Tomb of the Forlorn Disciple

The small Runeling paces down the street toward the markets. She has her nose in a tiny book, barley looking up from the pages as she steps around a pile of dung carelessly left by a merchant's horse. She pulls a bit of charcoal out her pouch and marks a note to herself. She is going over her interview notes. This attack was the only thing people in town were talking about, but every eye witness account was different, at least in some details. Prestia was beginning to suspect that some of them might even be third hand retellings at best. Some may even be complete fabrications stitched together from several different tales. One drunkard had even claimed the daughter went willingly. That the villain was in fact her real father, a sheep herder from a farm on the opposite side of town. The man claimed the farmer had worn a costume and fooled everyone with parlor tricks. The drunkard said it was an inside job. The mayor's wife was planning to escape and elope with her paramour.

Whatever the case, the mayor was paying to have Prestia and her party to go to the Tomb and find the girl. So she was looking for information and supplies. She was on her way to the market to get some food that would keep for the travel. Dried fruits and cheese she hoped because that was her favorite. And supposedly the merchant who had the freshest supply had also recently been in the Wandering Forest. Hopefully his information would help the party get through the woods easier.

Apr 12, 2021 12:43 pm

OOC:

Not sure if my character was accepted, but I can't post with it :(

Lolz has lived in the Wandering Forest until she was forced to escape into town. She know, first-hand, how bad it can be so she decides to find out more information. Any new rumors can help the mission, but also help her get back to her peaceful studies (and maybe recover some scrolls she forgot to take!). And so she made it to the places where information is exchanged, starting her pub crawl all over the city. Someone was bond to know about this villain and the tomb. Whoever he was, and whatever was going on there, was likely to be related with the problem plaguing the forest.

Last edited April 26, 2021 8:42 pm

Apr 26, 2021 8:00 pm

The town seems to be at odds with one another as the mystery of this crisis grows older. People are worried if the mysterious villain will return to take more young women or even to raise the town. The militia is gathered but feels they need to stay close to home and defend the town.

Information is easy to come by for the outsiders, everyone is willing to help. Prestaria finds the rations and sundries she needs along with a tent to make camp and firemaking tools. The last merchant to make it through gives some directions on how he made it through. And warns to be careful, there were some strange noises he heard in there, and it felt like he was being watched. He didn't bother to make a map, so he says to go straight until you can't anymore, then take the next left, then the right after that. He feels that should get her about halfway to the Tomb.

Lolz hears information and rumors in the taverns that this may not be the first time this has happened. No one really remembers but it's been an old wives tale for generations that someone, on occasion, comes out of the woods and takes a young woman with them, back to the temple. Nothing has been done about it before, but maybe this time it will. She also hears from some old-timers hanging around in the town center that they remember the Wandering Forest acting up when they were children, long ago. THe paths seemed to change more often and the wildlife was more and more deadly.

So the ladies stand ready at the entrance to forest supplied, informed and capable.

Apr 28, 2021 9:07 am

Lolz meets with Prestaria at the entrance of the forest they have lived in for a couple of years. So this kidnapping young women seems to be a thing from time to time. Could it be related with the tales of the Wandering Forest acting up? Well, she couldn't get back to her life of study until this thing is sorted, so there is no point in overthinking it. "Any clue were we are going P. ?" she asks Prestaria smiling and starting to (aimlessly) walk into the forest.

May 10, 2021 7:53 am

"Holy ancient powers of the wilds! It seems like we lost the rune girl!"

Jun 1, 2021 5:08 pm

As Lolz takes her first few steps into the woods, alone but unafraid, she looks around.

She stands in a clearing about 30 ft in diameter. Straight ahead is thick brush and foliage, almost impossible to blaze a path through. But to the north and the south, there are paths. Both paths are blocked by debris, but they can be moved. To the north, there's a tangle of thick thorny weeds and to the south is an arrangement of heavy logs, to be either shifted and moved or crawled under and through.

OOC:

We'll just dive in with some simple rolls here. Build your dice pool based on each set of dice arrays (physical, monk, Use a Power) and explain narratively how each of those aspects help you Lolz get passed the obstacle.

Jun 2, 2021 8:07 am

OOC:

Going easy is a great idea since we're both testing the system :D

"Strange, this wasn't here last time ..." Lolz comments to herself, friendless as she is now :D
She decides to take the south path, mostly because there was no storm in the area, so she wonders what happened here. She takes a moment to look at the logs, noticing they are haphazardly placed on top of each other. If someone did this, it was a lame and rushed job. Instead of moving them, which would take a lot of effort and time, she tries to craw under some of the openings she can see.

[ +- ] Rolling

Last edited June 2, 2021 8:10 am

Rolls

crawl - (1d8)

(1) = 1

Jun 2, 2021 6:43 pm

OOC:

Yeah. Exactly.

Rolling:
1.When you roll, you can actually make a choice and use one die from each trait group on your sheet, as long as you can justify it narratively. And it's always at least 3 die rolled (but up to the total number of groups we have, 5 for us in this game I think).
2. Then you compare to the difficulty value I put out, I'll roll for that shortly.
3. You select 3 die from the pool, sum two of them (these are called Challenge Die) and the third is the Effect die. The sum should be over the difficulty I rolled to succeed, and the effect die tells how well you succeed (if it matters, some things are pass/fail, some aren't and we'll get to those). The number on the effect die doesn't matter, just the die type (d4-d6-d8-d10-d12)
4. If you roll a one, I'll offer to give you a PP if you take some sort of complication (I'm always open to suggestions for those)
5. Rolling 5 over the difficulty is a heroic success and that steps up the effect die by one.

For example, If I were you, it'd be something like one of these:

Rolling example 1 - Crawling:
Physical - d8, Monk - d8, Move - d8, Stick with runes - d6

Lolz has always felt at home in her own and with being Physical. Her training as a Monk and their ascetic lifestyle has only sharpened her physicality and so getting down and crawling are Movements, that she's used to. She'll use her Rune Stick from time to time to get leverage and perhaps clear the area as she moves between the logs.

Or

Rolling example 2 - Magic
Mental -d8, Monk-d8, Nature Whisper -d8, Focus -d6, Rune Stick - d6

Seeing the blocked path in her way, Lolz smiles to herself. She Focuses her thoughts and points her Mentality at the logs. She allows Nature to Whisper to her and her back to it, listening for the logs and the grass around them. Her time as a Monk has taught her to cherish this knowledge and cultivated it's use. Finally, after whispering and discussing with Nature itself, Lolz asks the logs to move themselves and for the grass and ground itself to help.

Both of these have something selected from "Physical, Mental, Social", "Distinctions", "Skills" then a power or special asset.

The difficulty I rolled was a 4, so your Challenge Die need to sum over that. For Crawl I'd do a 11(8+3), and keep a d8 Effect die. And Offer a complication like " I make it through, the the logs fall down behind me so I can't go back that way". The 11 is over 5 over the difficulty so my effect die becomes a d10

For Magic i'd do 13(7+6) and keep the d8 effect die. The 13 is over 5 over the difficulty so my effect die becomes a d10

So go ahead and reroll with that in mind.

Rolls

Crawl example - (1D8, 1d8, 1d8, 1d6)

1D8 : (8) = 8

1d8 : (8) = 8

1d8 : (3) = 3

1d6 : (1) = 1

Magic example - (1D8, 1d8, 1d8, 1d6, 1d6)

1D8 : (7) = 7

1d8 : (6) = 6

1d8 : (5) = 5

1d6 : (4) = 4

1d6 : (3) = 3

Difficulty for getting around logs (2d6) - (2d6)

(13) = 4

Jun 3, 2021 8:14 am

OOC:

Oh damn! I think I only half -re-read the rules :(

Aegis says:

And Offer a complication like " I make it through, the the logs fall down behind me so I can't go back that way". The 11 is over 5 over the difficulty so my effect die becomes a d10

OOC:

Not sure I understood the assign/take/gain complication

Aegis says:

Nature Whisper -d8, Focus -d6, Rune Stick - d6

OOC:

Do I have PP to use Nature Whisper? Also, the Focus is Knowledge Nature... I thought that would be d8+d6, otherwise, why not just roll Knowledge?

[ +- ] Roll

Lolz decides to take the south path, mostly because there was no storm in the area, so she wonders what happened here.

"Strange, this wasn't here last time ..." she tells herself, though Lolz has lived in the Wandering Forest long enough to understand it is a slowly changing, sometimes even moody, physical space. But Lolz's monastic training was not limited to the intellectual arts. Body and mind work as one and she constantly challenges herself, her body having become dexterous and flexible like an acrobat. It would take more than a blocked path to stop her from getting to the Tomb.

She takes a moment to look at the logs, noticing they are haphazardly placed on top of each other. If someone did this, it was a lame and rushed job. She moves gracefully through the gaps, instinctively activating the magical runes in her staff, which pulses releasing faint waves of energy, freezing the logs in place.

Last edited June 3, 2021 8:30 am

Rolls

Lolz'ing d'logs - (3d8, 1d6)

3d8 : (862) = 16

1d6 : (5) = 5

Jun 3, 2021 5:40 pm

OOC:

Ill explain the complication thing a little better when it pops up.

Good roll. So now you have to pick 3 die and tell me the sum of 2 of them, and the die type (d8 or d6 here) of the third. The sum should be over the 4 I rolled for difficulty. You have 4 die to choose from.

And you only need to spend a PP to activate the special effect, nor to use the magic/power

Jun 3, 2021 6:24 pm

Aegis says:

Good roll. So now you have to pick 3 die and tell me the sum of 2 of them, and the die type (d8 or d6 here) of the third.

CESN says:

So I can pick 6+5 for the challenge and keep a d8 as effect die?
This is a Great success so I gain a hero die (how many sides?) and effect die moves up to d10

OOC:

I think is hidden there :D

Jun 4, 2021 4:48 pm

OOC:

I forgot to say that you start the game with a PP as well.
For the heroic success, you're right about everything you said in there. And the die that you take and keep is your original Effect Die, d8

Lolz moves between the logs with a smoothness and grace only the smallest of forest creatures possess.

On the otherside of those logs, she's confronted with a path winding south.
Any step to the left or right off this clear path is met with an almost unimaginable density of jungle or thorns that are thoroughly uninviting and seemingly dangerous. Is it the magic of the Wandering Forest?

There's a small path appearing to lead to the west, near her but farther down south is another bend to the west.

[ooc]Lolz is the little star [ooc]

Jun 7, 2021 7:50 am

Aegis says:

Lolz is the little star

https://media1.giphy.com/media/uw0KpagtwEJtC/200.gif

Last edited June 7, 2021 7:50 am

Jun 7, 2021 7:56 am

Lolz looks around trying to figure out where the tomb would be. Definitely the Forest is not like it was last time she was here. The shift time is compressing faster than she expected. As such, she will follow the strangest path, the path winding south. That growth doesn't seem natural to her, as if something wanted to keep people from following it.

Jun 10, 2021 1:38 pm

OOC:

lol. I forgot all about Meowth.

Is Lolz keeping her eyes open for secret paths or perhaps traps? Is is she just brazenly walking through looking for the most direct path and relying on her reflexes and intuition to get her out of trouble?

If she is keeping her eyes open and being cautious, roll me a perception roll for this stretch of woods. At least 3 dice.

Whatever you feel is appropriate and you can narrate, but I would probably do Mental + Elf + Notice.

As Lolz moves down the path in the woods and swings in a westerly direction, she notices a little path north, covered with brambles but seemingly passable if she wants, she moves a bit farther down the track and sees what appears to be a T shaped corridor that dead ends.

It's possible she's missing something though.

Jun 11, 2021 8:05 am

OOC:

Yeah, she will be paying attention to her surroundings as it looks strange.
So Mental - d8, Elf - d8, Know: d8, Special Nature: d6, A stick with runes - d6

Lolz moves deeper into the dense woods, paying attention to her strange surroundings (mental d8). Though she looks young, her elven live has been a long one and she carefully recalls her experiences with magical enchantments and her recent life in the Wandering Forest (elf d8). She is counting on her vast knowledge and understanding of nature (Know: d8, Nature: d6) to notice anything out of the ordinary, simultaneously attuning her staff to flow of energy, its runes glowing faintly like dancing fireflies, as she tries to discern magical from natural effects (stick with runes - d6).

OOC:

d8s -> 2, 2, 8; d6s -> 6,6
I'll keep the d8(8) and d6(6) for roll and d6(6) for effect

Last edited June 11, 2021 8:06 am

Rolls

A Mental Elf Knows Nature with a Stick - (3d8+2, 1d6)

3d8+2 : (228) + 2 = 14

1d6 : (6) = 6

adding stick - (1d6)

(6) = 6

Jun 11, 2021 2:27 pm

OOC:

Good narration. I like it. 14 with a d6 effect. Gotcha. Sorry, I accidentally hid my rolls, but you rolled over everything, good job.

Lolz walks, keeping her head down and eyes moving. Constantly aware.

Doing so works well for her as her elfish eyes and instincts tell her that in the middle of the path ahead, with space to move around the sides, is a trap. What kind, she's not sure without further investigation, but definitely something to be wary about.

She also noticed that a strange and unnatural, or at least non consistent density at two points in the seeming wall of brush and woods. One is at the end of the dead end T to the west facing north. The other a few feet away from the path to the north she saw earlier, probably just a second entrance into the same area of the woods, the two paths converging shortly after.

Where will she go next?

n = trap
$ = secret doors you found

Rolls

Secret Roll

Jun 14, 2021 8:52 am

A trap here? she thinks to herself as she tries to figure out if it could be an old, long forgotten hunter's trap. She doesn't spent much time trying to figure out the trap as her attention is caught by the dense wall of brush and woods. Clearly, someone, or something, doesn't one people going there. Though older than most, she is just out of her teenage elven years. And you don't tell a teenager she can't go places.

OOC:

taking the secret path a few feet away from the path to the north

Jun 21, 2021 7:05 pm

As Lolz goes through the path of the woods, taking her time, she can see a clearing opening ahead. Before she steps through the thick brush into the clearing, she looks around.

On the far side of the clearing, there's another path leading into the wood, out of the clearing. On all sides, there's some shrubbery that could be used to conceal herself or something that. It's covers about 10 feet out away from the impossibly dense wood that walls the rest of the forest, allowing for some maneuverability.

In the center of the clearing is a goblin, building a fire and staring at the path next to Lolz, the more obvious path into the clearing. Had she taken that route, she probably would have been seen. But as of now she remains hidden.

OOC:

So what would you like to do? Whatever you want so long as it makes sense. You could fight, sneak or try to talk to and befriend the goblin. He doesn't appear to be much of a challenge.

Jun 22, 2021 8:37 am

OOC:

By the way, have you seen the post about using maps?

Seeing the goblin at the center of the strange clearing, Lolz stops and waits to see what the creature is up to. When she notices the fire, she wonders is this is a camping site, or just a brief stop for resting. However, it is likely that there are more goblins around, which could provide more information about the forest. She decide to hide and wait to see if they are friendly or not before showing herself

OOC:

Ok so hiding...
Physical -d8, Monk - d8, Sneak -d4, A stick with runes - d6

Not sure how the fey power works:
Nature's shape - d8 - Step up a non-beneficial die (fight) (?) to gain Shapeshift (any animal form)

Quickly focusing on the magic from her staff (stick), Lolz activates the runes to muffle sound around her as she slowly moves (phys) trying to sneak (sneak) past the goblin into the shrubberies, where she will wait and patiently (monk) wait out to figure out what the goblin is up to. As she does so, her body automatically starts to change into a little forest rodent (fey power) blending into the local wild life

OOC:

3d8 - ( 1, 6, 3 )
1d6 - ( 3 )
1d4 - ( 2 )

So I'll keep the d8=6 and d6=3 (total of 9 )and a d8 as effect die

Last edited June 22, 2021 8:39 am

Rolls

Roll - (3d8, 1d6, 1d4)

3d8 : (163) = 10

1d6 : (3) = 3

1d4 : (2) = 2

Jun 28, 2021 7:11 pm

OOC:

Thanks for that link. I'll check it out soon. I didn't see that.

The goblin pokes along, clearing and gathering sticks around the fire, setting a place to sit, rummaging through a small bag it keeps on him and occasionally eating.

It seems like the goblin is mostly watching that one path and waiting for someone to come up it.

OOC:

He got an 8 for his notice, so Lolz is still safe. Keep the 4 and 4, d6 effect.

Basically the fey magic just does whatever we think Fey Magic should do. So I think what you rolled and described here is perfect! In combat, it looks like her power would be to spend a PP to automatically shape shift.

As far as she can tell, it doesn't seem as if he's waiting for another goblin or trying to set up a permanent camp. Lolz experience in traveling and researching makes her think the goblin is just waiting for an unsuspecting adventurer to stumble into it's clearing for the goblin to attack them. And by the end of the evening or some other amount of time, it will probably head back to camp or a more permanent residence.

Could that place be outside of the Forest? Probably. So Lolz could wait and try to follow him out, perhaps. Or he may lead deeper into the woods.

OOC:

So you rolled a one on your roll, at this point we can complication to trade for a PP. You don't have to take it, but it adds a few narrative wrinkles that can be fun. In the spirit of a collaborative game, we can both come up with some suggestions as to what may be a good and believable complication. I'd say that maybe Lolz's transformation isn't perfect, and she's a little larger than she should be, making stealth as an animal a little harder. Meaning you'd add a d4 die to your rolls, since this is a minor complication. Are you interested in taking this complication for a PP or do you have something to suggest?

Rolls

Goblin notice - (3d6)

(442) = 10

Jun 29, 2021 10:08 am