 8:25:50 PM
Wil tells anyone near him, "Keep them busy as I go to check on the girl." Wil marches to the right behind everyone. He stops when he sees the distance between them and the attackers. He then continues to try to find a safe way toward them.
Hmerrin(HP 43/43 AC23/16t/17ff, CMD 20) Thursday August 4th, 2016 9:06:41 PM
Hmerrin eyes the distance to the critters and the axes in his hand with a grimace. "Shoulda pulled the bow," he mutters to himself.
Figuring he's about to get blasted, the teen eases on forward, axes at the ready.
Asteria Amarante (Genevieve) [HP: 42/42; AC: 20; Touch: 12; FF: 20; CMD: 20] d20+8=12 ; d8+4=6 ; Thursday August 4th, 2016 9:59:45 PM
Asteria moves up with Hmerrin and Lornak, cracking her neck as she strides towards the foes. "After this, I say no more going into creepy places that we obviously shouldn't go into. Unless there is a maiden we need to save. Because I have a feeling that this is going to hurt a lot." She thanks Dušan quickly, before preparing an axe to the face for whichever monster feels like getting clobbered. That talk of harpie throws her off guard a bit, so it isn't really all that great.
--- Move 25 feet Prepared attack 12 vs. AC for 6 damage against a foe who moves within range
40 rounds Bull's Strength: +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, adding the usual benefits to melee attack rolls, melee damage rolls, and other uses of the Strength modifier.)
DM Kathy d20+9=21 ; d20+9=22 ; 2d4+12=14 ; Friday August 5th, 2016 12:38:17 AM
Seeing your foes, Var fires a shot that hits the harpy.
Lornak readies his crossbow and tries a bit of Countersong. He's got the right idea, but alas, he is not a bard.
Alizar attempts to cast a Silence on the harpy, but she is able to avoid it. [Will save 21.] He brings out his holy symbol. [OOC: Scaring the redcap with a holy symbol is a standard action, so if you want to do it this round, you'll need to spend a Hero Point. Or you can wait until next round.]
[Kathy's Strategy Corner! This isn't just for Rocky; everybody can probably benefit. If you cast Silence on a creature, that creature gets a Will save. Odds are, you're going to want to cast Silence on some kind of spellcaster or somebody throwing Jedi mind tricks. Those types tend to have pretty good Will saves, so casting Silence directly on them is a low-percentage play. Alternatively, you can cast it on a point in space. If you do that, the creature doesn't get a saving throw; but on the other hand, they can just walk out of the effect (or fly, in this case). You can also cast it on an object. If it's a large, stationary object, the creature again can just walk away from it. If it's a small, portable object...well, there are ways of moving a small, portable object close to a creature. What I'm saying is, Silence is tricky, and you'll want a game plan.]
Dušan casts Bull's Strength on Asteria, who moves up and readies to attack.
Hmerrin likewise moves up and prepares for combat.
Toston warns his friends about the harpy, and casts a protective spell on himself.
Wilford starts picking his way toward the fallen log, hoping to rescue the woman stuck under there. You discern no traps.
Cackling with glee, the redcap runs up to Lornak and swings his scythe! Lornak is hit for 14 damage!
The harpy begins to sing. I will copy-paste the effect:
When a harpy sings, all creatures aside from other harpies within a 300-foot spread must succeed on a DC 16 Will saving throw or become captivated. A creature that successfully saves is not subject to the same harpy's song for 24 hours. A victim under the effects of the captivating song moves toward the harpy using the most direct means available. If the path leads them into a dangerous area such as through fire or off a cliff, that creature receives a second saving throw to end the effect before moving into peril. Captivated creatures can take no actions other than to defend themselves. A victim within 5 feet of the harpy simply stands and offers no resistance to the harpy's attacks. This effect continues for as long as the harpy sings and for 1 round thereafter. This is a sonic mind-affecting charm effect.
If Lornak fails his save, he gets another one right away, since I'm ruling that provoking an Attack of Opportunity from the redcap counts as "moving into a dangerous area." Everybody else has a clear shot, with nothing dangerous in the way.
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 d20+9=17 ; Friday August 5th, 2016 1:42:25 AM
Alizar cursed as the Harpy seemed unaffected by his Silence spell. The Harpy's song hit his eears, and like a sweet tempting call it beckoned him forward, fortunately, his Will was made of stronger stuff. (Will Save: = 17)
Hoping to spare his comrades to the effects of the song, Alizar changed his strategy slightly. It was almost as if he heard a little voice in his head, and sweet, wonderful voice, suggest that he cast it NEAR the Harpy. He found a spot near the Harpy, and cast SILENCE so that she was enveloped by it's envelope. The Harpy may just fly out of it, but at least it would break the spell on his comrades, hopefully long enough to do some healing anyhow...
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) d20+6=10 ; Friday August 5th, 2016 10:29:34 AM
"Oh no..." is the only thing Wil says before getting caught up in the song of the Harpy. (Will Save: 10) He heads forward, which he was going to do anyways but not so stealthily. He heads diagonally 40 feet forward and back the opposite direction. "What are you doing?" Cicero pipes up within Wil's head. "I told you not to come in here. You never listen to me!" "Don't you hear that, Cicero? It's so beautiful. I have to get closer." "Oh my," Cicero replied.
Lornak HP:34/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 d20+7=22 ; d20+8=12 ; Friday August 5th, 2016 1:30:43 PM
"He promised a future bright,..." Lorank sings as he harpy's song rushes up and hits him like a wave. Its resonance surges through his body making him hesitate for the slightest moment. He is elated that singing the war ditty is enough to escape the harpy's thrall. (Will Save d20+5[+2 racial against enchantment]=22)
His excitement is short lived for in that moments hesitation the Redcap finds an opening in his defenses. Lornak feels the curved blade split the skin at his thigh. He stumbles backwards away from the assault, grits his teeth and lets out a bawl. (Movement 5 foot step)
"So a brave young men went off to fight," Lornak continues singing defiantly at the redcap, hoping that his comrades know the tune. "For the empire and the might!"
Lornak then fires the bolt in his crossbow at the redcap and then raises his buckler in a defensive posture. (Attack Action d20=12)
(Buckler +1 to AC Active)
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:26; Touch 18; FF 22] - CMD 18 d20+10=27 ; Friday August 5th, 2016 11:34:37 PM
(Will Save : 27 +8 + 2 from monk bonus vs enchantment)
Toston's background make him oddly well prepared for fighting a harpy. His monk training taught him how to resist certain enchantments and sorcerers and monks develop strong wills.
He easily shrugs off the creatures song before casting shield on himself, finally ready to join in melee next round, taking a 30 foot movement to keep pace with Wil.
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 d20+7=15 ; Sunday August 7th, 2016 1:09:22 PM
Dušan can't remember the last time he heard something so lovely. Notes like talons on a chalkboard covered in honey pulled him towards the harpy.
Hmerrin(HP 43/43 AC19/12t/15ff, CMD 20) d20+10=19 ; d20+9=19 ; d8+5=8 ; Sunday August 7th, 2016 7:04:45 PM Using Hero Point for +8 luck bonus on Will Save Will Save 19
For a moment, Hmerrin feels the pull of the harpy's song. "NO!" the lad bellows, forcing the sound from his head.
Continuing his scream of rage, the teen crashes through the wood, battleaxe held high. At the end of his breath, and the end of his path, he smashes the axe down on the creature.
Charge harpy(-2 ac, +2 atk) Battleaxe hits ac 19 for 8 hp damage
Asteria falls head over combat boots for the beautiful voice of the harpy. She finds herself moving forward, hoping to hear more of the song.
(Will Save: 5)
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+3=23 ; d20+8=13 ; d8+3=4 ; Sunday August 7th, 2016 8:43:37 PM
Var grunts and shakes his head. (Will save: 23) "What was that!?" He exclaims.
Through the haze of his thoughts Var tries to take another shot at the Harpy (13 vs AC, 4 damage)
DM Kathy d20+7=18 ; d20+9=22 ; d20+3=9 ; 2d4+12=17 ; Sunday August 7th, 2016 9:35:49 PM Alizar is able to shake off the effects of the harpy's song. He'd like to cast another Silence spell, but alas, he doesn't have another one prepared. [OOC: I've been exchanging emails with Rocky about this rule.] Instead, he presents his holy symbol to the Redcap. Alas, it seems to have no effect. [The Redcap made his Will save.]
Wilford, Dušan, and Asteria are enthralled by the Harpy's song, and begin to move closer.
Lornak shakes off the harpy's song. He steps back and fires a shot, which goes wide.
Toston is easily able to withstand the harpy's lure. He casts another protective spell, and moves after Wil.
Hmerrin needs a heroic effort, but he is able to resist the Harpy. He charges. [Okay, this is partly my fault for an unclear map. Although I did say that the Harpy is perched up in a tree. The Harpy is up in a tree, which makes it difficult to charge her. This round, I'm going to say that Hmerrin was able to jump up and strike at her with a melee attack. Next round, that's not going to be possible; you'll need a new strategy. :) ]
Var also manages to shrug off the Harpy's effect, and fires a shot at her, but misses.
The Harpy flies to a higher perch in her tree, and continues to sing. Those who failed thier saves last round continue to move toward her. When you reach her tree, you need to attempt a Climb check to get up to her.
The Redcap steps after Lornak, and this time he swings his scythe and stomps with his boots! Only the scythe hits, but Lornak takes 17 damage.
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 d8=4 ; d8=5 ; Sunday August 7th, 2016 10:54:12 PM
In a situation like this, there was really only one thing for a doctor to do, start healing with just a healthy amount of panic. Alizar moved forward, laid his hands on Lornak, and did his best to prevent what might be inevitable. (Cure Moderate Wounds: +12 HP to Lornak)
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+8=21 ; d8+3=5 ; d6=5 ; Monday August 8th, 2016 9:42:59 AM
As his quarry moves higher into the trees, Var moves up and around the Redcap. He pulls one of the Flaming Arrows he acquired on the trip out to Acid City and speaks a single command word "Burn." The arrow bursts into magical flames, lighting up the gloomy forest around him. Var squares his shoulders and fires up at the Harpy; arrow streaking toward the beast like a comet (Attack: 21 vs AC; 5 (normal) + 5 (fire) damage).
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) Monday August 8th, 2016 1:06:43 PM
Wil moves up next to the tree where the Harpy sits. He looks up. Cicero tries desperately to maneuver Wil causing him to make weird, extended movements. It almost looks like he is dancing to the Harpies music but that is not the intent...
Lornak HP:34/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 Monday August 8th, 2016 6:13:52 PM
"Chorus! And many a victoreeeah!" Lornak groans as the heavy blade of the scythe slices through his bicep. "...they had seen..." Reacting to the pain in his arm he stumbles into Dusan. He sees a distance in the man's eyes. "Snap out of it man! I need some help here!" He manages to yell. (Standard Action).
He breaths hard. His limbs feel so heavy he cannot manage to hold up his crossbow. It falls to the forest floor. He barely feels the healing hand of Alizar on his back permeating the wound in his arm with healing warmth.
He only has the time to brandish his swordbreaker dagger(Swift action) He readies himself for the next attack from the Redcap. Speaking more than singing he continues; "Many hardships there had been."
Asteria Amarante (Genevieve) [HP: 42/42; AC: 20; Touch: 12; FF: 20; CMD: 20] d20+2=9 ; Monday August 8th, 2016 7:25:12 PM
Asteria continues her dazed waltz towards the tree. She looks up, then looks back at her friends as if to say 'Are you kidding me?'. With a sigh and a shrug, she drops her shield and weapon to begin scaling the tree.
(Climb: 9)
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 d20+7=13 ; Monday August 8th, 2016 7:45:26 PM
Lornak seems to be telling Dušan something, but it annoys the witch. He just wants to listen to the beautiful harmonies like dozens of crystal chandeliers shattering. "Can't you hear it? It's marvelous?"
While his words compliment, Dušan's face contorts as if in agony as he moves closer winged warbler.
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:24; Touch 16; FF 20] - CMD 18 d20+8=28 ; d20+8=21 ; d4+1=5 ; d4+1=3 ; Monday August 8th, 2016 7:59:57 PM
Toston uses a swift action to activate arcane strike then charges the red cap activating his stunning fist attempt on the charge.
(28 vs AC threat of critical; 21 to confirm ; 5 bludgeoning magic damage on not critical; 8 bludgeoning magic damage on critical ; DC 15 fort save or red cap is stunned for 1 round)
Active effects: mage armor : 1 hour +4 AC shield : 9 rounds +4 shield bonus; immune magic missile charge +2 to hit / -2 AC
Hmerrin(HP 43/43 AC21/14t/17ff, CMD 20) d20+8=26 ; d8+2=4 ; Monday August 8th, 2016 8:08:38 PM
Hmerrin gazes up at the harpy retreating higher into the tree, and gauges his options as Asteria and Wil start their climbs.
Var's arrow is a good omen, and the teen goes with Fighter Plan A - just kill it.
The long haired warrior drops his axes, retrieves his bow, and sends an arrow flying at the songstress.
-- Free action - drop weapons Move Action - ready bow Attack on harpy hits ac 26 for 4 hp
DM Kathy d20+9=16 ; d20+3=20 ; Monday August 8th, 2016 9:56:32 PM Alizar heals Lornak, who tries to get Dušan to snap out of his trance. Alas, the harpy's song proves too alluring to resist.
Var and Hmerrin meanwhile, reason that if the harpy is dead, she will stop singing. Var lights her up for quite a lot of damage, and Hmerrin follows up with an arrow of his own. She looks badly injured, but she is still singing.
Wilford and Dušan move closer to the tree. Asteria tries to climb it, without success. [When you get to the tree, you'll need to keep attempting to climb it.]
Toston clobbers the redcap. His fist hits, but seems to do no damage.
The harpy continues to sing.
The redcap has a new target, and shifts to attack Toston with his scythe and boots. He misses with both, and lets fly with an astonishing variety of curses in several languages.
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 d6=6 ; d6=3 ; Monday August 8th, 2016 10:45:40 PM
Alizar moved forward to close distance on the fallen woman. He reached deep into his reserve of magic, pulling forth a wave of healing energies he hoped would help sustain her as well as heal his friends. (Channel Positive Energy: +9 HP to everyone including the fallen woman)
Lornak HP:24/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 d20+10=26 ; Tuesday August 9th, 2016 11:46:12 AM
Lornak is slightly dumbfounded when Dusan all but ignores him. He rolls his pitch black eyes, dares a look back at Alizar, smiles and bellows; "They fought and died side by side." He turns back towards the redcap and notices Toston enter his peripheral vision and smiles even more. "Their enemy they had defied..."
He feels the familiar healing warmth continue to spread though his body. Emboldened, Lornak moves to flank the redcap. (Move Action) He readies himself for retaliation from the wrinkly old man. "...and for a foreign king!"
Held Action: Attack Action to sunder the scythe when the redcap takes his attack of opportunity. (Attack Action to sunder; d20=26)
(Buckler +1 to AC Active)
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) d20+1=2 ; Tuesday August 9th, 2016 2:27:36 PM
Wil attempts to climb the tree to get closer to the harpy but slams into a large branch above his head and falls to the ground. It takes him several moments to stand back up. "I have to get closer. The song is as beautiful and the woman singing it." He says after he recovers.
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+8=25 ; d8+3=8 ; d6=2 ; Tuesday August 9th, 2016 4:15:06 PM
"Stay down, Will!" Var shouts at the young man as he flounders about the base of the tree. He pills another Flaming arrow from his pack "Burn." He murmurs, and lets it loose at the Harpy (Attack 25 vs AC, 8(normal) + 2(fire) damage).
He considers for a moment the consequences of accidentally burning down part of the Blackbird Forest, but figures that if anything, there might be a reward for that.
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 d20=2 ; Tuesday August 9th, 2016 6:37:13 PM
Dušan's head soared to the rhythm as his body fell to the ground from his distracted attempt at climbing the tree. His heart beat to the steady staccato of fluid notes falling upon his head in a non stop dribble. He turns to Wil, who also appears at a similar altitude, giggles through a rictus grin and nods in agreement.
Hmerrin(HP 43/43 AC21/14t/17ff, CMD 20) d20+8=23 ; d8+2=9 ; Tuesday August 9th, 2016 6:50:24 PM
Wil drops from the tree.
Hmerrin takes a moment to thank the gods for his friend's horrendous climbing skills, and lets fly another arrow.
--
Attack harpy hits ac 23 for 9 hp damage
Asteria Amarante (Genevieve) [HP: 42/42; AC: 20; Touch: 12; FF: 20; CMD: 20] d20+2=5 ; Tuesday August 9th, 2016 7:01:09 PM
Asteria once again tries to climb the tree, but it's harder than it looks! All that bulky armor hinders her movement. She rolls her eyes at the failure.
(Climb: 5)
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:26 Touch 18; FF 22] - CMD 18 d20+1=19 ; d20+6=21 ; d20+6=15 ; d4+1=5 ; Tuesday August 9th, 2016 8:30:41 PM
Toston tries to figure out what is up with the red cap creature and his fist not seeming to do much to it. (Knowledge:Nature :19)
If[/b[ he figures it out he draws his cold iron siangham and attempts to stab the Red Cap with it charging the siangham with his magic by using a swift action to do so.
(21 vs AC; 5 magical piercing cold iron damage)
=====================================
[b]Otherwise he takes a total defense action
Active effects: mage armor : 1 hour +4 AC shield : 8 rounds +4 shield bonus; immune magic missile Note: if total defense is used AC becomes 32/24/22
Wilford, Dušan, and Asteria try to climb the tree. Luckily for them, they are lousy climbers.
Luckier still, Var and Hmerrin are able to finish off the harpy. With a startled squawk, she drops to the ground.
The harpy's song has stopped. Its effects will continue for another round, so that's more tree-climbing for the three that are still enraptured.
Meanwhile, Lornak moves into position, and Toston figures out that he needs to be using Cold Iron on this creature. He draws his siangham and clonks the redcap with it! This time he does damage!
"Ha!" the redcap exclaims. "Guess I get to eat my own kills now." He steps out of flank, and attacks Lornak. As he does so, Lornak's readied action goes off. He attempts to sunder the scythe, which provokes an Attack of Opportunity, and the layers of actions here are enough to make a DM cry.
First: Attack of Opportunity from the redcap. It hits, and Lornak takes 17 damage.
Second: Lornak's sunder attempt. Lornak slashes with his swordbreaker dagger (I assume), and catches the redcap's scythe! He does damage! Which you didn't roll! I'll roll it here. You do 6 damage, and the scythe seems somewhat damaged.
Third: The redcap's normal attacks. He misses with the scythe! But he hits with his stompin' boots! Lornak takes another 8 points of damage!
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 2d8=10 ; Tuesday August 9th, 2016 10:35:21 PM
Alizar shifted position to catch the Drow as he fell, or at least attempt to.
"Too much work to do to be napping friend", yelled Alizar as he pumped healing energy into Lornak.
(Cure Moderate Wounds: 2D8+3 = +13hp to Lornak)
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+8=20 ; d8+3=6 ; Wednesday August 10th, 2016 9:08:22 AM
Var harrumphed as the Harpy fell to the ground, hitting multiple tree branches along the way. "Oi, you lot, quit muckin' about!" he shouts at his enraptured comrades.
Turning his focus to the Redcap, he makes note of Toston utilizing his Cold Iron weapon, and follows the gnome's suit. Drawing a Cold Iron-tipped arrow from his quiver he fires a shot at the creature (Attack: 20 vs AC; 6 damage, Cold Iron)
Lornak HP:-1/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 Wednesday August 10th, 2016 2:24:36 PM
Lornak continues to croon, muffling the redcaps banter. "And the drums they were a beating time!" He feels the scythe slash open his chest but rolls with the wound, and meets the redcaps next attack with his swordbreaker dagger ready. "While the pipes did loudly play." He grunts with difficulty and puts his strength behind the bond shared by the blades. The barbs turn the blade but do not snap it.
Lornak turns a little too slow to avoid another scythe attack. "When Daley died-" Lornak's singing is cut short when an unseen kick from the redcap pierces deep into his abdomen. There is a moment of eerie silence that seems to go on forever.
The next thing Lornak knows is the sound of blood spurting from the wound as the redcap pulls his metal boot free. Lornak falls to the forest floor to the sound of the wrinkly mans laughter and then falls unconscious.
(OOC - oh yeah I forgot you have to dmg the weapon if you target it directly through sunder - Thank you!.-I'll get there, hah!)
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:26 Touch 18; FF 22] - CMD 18 d20+5=25 ; d20+5=19 ; d20+5=16 ; d4+1=4 ; d4+1=5 ; d4+1=3 ; Wednesday August 10th, 2016 9:07:43 PM
Toston takes a 5 foot step back towards the red cap and attempts to flurry at the monster with his cold iron siangham after charging his attacks with magic using a swift action
"Hey guys if you fight Mr. Red hat over here use cold iron" the gnome yells
(25 vs AC; threat of critical 19 confirms = 4 damage if not crit; 9 damage if crit) (16 vs AC; 3 damage if hits) (OOC: all damage is cold iron / piercing)
Active effects: mage armor : 1 hour +4 AC shield : 8 rounds +4 shield bonus; immune magic missile
Asteria Amarante (Genevieve) [HP: 42/42; AC: 20; Touch: 12; FF: 20; CMD: 20] d20+2=13 ; Wednesday August 10th, 2016 9:12:50 PM
Asteria looks up, startled at the sudden disappearance of the enchanting song. "Where'd it go?" She frantically looks around the tree before attempting to climb the tree once more. Desperation aids her attempt, but she still isn't doing a great job.
(Climb: 13)
Hmerrin(HP 43/43 AC21/14t/17ff, CMD 20) Wednesday August 10th, 2016 9:17:24 PM
"Cold Iron?" The fighter sighs in frustration.
Hmerrin grumbles to himself, as he closes on Red Cap. "First it was silver, so I get silver. Then, all of a sudden, its Cold Iron. I can't win." --- Double move to Red Cap.
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 d20=17 ; Wednesday August 10th, 2016 9:42:33 PM
"Finally there, finally..."
Dušan's tortured elation abruptly comes to an end as the worst sound yet envelopes his ears.
Silence.
Then his face relaxes as the spell passes from his mind, and he breathes a sigh of relief. That is until he looks down.
"Aaiieee! How in Gargul's duality did I get up here? More importantly, how do I get back down"
DM Kathy d20+9=16 ; d20+3=4 ; Wednesday August 10th, 2016 11:23:52 PM
The Redcap's wounds seem to close up a little. Toston remembers that this is also a benefit the creature derives from his red cap. If you could get it off him....but that won't be easy.
Lornak goes down, but is immediately healed by Alizar.
Var got the cold-iron memo, and sends a cold iron arrow into the redcap. It hits, and does damage.
Toston flurries with his cold iron siangham. He hits once, not critically, but does do some damage.
Hmerrin also gets the cold-iron memo, and reflects bitterly on the unfairness of damage reduction. He may need a caddy. Nonetheless, he moves up to flank the redcap.
Asteria, Wilford, and Dušan snap out of their stupor. Of course, some of you are already partway up a tree when this happens. Luckily, per the rules, you climb at one-quarter speed, so you are 10 feet high, tops. Climbing down may be a little scary, but it won't kill you. And Alizar has plenty of healing left.
The redcap 5-foots out of flank and attacks Hmerrin. He misses both times, and curses some more.
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 d8=8 ; d8=3 ; Wednesday August 10th, 2016 11:41:48 PM
Alizar stays near Lornak and continues to apply healing. With the Drow back up and fighting, Alizar cast another round of healing magic to get Lornak back into the fight.
"Not to micro manage your fighting style, but I think avoiding the boots of death is probably the best option." (Cure Moderate Wounds: 2d8+3= +14hp to Lornak)
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+8=26 ; d8+3=11 ; Thursday August 11th, 2016 9:13:05 AM
Var blocks out the jabs and bellyaching of his comrades and focuses on the shot, he inhales a breath and draws the bowstring, and then releases on the exhale. (Attack: 26 vs AC; 11 damage (cold Iron))
Lornak HP:-1/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 Thursday August 11th, 2016 11:14:35 AM
Lornak wakes to ringing in his ears and barely recalls someone mentioning something about boots and death. "I guess I'm a glutton for punishment..." He says to no one in particular as he gets up. (Move Action) When he does all he sees is red; The flaming corpse of the harpy(which relieves him), the redcap's nightcap, the bloody points of his boots, blood on his clothing. He picks up his weapons. "I've got to stop manning the front lines..." He thinks to himself and gets back into the fight.
The ditty returns to him as if a strange sound would echo from a distance. He begins intoning again, not so much to stave off the harpy's call as to rally his comrades in arms. "...the drums did beat." However, his thoughts linger on the need to manufacture disquiet in this wood. "That morning in the Dagshai heat!"
He loads a silver bolt into his crossbow (Standard Action) "Now we'll beat the drums no more!"
(Buckler +1 to AC Active)
Lornak HP:26/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 Thursday August 11th, 2016 11:15:49 AM
OOC - Updated HP)
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) Thursday August 11th, 2016 5:33:23 PM
Wil sat up. His head swam... Cicero shouted in his head. "Gah!!" Suddenly Wil cast Summon Monster I and Cicero began to appear as a Fiendish hawk. Wil stood up and prepared his crossbow with the intent of blowing the redcap off it's head.
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:26 Touch 18; FF 22] - CMD 18 d20+5=11 ; d20+5=11 ; Thursday August 11th, 2016 5:54:27 PM
Toston takes a 5 foot step towards the red cap and attempts to flurry again but bot strikes miss. (11 vs AC; 11 vs AC)
"Someone grab the thing's hat if you can!" Toston yells.
Active effects: mage armor : 1 hour +4 AC shield : 7 rounds +4 shield bonus; immune magic missile
Hmerrin(HP 43/43 AC21/14t/17ff, CMD 20) d20+7=19 ; Thursday August 11th, 2016 7:10:19 PM Grab its hat?!?
Well, either Toston has taken one too many boots to the head, or he's got at plan.
Grabbing a hat off of Boots o' Death is no easy matter however, so Hmerrin decides to just grab the whole guy. The young fighter drops his battleaxe, and tries the ol' bear hug. --- 5' move. drop battleaxe (keep handaxe to remain armed) Grapple attack (yes, I know, AoO) - CMB roll 19 to grapple.
Hmerrin(HP 43/43 AC21/14t/17ff, CMD 20) Thursday August 11th, 2016 7:12:28 PM
OOC - Sorry, read the write up wrong. Hmerrin drops both weapons to avoid the -4 penalty on the grapple attempt.
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 d20=14 ; d100=92 ; Thursday August 11th, 2016 7:44:48 PM
The first thing Dušan does with his senses back is cast spectral hand (Lei Roll - free spell). Then he attempts to maneuver himself back to terra firms. Lornak's song is infectious and Dušan starts humming along as he begins to desend the tree. He's not sure if the song helps him concentrate or just distracting him (climb d20=0).
(OOC: I'm posting this on my phone, so I'm a little limited. I'll put in a spectral hand and list my active spells in tomorrow's post. In the mean time: Spectral hand Bull's strength on Asteria.)
Asteria Amarante (Genevieve) [HP: 42/42; AC: 20; Touch: 12; FF: 20; CMD: 20] d20+2=16 ; Thursday August 11th, 2016 9:59:21 PM
The barbarian finally snaps out of her trance, and she surveys the scene before climbing down. Asteria gets down from the tree much easier then getting up it. "I leave for one minute-!" She shakes her head. That redcap thing was kicking butt. She would just have to kick some more butt! Asteria leaves her shield and battleaxe for now, equipping her Greataxe instead, then moves down near Hmerrin.
(Climb: 16)
--- Draw Greataxe Move 30 feet diagonally
DM Kathy d20+9=19 ; d6=4 ; d20+10=21 ; d20+4=21 ; 2d4+10=17 ; d4=4 ; Thursday August 11th, 2016 10:56:35 PM
The redcap's wounds close up again.
Alizar heals Lornak some more.
Var sinks another cold iron arrow into the redcap.
Lornak staggers to his feet and loads his crossbow with a silver arrow.
Wilford begins casting. Since a Summon spell takes a full round to cast, Cicero-the-hawk will appear at the beginning of the next round.
Toston flurries again, but comes up empty. He delegates the task of snatching the red cap to somebody over four feet tall, so Hmerrin obligingly drops his axes and tries to grab the fey little creature. The redcap swings his scythe in response, but misses. Hmerrin's fingers grasp the redcap's shoulders, but the creature twists away at the last second, leaving Hmerrin clutching empty air.
Dušan casts a Spectral Hand and attempts to get down out of his tree. He does manage to get back to the ground, but rather more quickly than what he had been counting on. Dušan, take 4 points of falling-out-of-a-tree damage. Also, you are prone.
Asteria shimmies easily down her tree, grabs her axe, and prepares to re-enter the fray.
The redcap switches his tactics slightly, going for precision rather than power when he attacks. [OOC: Not Power Attacking since I no longer have Lornak's 16 AC to pick on. :) ] He manages to hit Hmerrin with his scythe and his boots. Hmerrin takes 27 damage from 2 attacks.
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+8=26 ; d8+3=8 ; Friday August 12th, 2016 10:30:57 AM
Var continues to launch spikes of Cold Iron at the diminutive Fey murderer (Attack: 26 vs. AC; 8 damage (Cold-Iron)).
"Aye, grab the beast! Hold him down!" He bellows.
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) d20+4=24 ; d6=3 ; d20+4=15 ; Saturday August 13th, 2016 9:01:03 PM
Wil recovers and fires his crossbow at the red cap hoping to knock it off. He hits for 3... but hoping its good enough to knock the cap off. (Critical: 15) "That's what I'm ralking about," Cicero shout as he appears and floats over Wil.
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:26 Touch 18; FF 22] - CMD 18 d20+8=22 ; d4+1=4 ; Sunday August 14th, 2016 4:19:27 PM
Toston uses a swift action to charge himself with magic then uses 25 feet of movement to move around the redcap without provoking an attack of opportunity to gain flanking with Hmerrin.
He then attacks again using the cold iron siangham. (22 vs AC; 4 magical cold iron piercing damage)
Active effects: mage armor : 1 hour +4 AC shield : 6 rounds +4 shield bonus; immune magic missile
Lornak HP:26/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 d20+8=16 ; Sunday August 14th, 2016 5:01:46 PM
Confident that his silver bolt will harm the redcap Lornak lets it fly from crossbow. (Attack Action d20=16) He is dismayed at the resulting shot but continues to sing; "While serving in a far off land."
Over his singing her hears his comrades shout suggestive plans of attack and stows his crossbow. He brandishes his whip instead. (Move action) "The news had come from home!"
(Buckler +1 to AC Active)
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 d100=34 ; Sunday August 14th, 2016 5:53:40 PM
With his fate in the mud, Dušan began to remember the song Lornak was singing. Around a mouth full twigs and mud he adde to the song "Of a peoples fate it did relate,"
Seeing Lornak reach for his whip he fears that Lornak will be getting close to the Red Cap again. With an effort of will he sends the Spectral hand over to Lornak and casts Barkskin on the Ranger.
(OOC: Lei Roll=34 Spell is cast, Spell Per Day is spent L1 3/1, L2 3/1 40 Rounds Barkskin on Lornak, +2 enhancement bonus to the creature's existing natural armor bonus 39 Rounds Spectral Hand 34 Rounds Bull's Strength on Asteria: +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, adding the usual benefits to melee attack rolls, melee damage rolls, and other uses of the Strength modifier.)
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 d8=1 ; d8=8 ; d8=2 ; Sunday August 14th, 2016 6:22:26 PM
Alizar shifts his focus on healing Hmerrin. Hoping to position himself to avoid attack, he moves behind the lad and begins to knit his wounds closed.
(Cure Moderate wounds: +13 hp to Hmerrin)
Hmerrin(HP 29/43 AC21/14t/17ff, CMD 20) d20+7=24 ; Sunday August 14th, 2016 6:55:41 PM
Hmerrin reels from the attack, and is again quite grateful that Alizar is on the job.
The lad morosely realizes that dropping both weapons right in front of the bad guy might not have been the best plan. Having few option, he tries grabbing the guy again. -- Grapple attack CMB 24
Asteria takes a step, getting into position and fully entering the battle. Giving a small grin to her friends, she slices at the Red Cap with ferocity, but unfortunately does not have a Cold Iron weapon to help out with.
--- 34 Rounds Bull's Strength: +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, adding the usual benefits to melee attack rolls, melee damage rolls, and other uses of the Strength modifier.)
15 foot step down 19 vs AC for 17 damage
DM Kathy d20+10=23 ; 2d4+10=15 ; d20+15=32 ; Sunday August 14th, 2016 9:25:02 PM
The redcap's wounds heal a little, which is totally negated by Var's sinking another cold-iron arrow into him.
Wilford tries to shoot the cap off of the fey creature's head, but the cloth is too yielding to be knocked very far. Wil's arrow ends up sticking out of the cap at a jaunty angle.
Toston strikes again with his siangham.
Lornak's silver arrow is less effective than he'd hoped, so he changes weapons and plans a new line of attack.
Dušan picks himself up and casts Barkskin on Lornak.
Alizar heals Hmerrin, who goes in for another grapple attempt. The redcap's attack of opportunity hits, and Hmerrin takes another 15 damage. But! Hmerrin has successfully grabbed hold of the little blighter!
Asteria looks to employ the classic barbarian response to creatures with damage reduction ("Fine, I'll just hit it harder!"), but her swing misses.
The redcap wriggles out of Hmerrin's grasp [Escape Artist 32]. It can't attack, of course, so it just swears some more. Oh, and 5-foots out of flank.
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+8=20 ; d8+3=8 ; Monday August 15th, 2016 8:57:32 AM
Var counters the Redcap's cursing with his own, a mix of Common and Orcish profanities, and fires another Cold Iron arrow (20 vs AC; 8 cold-iron damage).
"Hmerrin!" Var shouts, "I got more arrows, grab 'yer bow!"
Lornak HP:26/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 d20+6=9 ; d20+6=26 ; Monday August 15th, 2016 1:24:12 PM
Lornak feels the surface of his skin go rigid as Dusan's spell of Barkskin sinks in. It seems that his companion has attained battle tempo. He is grateful to have a little more protection from the redcap and sings jubilantly: "Of a peoples fate it did relate." Witnessing Hmerrin's attempt at grappling the redcap, he gets an idea. "Of the tans and their campaign of hate."
Lornak picks up his feet and starts running towards the redcap. He breaks his singing of the ditty to yell at Toston hoping the dwarf recognizes what he is attempting; "Toston! Over and Under!" He braces himself for the oncoming attack from the redcap.
(39 rounds of Barkskin +2 to AC) (Buckler +1 to AC Active)
Lornak rushes the redcap attempting to shoulder it backwards over Toston and knock it prone. (Combat Maneuver, spending a hero point to reroll - d20=26 vs CMD)
"And we're fighting on their side!"
(OOC-not quite sure which combat maneuver would cover this so I kept it simple. basic attack bonus+str modifier. Don't know if I get a bonus for flanking...)
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 d6=2 ; d6=3 ; Monday August 15th, 2016 4:50:51 PM
Alizar held his ground, and for a moment couldn't decide whether to try to scare the Red Cap off again, or to continue healing. However, the thought of ridding the forest of this menace and possibly preventing more innocent folk being dragged into the forest won out. Alizar dug his heal into the ground, pulled forth more healing energy, and released it into a wave around him, healing his friends and allies.
(Channel Positive Energy: +5hp to everyone)
Asteria Amarante (Genevieve) [HP: 42/42; AC: 20; Touch: 12; FF: 20; CMD: 20] d20+11=13 ; d12+6=13 ; Monday August 15th, 2016 7:45:32 PM
Asteria moves to cut off the Red Cap from escaping. She slashes again, and misses again. "Darn!"
--- 33 Rounds Bull's Strength: +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, adding the usual benefits to melee attack rolls, melee damage rolls, and other uses of the Strength modifier.)
15 feet move 13 vs. AC for 13 damage
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:26 Touch 18; FF 22] - CMD 18 d20+8=27 ; Monday August 15th, 2016 8:04:13 PM
Toston, the gnome hears Lornak's command and gets back into flanking with Lornak before attempting to help with the tripping.
(27 vs DC 15 to aid another on the roll; Lornak gets +2)
Active effects: mage armor : 1 hour +4 AC shield : 5 rounds +4 shield bonus; immune magic missile
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) d20+3=20 ; d20+5=19 ; d4-2=0 ; Monday August 15th, 2016 8:10:23 PM
Wil grabs his Cold Iron Dagger and drops it while Cicero, the Summoned Hawk grabs it and carries it over to Lornak drops it. Wil rushes at the Red Cap and attempts to strike him with Touch of Darkness. (OOC: 1 round - 20% miss) (Attack: 20 for ToD) (Unsure I'm doing this right but I rolled for Cicero the fiendish Hawk too) (Attack: 19 - 0 - Just to get in his way and cause him problems)
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 Monday August 15th, 2016 9:41:06 PM
Dušan finally notices Hmerrin in a grappling contest with the Redcap. Trying to decide between to raw strength and size, Dušan finally decides to send his spectral hand over to Hmerrin and cast Enlarge Person on the fighter. "I hope this helps."
(OOC: I think there is a size bonus to grapple, if not I'm sorry, should've cast Bull's Strength. Spells: L1 3/1, L2 3/1 40 Enlarge Person on Hmerrin, This spell causes instant growth of a humanoid creature, doubling its height and multiplying its weight by 8. This increase changes the creature's size category to the next larger one. The target gains a +2 size bonus to Strength, a –2 size penalty to Dexterity (to a minimum of 1), and a –1 penalty on attack rolls and AC due to its increased size. 39 Rounds Barkskin on Lornak, +2 enhancement bonus to the creature's existing natural armor bonus 38 Rounds Spectral Hand 33 Rounds Bull's Strength on Asteria: +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, adding the usual benefits to melee attack rolls, melee damage rolls, and other uses of the Strength modifier.)
DM Kathy d20+10=13 ; d20+10=21 ; 2d4+10=14 ; Monday August 15th, 2016 10:45:28 PM
The redcap's wounds heal a bit.
Var counters with another cold iron arrow.
Lornak bull-rushes the fey, provoking an Attack of Opportunity, which luckily misses. He and Toston combine forces to put the redcap flat on his back. Alas, the hat stays on his head, jaunty arrow and all.
Alizar heals everyone.
Asteria swings at the redcap's head, only to find it isn't there anymore, because the redcap has been knocked down. Asteria misses!
Wilford tosses his cold iron dagger on the ground and casts a Touch of Darkness on the redcap. He gives orders to Cicero-the-Hawk. [OOC: Picking up the dagger is a move action and flying it over to Lornak is another move action. If Cicero uses two move actions this round, he is out of actions and cannot attack. So, he can get the dagger to Lornak, or he can attack, but he can't do both. I'm going to assume you'd rather have him carry the dagger over.]
Dušan embiggens Hmerrin.
The redcap scrambles to his feet, provoking Attacks of Opportunity from Lornak, Toston, and Wilford--if Wilford is holding a weapon; I'm not sure because he dropped his dagger. Hmerrin is not holding a weapon, so he doesn't get and AoO.
Assuming he survived that experience, the redcap swings his scythe at Lornak, and hits this time! Lornak takes 14 damage.
Lornak HP:17/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 d20+10=30 ; d4+1=5 ; d20+10=17 ; d4+2=5 ; Tuesday August 16th, 2016 1:54:03 PM
As Lornak recovers from the shoulder impact and attack from the redcap. As he does, he notices a ghostly presence drop a dagger next to him. He forces his injured body to swiftly snatch it up with his open hand. He warbles as he does, feeling the familiar warmth of Alizar's healing; "Arise, arise young Daley cried, Come join along with me."
He watches in amazement as the redcap springs back to its feet in a blink of an eye. He strikes at it with the cold iron dagger in response. "We'll strike a blow for liberty!" (Attack of Opportunity d20=30, 5 dmg)
Lornak's leads his swordbreaker tagger into another attack as his body turns in recovery of the first, attempting to sunder the redcap's scythe once more. (Attack Action to sunder d20=17, 5 dmg.)
The redcap surrounded, he continues to sing proudly; "Our regiment will mutiny, and support our friends at home!"
(37 rounds of Barkskin +2 to AC)
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+8=17 ; d8+3=4 ; Tuesday August 16th, 2016 5:44:15 PM
(OoC: Frank, you rolled a crit there on your AoO, confirm it & add crit damage!)
Var grabs for another Cold Iron arrow, firing it into the the melee (17 vs. AC, pretty sure that's a miss, but 4 damage just in case).
Lornak HP:17/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 d20+10=21 ; Tuesday August 16th, 2016 6:24:19 PM
roll to confirm critical hit.
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 d6=3 ; d6=3 ; Tuesday August 16th, 2016 7:27:24 PM
Alizar followed his Drow ally, and while he did not know the words, he found himself humming along to the tune.
(Channel Positive Energy: +6 HP To everyone)
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:26 Touch 18; FF 22] - CMD 18 d20+8=13 ; d20+7=14 ; d20+7=23 ; d4+1=2 ; Tuesday August 16th, 2016 7:50:33 PM
(AOO: 13 = miss) Toston misses on the provoked attack of opportunity from the redcap standing up.
On the gnomes turn he swiftly charges his weapon with magic and then flurries at the redcap missing on his first flurry (14 vs AC; 23 vs AC; 2 magic cold iron piercing damage)
Active effects: mage armor : 1 hour +4 AC shield : 4 rounds +4 shield bonus; immune magic missile
Hmerrin(HP 29/43 AC21/14t/17ff, CMD 20) d20+9=22 ; d8+8=14 ; Tuesday August 16th, 2016 8:34:45 PM
Hmerrin is done grappling. As he grows, he sees Mr Boots has moved away, and so the fighter picks up his battleaxe. Wielding it in a two handed grip, he steps forward with a massive overhead blow.
"Lets see what happens if I hit it REALLY HARD with regular metal," the lad growls.
-- Pick up battleaxe 5' step hit ac 22 for 14 hp damage
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) d20+11=20 ; d20+2=11 ; d6=3 ; d20+2=15 ; d6=5 ; Tuesday August 16th, 2016 8:45:55 PM
Cicero the Eagle tries to grab the red cap within his talons. If that doesn't work then he just gets in the way. (Grapple CMD: 20) Wil reveals his Staff and gets into the melee with the others. (Attack1: 11 - hit: 6)(Attack2: 15 - hit: 5)
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 d100=61 ; Tuesday August 16th, 2016 9:05:20 PM
Second guessing himself, Dusan decides to double down and cast giants strength on Hmerrin as well.
(Sorry for the short post today. Not feeling tip top today)
Asteria Amarante (Genevieve) [HP: 42/42; AC: 20; Touch: 12; FF: 20; CMD: 20] d20+11=30 ; d12+6=18 ; Tuesday August 16th, 2016 9:07:45 PM
Asteria agrees with Hmerrin's philosophy of 'Just hit it harder' and proceeds to follow through on that.
--- 32 Rounds Bull's Strength: +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, adding the usual benefits to melee attack rolls, melee damage rolls, and other uses of the Strength modifier.)
30 vs. AC for 18 damage
DM Kathy d4=3 ; d20+10=18 ; Tuesday August 16th, 2016 10:40:38 PM
[OOC: Yay! Time for review of critical hits! If you roll a natural 20, you have the opportunity to score a critical hit! (Some players, myself included, refer to this as a "critical threat.") To see whether you have actually made a critical hit, roll the d20 again, with the same bonus you used before. If your second roll also beats the opponent's AC, then you have made a critical hit! Usually, this means you roll your damage dice twice, and double your bonus. For example, if your normal weapon bonus is 1d8+2, you would roll 2d8+4 on a critical hit. Some weapons, such as longbows, do triple damage, rather than double damage, on critical hits. And some other weapons, such as longswords, have an extended threat range, so that you threaten on a 19 or a 20. So, to score a critical hit, you have to, 1) notice you rolled a threat, 2) re-roll to confirm the critical, 3) remember to roll critical damage if you critically hit. If you are not sure whether your second roll hit, you can go ahead and roll critical damage anyway, and list both totals in your post. ("Hit for 12 damage, or 5 damage for non-critical.") This has been a review of critical hits. :) ]
Lornak's attack of opportunity hits, and hits critically, but Lornak didn't roll critical damage! I'll do it for you, although I'm not supposed to.
The redcap's wounds close a little.
For his regular attack, Lornak again attempts a Sunder. The redcap's Attack of Opportunity misses, thanks to the Barkskin, so you owe Dušan a pint. Lornak's Sunder attempt also misses.
Var misses his shot for the first tie this combat.
Toston flurries, and scores a hit and a miss.
Wilford wades in with his staff, while Cicero-the-eagle tries to snatch the red cap off of the redcap. He gets his claws on it, but can't quite dislodge it from the fey creature's head. Wilford's own blow misses.
Dušancasts...Giant Strength? I think you mean Bull's Strength, yes? Anyway, he casts it on Hmerrin.
Hmerrin and Asteria have both whole-heartedly embraced the "just hit it harder" strategy, and it seems to be working.
The redcap is badly injured by now, and has had enough. He tries to move away. [OOC: The redcap uses the Withdrawal action, meaning it doesn't provoke from the first square it leaves. However, it has to provoke from Asteria and Lornak in order to leave the battle, so they can both take Attacks of Opportunity if they want.]
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+8=22 ; d8+3=8 ; Wednesday August 17th, 2016 8:08:13 AM
(OoC: For the record, I missed the Harpy once, also)
"Yer not gettin' away that easy!" Var says and fires another Cold Iron arrow at the fleeing Redcap (22 vs. AC; 8 damage)
Lornak HP:17/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 d20+6=26 ; d4+2=4 ; Wednesday August 17th, 2016 2:00:00 PM
Lornak watches as the group takes their shots at the redcap. He makes particular note of Hmerrin's and Asteria's larger size as they loom over him and that a couple of others are humming the tune along with him. He continues singing the chorus; "And the drums they were a beating time, while the pipes did loudly play!"
To Lornak the redcap is looking pretty worse for ware. He is surprised when it tries to escape by swiftly rushing its way past him. To its detriment, it moves just slow enough to allow Lornak to strike out at it one last time. (Attack of Opportunity with the cold iron dagger. d20=26, 4 dmg) "When Daly died, the drums did beat." Lornak croons. "That morning in the Dagshai heat..."
The threat neutralized Lornak realizes how winded he is. It takes a lot to fight and sing at the same time. He bends down slightly and rests the heals of his hands on his knees, sharp blades protruding from the palms and takes pause.
"Now we will beat the drums no,..." Lornak pants. "No..." He breathes in and out. " No more..."
(36 rounds of Barkskin +2 to AC)
Hmerrin(HP 29/43 AC21/14t/17ff, CMD 20) Wednesday August 17th, 2016 8:14:23 PM
Mr Boots is taking off, and there's not much Hmerrin can do about without stepping on his friends.
Instead, the large teen retrieves his handaxe, and then looks into the log where the girl seems to be hiding.
"You OK in there?" he asks.
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:26 Touch 18; FF 22] - CMD 18 Wednesday August 17th, 2016 8:35:57 PM
Toston takes off after the red cap, "Come back here!" He shouts as he takes a double move action.
Active effects: mage armor : 1 hour +4 AC shield : 3 rounds +4 shield bonus; immune magic missile
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 d20+8=19 ; d20=10 ; Wednesday August 17th, 2016 8:43:40 PM
Alizar lets his friends pursue the Red Cap as it flees. The immediate area now safe, he moved over to where the injured woman was under the log. "Ma'am, can you hear me? Are you ok?"
Alizar did his best to assess her condition. (Heal 19) If it seemed safe to remove the log, he attempted to do so. (Strength 10) Alizar was not the strongest of the group, it was possible he would require a bit of help...
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) d20+7=11 ; d20=16 Wednesday August 17th, 2016 8:48:18 PM
Wil follows Hmerrin to check on the girl. (Perception: 11) but he sees very little. Wil also Heals the girl assuming she is hurt. (Heal: 16)
Asteria Amarante (Genevieve) [HP: 42/42; AC: 20; Touch: 12; FF: 20; CMD: 20] d20+11=27 ; d12+6=9 ; Wednesday August 17th, 2016 9:51:55 PM
Asteria also lands a parting blow on the Red Cap as he tries to run away (27 vs. AC for 9 damage). She moves forward so that she can be in position to help Toston if he needs it, but their top priority is to help the girl, so she stays nearby.
--- 31 Rounds Bull's Strength: +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, adding the usual benefits to melee attack rolls, melee damage rolls, and other uses of the Strength modifier.
Move 30 feet
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 d100=1 ; d100=27 ; Wednesday August 17th, 2016 10:12:50 PM
(OOC: Sorry, Yes I meant Bull's Strength. Like I said I was really out of it yesterday.)
Dušan stands and begins to cast a Curse on the fleeing Red Cap, but the Lei Line he was tapping flowed away from him leaving him doubled over in pain from the effort.
(OOC: Lei Roll: 1 Spell not cast, Spell spent L1 2/1, L2 2/1 39 Rounds Bull's Strength on Asteria: +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, adding the usual benefits to melee attack rolls, melee damage rolls, and other uses of the Strength modifier. 38 Enlarge Person on Hmerrin, This spell causes instant growth of a humanoid creature, doubling its height and multiplying its weight by 8. This increase changes the creature's size category to the next larger one. The target gains a +2 size bonus to Strength, a –2 size penalty to Dexterity (to a minimum of 1), and a –1 penalty on attack rolls and AC due to its increased size. 37 Rounds Barkskin on Lornak, +2 enhancement bonus to the creature's existing natural armor bonus 36 Rounds Spectral Hand 31 Rounds Bull's Strength on Asteria: +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, adding the usual benefits to melee attack rolls, melee damage rolls, and other uses of the Strength modifier.)
DM Kathy Wednesday August 17th, 2016 10:52:11 PM
As the redcap attempts to flee, Lornak tags him with the cold iron dagger. Asteria lands her blow, but this time doesn't do quite enough damage to matter.
Toston takes off after the little creature, and Dušan attempts a spell that hurts him a lot more than the redcap.
But Var calmly nocks an arrow, fires, and takes down the redcap once and for all.
In the post-battle silence, you can clearly hear the sound of weeping coming from under the fallen log. Hmerrin and Wilford move to check on the woman, and Alizar attempts to get her out from under the log. This doesn't involve lifting the log; she crawled under there of her own accord, seeking shelter. She just needs to be reassured that it's safe to come out, which Alizar is easily able to do.
She is still crying from her ordeal. Her bare feet are filthy, and her hair is a wild tangle with leaves and twigs stuck haphazardly in it. Her nightgown has been shredded by the harpy's claws and the redcap's scythe; there's barely enough left to keep the game PG-13. Red lines under the tears in the cloth show where her cuts were healed by Alizar's channeling earlier, but dried blood attests to her earlier injuries.
Toston and Var (and possibly more of you) realize that the harpy and redcap likely have a cache of treasure somewhere around here, and it's probably worth finding.
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 d20+10=29 ; Thursday August 18th, 2016 12:31:16 PM
Var goes over to the lifeless form of the harpy, and plucks a feather from her wing to keep. He then stands, flexes his fletching hand and rolls his shoulder, and begins combing the area for any loot stash that the beast would have left behind (Perception: 29).
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:22 Touch 18; FF 18] - CMD 18 d20+12=15 ; Thursday August 18th, 2016 2:25:21 PM
Toston takes the red cap off of the slain fae's head and places it on his own at a jaunty angle matching that of Wil's arrow.
The gnome monk then proceeds to look around the clearing for the loot the creatures may have been hiding. (Perception : 15)
Active effects: mage armor : 1 hour - ? (time update please oh kindly dm) +4 AC
Lornak HP:17/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 d20+8=28 ; Thursday August 18th, 2016 2:26:47 PM
Lornak wearily stands up, looks down at the dagger in his right hand and asks, annoyed; "Who's dagger is this?" He stretches his body a bit. "It came in handy don't get me wrong, but it was little disconcerting how it just conveniently popped up next to me."
Lornak furrows his brow and looks around at the group. "And have none of you ingrates ever sung a war ditty on a march before?" He stows his weapons. "I felt like I was propping up the whole group against that cursed she-devil."
Lornak helps Var search for anything the recap and harpy may have left behind, keen on avoiding traps.(Perception d20=28)
Hmerrin(HP 29/43 AC21/14t/17ff, CMD 20) Thursday August 18th, 2016 6:49:19 PM
"Most of the group was climbing a tree to join the she-devil," Hmerrin playfully retorts. "I guess you shoulda sung louder."
The teen stows his weapons. Not being much of a treasure finder, he stays near the lady, just in case anything else pops up.
Asteria Amarante (Genevieve) [HP: 42/42; AC: 20; Touch: 12; FF: 20; CMD: 20] d20+2=19 ; Thursday August 18th, 2016 6:50:42 PM
Asteria watches as the remaining foe is defeated before turning back to the reason they came here in the first time. Sprinting over to where to lady lays sobbing, Asteria kneels next to her. "Does anyone have a cloak? Give this lady something to give herself some more dignity!" She then tries her hand at being nice for once and gives a small smile to the woman. "We'll get you out of here, okay?"
(Diplomacy: 19)
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 Thursday August 18th, 2016 7:17:01 PM
"Yes, I wasn't quite myself around that warbling." Dušan says, "It was some of the worse cacophony i have ever heard, but I couldn't bring myself to stop listening."
As Asteria mentions a cloak, Dušan looks at the lady as if for the first time and immediately removes his cloak and brings to the woman. "Of course, here take mine. Let's see what can do about getting you clean up as well. I can use a little magic that have you right as rain?"
Dušan offers to use Prestidigitation on the lady, but only if she accepts. He fears she may have seen enough sorcery for one day and after his own experience with the harpy, he wouldn't blame her.
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) d20+7=16 ; Thursday August 18th, 2016 8:11:06 PM
"I didn't make it up the tree," Will laughs but stops when he realizes his head hurts. "Yeah, you didn't look too smart there," Cicero says as he lands upon Wil's shoulder till the spell wears off. "Nice job with the dagger, bird." Will says then adds. "Ah Lornak, I had Cicero here send you that dagger. I would love to have it back for next time." He smiled but it was lost within Wil's darkness. "I'm not much of a singer." Wil left the girl, assuming she was good to go and searched the woods nearby. (Perception: 16)
DM Kathy Friday August 19th, 2016 12:09:29 AM Var and Toston claim souveniers from fallen foes. Note that the description says that a redcap "wears a tiny, shapeless woolen hat, dyed over and over with the blood of its victims." So, Toston, if you really want to put that nasty thing on your head, I guess you can.
They are also able to locate treasure that's a little more conventional. Each creature was wearing leather armor. In addition, the harpy was wielding a morningstar, and the redcap had that scythe. All of these appear to be normal, mundane, non-masterwork items. In a hidden cache nearby you find a scroll, a wand, a ring, two gemstones, and a light steel shield.
Meanwhile, Lornak is wondering how a dagger just appeared next to him. Wilford explains that it was dropped out of the sky by a giant bird. See? Perfectly normal.
Asteria thinks to find some clothes for the poor woman, and Dušan offers his cloak. Hmerrin stands alert nearby, ready in case of further trouble.
"I don't know how to thank you," the woman says, clutching the cloak around her. "My name is Ebba Gerin. My husband Rien and I were camped nearby, with some other travelers. I woke up in the night and heard this lovely singing. I don't know why, but I had to go and find it." She starts crying again. "And then those horrible creatures....are the others all right? And Rien? Have you seen my husband?"
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 Friday August 19th, 2016 12:16:57 AM
Alizar placed a hand on the woman's shoulder and channeled some positive energy into her, hoping to provide some warmth and comfort. "The others are alright, and your husband is waiting for you outside of the forest. He was very brave, we found him frantically searching for you at great risk to his own safety. You will be with him soon. He, you can hold my holy symbol until we leave the forest if it will bring you added comfort."
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 Friday August 19th, 2016 10:15:55 AM
"'Would 'ave joined you in song, Lornak, but I was busy puttin' arrows in that little gremlin. So, sorry 'bout that. Next time I won't shoot so many arrows, I guess."
Var takes stock of the situation, seeing that the woman is being comforted and cared for. "Lets get out of this bloody place, eh?" he says, adding, under his breath "Who knows what else is creeping around these woods looking for a meal..."
Lornak ignores the talking bird apparition as he approaches Wilford. Hes gotten used to Wil's strange behavior and is not at all phased by this new condition. He flips the cold iron dagger into the air and catches the blade deftly with the same hand. He holds the hilt out and says; "It came in handy, my thanks."
Lornak then casually walks beside Toston and Var as they seek out suspected treasure. "I'm so very glad you heard my voice over that she-devil's cacophony." He says to Toston. "You and I are quite the team in a fight." He holds out his hand to the dwarf to shake. "We should keep working on our timing."
Lornak wonders about the condition of Ebba. He is confident the others will care for her needs. He is interested in what she could tell them about the travelers they camped next to. "I'm going to keep singing until we get out of this eerie place..." Lornak says as he looks around. "...not only to break the silence but to appease these trees..." For the rest of the journey out of the forest he will continue singing The Connaught Rangers.
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:22 Touch 18; FF 18] - CMD 18 Sunday August 21st, 2016 4:42:59 PM
On second thought Toston places the stained cap inside his haversack instead of on his head.
He says to the dark elf, "Oh I agree. Just wait until I further understand my draconic heritage."
He walks over to Ebba and says, "You must have had quite the fright ma'am. I'm glad you are okay. Allow us to escort you back to your husband."
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) Sunday August 21st, 2016 7:58:54 PM
"Why thank you," Wil replied as he took the dagger. He then began to argue with the bird. "I can't believe you got sucked up by that creature. ...You know... are such a pain..." Wil stepped away to continue the conversation with his monster companion. He returned. The bird had disappeared. "I apologize for my bird friend... I sure do say that a lot.. well... not the bird part but the apology part.. geeze." "Anyways, all my clothing seems to soaked in blood. At least that's all I've been smelling lately. No idea where it's coming from... did you know my mother was a cleric of Gargul but I never knew that..." The words seem to fall from Wil's mouth as he talked on a on.. " After a while he realized what he was doing, apologized and stopped.
Asteria Amarante (Genevieve) [HP: 42/42; AC: 20; Touch: 12; FF: 20; CMD: 20] Sunday August 21st, 2016 9:24:57 PM
Asteria continues to stay by Ebba's side. She again assures her that they will get her out safe and sound, and that her husband is also safe. Asteria also offers to carry the lady out, but only if she is fine with it. "I'd understand if you didn't want to, but if you still aren't feeling top notch, I'm happy to help in any way."
DM Kathy Sunday August 21st, 2016 11:48:19 PM Alizar heals Ebba's hurts, and you all reassure her that she will be reunited with her husband soon. Asteria stays by her side as you make your way out of the forest.
Lornak sings to keep the forest awake, while Wilford argues with his invisible friend.
The dangers of Blackbird Forest are many, but fortunately you don't run into any more. As you move out from among the trees, you catch a glimpse of Rien pacing anxiously back and forth. He sees you almost as soon as you see him, and then he is running straight toward you for all he is worth. Ebba runs toward him almost as fast, and the two embrace as they are reunited. Everybody is talking all at once, but you manage to convey a sketch of what happened as you all make your way back to the campsite.
It is still there, the tent still up, the horse waiting patiently. You can just catch a glimpse of the merchant caravan, over on the road.
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) d20+7=10 ; Monday August 22nd, 2016 1:38:44 PM
"We are back, a little bloody but we are successful," Wil boasts. (Perception: 10) He's hoping to see anything suspicious but see's little. "I'm exhausted," he says with a sigh.
Alizar HP: 23/23 AC: 16(T:12/FF:14) CMD:14 d20+6=26 ; Monday August 22nd, 2016 3:40:12 PM
Alizar breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the merchant caravan, but his cautious nature still won out. He took a close look to make sure everything seemed alright, and that the merchants seemed like they were not in any distress. They were not gone long, but was still dangerous out here on the open road. (Perception: Natural 20 + 6 = 26)
Lornak HP:17/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 d20+8=15 ; Monday August 22nd, 2016 3:40:53 PM
Lornak reaches the edge of the wood and is relieved that the group was not harassed by any more magical creatures as the group made their way out. As he finishes mouthing the war ditty he raises his eyes in search of his feathered companion and for any new danger that may be present; "Far from his native land." (Perception d20=15)
With couple reunited he joins the conversation about what has transpired. He vocalizes his interest in the strangers that they all encountered. "Did they say who they were and what purpose they were on the road?" He asks.
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 Monday August 22nd, 2016 3:57:35 PM
Var sees the couple off along the road with a smile and a wave.
"Nothing like a little tumble to get your blood flowing in the morning..." Var gives Lornak a quick smile "Probably best not to let it flow all over the ground, though, eh? Now then, who's ready for a week-long hike back to the capital of organized crime?"
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:22 Touch 18; FF 18] - CMD 18 Monday August 22nd, 2016 5:46:51 PM
"I still have spells and stunning fists left so if we encounter more hostile creatures I'm good to go." The gnome says.
"Maybe we should figure who is less beat up from that last tussle and post them as advance scouts so that those who are more fatigued can get some rest?" The gnome reasons noticing Wil's fatigue.
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 Monday August 22nd, 2016 6:19:50 PM
"Well I guess, one good thing about being enthralled most of the fight, is I did not spend as much as otherwise would've. I'm ok as long as I'm paired up with someone."
Before they leave, Dušan offers "If you need to keep the cloak, Ebba, I can replace it when we get back civilization."
Hmerrin(HP 29/43 AC21/14t/17ff, CMD 20) Monday August 22nd, 2016 7:11:28 PM
Hmerrin gives Lornak a sour look. "Seriously, you had to sing it ALL the way back?"
The lad shakes his head in feigned exasperation. "I will never get that tune out of my head," he laments.
Asteria Amarante (Genevieve) [HP: 42/42; AC: 20; Touch: 12; FF: 20; CMD: 20] Monday August 22nd, 2016 9:04:04 PM
Asteria gives a small nod to see a job well done. She then offers to act as a sentry if that is what they decide to do. "I didn't get very beat up, so I'm cool with whatever."
DM Kathy Monday August 22nd, 2016 11:01:17 PM
Back at the camp, you quickly shift back into travel mode. Ebba and Rien explain that they were on their way to Acid to make a new start, maybe find work, or maybe move on across Blackbird Lake. They were traveling with others from their village and surrounding area.
They decide to pack up and try to catch up to their traveling companions. They thank you profusely several more times before heading northward again.
Meanwhile, you make plans to resume guarding the caravan. The merchants seem glad to see that you survived the encounter, and give you time to get yourselves in position before starting southward once again.
"Goblins Rest," Lukas says with a little sigh. "Are we stopping there again? I mean, it is nice and safe but...." he trails off, and the other merchants exchange grimaces.
Wilford Grimly (HP:27/27; AC: 18; Touch: 12; Flat: 16; CMD: 14) Tuesday August 23rd, 2016 12:41:51 PM
"Do we have some recipes to deliver to the Goblins? I could use some rest but would prefer some human food. We could grab some fast food, like a rabbit or ah... something else fast." Wil smiled.
Lornak HP:17/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 Tuesday August 23rd, 2016 1:42:33 PM
Slightly exacerbated, Lornak leans into young Hmerrin and says; "The next occasion singing prevents sentient plants from killing you, you'll thank me." He blinks confidently and manages a smile.
Lornak lets the eager members of the group take the watch initiative as he merges his steps into the middle of the column. "Have at it my friend." He says to Dusan.
His body is weary from the redcap encounter but not so much that he does not hear the call of his animal companion in the distance. He senses its direction and whistles softly. The hawk owl flies down from the sky, swoops to chest level and lands on his outstretched arm. The animal then chips and shrieks. "There, there Vin. I rather wished you were with me in the forest too." He says as he maneuvers it to his shoulder. "My throat wouldn't be so sore." Lornak pulls up his hood and continues wordlessly to the Goblin's Rest.
Lornak HP:34/34 AC: 16(T:13/FF:10) CMD:19 Tuesday August 23rd, 2016 1:43:38 PM
(OOC adjusting HP as the caravan travels)
Dušan (Erik) [HP:31/31; AC:13; Touch: 13; FF:10; CMD:15 Tuesday August 23rd, 2016 4:46:50 PM
Dušan cringes at the thought of another stay with the Goblins. "I normally try to be open minded about such things, but last time they almost accidentally poisoned me and intentionally tried to steal from me. Wasn't there talk of some barge or ferry?"
Dušan nods to Lornak and takes point casting Detect Magic to keep a watch out for any out of place magical auras.
Hmerrin(HP 43/43 AC21/14t/17ff, CMD 20) Tuesday August 23rd, 2016 7:35:22 PM
Hmerrin gets comfortable in the caravan, but also cringes at the thought of the Goblin's Rest.
"Yeah, I'd just assume pass too," he notes.
Toston Lotor(Hugh Crosmun) [HP:23/23; AC:22 Touch 18; FF 18] - CMD 18 Tuesday August 23rd, 2016 8:34:21 PM
"Guys we can't pass this up. I bought things to help the goblins out on our return trip. I bought some non perishable supplies like dried beans and I even found out a book that will help their cook out. We have to help the goblins for future travelers. This road is unsafe with safe places to rest few and far between, yes goblins are unusual hosts but these gentle beings are just trying to make their way in this large world." Toston opines.
"Plus I mean if they do figure out how to cook and you guys open up a trade route officially between Dirt City and Acid City I'm sure the goblins being grateful for your help would cut you a discounted rate." Toston says to the merchants trying to appeal to their business sense
Asteria Amarante (Genevieve) [HP: 42/42; AC: 20; Touch: 12; FF: 20; CMD: 20] Tuesday August 23rd, 2016 9:28:28 PM
Asteria practically demands to go back to the goblins. "We made a promise! We are going back there, or you can count me out of future battles for sure!" Despite her childlike temper tantrum, Asteria likely does not mean what she says. But you never can be too sure with those crazy barbarians...
Var (Tom I.) HP:37/37 AC:17/T:13/FF:14 CMD:20 Tuesday August 23rd, 2016 10:36:17 PM
A sharp pain runs through Var's stomach at the mention of Goblin's Rest. "I...guess we did say we'd stop on the way back... 'm not eatin another crumb of that Goblin's cooking tho."
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