Surin checks out, reports
Subject Strangers
Bel offers to send Ebon up ahead looking for trouble, and agrees that is makes sense for him to come at least half way with the scouting party.
He also would have suggested Fal have the amulet, or one of the other spellcasters.
From: Mark
Subject Strangers
Ok I have heard from every one except Jason so I will write the death scene, I mean encounter at lunch or tonight.
Fal gets the amulet it sounds like, while Bel, Surin and Harp are going to go scouting while Ebon takes to the air.
Hmm taste like chicken. :)
From: Jason
Subject Strangers
Cai agrees about giving Fal the amulet. She volunteers to scout their more immediate surroundings (not up where Bel & co. are going) to get a feel for their surroundings and make sure no one is sneaking up on them as well.
From: Mark
Subject Spellcasters
All spell casters need to go to SakeRiver and update your spell list, if you want. You should take off all used spells and update the spells you have available for the day.
Fal now has the amulet of natural armor +1 and still has one identify scroll. However, he is not able to transcribe it to his spell book while on the road, or at least while the party is moving. If the party made camp for more than a day he might have a very good chance of copying it over. The same with Kal.
Here are the rules for copying spells into spell books.
Spells Copied from Another?'s Spellbook or a Scroll: A wizard can also add a spell to her book whenever she encounters one on a magic scroll or in another wizard?'s spellbook. No matter what the spell?'s source, the wizard must first decipher the magical writing (see Arcane Magical Writings, above). Next, she must spend a day studying the spell. At the end of the day, she must make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell?'s level). A wizard who has specialized in a school of spells gains a +2 bonus on the Spellcraft check if the new spell is from her specialty school. She cannot, however, learn any spells from her prohibited schools. If the check succeeds, the wizard understands the spell and can copy it into her spellbook (see Writing a New Spell into a Spellbook, below). The process leaves a spellbook that was copied from unharmed, but a spell successfully copied from a magic scroll disappears from the parchment.
If the check fails, the wizard cannot understand or copy the spell. She cannot attempt to learn or copy that spell again until she gains another rank in Spellcraft. A spell that was being copied from a scroll does not vanish from the scroll.
In most cases, wizards charge a fee for the privilege of copying spells from their spellbooks. This fee is usually equal to the spell?'s level x?n50 gp.
Independent Research: A wizard also can research a spell independently, duplicating an existing spell or creating an entirely new one.
Writing a New Spell into a Spellbook
Once a wizard understands a new spell, she can record it into her spellbook.
Time: The process takes 24 hours, regardless of the spell?'s level.
Space in the Spellbook: A spell takes up one page of the spellbook per spell level. Even a 0-level spell (cantrip) takes one page. A spellbook has one hundred pages. Materials and Costs: Materials for writing the spell cost 100 gp per page. Note that a wizard does not have to pay these costs in time or gold for the spells she gains for free at each new level.
So it will take several days for the two of them to get this spell into their books. One or the other would have to do the prep work and copy it into their book. Then the other would have to copy it from the spell book of the first. I am assuming that they would take 20 on the skill and so there would be no problems with the copying.
They hope that there will be time when they get back to town.
From: Kevin
Subject Spells
OOC: Spell list updated and Harp is ready to "help" scout.
From: Mark
Subject Scouting
I expect he will make a wonderful diversion, sort of like Batman having Robin dress up in yellow so that Batman can hide.
From: Kevin
Subject Therapy
You are always so full of good cheer and happy thoughts.
You need therapy. Lots and lots of therapy. Preferably the electro-shock type of therapy, though a good run of aversion therapy might be usefull as well.
From: Karl
Subject Spells
Spell list updated for Salix.
From: Mark
Subject Surin takes a look
Everyone dismounts while Bel, Surin and Harp make ready to scout ahead. Bel talks to Ebon, letting him know what he wants the bird to do. The hawk takes wing and flies in the direction of the camping site. Surin checks Harp and Bel, looking for anything that might make noise. He straps down a few things on Harps back but knows that there is not much he can do for the ? orc. Bel is in better shape, his fine chain shirt little more than a rustle when he is trying to be careful. Bel leads them off to where he found the camp area.
He leads the other two to the top of a small rise. As they approach the top he gestures for them to crawl to the top so that they are not seen. As their heads break the top of the rise, they can see the camp below. The camp is about 250 feet away, down the slight slope. They can clearly see that there are 5 people moving about, setting up camp. It is hard to tell from this distance but there is something vaguely wrong about the people. They are all man-sized, around 6? tall. Even from this distance the colors of their clothes and armor stand out. There are 7 horses staked out around the camp and it looks like they are mostly done with setting up camp. The tents are pitched and there is a fire going.
The tents have the same wild color scheme as their clothes, yellows and oranges and reds. The camp is situated next to a small stream that they must be using for fresh water. While they are in a clearing there are trees of various sizes scattered all around. There is also much natural grass and occasional undergrowth. None of the three can hear anything from the camp. ?Damn wind is blowing towards them. That is going to make it harder to sneak up on them if any of them have a good sense of smell.? Surin says. ?Either of you two recognize what they might be?? Both Harp and Bel shake their heads no. (Knowledge check, DC?, Surin 9, Harp 9, Bel 15, all fail). With that Surin says ?Ok, let me see what I can find out. If they catch me I will make a big stink and you two come running, ok??
Surin slips into the undergrowth. He takes his time. There are still a couple of hours until dark and he is able to find a fairly easy path towards the encampment. It takes him about 5 minutes to work his way to with in 50 feet of the camp, making sure that he is not upwind of them. He finds a nice place under a scrub bush. It gives him a nice line of site and he can hear them fairly well. At this distance the clothing and armor really stand out. Two of the men are dressed in full plate armor, gaudy with colors and decorations. One of them has a long sword at his side and the other has a morning star. The one in charge is wearing a chain shirt, but it also has extremely colorful and gaudy designs on it. He has a sickle at his side and is using a trident to point at things as he commands the others. The other two have no armor and have no visible weapons.
Surin does not recognize the language but the tone is unmistakable. They are setting up camp, with all the joking and talking that this entails. They do not seem to be hiding anything or hiding their presence.
After about 20 minutes Surin decides to head back. It does look like an ideal place for a camp. He takes his time getting to Harp and Bel and the three report back.
OODM: OK you three can make your own reports but I need to know what the party wants to do.
From: Karl
Subject Hearing
"Salix shakes his head"??? WOW! What kind of a roll did I make on THAT listen check?
From: Kevin
Subject Horses
OOC: Mark, were our guys able to determine from the barding if the extra 2 horses were set up as pack animals or riding animals?
Would Surin have been able to tell when he got closer?
From: Mark
Subject Hearing
OK that should have been Harp and Bel, not Salix.
From: Randy
Subject Strangers
Ran awaits the report. After he has received it (assuming the information is pretty much as is) he considers the alternatives and lays them out as he sees them.
"We can approach them as we did Shatra and her friends; we can camp here and keep a solid watch to see if they do anything; or we can go another route. I would really like to avoid taking another route. If they have 7 horses and only 5 of them, then they probably already have a scout out who knows about us so I think we should probably approach cautiously. If anyone has any other suggestions, by all means bring them forward."
From: Mark
Subject Horses
Some one had asked earlier about if the two horses were pack horses.
Yes they were. They obviously had pack saddles and supplies on them.
From: Kevin
Subject Horses
Thank you. It was Harp. It does make a difference in our report.
From: Karl
Subject Strangers
Salix has no objections to approaching them cautiously.
From: Jake
Subject Strangers
[OOC--did Surin see any emblems, holy symbols, heraldic devices, or the like that he could reproduce for those that might have a chance of recognizing what they were?]
From: Jake
Subject Report
After the scouts have returned to the party, Surin relates all that he was able to observe. [OOC--including the answers to my question to Mark, and somebody else's questions about how the horses were equipped. Mark, did all of the horses seem equally tired? I'm trying to figure out if they were ridden, or if a couple of these guys are just in the habit of keeping a string of fresh horses to spell the one they're riding on now and then, like the Mongols].
From: Jake
SubjectReport
OOC--Ah, okay, nix my last question in my last email then.