The Caravan
Subject The caravan
The night is uneventful. Around midnight, Noctis returns and settles near Salix. Again the druid says the prayer that will allow his to speak to his companion and he learns much. A ways ahead, what Salix figures to be 2 hours flying time, is what remains of the caravan. The concepts are hard for the owl, but Salix gets the idea that there are many, many bodies. However, the only living things there are the scavengers. There is no sign of anything that walks on two legs. With that, the spell ends and Noctis goes off to eat and help keep watch.
The following morning the party mounts up and heads out at first light. They ride as cautiously as possible, but there is a sense of anticipation in the group. The rangers travel a bit ahead and to the sides of the party, looking for tracks that might have been made by the goblin raiding party. About an hour before noon, they reach the top of a ridge, and as they look down in the small valley, they see the remains of the caravan. The woods have thinned out a bit here and there is a fairly good sized field off to the north of the road. Even from this distance of almost ? mile, the bodies can be seen. They litter the field. There is also the burnt out remains of a carriage.
At the sight, Alatyr starts to ride down the hill they are on, but at Ran shout, pulls up short. Ran tells him ?If there is someone still alive, a few more minutes will make no difference. If there is an ambush of some sort, all you would do is cause your own death and maybe ours. Let's be careful about this.? Ran then gestures and the two hawks and the raven take flight, circling over the wreckage and the bodies. After a few minutes, the birds circle lower and lower until they are only a few dozen feet over the site. The scavenger birds caw and hop around, bothered by these newcomers but not much else. The hawks and the raven then come back to the party. It is obvious to those who handle the birds that they were not bothered by anything in the clearing. Ran turns to the rangers ?Would you two mind leading the way, that way we will not disturb and tracks you might be able to find.?
The rangers dismount and move forward, consulting with each other as they go. For the next 20 minutes or so they work their way around the clearing, looking at different aspects of it. Every now and then, one of the rangers will point out something to the other and they will consult. They eventually head back to the party to do their report. (Track DC?, Cai 15+9=24, success, Bel 19+4=24, success)
Bel nods to Cai, indicating that she can take the lead in the report. ?First, everyone down there is dead. A large group of goblins, probably more than 100, from the southwest attacked the caravan about 2-1/2 days ago. This matches with what Alatyr has told us. We think that the guards put up one hell of a defense. There are over 75 goblin bodies out there, along with the 15 bodies of the guards. The bodies have been stripped of anything worthwhile. In our experience, this looks just like a goblin raid on a passing caravan. The remaining goblins have moved off SW towards the Pass of Undulant.?
However, there are a few things that we picked up that do not make a whole lot of sense if this were just a raid. First, there are no signs of the Lady Rochelle. All of the humans out there are male. It looks like they have taken her captive. This is not surprising by itself as goblins often take people to be slaves. What is surprising is this.? With that the rangers lead the group to some of the dead guardsmen. Alatyr recognizes the body as that of the Lt. in charge of the caravan. The man has been almost cut in half. Pointing to the Lt.'s body and the three others besides him, all in the same condition, Bel explains.
?This was not done by any goblin. Some larger creature did this. Look at this? he says, pointing at the wound. ?This was done by an axe, and a very large axe. Goblins do not use this type of weapon. Also, we have been able to piece together much of the fight. These men put up a great defense. They were well trained and disciplined. They probably would not have been able to handle 100 goblins by themselves, but goblins are notoriously cowardly. You don't have to kill even half of goblin horde to make it run away. But I would say that there are over 75 goblin bodies here. There was something leading these goblins.?
OODM: OK guys tell me what you want to do now.
From: Karl
Subject The caravan
Salix looks at the destruction in horror. Such a waste of life. So many good men destroyed. "I'd suggest we bury these valiant men, " he says to no one in particular, "but time is not on our side. We should move on quickly if we've gleaned all we can know from this site. The sooner we find the Lady, the less time they will have to do anything . . . unpleasant to her."
Burial *would* be a courtesy, to these men at least. Surely it would be their custom. To Salix personally, however, it made little difference. Devoured by worms or by larger scavengers it was all the same. Once the life is gone, nature will reclaim the shell.
From: Abby
Subject The Caravan
Surin leaned against his pony, looking over the scene of carnage, "I 'spect we're going to go try to find these goblins, then, aren't we..."
At Salix's proclamation, he nodded, "I was just about to say that. Wouldn't do to have these good men lay out in the sun."
OOC: I sent this to my D&D group at first!! >_>;;;
From: Karl
Subject The Caravan
"I meant, " Salix says quickly, "that we don't have time to bury the dead, much as they would probably appreciate it. The needs of the living should take precedent. At least I hope the lady is alive. We should proceed with that assumption, at least." He looks to Ran for confirmation.
From: Kevin
Subject The Caravan
Harp struggles to keep his emotions in check upon seeing the carnage. He walks over to Alatyr and says:
"I grieve with you on the loss of your comrades. Hopefully, some day soon, we will track the culprits down and we can treat them the way they have treated your friends. They are no greater than that bunch we fought off not but a day or so ago.
Tell me, how do you normally treat your fallen brothers? Is there some way we can honor them for their sacrifice for their country?"
Harp will await a response.
Harp will also confer with Ran on the best way to follow the goblins
From: Abby
Subject The caravan
"I see." Surin says, sheepish, "Didn't mean to misunderstand you. Makes sense, the way you said it... Still, I'll feel bad leavin' 'em lay."
From: Mark
Subject Spell lists
I need all the spell casters to make sure that your spell list on SakeRiver is updated. If you want to make any changes do so now. I will be printing out the list and if a spell is not on there, you don't get it. This does not apply to Rob, as Bel-Ril is a sorccerer and does not have a daily spell list.
From: Karl
Subject Spell lists
Mine is already updated and ready to go.
From: Kevin
Subject Salix's prayers
Harp, if he gets the chance, will ask Salix:
Salix, how was it that you were able to get the forest to come alive like that back when we were fighting the orcs? While I am sure that we could have defeated them with out the forest's help, we were able to kill most of them with out them even getting close to us. Do you have the ability to do that all the time? How long does it last? While we are in this wilderness, the ability to have the forest work for us and against our enemies would be a great boon, especially against such small creatures as those orcs and these goblins."
From: Derrell
Subject The Caravan
Fal stares in horror at the carnage. He turns to Ran and says, " I say we hunt them down and make them pay. I do have one question, though. Does anyone have an idea as to how large the creature that sliced those people in two is?
From: Randy
Subject The Caravan
"This is terrible. I too wish we could bury these men but I do not want their deaths to be in vain. They gave their lifes to protect Lady Rochelle and we need to honor them by finishing their work. I suggest that if we have learned all we can from the site that we continue to track the goblins and their leaders. We will continue in the formation that we have organized. we must push hard to gain ground on them. We will now need to switch to a shorter watch period and make use of as much light as possible."
Ran turns his mount to the rangers. "Can you scout ahead and follow the tracks? Report back to us if we are starting to go astray."
From: Karl
Subject Salix's prayers
Salix replies, "I can call upon the favor of my god only a limited number of times per day and I must decide in the morning the type of favor I will call up on my god to grant me that day. In situations such as these, I usually plan to petition that particular favor only once per day. The effect lasts for about 4 minutes at my particular level of training. If we think this particular display of nature is more needed than others I might request, I can prepare its use as many as four times in one day, though I would sacrifice the other powers. For instance, the power to speak to our animal friends here," he says, indicating Noctis who appears to be sleeping on the pommel of his saddle.
From: Kevin
Subject Salix's prayers
Harp replies:
Then you are blessed in a similar fashion as to how my god blesses me, though to more obvious effect. I do not think that there is any reason to ask that of your god four times, given that 4 minutes would allow us more than sufficient time to deal with a group many times our size. It just seemed that that spell was very effective in giving us much needed time in our last encounter. Of course, I would hate to get caught up in the thing.
From: Nate
Subject The caravan
"Tell me, how do you normally treat your fallen brothers? Is there some way we can honor them for their sacrifice for their country," Harp asks Alatyr.
"A wide variety of drinking games when celebrating the life of a man well lived, well loved, and well honored. When a gaurd is slain, usually a chant and a long speech, by a member of the royal family, and a long and tedious burial. In times like these though, with so many deaths, I think it would be best to pray to whatever diety is yours to pray to, and then get back to our task at hand. When I return to Mnuhl, a more appropriate honour will be held for these souls."
OOC: Sorry Tall, forgot to change the address I was sending to.
On the trail
Subject The caravan
Cai wants to see if she can find tracks of the larger creature. She agrees that we should follow them as soon as possible.
From: Rob
Subject The caravan
Bel walks up to Ran and says " Ran, what about the Lady? I know that it isn't a good thing to let them lie there, but surely our first obligation lies with her. That is our duty, even though she wasn't here to receive our protection officially. Any time lost between her and us could be fatal.
I think we need to move out now, as quickly as possible, and track them down....who knows what they could be doing to her at this very moment?"
From: Mark
Subject Turn
Abby
Thanks for forwarding Rob's turn to the group. Everyone has replied. I will be sending out a turn later this afternoon or this evening, depending on how work goes. If any one wants to do any role play or anything else around the caravan let me know.
Thanks
From: Mark
Subject On the trail
The party looks in horror at the carnage before them. Even the horses that were pulling the carriage have been killed, left for carrion in the field. Anything useful has either been taken or broken. Alatyr tells the group what he thinks should be done with the bodies. Harp quickly takes it upon himself to honor the fallen men and starts the process of gathering the bodies. He quickly lays them in a row and positions them as best he can, so that they dead will have some respect.
While he is doing this the two rangers start to look for tracks. Surprisingly enough, they both find it difficult to find which way the raiding party left, since it is so confused around where the attack happened.(DC?, Cai 4+9=13, success, Bel 2+5=7,fail) However Cai eventually finds the tracks of the goblins heading backup the road a bit. However, in all the confusion in the tracks, she is unable to pick out the track of anything larger than the goblins. As she heads back to Ran to let him know she has found the tracks, Harp lets them all know that the bodies are ready to be honored.
The party stands before the pile of dead guardsmen. The mood is somber. This could be them if they were not careful. Alatyr says a few words over each man, mentioning his name, where he was from and what he was like. The Lt. is last. Alatyr realizes that this man probably saved his life by sending him ahead to find help. As he finishes, Alatyr feels a surge of hatred for the creatures that did this. Under his breath he promises his comrades that he would avenge them. Harp then says a small prayer to his god, Heironious, asking that these brave men find their place next to the war god.
The party mounts up and heads out after the goblins. Over the next 6 hours, even moving at normal speed, the two rangers are able to keep the trail. It does become obvious to Bel though that Cai is a much better tracker than he is. There are several times where he is sure that they have lost the trail, only to have her point it out to him. In fact, once she even found a foot print of a creature that was man sized.(Track rolls for 6 hours, DC?, Cai: 6+9=15, success, 6+9=15 success, 20+9=29,success, 10+9=19, success, 17+9=26, success, 10+9=19, success, 10+9=19, success. Bel 14+5=19, success, 2+5=7, fail, 11+5=16, success, 14+5=19, success, 17+5=22, success, 4+5=9, fail, 3+5=8, fail.)
Cai does realize that the size of the party they are following has a lot to do with her success many times. She figures that there are at least 30 goblins in the party. However, at the moment they all look like they are on foot. That means that the party may be able to catch up with them. It will take several days, maybe more than a week, depending on the terrain up ahead.
During the afternoon, the two rangers take turns sending their birds ahead to see if there is any trouble. So far they have had nothing to report. After a good six hours of hard travel Surin's pony again starts showing signs of coming up lame. Salix lets Ran know that they must rest. Knowing that it would be almost impossible to track in the dark, Ran decides to call for camp.
OODM: Ok guys any role playing you would like to do, go to it.
From: Kevin
Subject On the trail
IC: Salix, is there anything that can be done to help Surin's pony? I fear that it's lack of stamina will endanger us at some time. Is there any magic you can use that will either help it recover faster or maybe not succumb to the effects of the pace we are keeping. Maybe we can lighten its load somewhat if you think that may help.
OOC: Mark, I have tried to figure out the loads on the character sheets, but they seem to reflect the starting weights. Is there a chance that we would re-distribute a little bit of weight to give Surins pony a light load?
IC:
Harp also asks, as they ride:
"Alatyr, what can you tell us of the Lady Rochelle and her family? Is there any possibility that this attack was not random but a planned occurance meant to deal a blow to some business interest of her family?
From: Kevin
Subject Spot check
OOC: Mark, is there possibility that the Rangers might spot Spot Check) a camp area the goblins might have used, or does it look like they are moving on through the night?
From: Karl
Subject On the trail
Salix responds, "I have some small healing ability, and with proper preparation can remove the effects of fatigue or exhaustion. But a pony is not a horse and I have not mastered that particular form of transmutation. We will have to travel within the limits of the slowest among us, or leave someone behind." He gives Surin a look that he means to convey he is only joking about that last bit.
He walks over to the pony and puts a friendly hand on his flank. "We can take some of the load off our valiant little friend, but I don't think it will make that much difference. His legs just aren't long enough to keep up with the horses."
(OOC- that said, Salix does have spells like "Bull's Strength" and "Bear's Endurance" but they only last for 4 minutes at this level and would take up one of his highest spell slots, so unless someone did some serious convincing, he'd be reluctant to use them for that.)
From: Kevin
Subject Spells
OOC: I had reviewed the Players Manual, and did not see a "Make Pony Go Faster" or "Remove exhaustion from pony" spell, but I might have had an old manual. Maybe you could develop a "Make pony legs longer" spell or a "Stretch Hafling" spell.
;-)
From: Randy
Subject On the Trail
OOC: Sorry I don't have much time today so there isn't much to this turn.
Ran continues to press the group as hard as he can without leaving Surin in the dust. As much as possible he sends the Rangers to scout ahead when they stop to allow the pony time to rest. Ran doesn't talk much except for the occasional question to the rangers and continuing to check with Salix about what the birds are seeing.
From: Mark
Subject speeds
A pony's base speed is 40. A light load is up to 75lbs.
A light horse's base speed is 60. A light load is 150lbs.
A heavy horse's base speed is 50. A light load is 200lbs
A pony with light load can do 32 miles in a day( 8 hours).
A pony with a medium load(76-225lbs) can do 24 miles a day.
A light horse with light load can do 48 miles a day.
A light horse with a medium load(151-450lbs) can do 32 miles in a day.
A heavy horse with a light load can do 40 miles in a day.
A heavy horse with a medium load(201-600lbs) can do 28 miles a day.
A man's base speed is 30 with light load and light armor.
A man can do 24 miles in a day.
All of the above are as fast as some one can go in a day and not take any damage. All damage done to horses and ponies by pushing them is lethal damage. Just ask Alatyr.
So a pony with a medium load can keep up but not overtake a man with a light load and/or light armor.
Mark
From: Derrell
Subject On the Trail
Fal feeds his and grooms his horse. He then eats dinner. If there is anything that's needed of him, he will help out, but would like to turn in early so he has time to study his spell book before breakfast. Again, the raven will sleep perched atop Fal's tent, so that it can help the other birds keep watch.
Horses and Ponies
Subject out of town
This is just to remind everyone that I will be out of town on Monday, Feb. 21, so there will be no turn on that day. I will actually be leaving early Saturday morning and getting back late Monday afternoon.
Any role playing you want to do during that time is fine. I will obviously not be available to answer any technical questions, but will try and get caught up on Friday night or Tuesday.
I forgot to tell you why I sent out the info on the horses, ponies and such.
If the pony can be gotten down to light load, the next bottle neck would be Harp and his heavy horse. Your party would be able to make up approx. 8 miles a day. There is not much you can do about Harp's horse, since he is at medium load with just Harp on him. Condsidering the numbers of days lead, 2, and the speed at which they are probably moving,30, it looks like it will be the better part of a week to catch them, unless you want to kill some horses. Which would leave you with out any horses and on foot. That is, of course, assuming that nothing else happens. :)
From: Karl
Subject Ponies
I didn't realize the pony was traveling at more than light load. In that case, Salix would agree to the suggestion to redistribute the load so the pony was down to light load.
From: Kevin
Subject Ponies
Can I put Harp on a diet? I am sure that Salix could point out some nuts and berry that would be very effective in "cleansing" Harp's system of all the toxins that are there from the processed food he has been consuming.
If there is a way to redistribute any weight from the pony to any (or all) of the other horses, I say lets do it.
From: Mark
Subject Ponies
I have not added all the weight up but I thought his pony was at medium.
Surin is 35 lbs. His armor is 10 for a total of 45. His weapons weigh about 5 for a total of 50 for character/weapons/armor.
A riding saddle weighs 25lbs, but one sized for a pony and halfling I would rate at 18lbs. That puts him at 68 lbs, a bed roll would be 2.5 for halfling sized,bullseye lantern, 1.5 etc, I was fairly sure that he would be over 75 lbs.
Now that things are redistributed, especially between Cai's horse and Fal's, Harps horse would be the creature slowing things down.
From: Mark
Subject Ponies
Did you ever have one of those days?
Harps horse will end up being the limiting factor. It is at medium load with just Harp and no saddle. In fact with his armor and his weight and saddle and stuff, the horse is pushing heavy load. That is why Harp has a pack horse.
A heavy horse with medium load can do 28 miles/day, which means you would gain 4 miles/day on who you are pursuing, if they are moving at 30.
There is no real way to get around this. Harp is just a big lug. However, if those you are following do not want to run themselves unconcious, you will gain on them, probably. :)
From: Kevin
Subject Ponies
During one of the breaks, Harp will talk to Ran:
"Ran, I am concerned about the group that we are chasing. By themselves, a group of goblins this size would be difficult, but not terribly so, especially given the help we have from Salix and Fal. This unknown leader, however, gives me pause. If he is able to encourage the goblins to overcome their normal cowardice, this could become a much more difficult task. I have been thinking about this the past day or so, and would like you to review some basic ideas that I have come up with.
I think we will have two goals when we finally meet this group - Capture or kill their leader as quickly as possible, and immobilize the goblins while we deal with their leader. Should we be able to kill or disable this leader, I am confident that these goblins will turn tail and run. Our friend Salix's ability to get the forest to hold our opponents was most helpful in our last encounter, and I think a well place spell such as before would give us a great advantage. I also have available to me a spell that will bring the displeasure of my god upon one individual. This spell, while short lived, will affect both this creatures ability to attack us and to defend himself.
Fal may also be able to sleep this creature, especially if it looks like he might hurt the Lady Rochelle. The general plan I have in my head would be for Salix to entangle as many of the goblins as possible, have me cast my spell on the leader and have Fal put him to sleep. Basically, take the goblins out of the battle, take their leader out quickly, and then deal with the goblins after that.
I realize that all plans fall apart once battle starts, but we need to have a basic plan to work from.
Harp will await Ran's reply.
From: Mark
Subject Spells and prayers
Just a quick note. No cleric of any sort, be it druidic or standard divine, would ever refer to what he does as a spell. It is his god's favor, a prayer, a suplication etc. Mages throw spells. Gods answer prayers.
From: Kevin
Subject Spells and prayers
OOC: Feel free to edit the previous missive from Harp. I look at spell lists, and I think spells. Next time, maybe a Wizard would be better for me. Or maybe just a straight barbarian.
Into the Hills
Subject Into the hills
The first night goes with no trouble. The party members fall into their set duties. Cai and Bel doing a bit of hunting, to supplement the food rations the group has. Salix goes out and tries to find wild fruits and vegetables to broaden the fair. Surin and Fal set up the camp, while Alatyr joins Harp with collecting some fire wood. Ran watches the group, a bit amazed at how well they have pulled together in such a short time. Of course, he remembers, these were all hand picked people, chosen because they were good at their jobs.
When Harp gets back with his last load of wood, he takes Ran aside and they discuss some strategy for dealing with the large group of goblins they are following. In particular, Harp is worried about what ever might be leading the goblins. Over dinner that night the group has some discussion about how they might approach this problem. Harp also works out a way to redistribute supplies so that Surin's pony is able to move faster. Now his heavy horse Stupid is the slowest, but there is nothing he can do about this. (OODM: Kevin, when you get a chance would you mind contacting the other party members and seeing what they can carry, in particular Derrell and Ami.)
Cai and Bel both chime in on how the chase is going. They both are confident that their prey is on foot and not mounted. However, it looks like the goblins have a couple of days head start. They are sure that they will be able to catch up, but it will take a while. The weather is a concern, since a good rain will make it very difficult to follow the tracks. The good news is that the goblins seem to be heading in a straight line for the Pass of Undulant. Unless the goblins change their course, the rangers think that even if the loose the trail for a bit, if they keep heading in that direction they will be able to pick it back up.
Early the next morning, Ran rouses the party members and they pack up camp. The rangers pick up the trail and the party heads off at full speed. A couple of hours in they come upon a camp that was obviously made by the goblins. Trash is strewn everywhere and the remains of some type of animal still smolders near the fire pit. This heartens the rangers a bit, since it shows that the goblins may not be too worried about pursuit. The rest of the day is spent in the saddle, following the rangers. Ran asks the group to push on a little longer than usual and they do so. An hour later, Harp's horse starting to show the strain, the party makes camp. The rangers are confident that they have made up some distance on the goblin. (Track rolls, best of each ranger,DC?, total: 21,24,25,25,24,27,15,19 success)
A cold camp is quickly set up. The rangers have no time for hunting, so some firewood is gathered and a fire made. The party is starting it approach to the Pass and the weather is starting to get a bit chillier. Luckily the trees break some of the chill of the wind. The birds of the party have been out in force during the day but have seen nothing out of the ordinary. Bel tells the party ?The creature that is leading them is man sized. Cai and I were able to pick out its tracks every now and then during the day. It is either carrying something very heavy or is itself a very heavy creature. From the size of it footprints I would say it is well over 6? tall and over 300lbs. I can not tell if it is human or what type of creature, since it wears boots, but it is big.?
Cai also says ?The path ahead is going to get harder to track on, the closer we get to the mountains. We still have not had any serious problems, but that is mainly because of the size of the group we are following. My worry is that with the speed we are going, we will miss the leader or some small group breaking off with the Lady and us missing it.?
OODM: Ok guys any comments/action? If you have no comments or actions please still send in a turn saying ready to sleep.
From: Kevin
Subject Entangles
Mark, what it the surrounding vegatation like? Would Salix be able to tell when we got into terrain that would not support his entangle spell?
From: Kevin
Subject Sleep
Harp is ready to sleep.
From: Mark
Subject Entangle
He will be able to tell. The description of the spell does really does not make any distinction in terrain. Obviously any place that has no vegetation would have problems with this spell working, but so long as there is at least scrub bushes and small tress etc, there would be enough root systems for the spell to work. Now if your party was above the tree line or above the snow line there would probably be a problem, but not where you are now
From: Kevin
Subject Entangle
Just so we are not surprised when Salix/Karl goes to use this spell and all of a sudden we get a "not enought root to compute" message. Salix has sufficient other spells we could use I would hate to have us waste one.
Thanks
From: Derrell
Subject Sleep
Fal is ready to sleep
From: Randy
Subject Spells
"I am concerned that use of the entangling spell may do more harm then good when it comes to a rescue mission. The entanglement will affect us as much as them and may allow some of them to escape with Lady Rochelle. It also may prevent us from making an effective pursuit. We will have to wait and see what happens before we decide how to proceed. You are right that we need to discuss tactics though. Please continue to ponder strategy and keep me informed of any ideas you may have."
From: Randy
Subject Sleep
Ran encourages the rangers to set the pace at what they are comfortable with to ensure they don't miss a sign of the enemy splitting up but to keep pressing hard.
Ran says his prayers once again asking for help making leadership decisions and expessing thanks for the companions he has been blessed with.
He then goes to sleep.
From: Rob
Subject Sleep
Bel thinks about the day ahead, and realizes that he might be able to have Ebon fly ahead and try to locate the group.
He decides to attempt to do that in the morning.
He then goes to sleep, providing it isn't his watch, and he sees someone else on watch, up and awake.
From: Karl
Subject Sleep
Salix is ready to sleep or take his watch or whatever
The second camp
Subject Into the hills
OOC: Sorry, it has been a busy weekend with birthday and other things in our family.
Cai beds down for the night, taking time to meditate to help her remember all she knows about the terrain and keep her focus on tracking. She also reinforces the spell she keeps in reserve for when they meet the goblins.
From: Mark
Subject Abby/Jake
I am still waiting to hear from both Nate and Abby/Jake. When I hear back from them I will get a turn out.
From: Mark
Subject The second camp
Again the night passes with out incident. Every one takes their watches as scheduled, but there are no interruptions. The next morning camp is again broken quickly and the chase is back on. After about three hours on the road the party again comes upon a camp that the goblins had used with in the past couple of days. Cai is able to pick out a few things at the camp. She is fairly sure that the Lady Rochelle was still with the goblins, since she found a few pieces of cloth that would seem to have come from the Lady's clothing. Alatyr confirms that the material looks like stuff Rochelle's dress had been made of.
An hour after they have passed the goblin camp Ebon comes back from patrol, looking very excited. He lands on Bel's saddle and starts hoping up and down. It is obvious to Bel that the bird has something to tell him. Salix rides up and says ?Would you mind if I tried to talk to him? I know he is your special companion, but the grace of Obad Hai allows me to talk with animals, for a time.? Bel nods. Salix again touches the images embossed on his armor and quickly says the prayer that allows him to speak to the animals.
?Friend Ebon, what has excited you?? Salix squawks at the bird. The bird replies ?My human, the person over there,? he points with his beak at Bel, ? has asked me to be on the look out for anything strange ahead. About 5 minutes flight ahead I saw a couple of very large creatures waiting behind a large fallen tree to the west of the path These creatures are very tall and very ugly. They are holding very large clubs. I thought that this would be worth reporting.? Salix then asks? Is there any way for us to approach them with out being seen?? Ebon replies ?I do not think so. They have picked their spot very well. They are very close to the road but can not be seen from the road until it is too late. The place they are hiding in can not be approached from north.? With that Salix's prayer ends and the bird falls silent.
OODM: OK guys let me know how you want to proceed.
Turning the tables
Subject The second camp
Fal wants to know if there could be other orcs hiding in the brush waiting for someone to attack the 2 orcs that the bird saw.
OOC: Mark, what's the range on my Sleep spell?
Fal wonders if the terrain is such that he could get close enough to the orcs to cast his sleep spell without being seen. Of course Fal woud prefer to have the rest of the group close at hand in case the Sleep spell fails.
From: Karl
Subject The second camp
Salix relays the information to the group then adds, "Sounds like an ambush, though I wonder how they knew we were coming. Or maybe we are close to their camp and this is just a guard, I do not know. However, if we can get close enough to see the tree but not close enough for the creatures to feel comfortable attacking, perhaps we can flush them out. If they are armed only with clubs, they would likely expect us to come fairly close before revealing themselves."
From: Karl
Subject Ambush
(OOC - Did Fal wonder that out loud or just to himself? As for the first part, the birds have pretty good spot checks, I imagine and a second ambush would probably be just as hard, if not harder to conceal so we should probably proceed with caution but concentrate on the ambush we know about.)
Salix will ponder out loud, "I suppose I *could* use the forest to entangle them, but it seems like such a waste on only two. Or with the grace of Obad-Hai, I could summon a creature to flush them out of their hiding space and we might be able to attack them while they are distracted." He pauses, thinking, "If we are able to flush them out, perhaps our mage friend here can put them to sleep and we might be able to tie them up and get some information from them . . ."
From: Rob
Subject Ambush
Bel says " I don't see what the problem is, there are only two of them, and thanks to Ebon we know where they are, for the most part. If you know about a trap before it happens it becomes a trap for those attempting it rather than who is was intended to trap."
He checks his quiver and bow, and feeds Ebon a treat, stroking his feathers. He says to Ebon, "Thank you, Ebon...good work."
From: Kevin
Subject Ambush
Harp nods in agreement
"We should just ride up, turn toward them, and let Fal cast his sleep spell from behind all of us.. If it works, we tie them up and question them, if it fails, we attack until they submit. We do not kill them, as they may have knowledge of their leader and his plans.
Would it be usefull to use me as a distraction?. Seeing someone of my background may surprise them enough to give us an extra few seconds."
From: Randy
Subject Ambush
"We don't know what manner of creatures these are other than the fact that they are large and they hold large clubs." Ran speaks out loud but seems to be talking to himself. "We need to draw them out of hiding without allowing them to get the jump on us."
Speaking to the group he says "Harp, I think that you should approach ahead of the rest of us. Make a lot of noise and see if they may confuse you for an ally. As soon as they come out, Fal can attempt to put them to sleep. If he fails, we will open fire."
"Salix, will you take the rear and keep an eye out for anyone circling back behind us? If enemies approach from the rear then perhaps your god would favor us with another entanglement."
From: Karl
Subject Ambush
"I will do as you ask," Salix replies. He drops to the rear of the party and scans the area for any threats. He also nudges Noctis awake and sends him out into the trees as an added pair of eyes.
From: Kevin
Subject Ambush
Harp nods in agreement, thankful to be able to do something useful. He rides slightly ahead of the group, his crossbow loaded and cocked, but at his side so he can respond if he needs to.
As he rides forward, he will make comments about being chased by humans, cursing them, etc. trying to confuse the listening ambushers.
OOC: Mark, if Harp has any insignia on his armour, he will try to cover it with a cloak, clothing, shield, etc. If the mark is on his shield, he will remove his shield and hang it so the mark does not show.
From: Mark
Subject Ambush
OK I need to know how close every one is to each other. I know that Harp is out front and that Salix is going to be in the rear, but I would like a general lay out. How far ahead of the group is Harp? Is Salix trailing the group or is he just the last man in line? Where are the rangers?
The path is only about 15 feet wide at this point and has been for a while.There is only about another 5-10 feet on each side of the path before the slope starts to get fairly steep. There are trees up the hillside, but they are not as thick as they were a couple of days ago. Some of them are quite large though, on the range of 6-8 feet across. A person can climb here but horses would be useless off the path.
From: Karl
Subjest: Ambush
In that case, Salix would suggest tying off Surin's pony to his and having Surin try to climb up and see if he might be able to flank the ambushers.
He'll be the last man in line but staying relatively close to the rest of the group unless Ran wants him to do otherwise.
From: Randy
Subject Ambush
Ran agrees with Salix and says as much sending Surin to get in the treeline and sneak his way up to flank the attackers.
The group should be holding back as much as possible while still maintaining arrow and spell range (without penalties - so whatever range that would be). Salix should be just at the rear of the group, not really seperated from them. Ran, Cai, and Fal will take the lead of the group with Alatyr and Bel just behind. probably about a 5 foot seperation between each individual.
From: Kevin
Subject Ambush
OOC: Randy, I think the sleep spell has a medium range (100 ft or so), and most of our ranged weapons are 60 ft or so; I expect that Harp will stay 40-50 ft ahead of the group, making noise and trying to draw attention to himself.
Mark, as we move forward, when I finally encounter these guys, I would like Harp to respond loudly enough that the rest of the group will hear me. I will not let the ambushers know that I am being followed, I will just be trying to make enough noise for the others to hear.
From: Mark
Subject Ambush
Ok I get the idea. However, please remember this, Surin, if he is trying to keep hidden moves at 1/2 speed, which is 10, unless he wants to take penalties to move at normal speed, which his 20. Both of these speeds are on foot. Damn those short halfling legs. So is the party going to let Surin get a bit of a lead before they move out? And will they keep a slower pace so that he can keep up with them?
From what you said I am assuing that he will be moving down the side that the creatures are on, right?
From: Mark
Subject spell range
The range of your spell is 140 feet but the area of effect is a 10 foot radius burst. If you do not know how spread out the creatures are, targeting the spell at a spot you can not see would be difficult. You would be guessing as to where to center it. You would take a chance that you might miss one or both of the creatures. Of course there is also a chance that you would get one or both of the creatures. You do not know. :)
From: Randy
Subject Ambush
Yes, we will give Surin a head start but we will always stay in range so that he won't be in too much trouble if he is spotted. We will take it slow enough that Surin can keep pace with Harp.
From: Nate
Subject Ambush
Alatyr hears the news of the ambush ahead, and with news of the Lady Rochell still being alive, suggests the following:
"Let me at them. Let me charge their cause down their throat, and remind them that one does not simply steal a royalty and not recieve justice. Forget trying to be sneaky, or entangling them, we should meet this trouble head on."
OOC: Sorry for not being around. Had some problems with gmail while vacationing.
From: Randy
Subject Ambush
"Alatyr, we need to be smart about this. Their could be others waiting. If not, we will not be too long delayed by taking the time for caution."
Ran encourages Alatyr to take his place in the middle of the group and be prepared to fight if necessary.
From: Kevin
Subject Ambush
OOC: As I mentioned as Harp earlier, wait for these guys to attack or talk to me so we can determine where they are, then throw the sleep spell. If it gets me as will, so be it. I will try to stay far enough away that it will not hit me, but if it does, que sera sera.
From: Ami
Subject Ambush
Cai is confident with her composite long bow to a range of up to 160 feet, if necessary. But she would prefer to stay closer to Harp and cover him.
"If the others think this wise, I will stay behind within 30 feet of you as my aim is truer at that range, moving just off the path to avoid being seen, and so as not to be heard (move silently). I will keep an arrow notched and ready to fly as soon as they appear. They are large enough that I suspect one arrow would not kill them. If needs be, I could be ready to wound both quickly."
She wonders about Rochelle, with the torn clothing they discovered. How would such a lady fair under those circumstances, even if alive?
From: Mark
Subject Ambush
Ami
Are you going to be on foot? It would probably be possible, but you would move at 15 instead of 30, unless you wanted to take a large minus to you move silently roll. However, if Harp is moving slow enough then you could keep up with him, even moving silently.
It is impossible to move silently while on horse back.
From: Karl
Subject Ambush
And someone will have to take your horse if you move on foot. Salix already has his own and a pony. (FYI)
From: Kevin
Subject Ambush
Harp says to the group:
In order to best confuse the ambushers, I will dismount and walk my horse down the path, leading Stupid as I go. This will allow the rangers to shadow me on the sides and allow those of you following to keep with in range. I don't expect these two to be much of a problem, but if you hear me shout Angelwing, please come running.
From: Mark
Subject Map
Attached is a map of the site. Your party is moving from north to south. The green things are trees or large bushes. The grey things are large rocks or rock outcroppings. The large brown thing near the bottom is the fallen over tree trunk. Please let me know if I have your postitions correct. If not I will adjust before we go on.
I would also really like to hear from Abby or Jake. I do not like taking people into battle when their players are not around.
Turning the tables, part2
Subject Turn
I'm paying attention. I've just been having some trouble lately... Noemon's going to take Surin back as soon as he can. I'm sorry I've been so flaky lately...
From: Derrel
Subject Turning the tables
Once Harp has lured the creatures out into the open and starts talking to them, Fal will cast Sleep trying to center the spell between the two creatures.
From: Rob
Subject Turning the tables
Bel sends Ebon up ahead to watch for anyone sneaking up on them from the rear. He casts a spell to protect himself (Shield), and then draws his bow and puts an arrow on the string.
Bel will try to help Harp out by shooting anything that gets near him, without getting too close. If the creatures, whatever they are, get right up on Harp, Bel will draw his sword and move into melee, providing nothing is charging them.
From: Nate
Subject Turning the tables
Alatyr anxiously waits, shifting his weight on his feet. Knowing the Princess is alive, causes him to want to charge blindly into battle, swinging his weapon. All this planning is frustrating him, but he does recognize the reasoning behind it, and does agree.
From: Karl
Subject Turning the tables
Salix looks to be in the right position. He will keep watch for any ambush or other threat from the rear. Otherwise he will wait for something to start with the creatures Harp is flushing out.
From: Kevin
Subject Map
Mark, I am having a tough time getting the whole map to print out on one page. Any suggestions?
I have tried to adjust it to fit, used legal sized paper, but my printer keeps spitting out only a portion of the map.
I will try sending it to a different computer with a different printer
Will send in my actions shortly.
From: Kevin
Subject Turning the tables
Harp will move slowly down the path, hoping that Surin will be able to make up some ground off to the side. He notices the large outcropping by the large log on the road and says to himself "the bird was right, that seems like a great place for an ambush".
OOC: Mark, did you determine if my shield has a religious symbol on it? If not, then I will be carrying my shield, if it does, then it will be hanging on Stupid
IC: As he walks (acting at stumbling - stumbling check, right?), he continues to talk as loudly as possible about being chased by humans, wondering where the goblin troop might be, cursing as needed, basicaly trying to not look like a good person.
He will try to stay on the side of the road away from the log, at least as much as possible.
From: Randy
Subject Turning the tables
OOC: Everyone looks to be in the right position to me.
Ran draws his crossbow and moves forward at a pace to stay about 50' behind Harp.
From:Mark
Subject Turning the tables
After quickly discussing how they should handle the hidden creatures, the party takes their positions. Surin gets off his horse and hands the reins to Salix. ?You had better take good care of my horse, friend? Surin says smiling ?or I might use your owl as target practice.? He then moves off to the left of the road and tries to quietly move up the flank (Move silently 20+13=33, 7+13=20). He moves slowly but no one in the party can hear him as he moves through the underbrush.
Harp gets off his horse and starts leading it down the road. When he gets about 50 feet from the rest of the party, they start following behind at a slow walk. They are all ready for whatever the creatures are and are ready to respond at a moments notice. Harp starts slowly walking down the path on the right hand side of the road. He sees the huge tree that is laying along side the road. It looks to be about 6 feet high and about 45 feet long. As Harp gets to middle of the tree he hears a great roaring sound and two large ugly creatures jump on top of the log and with a loud grunt, each throw a javelin at Harp.(AC=19, rolls:4+1=5, miss, 15+1=16, miss)
Harp responds quickly to the attacks. One of the javelins flies well over his head. With a quick flick of his arm, he deflects the other javelin on his shield, Harp realizes that these are not orcs. They stand well over 11 feet tall. They are dressed in armor that looks to be made of boiled hide and the have clubs that look to be large tree trunks. Anglewing? he cries.
OODM: Ok I know you guys were trying to not be surprised and you really were not. Harp was not flat footed and that did save him from one javelin hit. Here is the initiative for this combat. (Alatyr,Ran,Surin,Salix,Harp,Ogre1,Fal,Bel,Cai, Ogre2).
OK guys lets rumble.
My what big teeth you have.
Subject Ambush and surprise
Harp, surprised at the size of the creatures, and the size of their clubs, decides until his companions are able to move closer, he probably should not over commit while fighting these things. He has rarely seen larger than himself, and he is unsure as to how agile these creatures are. He will attack, keeping an eye out for a good opportunity to attack Ogre 1, but will be more focused on making sure that one of those clubs does not smack him on the side of the head (fighting defensively).
OOC: Mark, defensive fighting effectively increases my AC but decreases my attack bonus, correct?
IC: Harp remembers the plan to throw a sleep spell on these creatures. All of a sudden, he his concerned that if by some chance, he gets slept, this could turn out poorly for him.
From: Rob
Subject Ambush and surprise
Bel will stop advancing and fire two arrows (rapid Shot) at Ogre 2, unless Harp is in the way. If he is, then Bel will fire on Ogre 1.
Ebon shold be looking for others flanking from up in the air, safe from danger.
From: Randy
Subject Ambush
Seeing the size of the creatures and hearing Harp cry "Angelwing" Ran drops his crossbow and draws his sword. Hoping that Fal will have success with his sleep spell, Ran waits to see what will happen before running to help Harp.
From: Mark
Subject Bel and casting
As Harp nears the fallen tree, Bel quickly casts one of the spells he knows, channeling the energy within him. His armor seems to alomst get in the way but he is able to complete the spell. A wavy shield of force forms in front of him.(Spell faliure check =76, spell success.)
From: Ami
Subject Ambush
Frustrated at the boulder just in front of her line of site, Cai runs ahead to the end of the log the Ogres are on. She is within 25 (point blank advantage) feet of Ogre1 and lets fly two arrows at him (rapid shot).
OOC: I think, with the movement of approximately 20 feet, that is one turn, is it not? If so, then I'll do that this turn, then shoot the Ogre the next turn. Also, what about horses? What actions are necessary for me regarding my horse?
From: Mark
Subject Ambush
Well you had said that you were going on foot, so someone else would have taken the reins of your horse.
From: Derrell
Subject Ambush and spell
Fal casts Sleep aiming the spell between the 2 creatures.
Fight round 1
Subject Fight
Did I send you a note telling you that I want to take my steps back away from the ogres? I want to entice them to come down off their logs (and I want to back away from where the sleep spell is going to go off).
From: Karl
Subject Spell
Salix will cast Flame Sphere and try to place it between the two Ogres. If they are more than 5 ft apart, he will place it to burn the first ogre.
From: Nate
Subject Fight
Alatyr will charge the orcs, hoping to strike the orcs with his light mace once they are within reach. He will also balance himself in the case that one of the orcs are slain, so he might strike another enemy within distance (GREAT CLEAVE).
From: Kevin
Subject Plea
Come, come all faithful followers of Kalevan - this is the siren call to send in your actions so your faithful 1/2 orc may die a glorious death.
OOC: I am soooo impatient. :-)
From: Mark
Subject Fight round 1
Initiative(Alatyr, Ran, Surin, Salix, Harp, Ogre 1, Fal, Bel, Cai, Ogre 2)
Alatyr, hearing the roars of the monsters and Harp's cry of Anglewing, tries to spur his horse forward into battle. Unfortunately the poor horse has other ideas and does not move. (Ride Check, DC20, 1+9=10, fail)
Ran, seeing the two large creatures spring from behind the tree trunk drops his crossbow and tries to draw his sword. His horse is also skittish from the yelling of the ogres and it is all he can do to keep the horse from bolting.(Ride check, DC 20, 5+6=11, fail)
Surin tries his best to disappear into the surrounding cover and move quietly towards the creatures.(Hide Check 19+16=35, Move Silent check 2+13=15)
Salix leans over his horse's neck and whispers soothingly in his ear. The horse responds to the soothing words and stays where he is. (Ride check DC20, 12+9=21, success) Salix then touches the symbol on his armor and points to a spot in front of the party. A small ball of flame leaps from his hand and as it rolls to the spot Salix indicated it grows into a ball of flame 5 feet around.(Flaming sphere, round 1)
Harp, realizing that he may be out matched with these two large creatures decides that a tactical withdrawl may not such a bad idea. He drops the reins to Stupid and the horse takes off down the path at a full gallop. Harp then quickly and carefully backpedals towards the party, his sword weaving an intricate pattern before him.(Withdraw)
Ogre1, incensed to see his prey trying to escape, jumps down and moves after Harp. It is surprisingly fast and easily keeps up with Harp.
Fal starts to dig in his bag of spell components, but his horse starts to act up and he is unable to get into the bag.(Ride Check, DC20, 9+3=12,fail)
Bel starts to pull an arrow from it's quiver when his horse rears up at the approach of the ogre. It is all Bel can do to keep his mount under control.(Ride check, DC20, 5+8=13, fail)
Cai watches as the ogre advances on her position. She quickly fires two arrows at the creature, its large size making it a fairly easy target for her. As she is drawing back her bow, the ogre notices her and takes a quick swing in her direction(AOO, shooting a missile weapon while in a threatened square,AC19, 2+8=10, miss). Her own shots however are right on target.(AC16, 11+8=19,hit, 16+8=24, hit, ) One glances of the arm of the monster and the other embeds itself deep in it's thigh.(Damage, 1, 5)
The other ogre also jumps down and moves towards the party.
OODM: I tried to attach a map for the end of round 1 but Hotmail was acting screwy. I will try and send it in a bit.
From: Nate
Subject Fight round 2
Alatyr will dismount, then charge the orcs. When he is close enough he will strike with his light mace, and continue to swing at any nearby enemies, should this first ogre fall.
From: Mark
Subject Map
Here is the map for the end of round 1.
