LMoP game thread

The storm is howling outside but in here it's warm. The fire crackles and sparks spiral into the darkness above. Arashi hears the clanging of steel. Am I back in my father's smithy? Yes, that must be it. My father is alive and he will make everything right! Arashi rests his cheek on the stone floor, his life ebbing away as the battle around him winds down, his broken body in a pool of blood next to his beloved katana. Tatsumaki, you and I'll never serve the Tempest. Father won't let it take us. You should see the sword I made, Father! You'll be proud. Arashi smiles contentedly and draws his final breath.

Egan takes quick inventory of what he's found and paces the cave, checking on each party member individually. When he stops by Arashi's lifeless body, he slows himself. He can hear himself breathing. He knows what he's looking at before he even gets to the Elf's side.

The flickering fire causes shadows to dance across Arashi's face. Is...is that a smile?

Egan cautiously approaches his lost companion aware of breathing again...but only his own.

The macabre sight brings a single tear to his eye. Egan retrieves Arashi's swords from the cave floor where he dropped them and places them across the elf's chest. He closes Arashi's eyes.

Egan kisses the symbol of Selûne that hangs around his neck, then touches Arashi's forehead.

"You crazy, crazy, idiot - May you have unending peace and the undying blessings of Selûne as you journey into your everlasting life."

Egan heaves a hefty sigh, then slowly returns to his feet.

He has other companions to tend to, they seem stable, but he doesn't like being alone with so little life around him. There is much to do...

At the mouth of the cave, his boots in the shallows of the stream, stands a man named Otto Rahn. Hazel eyes squint underneath a mess of brown hair. His worn leather armor creaks quietly as he scratches at the stubble around an old scar on his chin. He clucks his tongue at the creaking - it’s been a while since he last oiled his leathers. But armor maintenance is the least of his problems. For several months Otto has been studying centuries-old scrolls and manuscripts that hint of a great artifact called the Forge of Spells. His hunt for this artifact has led him here to this cave. Being a relic hunter, Otto is something of an expert when it comes to dungeons and caves and the underground. Sadly, his expertise hasn’t helped him overcome his claustrophobia. Otto scratches at his chin again and mutters, "Caves. Why does it always have to be in a damn cave?!"

Otto spots a clump of feathers nearby and kneels down to investigate. He picks up a feather and sniffs it. Owlbears. And signs of a fight. Looking more closely he realizes to his chagrin that this cave entrance has been a beehive of activity very recently: goblin tracks, wolf tracks, several sets of boot-prints ranging from small soft boots (a halfling, perhaps?), light sandals (some kind of elf? huh!) to some very large, heavy ones (what in the name of Tymora?). In his line of work, company is bad news. Relic hunting is delicate work. You can’t have a crowd tramping about, brawling with each other and breaking things. Otto reaches for his hand crossbow and loads it. He checks the thong attaching it to his packstraps that keeps him from losing the weapon when he drops it. Next, he unhitches his coiled bullwhip from his waist. Cautiously, he advances into the cave.

Otto stows his whip. Rummaging in his pack, pulls out a torch and lights it. Holding the torch aloft with one hand and his crossbow in the other, he scans the room.

Otto decides to follow the tracks. He hopes it isn't that damn Belloq about to cheat him out of a find again!

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OOC:
Favored Terrain = caves & tombs.
"When you make an Intelligence or Wisdom check related to your favored terrain, your
proficiency bonus is doubled if you are using a skill that you’re proficient in."

Medve lets out a bit of a choking cough as he feels a warm numbness envelope his body. Struggling to sit up he looks about the room and notices that most of the party is down. Spotting Egan moving about he asks, "How is everyone?"

"I'm alive... if just." groans Movith, who has pushed himself up to one knee, with one hand on the ground supporting his massive frame and the other rubbing his face. The dirt around him is soaked with blood, and he feels woozy. He finally opens his eyes, and the first thing his notices is Arashi lying on the ground next to him, seemingly having finally achieved peace. Movith looks up at Egan and Medve. "Did he... did he save me?"

Rather than feeling ashamed for having lost a battle against a defeatable foe as he would were he at home with his family, he feels a sort of affection for (and not a small amount of pride in) Arashi. That this imbalanced, crazy sword-wielder gave his life to protect people he knew for only a short time, in Movith's case, makes Movith's heart swell. He leans over Arashi's body and removes his empty scabbard, then turns and picks up the elf's sword that he had made. It's a beautiful blade, crafted with both love and anger. Movith rips off a piece of cloth from his pants, wraps the steel, ties it, slides it into the scabbard, and straps the sword to his back. To no one in particular, "I think he'd want..." Movith trails off.

Wiping at his eyes, he stands and scans the room to assess the situation.

With supreme effort Otto climbs up the rough stone chimney. He has had to stow his crossbow and leave his torch down below to be able to use his hands for climbing. Being in such confined quarters, cold sweat runs down his back and he fights to keep his limbs moving. Finally at the top he hears voices. Otto attempts to see what there is to see up there.

Egan, who has stopped rummaging to kneel beside Shane, lifts his head when he hears the 2 voices of the newly awakened Medve and Movith.

"Thank Selûne you weren't too far gone!" He exclaims.
"We're not in the best of shape, but none as bad as..." his voice trails off as his eyes glance in Arashi's direction. Egan spies Movith has already seen the tragedy before them and fixes his gaze on Medve instead. The Halfling still requires medical aid. Do you spy anything that we could use? I haven't been able to awaken him."

Egan hears skittering sounds in the rock chimney and springs to his feet.

"By Selûne's grace we will not have more death in my presence!" He readies his shield and mace, facing whatever threat that is about to emerge.

"Whoa, easy there, friend! I daresay you must be friends because no follower of Selûne would stoop to working for that toad-spawn Belloq!" As he speaks, Otto slowly emerges from the chimney in as non-threatening a manner as possible. He takes in the scene and nods, satisfied that his reading of the tracks was correct. "Looks like you've run into some goblin trouble..." He spots supplies the blue lion emblems, "Goblin thieves?"

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OOC: What does Otto know of these blue lion emblems? Rolling History/Religion/Arcana