Oct 8, 2020 4:14 pm
OOC:
Alice will search clump 2Alice tries to spur anyone not searching into action.
Part 1: The Road to Hommlet
load previous
Everyone take a clump and we'll have this done in no time.
Alice tries to spur anyone not searching into action.
Oct 8, 2020 5:46 pm
Alice shouts to the others for help and then enters the copse. She spends about five minutes looking for obvious signs of disturbance in the soil before remembering the birch skin on the spear, and changes her focus to conspicuous piles of leaves and detritus. Just as she's beginning to wonder if she is going to find anything in this cluster of trees she stumbles upon a smallish-medium-sized stone leaning against two larger birch trunks, like a lean-to. An accumulation of leaves and other fallen materials have been stuffed underneath, as it it has accumulated over time, but the bark on the birch trunks where the rock leans appears to be freshly nicked and bruised. Kicking the leaves and other material out from under the leaning stone reveals freshly turned earth beneath.
Rolls
Secret Roll
Secret Roll
Oct 8, 2020 6:29 pm
Seeing Alice becoming more active, he thinks to himself perhaps the female warrior has found something. Selvam strides over to help and investigate the situation. And most likely use a gnoll weapon to dig with.
Oct 8, 2020 6:44 pm
Digging into the ground is pretty easy, as the soil has already been dug into and repacked once. You get about a half-foot into the ground when Selvam's spear hits something solid. Digging around it, the elf and cleric eventually excavate a bundle of sticks and mud.
The "package" is about half a size larger than a full-face helmet. It appears to be a series of long flexible branches from nearby birch trees arranged to run parallel along the length of the "package", interwoven at the middle and on each end, and secured by some sort of fibrous cordage. It's construction seems quite similar to how a cooper would make a barrel, though of a much more primitive nature. Through three or four spots of the branches that make up the "package's" framework, a greyish-brown mud oozes out and drips thickly on the ground, and through other slat's in the frame leaves and the birch trees' papery bark can be seen. If one were to guess, you'd say this package seems filled with still-wet mud, leaking in a few places where the birch-paper lining inside didn't keep in the package's contents.
The "package" is about half a size larger than a full-face helmet. It appears to be a series of long flexible branches from nearby birch trees arranged to run parallel along the length of the "package", interwoven at the middle and on each end, and secured by some sort of fibrous cordage. It's construction seems quite similar to how a cooper would make a barrel, though of a much more primitive nature. Through three or four spots of the branches that make up the "package's" framework, a greyish-brown mud oozes out and drips thickly on the ground, and through other slat's in the frame leaves and the birch trees' papery bark can be seen. If one were to guess, you'd say this package seems filled with still-wet mud, leaking in a few places where the birch-paper lining inside didn't keep in the package's contents.
Oct 8, 2020 9:10 pm
Selvam is horrible at birthday parties. That package doesn't have a prayer. He will force it open to see what is inside.
Oct 8, 2020 11:44 pm
As they open the package, Alice hopes to find something of value that might pay for the treatment of her fallen and injured comrades.
Show us your favor St. Cuthbert, that we may share in the glory of your mercy.
Show us your favor St. Cuthbert, that we may share in the glory of your mercy.
Oct 9, 2020 2:13 am
Selvam tears into the "package", breaking away small branches instead of cutting away the cordage, as the mud falls to the ground in wet splats you see the unmistakable gleam of gold coins mixed in with the mud. A significant number of coins actually. It's a strange "package", unlikely anything that any of you've ever encountered before.
Oct 9, 2020 5:22 am
Selvam says a surprised, WOW as he digs more out. We are going to need some water here and sacks.
Oct 9, 2020 3:56 pm
Sister Alice uses water from her waterskin to wash away the mud and counts the coins as she cleans them.
Oct 9, 2020 5:09 pm
The coins are mixed in with a thick, heavy mud, but using Alice's waterskin to dilute the mud mixture makes the job go much faster, and you find that pouring the waterskin directly into the "package" helps the mud run out through the "package's" tree branch slats while keeping the coins inside, almost acting like a strainer. Counting the coins is another matter. The two of you begin with one person putting the coins in stacks of ten as the other separates them from the mud inside the package, but it quickly becomes apparent that the stacks of coins are going to be everywhere. You then start building piles of ten stacks of ten.
As the final coin is extracted from the mud "package" you find exactly 30 piles of one hundred coins each. The package contained three thousand gold coins, though none of you have ever encountered such a strange way of stashing such treasure before. Even after being divided equally among everyone who fought against the gnolls, the individual take should make the payment you will receive for delivering the cartwheels seem paltry.
As the final coin is extracted from the mud "package" you find exactly 30 piles of one hundred coins each. The package contained three thousand gold coins, though none of you have ever encountered such a strange way of stashing such treasure before. Even after being divided equally among everyone who fought against the gnolls, the individual take should make the payment you will receive for delivering the cartwheels seem paltry.
Oct 9, 2020 6:13 pm
Even unconscious, Coulson’s innate dwarven senses pick up the hint of riches, and he groans in his stupor
Oct 9, 2020 7:14 pm
OOC:
@TheFoxofFinch: Hahaha!@everyone: I made a post in the OOC thread that may be helpful regarding treasure and XP in B/X D&D.
What would everyone like to do now that the encounter is over and loot collected?
Oct 9, 2020 7:45 pm
Cuthbert be blessed! Alice exclaims as they finish counting the treasure,
This will surely pay to have our fellows healed, with a nice bit left over no doubt.
Sister Alice makes her way quickly back to the cart and checks on Coulson. Once everyone is ready the party makes all haste toward the village of Hommlet.
This will surely pay to have our fellows healed, with a nice bit left over no doubt.
Sister Alice makes her way quickly back to the cart and checks on Coulson. Once everyone is ready the party makes all haste toward the village of Hommlet.
Oct 9, 2020 8:25 pm
OOC:
As long as everyone is good with continuing on to Hommlet, we'll get this wagon moving again. A couple of things:1. It's been established that Hommlet is 30-35 miles from Verbobonc. Theoretically this distance could have been covered in a day's forced march, before I realized how heavily laden the party is with Plate Mail. Now that we've established how many PCs have a Base Movement Rate of 60', the party actually moves at a rate of 12 miles/day traveling normally, or 18 miles/day if doing a forced march. You left Verbobonc at about 6am, and you encountered the gnoll situation about lunch time, so you're only about 6 miles from Verbobonc with about 24-30ish miles to go. The trip will take much longer than expected. I roll for a random encounter once per day, and this day's encounter has been resolved... Odds are low but not impossible that you will have another random encounter before Hommlet.
If you move regular you travel 12 miles in 12 hours, you have to sleep 8 hours, and that leaves you with about 4 hours to set up camp, do your business, and establish a watch order. A forced march lets you move 18 miles in 18 hours, but everyone is exhausted and must rest for a full day,
2. It's been established that Coulson will be riding on the wagon. For every full day that a PC rests (meaning actually laying around resting), they get 1d3 Hit Points back through natural healing (if you want, I can roll for you). The wagon accommodates two riders, and someone will need to actually work the reins which Coulson can't do until he heals at least 1HP. I wouldn't say that working the wagon is the same as laying around resting and recovering, but sitting on a wagon holding the reins of a wagon pulled by two oxen that basically know what they're doing shouldn't be too strenuous, so if someone wants to drive the wagon and they don't run into any situations where they have to exert themselves, I'll allow them to make a natural healing roll as well. Who else, besides Coulson, is going to sit on the wagon and work the reins?
Oct 9, 2020 9:25 pm
Angel moves to the front of the wagon. Although weak from his wounds he still has enough strength to hold a set of reins and enough cognition to recognize where they are going. He expects Coulson will need to stay as still as possible for the journey. He signals Sisgter Alice that he is ready to proceed.
Oct 10, 2020 12:15 am
Alice leads the wagon on foot and keeps a keen eye out for signs of danger.
OOC:
I would think we finish out today's regular march of 12 miles and then pull a forced March tomorrow to finish the last 18 in one shot since we can then rest all day at an inn and minimize random encounters.Oct 10, 2020 7:03 am
OOC:
DM,I’m happy for you to make those rolls for me, though I can’t speak for anyone elseOct 10, 2020 6:36 pm
OOC:
I messed up a slight bit. The party can normally walk at 12 miles a day, except decent roads give you a 50% faster, so your party actually can move 18 miles a day, and 24 on a forced march, but I assume you don't want to do a forced march today and have to rest for a full 24 hours tomorrow, so I'll proceed like you stop at the 18-mile mark and someone can correct me if that's not the case.
Yellow: Distance covered.
Green: Distance remaining.
Red: Encounter with the gnolls.
Stopping on side of the road you look around at your surroundings. The road cuts through the Kron Hills. The hills are more prevalent on their right, to the west, and gradually begin to recede a bit to the east, where you believe they they eventually meet the edge of the Gnarley Forest. The immediate landscape around you is of grassy plains with another very tiny stream that runs beside of the road which likely came from underground somewhere.
OOC:
Is anyone taking turns standing watch tonight, or is everyone sleeping through.Rolls
Secret Roll
load next