Part 5: Return to the Moathouse Ruins

Apr 9, 2021 8:51 pm

Mal quickly dismounts and assumes a battle stance,

"Eyes up lads! Something is spooking the horses and it probably doesn't want to be friends!"

Apr 9, 2021 9:42 pm

Eltrezar, not nearly as battle-trained as his mount, stumbles down from the horse. His eyes, still keen despite his advanced age, dart around to find the source of the noise. A dagger appears in his hand, plain in design rather than his new bejeweled blade. Without drawing attention to himself, he begins to move towards the center of the group.

"Mosquito? I haven't seen them this large in this region. Stirge? Regardless, be on guard!"

Apr 10, 2021 12:04 am

Bors slides off the horse, drawing his sword, and grabbing his shield in one fluid motion. "Fear not, you have Bors with you now. Even more fortunately, my sword is named Bugbane and has sent many such insects to the tiny beyond."

OOC:

Narrator: his sword name changes to be relevant to whatever monster Bors is currently fighting.

Apr 10, 2021 2:28 am

Gilly claps Timber on the neck, and rubs her, trying to sooth the panicking pony.

"Shhhhh now. Shhhh...

She dismounts and draws her bow, just in case. Though she wonders if she could hit an insect with it. Better to simply shoo them away!

Apr 10, 2021 4:27 pm

"Heh heh... Tiny beyond"

Mal winks at Bors with a chuckle,

"Good one."

Apr 10, 2021 5:07 pm

As you prepare for whatever might be coming a couple of things happen:
First, Maloria suddenly hears the buzzing sound dart towards her, stopping only inches from her face from the sounds of it, a light breeze blows against her face and she instinctively pulls her head back from the unseen creature in time to hear a light swooshing in front of her, and she's sure she may have narrowly but accidentally dodged some sort of attack.
Meanwhile, as the others scan the air around them, Bors notices a number of largish dark shadows darting around on the ground near your own shadows' heads. They appear to be similar to what a humming bird's shadow would look like in respect to their flight pattern, but gauging by the shadows, they are much larger than a humming bird. Possibly the size of a loaf of bread and humanoid-ish in their distorted shadows' shapes. Six of them dart in and out in a manner that would suggest they are possibly aggressive, possibly tentative to approach, possibly curious, but somewhat hostile.
The man you hired from the trading post silently draws his longsword.

Rolls

Secret Roll

Angel Wisdom roll - (1d20)

(16) = 16

Gilly Wisdom roll - (1d20)

(10) = 10

Eltrezar Wisdom roll - (1d20)

(12) = 12

Maloria Wisdom roll - (1d20)

(15) = 15

Bors Wisdom roll - (1d20)

(9) = 9

Man-at-Arms Wisdom roll - (1d20)

(8) = 8

Apr 11, 2021 6:05 am

"Does anyone else see these strange shadows? They seem a little unfriendly. Probably they sense my martial prowess and my sword, Shadowreaver."

Apr 11, 2021 7:01 am

One of them talks a lot. And one of them doesn’t talk at all... Gilly ponders at the new additions to their party.

"Plenty of shadows to swing at once we arrive, Bors! I’m glad we have someone here equipped to deal with them!" Gilly teases!

She draws her bow to fire on the next blur she sees!

Apr 12, 2021 3:36 am

OOC:

Make me a Wisdom roll with a penalty of 4, Gilly...

Apr 12, 2021 5:13 am

OOC:

Gillh had a low Wis on 9 at the best of times.

OOC:

Cool.

Last edited April 12, 2021 5:13 am

Rolls

1d20-4

(5) - 4 = 1

Apr 12, 2021 8:00 pm

OOC:

Actually when you make an Attribute check you want to roll equal or under the Attribute in question, so when there's a penalty applied, you add whatever your penalty is. So in this case, there was a penalty of 4, so you add 4 to your roll and hope to still roll equal under your Wisdom. In any case, it was a good roll as (5) + 4 = 9. You still passed!

As Gilly dismounts and readies her bow she stops focusing on the shadows on the ground and looks into the air around her. She notices what could best be described as a "shimmering" in the air at times, similar to the wavering haze that causes a hot object to warp the field of view around it. Many of these "shimmerings" seem to start focusing centrally on the silent man you've recently hired.
Those still paying attention watch as many of the shadows around the ground seem to gravitate around the man's shadow as well when again you hear the rapid buzzing and something whizzes by the Trading Post Man's face. He instinctively ducks back as Maloria did, but this time he lashes out with his longsword. In response to the man's attack, from the air around you a number of tiny enraged screeches emanate, though the exact location of their source is nearly impossible as they are invisible.

OOC:

Round 1 begins! I don't think we need a battlemap for the moment, on account of the fact that these assailants can't be seen at the moment anyway, so for now we'll just run this one theater of the mind. If that changes, I'll provide one as needed.

Turn order for Round 1 is as follows:
1. Maloria (7)
2. Angel, #2, #6 (5)
3. Bors, #4 (4)
4. Gilly, #1, #3, #5 (3)
5. Eltrezar, Man-at-Arms (2)
6. #4 (1)

Rolls

Secret Roll

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(4) + 1 = 5

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(1) + 2 = 3

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(3) - 1 = 2

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(6) + 1 = 7

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Attacker #1 Initiative roll - (1d6)

(3) = 3

Attacker #2 Initiative roll - (1d6)

(5) = 5

Attacker #3 Initiative roll - (1d6)

(3) = 3

Attacker #4 Initiative roll - (1d6)

(1) = 1

Attacker #5 Initiative roll - (1d6)

(3) = 3

Attacker #6 Initiative roll - (1d6)

(5) = 5

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Apr 12, 2021 9:26 pm

Mal focuses as hard as she can on the sound of the wings as they dart about, trying to judge the creatures locations between the sun and their shadows. She lashes out with her hammer when one draws near enough...

Rolls

Attack - (1d20+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Damage - (1d6+1)

(6) + 1 = 7

Apr 13, 2021 2:25 pm

The unseen source of the noise easily dodges the heavy weapon's swing.

OOC:

Round 1 continues.
1. Maloria (7)
--> 2. Angel, #2, #6 (5)
3. Bors, #4 (4)
4. Gilly, #1, #3, #5 (3)
5. Eltrezar, Man-at-Arms (2)
6. #4 (1)

Apr 13, 2021 2:32 pm

OOC:

Havent seen Aldrusian in any of my other games for a loooong while. I don’t know if we’ll see Angel post any time soon.

Apr 14, 2021 6:07 pm

OOC:

Oh no, really? Let me go back and check when the last time he posted here was...

...Looks line March 29th, but in early March he said he got all his vaccines and he had plans to visit his kids and grandkids coming up. Could still be doing that.

Are we all good with DM roleplaying Angel in limited capacity as per abandoned PC protocol until we hear from Aldrussian again or decide he left us?

Apr 14, 2021 11:48 pm

OOC:

he posted recently-ish in our Conan game...

Apr 15, 2021 10:51 pm

OOC:

To keep the story going, I think the DM playing out Angel's actions is fair. Combat is slow enough as is.

Apr 16, 2021 2:44 am

OOC:

Alright, then I'll post a basic attack for Angel and the other enemies in the turn order first thing in the morning and when Aldrusian returns he'll be back in the mix.

Apr 16, 2021 12:36 pm

OOC:

Yeah, especially considering how it’s been three days since Angel’s turn started.

Apr 16, 2021 2:20 pm

OOC:

Gonna go ahead and roll mine now so I don't hold up the flow.

Bors swings at the strange mobile heat mirages!

Rolls

Sword attack - (1d20+2)

(18) + 2 = 20

Sword damage - (1d8+2)

(7) + 2 = 9

Apr 16, 2021 4:54 pm

Angel fires his bow at a shimmering shadow, but the arrow fails to hit anything substantial.
Meanwhile two unseen enemies fly at the group and attack. Gilly hears one buzz nearby and swipe at her face, as does Eltrezar, though neither of them hit their targets and they seem to flutter back again.

OOC:

Unless there's a specific reason an enemy would single out a specific PC, or the number of PC engaged in combat changes, Target Selection for this combat will be as follows:
1=Angel; 2=Gilly; 3=Eltrezar; 4=Maloria; 5=Bors; 6=Man-at-Arms

Rolls

Angel Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20+2, 1d6)

1d20+2 : (13) + 2 = 15

1d6 : (2) = 2

#2 Target Selection Roll, Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d6, 1d20, 1d4)

1d6 : (2) = 2

1d20 : (9) = 9

1d4 : (4) = 4

#6 Target Selection Roll, Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d6, 1d20, 1d4)

1d6 : (3) = 3

1d20 : (3) = 3

1d4 : (2) = 2

Apr 16, 2021 5:07 pm

Bors on his part takes a moment and finds a disruption in the air nearby and slashes out with his sword. He feels the blade strike and a spray of blood hits his companions as something wet smacks the ground at the party's feet. Looking down they see the now visible and cleaved-in-half body of a 2-foot tall pixie, aged and quite large for her species, struggling to pull it's final agonal gasps of air into lungs now severed cleanly open, before falling still and dead.
Around you you hear enraged shrieking from the remaining invisible creatures at witnessing the death of one of their own, who by appearance may have been an elder amongst her kind. The buzzing of pixie wings becomes even more frantic, and another one attacks, this time going after Maloria, who hears a *CLANG* off her breastplate before the pixie, still invisible retreats.

OOC:

Round 1 continues! Turn order is as follows:
1. Maloria (7)
2. Angel, #2, #6 (5)
3. Bors, #4 (4)
--> 4. Gilly, #1, #3, #5 (3)
5. Eltrezar, Man-at-Arms (2)
6. #4 (1)

Rolls

Bors Target Selection roll - (1d6)

(3) = 3

Secret Roll

Pixie #4 Target Selection roll, Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d6, 1d20, 1d4)

1d6 : (4) = 4

1d20 : (16) = 16

1d4 : (3) = 3

Apr 16, 2021 5:31 pm

As much as she would prefer not to fight the fayfolk, Mal feels that she is committed at this point and must press the attack. She lashes out with hammer and shield at the invisible sprites, the act making her feel a bit ill.

"I'm sorry ya daft little buggers but ya came at us first!"

Rolls

Attack - (1d20+1)

(11) + 1 = 12

Damage - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Apr 16, 2021 5:55 pm

OOC:

Maloria isn't up right now; Gilly is. But somehow #4 made it onto the turn order twice as well and should only get to take their turn last this round after rolling a 1 for Initiative. So, I'm going to keep #4's failed attack roll for when it's actually their turn, and for roleplaying/storytelling purposes we can just say #4 dived in and got inconsequential swing on Maloria, who made an inconsequential retaliation back at it with her hammer.

Also, while we wait for Gilly's turn, let's get an Intelligence roll from Mal.

Apr 16, 2021 11:35 pm

Gilly sends an arrow at the sound of some shrieking. She may not see them all that well, but she can hear just about fine! She lets it fly!

Last edited April 16, 2021 11:36 pm

Rolls

1d20+2

(14) + 2 = 16

1d6

(2) = 2

Apr 17, 2021 4:09 am

In the fray, Eltrezar tries to call out to his companions to lay down their arms. "Wait, my friends! Shaped like men, they can be reasoned with! Sheathe your..."

His words are cut off by one of the little shit's trying to stab him. Immediately, the dagger in his hand is flung at the next shimmering form to fly past his field of vision. Unfortunately, the speed at which these creatures flitted around kept him unbalanced, and his dagger flew off into the field. In the fray, the wizard hopes only to be able to find the blade again after the struggle ends.

Seeing how ineffective his throw was, he bolts out of the combat zone, hoping to stay alive long enough to take one of these creatures down.

OOC:

I was hoping to talk our way out of this, but we all went ham on these... things!

Heading out to some tulip festival for the weekend, and probably hitting up a lake. I'll be back Monday morning, hopefully without requiring a death save.

Last edited April 17, 2021 4:15 am

Rolls

Attack - (1d20)

(14) = 14

Damage - (1d4)

(1) = 1

Apr 17, 2021 4:06 pm

Gilly's arrow misses and two more pixies dart in to attack the party. One goes after Angel, but narrowly misses.
The other seems to go after Gilly, as a reaction to her attack but also misses.
Eltrezar takes a moment to plead for peace among all involved but at the first sign of aggression he heaves a dagger that sails into the tallgrass alongside the road.
The silent Man-at_Arms swings his sword at a shimmer which easily darts away, and the pixie Maloria has been struggling with ducks in and *CLANG*s off her armor again.

OOC:

Have fun, cowleyc!

Rolls

Pixie #1 Target Selection roll, Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d6, 1d20, 1d4)

1d6 : (1) = 1

1d20 : (13) = 13

1d4 : (2) = 2

Pixie #5 Target Selection roll, Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d6, 1d20, 1d4)

1d6 : (2) = 2

1d20 : (9) = 9

1d4 : (4) = 4

Man-at-Arms Attack roll; Damage roll - (1d20, 1d8)

1d20 : (3) = 3

1d8 : (3) = 3

Apr 17, 2021 4:17 pm

OOC:

Round 1 ends with 1 dead Pixie, and no injuries to the party. Round 2 begins! Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Gilly, Bors (7)
2. Angel, #5 (6)
3. #1, #2 (5)
4. Maloria, Man-at-Arms (3)
5. #4, #6 (2)
6. Eltrezar (0)

Rolls

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(5) + 2 = 7

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(6) + 1 = 7

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(3) = 3

Pixie #1 Initiative roll - (1d6)

(5) = 5

Pixie #2 Initiative roll - (1d6)

(5) = 5

Pixie #4 Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Pixie #5 Initiative roll - (1d6)

(6) = 6

Pixie #6 Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(1) - 1 = 0

Apr 17, 2021 10:44 pm

Gilly winces as she sees the arrow sail into the distance, likely never to be retrieved. She takes a chance with another arrow at one of the pixies!

Rolls

1d20+2

(17) + 2 = 19

1d6

(6) = 6

Apr 18, 2021 12:01 am

"Ah ha! I have cleaved one of these tiny creatures in twain! Someone, tell me the name of these sneaky pests so that I can add yet another moniker to my trusty sword!" Bors slashes out at another blurry shape.

OOC:

Woohoo!

Last edited April 18, 2021 12:02 am

Rolls

Sword attack - (1d20+2)

(20) + 2 = 22

Sword damage - (1d8+2)

(2) + 2 = 4

Apr 18, 2021 4:09 pm

Gilly fires an arrow and it comes almost to a dead halt mid air and falls to the ground, another pixie suddenly appearing, skewered on the end of the shaft. Bors swings his sword and feels the tip of it connect with a shimmering spot of air, and blood suddenly spatters the area around the party.
The rage exhibited in reaction to Gilly's killing of another of their own, furthered by Bors's grievous wounding of another increases, the sound both pathetic and unsettling at the same time, but the shimmering warping spots in the air around you retreat, well out of melee range, and one by one the pixies become visible and drop to the tallgrass around the party. Three of them remain unscathed while another, presumably the one Bors just struck, squats in the grass, an ugly wound opened up in it's abdomen.
In a language none in the party understand, the pixies holler and shout, tears filling their eyes and streaming down their tiny faces as they shake small fists and daggers at you.
After a moment they begin turning invisible again and you hear their wings again buzzing as they take flight. Two of them rush to their fallen companions and pick them up and flutter away to safety. Another buzzes once or twice more at the silent Man-at-Arms and retreats well out of range before the man can lash out with his long sword. You hear the sounds of their rapidly beating wings get quieter and quieter until the only sound is of your heavy breathing and a number of birds singing in the tallgrass.

OOC:

Success??? Unless you wish to give chase, a difficult task considering they're nearly impossible to see while they remain invisible, you have defeated the Pixies by way of retreat. While there is no treasure to be harvested from this encounter, all XP is awarded as if you had killed them.

Rolls

Gilly Target Selection roll - (1d5)

(2) = 2

Bors Target Selection roll - (1d5)

(3) = 3

Pixie Morale roll - (2d6)

Apr 18, 2021 7:41 pm

Mal feels sick the her stomach at the sight of the tearful fairies and let's her hammer slump.

"They were the fae folk. Pixies I believe, and it is bad luck to hurt them."

Apr 19, 2021 12:12 am

Bors feels a little bad, but then remembers the pixies screeched at the party, hurting their ears. "Well now they know it is bad luck to attack Bors the Fighter and his trusty blade, Pixiepoker."

Apr 19, 2021 2:39 pm

With the enemy withdrawn, Eltrezar starts poking around the tall grass to find the discarded dagger. It is possible to hear his grumbling about stabbing first and talking second, when a mighty wizard should be able to use the magic of language to disarm his enemies and diffuse combat.

"Perhaps we should continue before any more innocents are struck down by Bors' blade." His words are harsh, but seem formed from frustration at the situation rather than an actual anger at the warrior.

Apr 19, 2021 9:15 pm

The wizard takes a moment to search the tallgrass and eventually finds the blade he threw. With the pixies seemingly gone, at least for the time being, the party mounts their animals and begin making their way to the moathouse ruins. By around 11 or 11:30 they arrive at their destination and stand staring at the damaged gate.
To the right of the road the remains of the giant toads lie, now starting to bloat with gasses despite the cool fall temperatures. A number of dead bandits lie at the gates as well, and appear to be undisturbed from when you last left them.

Rolls

Secret Roll

Apr 19, 2021 11:07 pm

Ahrm! "Well, my companions, we still have much daylight, but also much to explore here. Bors of the Strong Stomach, see about cutting open those frogs. They nearly ate us not but a few days past, and I suspect they may have succeeded on those less prepared. No use letting possible treasure rot away with the beasts." The wizard stays towards the middle of the group, happy to let them take the brunt of any ambush or surprise that may arise. He squints at the sun, noting his estimation of the time and weighing the options before him. One hand lies on his jeweled dagger.

Apr 19, 2021 11:13 pm

Dear gods that smell is unholy! What on *insert campaign world name* happened here?" Bors covers his nose and mouth with a hand. "You want me to what? What possible treasure could be in a frog's belly?"

Last edited April 19, 2021 11:13 pm

Apr 19, 2021 11:42 pm

"Given that they nearly swallowed one of us yesterday, you might at least find some poor fella’s armor and weapons swimming around in there. Who knows what else!"

Apr 20, 2021 3:42 am

Mal shrugs her shoulders and helps with the dissection of the frogs. It wasn't the most glamorous way to start out but every coin recovered would help the cause of good.

"After this, we have a secret door and a stairwell leading down to choose from. Any preference?"

Apr 20, 2021 5:34 am

Brigands, giant frogs, pixies, and more before? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were personally watched by some deity in the sky and making your lives difficult on purpose... Bors the Fighter looks up suspiciously at the sky before answering Mal's question. "The secret door. Secret doors hide secret treasure, which is always better than regular treasure."

Apr 20, 2021 2:04 pm

"We spent much time not long past investigating that secret door, and I worry we may waste more time on it yet again. I think we should instead focus our efforts on rechecking the rooms and then the staircase. I'm not saying it isn't worth our energy, just that we should prioritize clearing the dangers before spending another day on that secret door."

Apr 20, 2021 2:14 pm

"Wait, the secret door isn't opened? Why even mention it at all then?" Bors huffs in disappointment. "I am the newest member so I will bow to your experience and wisdom in this place."

Apr 20, 2021 2:24 pm

"Give it a few hours and you’ll be the oldest member, don’t worry!" Gilly keeps watch further in to the keep. Around where they lay Sister Alice out yesterday.

Apr 20, 2021 2:33 pm

OOC:

Did we find anything cutting open the frogs?

Apr 20, 2021 3:41 pm

You take turns opening the frogs abdomens, and steeling yourselves for the gust of fetid air that is released each time. The contents of the smaller giant toads are your standard fare of giant toad cuisine: mice, voles, a duck or two, and a number of smaller birds. The largest of the giant toads, however, holds a half digested skunk in it's stomach which adds to the reek or their already decomposing corpses. You're about to give up on the process when one of your hands falls upon a hard object about the size of a child's fist that makes digging around in this stench worth it. Pulling the object out, you find a large amethyst, sure to be worth some fine coin if taken to the right merchant.

https://static.scientificamerican.com/blogs/cache/file/3ADA2E33-3CC5-4E58-A4D5C2E19D2F4A6C.jpg

Apr 20, 2021 7:21 pm

"Let this be a lesson, swordsman. Never question a wizard."

Apr 21, 2021 12:53 am

Bors nods solemnly. "I will make sure to never ask you a question."

Apr 21, 2021 7:00 am

Surprisingly, the wizard chuckles at this remark. It is quickly covered by a cough, likely to maintain appearance. Hrmph! "Perhaps we should continue inside. There is a giant lizard with your blade's name on it." Despite urging the group to continue, he does not take the initiative himself to move.

Apr 21, 2021 8:44 am

"It must be truly terrifying to fight a creature that can see the future!" Bors wonders aloud to himself. Then he gives a small shrug. "Well, it will save me time from having to make one. I'll just have to remember to ask it for the name before it dies." Bors takes the lead despite not being familiar with this place, trusting someone will correct him if he enters unknown or dangerous territory.

Last edited April 21, 2021 8:44 am

Apr 21, 2021 9:00 am

Gilly cringes as the boisterous manner with which Bors saunters into the keep. She hopes that they all make it out again tonight, as she crosses the entrance to the keep, trailing behind the warrior.

"Thats where we found the snake, and her..." she gestures to the dwarf, before pointing to the right.

"And that’s where we entered, chasing the bandits out of the keep..." pouting to the top corner.

"And that way was the lizard." pointing left.

Apr 21, 2021 3:45 pm

Mal senses Gilly's lingering feelings of discontent at the loss of her friend and offers a sympathetic smile and a hand on the shoulder.

"You know, the afterlife is a marvelous place for someone who has served their god well, and it sounds like Sister Alice was a paragon of virtue. I am certain she is enjoying a rapture unlike anything we can know here on the ground. To serve the church is to KNOW you will be taken care of when you're gone."

Although she hadn't known Sister Alice, Mal knew that the cleric had left large shoes to fill. Mal just hoped she was up to the task.

Apr 21, 2021 5:14 pm

"She was indeed a warrior of great bravery and passion. But it must be said that one who lives by the sword, dies by the sword. I believe she is raising a stein at the right hand of Cuthbert right about now. But for those of us still on the mortal plane, we must keep our heads focused on the ground. Let us make haste in checking for any other swallowed treasure before heading down the stairs. The lizard and serpent were of adequate size, and perhaps the rats..." As happens often, Eltrezar's gruff demeanor shows a little remorse at the loss of his previous companions, but the slip is quickly controlled again.

Apr 21, 2021 10:38 pm

Gilly nods her head as Mal speaks. She has questions, but they could wait for an ale house later.

"Yes! We could check the rats! Though your dagger seems better suited to the job than a great big sword. Don’t you think?"

Gilly winks at Mal as she gets up to mischief.

Apr 22, 2021 12:00 am

"You want to cut open more beasties? Have you thought about becoming a taxidermist or butcher instead of an adventurer? Much safer professions and all the animals to cut open as your heart desires."

Apr 22, 2021 2:49 am

Ignoring the warrior who now held a massive gemstone, Eltrezar offers to check the rats if the rest of the group takes care of the larger beasts.

Apr 22, 2021 5:36 am

OOC:

Okay, so I have Eltrezar going to check the piles of rats. Is everyone going with him? Are you splitting the party to check other corpses?

Apr 22, 2021 12:18 pm

Gilly wouldn’t mind the chance to stick her short sword into the belly of that lizard that killed Alice. She figured it was safe enough, if the bandits hadn’t been disturbed and it was day time.

"Back in a minute!" she shouts, to no one.

Last edited April 22, 2021 12:18 pm

Apr 22, 2021 9:17 pm

Mal smiles at Gilly's clever jab and laughs. When she runs off to check the lizard, Mal follows after her.

Apr 23, 2021 3:17 am

@cowleyc: Eltrezar, heads to the old, picked-over storage room and starts grabbing rats, using his daggers to slit open their bellies. One after another their stomachs and digestive tracts turn out of be empty, likely explaining why the animals were so desperate to climb over top one anther to get into the killbox, simply to get a single bite from the party. By the time the wizard is finished he's got nothing to show for it but a handfuls of rotting rats the contents of slit open intestines and bladders.

@KCC69, dominion451: Gilly and Mal follow the wizard and continue on past the final unexplored room in this hallway, arriving in the room containing the Giant Lizard. A pile of rubble lays on the floor, having fallen from the ceiling, landing on beds and old crushed footlockers, indicating this room the remains of a barracks. More loose rubble hangs precariously above. Ignoring it, they find the lizard rotting where they felled it and the halfling begins cutting the monster open. After a brief expulsion of gasses, the halfling looks in and finds something hard and metal inside. Pulling it out and wiping it off on the leathery, scaled skin of the reptile, she finds in her a hand a very fine looking shield inside. Being too large to pass through the lizard's intestines, there's no telling how long it's been lodged in the creature's stomach, yet it seems entirely unscathed. Even the leather wrappings or the hand seem to have resisted the lizard's stomach acids.

Rolls

Secret Roll

Apr 23, 2021 5:34 am

Upon completing his task, the wizard moves to and waits by the final room. His bloody blade (the one that has stuck in several creatures by now, as opposed to the jeweled one) waits in his hand, still glistening. "Not a copper nor a tooth that wasn't rat. I hope you were more successful in your gastrological expedition bore more fruit."

To Bors, "It is a shame you weren't brave enough to add Rat-Gorer to the list of names your sword has been accumulating."

Apr 23, 2021 8:17 am

Bors laughs. "How scared you must be if you think it takes bravery to cut open dead rats. And judging by what you have to show for it, my time was better sent scratching my ass. Shall I open this door for you, old man?"

Apr 23, 2021 9:16 am

Gilly marvels at the shield, and holds it above her head!

"Shield!" she announces to the echoey ruin.

"Can anyone make some use of this? Too pretty to sell, seems like!"

Apr 23, 2021 2:26 pm

"Is it prettier than the one you just bought me in town?"

Apr 23, 2021 5:27 pm

OOC:

Gilly would know it's far prettier than the one she bought Bors in town.

Apr 24, 2021 11:35 am

"Quite a bit nicer, yes! Are you looking for a second shield from me today?" Gilly laughs, flicking lizard guck off of her hands! She passes the shield over if Bors looks to want it!

Apr 24, 2021 1:15 pm

Bors gladly takes the shield and admires the beauty of it. "I'll leave the shield you bought me here for now and we can maybe return it to the shop when we leave this place. I'm sure they have a 30 day exchange policy. You kept the receipt, right?" Bors says as he tries out his new shield, doing mock shield bashes and blocking invisible attacks complete with sound effects.

Apr 24, 2021 4:45 pm

Eltrezar waits patiently at the room as yet unexplored in this hallway. Besides the room in the south west corner as you enter the ruins over the rickety drawbridge, this is the last room on the ground level you have yet to explore. What is everyone else doing?

Apr 25, 2021 7:15 am

With his new shield in hand, Bors prepares to explore this new room with the wizard.

Apr 25, 2021 5:12 pm

OOC:

I assume Eltrezar and Bors are going to wait for the others to arrive, or do you wish to enter immediately?

Apr 25, 2021 6:14 pm

OOC:

Eltrezar plans on waiting, but he'll support Bors should the warrior kick down the door immediately.

Apr 25, 2021 7:14 pm

Now rejoined with Bors and Eltrezar, Mal prepares to enter the previously unexplored room with them. She shouts for the others to join them and once everyone arrives, they breech...

Apr 26, 2021 10:47 am

Gilly gathers around, bow at the ready. She’s set when they’re set. She’ll put an arrow in her bow, but wait to pull back if something jumps out

Apr 26, 2021 2:01 pm

When everyone is ready, Bors kicks open the door.

Apr 26, 2021 6:31 pm

With a crash the rotting door crashes open. Dust falls from the ceiling and walls at the disturbance of fresh air and you find before you what appears to be the moathouse kitchen. The remains of moldering foodstuffs and kitchen work tables are visible. A wooden cask sits near the fireplace on the north wall.

Apr 26, 2021 7:43 pm

As the wizard moves to check the cask (hoping that there is something potable and alcoholic inside), he tells his group, "Somebody check the stove. The heat from fire is often not enough to melt valuables, and is a common hiding spot for treasure. If we find nothing, there is still the room near the entrance to check before continuing on. This floor is almost clear, and there seems to be no sign of anything returning."

Apr 26, 2021 11:33 pm

Gilly nods, giving the cask a wide berth, almost waiting to see what happens next. She busies herself with looking around the room!

Apr 27, 2021 12:56 am

Bors checks the fireplace.

Apr 27, 2021 8:46 am

"Watch out for giant... snakes or bats or something! Perfect hiding spot for them!"

Last edited April 27, 2021 8:46 am

Apr 28, 2021 2:36 am

Just as Gilly shouts a warning to Eltrezar to beware giant creatures, the wizard foolishly opens the cask. As if summoned by the halfling herself, a giant tick suddenly lunges forth reaching for Eltrezar's outstretched hands!

The wizard just manages to get his hands clear before the hideous arachnid grabs hold of him.

OOC:

The Giant Tick misses on his Surprise attack! Round 1 begins! Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Maloria (7)
2. Man-at-Arms (6)
3. Giant Tick (5)
4. Eltrezar (4)
5. Angel, Gilly, Bors (3)
Maloria is currently in the hallway, but may run in the room and engage the creature id she wishes. Just let me know which space she will move to if that's the case.

Rolls

Giant Tick Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20, 1d4)

1d20 : (7) = 7

1d4 : (2) = 2

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(1) + 2 = 3

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(5) - 1 = 4

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(6) + 1 = 7

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(6) = 6

Giant Tick Initiative roll - (1d6)

(5) = 5

Apr 28, 2021 4:12 pm

"Ye Gods!" Mal exclaims as the hideous tic leaps at the wizard. She rushes to Eltrezar's defense brandishing her hammer...

Rolls

Attack - (1d20+1)

(15) + 1 = 16

Damage - (1d6+1)

(1) + 1 = 2

Apr 29, 2021 5:32 am

Maloria rushes to Eltrezar's side and swings her hammer down on the arachnid's head. It strikes it's target, but just barely, and the glancing strike tick seems more or less unperturbed with the hammer's blow.

OOC:

Without being given a specific grid coordinate to move Mal, I took an educated guess that she would move to N9. This will give a ranged attacker an angle to get at least one shot with an arrow with only a -1 penalty for cover (Eltrezar being slightly in the way), and still allow another melee fighter (Bors perhaps) to move in to N10 and attack later this round.

Meanwhile the as yet unnamed Man-at-Arms rushes into the room, and jumps up on the table on the east side of the room, runs the short length of it, and jumps down into the archer's arrow slot, positioning himself behind the tick. He then swings his longsword at the creature, which misses horribly.

OOC:

The Giant Tick is up next. With three different enemies engaged with it in melee combat, it will choose it's target randomly with a 1d3 roll: Eltrezar=1, Maloria=2, Man-at-Arms=3.

Still focused on the wizard that haphazardly disturbed it, the tick again reaches for Eltrezar, hoping to grab it with its forelegs and pull the juicy human into its ugly, saw-like proboscis, but again the wily wizard manages to keep himself from the monster's clutches.

OOC:

Round 1 continues! Turn order is as follows:
1. Maloria (7)
2. Man-at-Arms (6)
3. Giant Tick (5)
--> 4. Eltrezar (4)
5. Angel, Gilly, Bors (3)

Rolls

Secret Roll

Man-at-Arms Attack roll; Damage roll - (1d20, 1d8)

1d20 : (2) = 2

1d8 : (2) = 2

Giant Tick Target Selection roll, Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d3, 1d20, 1d4)

1d3 : (1) = 1

1d20 : (3) = 3

1d4 : (3) = 3

Apr 29, 2021 8:45 am

Bors cringes at the Man-at-Arms' horrible swing. "Dear gods, not like that, Cuthbert! Less elbow and more torso! The power comes from the hips!" He attempts to coach him helpfully.

Apr 29, 2021 8:52 am

OOC:

To think I paid good money for this guy. AND he wants 10%. Cheeky git!

Apr 29, 2021 3:18 pm

Eltrezar sputters as this creature suddenly emerges from the cask. "Egads, where in the nine hells did this blasted creature come from," he yells out to his companions, darting back through the doorway. Once he crosses the threshold, the wizard turns and flings a blade that had appeared in his hand somewhere during his movement. Only once he is in a safer position, "Drats, the wine must be spoiled by now."

OOC:

Strange. I added my rolls, but they aren't appearing for me. Might just be some forum lag. Nope, it's a matter of posting before my coffee. Swapping 'reason' and 'roll' was the problem.

Last edited April 29, 2021 3:32 pm

Rolls

Attack - (1d20-1)

(15) - 1 = 14

Damage - (1d4)

(3) = 3

Apr 29, 2021 4:06 pm

The Man-at-Arms gives Bors a look of annoyance, though whether it be in reaction to the chastisement or for being called Cuthbert is unclear. Meanwhile, the squishy mage retreats to the hallway and throws a dagger at the tick, which hits, but clatters uselessly off the not-quite-insect's immensely hard, chitinous, exoskeleton.

Angel then rushes through the door and dashes to the right, joining Gilly at her side, so that all three ranged attackers (including Eltrezar) have a clear, unobstructed shot at the tick. He draws an arrow and fires but his arrow too bounces off the tick's shell.

OOC:

Round 1 concludes with Gilly and Bors acting simultaneously:
1. Maloria (7)
2. Man-at-Arms (6)
3. Giant Tick (5)
4. Eltrezar (4)
--> 5. Angel, Gilly, Bors (3)

If Bors wishes to engage in melee with the Tick without interfering with the shots of the ranged party members by giving the Tick cover he may want to consider moving to P9 (on top of a table), or P8 (in the arrow slot). Either movement will require a leap onto (and possibly off) the table. This will require a Dexterity roll, but seeing as the table is pretty low and a fighter like Bors should be expected to be relatively athletic, Bors would get a bonus of -4 to this roll (subtracting 4 from a d20 roll and hoping to roll equal r lower than Bors's Dexterity. Should be easy, but a failure means that Bor's does get where he wants to be, but so does it clumsily that he had to use an Action to climb on the table and finish his movement. Success means that he deftly leaps onto the table (and possibly off again, depending on where you want to move) in one deft movement and can still use his Action this turn to attack. OR, maybe Bors has completely different ideas and I'm jumping to conclusions. Maybe Bors has such little faith n Eltrezar's ability to hit the broad side of a barn with his daggers he doesn't care about interfering with Eltrezar's line of sight; I don't know...

Also, ranged attackers should remember that since you're within short range of your enemy you get +1 to your To-Hit rolls (I factored this +1 in for Eltrezar's roll, but he still missed, though just barely).

Rolls

Angel Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20+3, 1d6)

1d20+3 : (8) + 3 = 11

1d6 : (5) = 5

Apr 30, 2021 8:09 am

OOC:

Bors is totally the type of person to leap on a table in dramatically cool fashion lol.

Bors rushes past Mal and leaps up on to the table. He lands deftly and pirouettes with a wide sword slash at the enormous tick.

Last edited April 30, 2021 8:10 am

Rolls

Dexterity - (1d20-4)

(8) - 4 = 4

Attack - (1d20+2)

(11) + 2 = 13

Damage - (1d8+2)

(7) + 2 = 9

Apr 30, 2021 12:43 pm

Gilly expected something like this and so is primed to let an arrow fly at the earliest opportunity. She threads the arrow between her companions, hoping to strike a nice soft part of the creature!

Last edited April 30, 2021 12:43 pm

Rolls

1d20+4, 1d6

1d20+4 : (13) + 4 = 17

1d6 : (4) = 4

Apr 30, 2021 3:38 pm

"Great shot Gilly!"

Mal beams with pride at the halfling for a moment before turning her attention back to the oversized blood sucker in front of her.

Us short gals gotta stick together, she thought to herself.

Apr 30, 2021 4:30 pm

And soft spot she hits! While Bors's swing was clearly impressive to look at, the blade of his weapon clinks off another segment of hard exoskeleton, but as the creature raises its forelegs in reaction to the strike, Gilly fires an arrow which hits it somewhere between the segments of it's softer underbelly and her arrow sinks deeply. The tick gives a strange high pitched expulsion of air like are pushed through a punctured sheep's bladder, which can only be interpreted as a Giant Tick's cry of pain.

OOC:

Round 1 ends with no harm to the PCs and 6HP Damage done to the Tick! Round 2 begins! Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Gilly (7)
2. Man-at-Arms (6)
3. Maloria (5)
4. Eltrezar (3)
5. Angel, Bors (2)
6. Giant Tick (1)

Rolls

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(1) + 1 = 2

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(5) + 2 = 7

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(4) - 1 = 3

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(4) + 1 = 5

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(1) + 1 = 2

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(6) = 6

Giant Tick Initiative roll - (1d6)

(1) = 1

Apr 30, 2021 11:21 pm

Smiling and nodding her head in acknowledgment to Mal, Gilly tries to keep her focus to capitalize on the tick’s tearing up in pain by sending another shot it’s way!

Rolls

1d20+4, 1d6

1d20+4 : (11) + 4 = 15

1d6 : (3) = 3

May 1, 2021 12:40 pm

"Great teamwork! My clearly intentional use of the Distracting Slash technique proved to be the correct one!"

May 1, 2021 10:12 pm

Gilly's next shot misses, but just barely. Hoping to ake advantage of the tick's distraction the Man-at-Arms swings his sword at the tick's rear. Again the man's attack mises by a long shot, sailing way off the mark. The man has yet to hit target in combat.

OOC:

Meanwhile, Round 2 continues! Turn order is as follows:
1. Gilly (7)
2. Man-at-Arms (6)
--> 3. Maloria (5)
4. Eltrezar (3)
5. Angel, Bors (2)
6. Giant Tick (1)

Rolls

Man-at-Arms Attack roll; Damage roll - (1d20, 1d8)

1d20 : (5) = 5

1d8 : (1) = 1

May 2, 2021 11:50 pm

Gilly casts an extremely skeptical and angry eye at the new-hire. She fully expected to be pulling the chain coat from his broken body later today, if he kept this up.

May 3, 2021 6:15 pm

OOC:

Maloria?

May 4, 2021 12:24 am

"Die you bloodsucker!"

Mal leaps up and swings her hammer down hard at the tick...

Rolls

Attack - (1d20+1)

(10) + 1 = 11

Damage - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

May 4, 2021 12:34 am

Moving back up to the doorway, Eltrezar continues flinging daggers at this beast that had just a moment ago attempted to eat the wizard's face.

OOC:

Daggers have super short range, I should be getting no modifier from range, just the penalty from Dex. By moving to N-12, I should be at the extent of medium range.

Rolls

Attack - (1d20-1)

(14) - 1 = 13

Damage - (1d4)

(3) = 3

May 4, 2021 8:16 am

Bors shakes his head at the Man-at-Arms. "Not like that, Charles! Watch and do as I do!" Bors swings at any tick still alive. "There, did you see that? That's exactly what NOT to do! So just do the opposite next time!"

Last edited May 4, 2021 8:17 am

Rolls

Attack - (1d20+2)

(4) + 2 = 6

Damage - (1d8+2)

(3) + 2 = 5

May 4, 2021 6:02 pm

OOC:

What the frick?!? Daggers have a short range of 10'. First, I have no idea how I haven't realized this before. Second, that's crap! Jeez! Also, I have no issues with moving Eltrezar if you wish, cowleyc, but according to the roll20 tape measure, he is currently at the 20' range from the tick, if you wish to stay where you are. Just give me a heads up what you want.

Maloria swings her hammer, which bounces uselessly off the tick's hardened back. Eltrezar's dagger and Bors's sword strike are both met with similar results. It would seem this monster's chitinou asrmor is more formidable than many of the party's previous adversaries.

Hoping for better results, Angel fires another arrow at the arachnid, this time hitting the beast directly in the face. Again, the tick releases a gasping hiss of air, one can only interpret to be a cry of pain as a viscous yellow goo spills forth from where it's shattered left eye once was.

OOC:

The Giant Tick will engage with an enemy withing close reach if possible, so I will roll a d6 for Target Selection. 1=Maloria, 2=Man-at-Arms "Charles", 3=Bors

With Eltrezar out of arm's reach the tick lunges for Bors, but grasps wildly at only air, its motions herky-jerky as it struggles to deal with only one compound eye for vision, crippling pain in it's thorax and cranium, and quickly depleting strength.

OOC:

Round 2 ends with no damage done on the part of the Giant Tick, while Angel scores a huge hit with his bow. Round 3 begins!
Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Gilly (8)
2. Man-at-Arms, Giant Tick (6)
3. Bors (5)
4. Eltrezar, Maloria (3)
5. Angel (2)

Rolls

Giant Tick Target Selection roll, Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d3, 1d20, 1d4)

1d3 : (3) = 3

1d20 : (5) = 5

1d4 : (4) = 4

Angel Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20+3, 1d6)

1d20+3 : (20) + 3 = 23

1d6 : (6) = 6

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(1) + 1 = 2

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(6) + 2 = 8

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(4) - 1 = 3

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(4) + 1 = 5

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(6) = 6

Giant Tick Initiative roll - (1d6)

(6) = 6

May 4, 2021 6:40 pm

OOC:

I was going by squares, which puts him at 25'. But if he doesn't have to move, he won't. Daggers really aren't that great, but it's the ONLY weapon he's proficient in.

May 4, 2021 11:02 pm

Gilly tries to aim through the crowded field to hit the flailing creature.

Rolls

1d20+4, 1d6

1d20+4 : (12) + 4 = 16

1d6 : (3) = 3

May 4, 2021 11:27 pm

cowleyc says:

OOC:

Daggers really aren't that great, but it's the ONLY weapon he's proficient in.

OOC:

He's also proficient with cutting words lol.

May 5, 2021 2:55 am

We gotta get our half-price Gandalf a staff!

May 5, 2021 12:31 pm

dominion451 says:

We gotta get our half-price Gandalf a staff!

OOC:

Half-price? Is that with inflation? I was thinking quarter-price at best! :P

May 5, 2021 2:45 pm

OOC:

I'm going to turn you all into newts.

May 5, 2021 4:14 pm

OOC:

Lmfao!!

Last edited May 5, 2021 4:14 pm

May 5, 2021 5:54 pm

Gilly draws another arrow and fires it at the tick. Again, her missile pierces the soft underbelly of the bloodsucker, and it gives a final wet hiss before twitching a few times and going still. The Giant Tick is defeated...

OOC:

Since the threat has been dispatched of, I feel it's alright to give you a quick peek behind the DM's screen and mention that I'm both mildly disappointed at that Giant Tick's poor attack rolls for this encounter, but more so I'm relieved. At AC3 and 3HD (I rolled 13HP for the monster), Giant Ticks are no joke, and I was almost certain that someone would have died in the fight. And considering that Eltrezar, the squishiest of the party members (as well as the only one completely unarmored) was the one who opened the cask and was subject of a Surprise Round, I'm really surprised he specifically isn't dead...
According to the module, Giant Ticks only make a To-Hit roll once, doing 1d4 piercing damage that turn. On all other subsequent turns, it no longer needs to make To-Hit rolls for that target, but automatically does 1d6 bloodsucking damage to its victim until the PC it grabbed hold of is dead or the tick is.
Needless to say, the tick carries no treasure and this room appears to be empty and lacking in anything of value.

May 5, 2021 7:26 pm

From the doorway, the wizard speaks up. Hrmph! "If this is what we can expect, I should not be upset if Miss Gilly takes your shares of the treasure. But let us not waste any more time, there is still much to explore. We shall check the room by the door, though I would prefer if one of you armored warriors stood in the lead." With this, he collects his daggers and ushers the rest of the party towards the final unexplored room on this floor.

May 5, 2021 10:31 pm

Killy Gilly will gather any arrows that are still usable and follow the warriors to the next location.

OOC:

There’s the round tower area and the secret door that we couldn’t solve, right?

May 5, 2021 10:39 pm

"Whoever decides to take the lead here should consume one potion I received from the druid. It will allow you to determine if danger lies within the room. We do not need to be caught unawares again. But the rest we should save for the lower levels."

OOC:

I believe so, yes. But we spent a lot of time poking around that secret door, I'm not sure we'll find the answers to it right now.

May 5, 2021 10:46 pm

Gilly recovers two arrows from the Tick's abdomen that look reusable. The other one lays broken, the tip chipped off where it took a bad landing against the stone floor.

OOC:

There's the round tower area, the room with the secret door you haven't figured out yet, and the stairs below the Moathouse Ruins, in the Storage Room that the rats came from.

May 5, 2021 10:57 pm

OOC:

I believe someone suggested that the secret door could be an exit rather than an entrance. Before we descend we should check everything up here, right? So the tower then?

May 5, 2021 11:00 pm

OOC:

Tower ho!

May 5, 2021 11:17 pm

As the group approaches the tower, you notice that there the door has rotted away after years of exposure to weather and the elements.

Quote:

The upper portion of the tower has collapsed, and the interior is dark.

May 5, 2021 11:24 pm

OOC:

Edit: We haven't picked up the potions of Detect Danger. I thought we had. Enter at your own risk.

May 5, 2021 11:36 pm

Gilly raises a hand for quiet, and then strains to hear anything in the ruins.

OOC:

Listening at "doors" 2/6

Last edited May 5, 2021 11:37 pm

Rolls

1d6

(2) = 2

May 6, 2021 12:07 am

"That went reasonably well! I think my presence has proved a lucky boon to you all!"

May 6, 2021 2:39 am

Gilly approaches the darkened door and listens for any sounds coming from the interior. At first she hears nothing, but just as she's confident the room is empty, she hears a light clicking sound.

May 6, 2021 3:11 am

"Somethings in there! It’s clicking. Maybe an insect or something? Probably a large one! Let’s light it up before going in!"

May 6, 2021 6:55 pm

Mal removes a torch and tinderbox from her pack and sparks the thing into life. She tosses the torch into the room as Gilly asked and then rearms her shield and hammer.

"After you!" she says cheerfully to Bors...

May 6, 2021 11:37 pm

Gilly stands with her back to the wall just outside the entrance. After listening to the clicking, she draws her short sword, and nods to Bors. Shooting a bow in such a collapsed heap would be a waste of arrows, she reckons.

"Ready when you are!"

May 7, 2021 12:08 am

Bors readies his shield and sword and enters first. "I'm sure it's nothing serious. Probably an arthritic skeleton judging by the clicking. My knees make that same sound sometimes."

May 7, 2021 12:14 am

Gilly rounds the door as soon as Bors is through, following him in. She’s watching for anything.

Last edited May 7, 2021 12:15 am

May 7, 2021 2:22 am

Eltrezar follows behind, trusty dagger in hand. "Be ready. This time we have the upper hand, whatever creature lurks within."

May 7, 2021 5:29 pm

As Maloria's torch falls to the tower floor, everyone's eyes catch the glimmer of large number of copper and silver coins strewn in among the litter of rubble from the collapsed tower above. Scattered in with these coins you also make out a number of bones and dessicated husks of animals. The door frame here is quite narrow, allowing only one person through at a time, this likely being a intentional architectural design to give advantage to defenders in case of siege.
Above, the tower remains shrouded in darkness that even the torch fails to penetrate after some distance but just as Bors approaches the hairy legs of a huge wolf spider appear as the arachnid races down and attacks.

OOC:

Despite having a chance to get the drop on the party on a 1-5 of a d6 roll, I rolled a 6. No surprise round for the spider, though this tower's door frame does create dome problematic close quarters.
Round 1 begins! Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Gilly (8)
2. Bors (5)
3. Eltrezar (4)
4. Maloria, Man-at-Arms, Huge Spider (3)
5. Angel (2)

Rolls

Secret Roll

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(1) + 1 = 2

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(6) + 2 = 8

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(5) - 1 = 4

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(4) + 1 = 5

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(3) = 3

Huge Spider Initiative roll - (1d6)

(3) = 3

May 7, 2021 11:11 pm

OOC:

Weeeell, I shouldn’t really have my sword out.

As soon as she spots the hairy spider leg coming into the light, Gilly darts forward passing Bors, and slashes at the leg!

Rolls

1d20+1, 1d6

1d20+1 : (12) + 1 = 13

1d6 : (5) = 5

May 7, 2021 11:27 pm

Gilly rushes forth, weaving through the fighter's legs and slashes at one of enormous wolf spider's legs, lopping it off at one of it's jointed segments. The spider hisses in pain, and its hairy pedipalps vibrate with rage. A well-placed attack that may result in the little halfling making a target of herself.

OOC:

I'm at the brewery having a couple of alcohol servings, and roll20 is crap on mobile devices, but let's go ahead and put Gilly on square I28. Seems where she would naturally go, unless @KCC69 has a different spot they would rather she be.
Also, don't forget that you apply Strength Modifiers to both your To-Hit rolls, and your Damage rolls when making melee attacks in B/X, so that should be 6 damage rather than 5.

Round 1 continues! Turn order is as follows:
1. Gilly (8)
--> 2. Bors (5)
3. Eltrezar (4)
4. Maloria, Man-at-Arms, Huge Spider (3)
5. Angel (2)

May 8, 2021 12:10 am

OOC:

I suspected, but just went by damage in the equipment book, just in case! That positioning is fine.

Gilly can’t be killed, in any case. :D

May 8, 2021 12:54 pm

"Trying to show me up, eh? I see your lopped off leg and raise you two!" Bors rushes into the space next to Gilly and tries to lop off two hairy spider legs.

OOC:

Woo! That makes me happy lol. I'll be in H28.

Last edited May 8, 2021 12:55 pm

Rolls

Attack - (1d20+2)

(19) + 2 = 21

Damage - (1d8+2)

(6) + 2 = 8

May 8, 2021 3:46 pm

With the warriors quickly rushing into the room to slay this great eight-legged beast, Eltrezar sees no room to enter nor safe path to throw his dagger. Instead, he bides his time, watching and waiting. If the creature proves to be a true threat (as it appears to be), he will begin casting his arcane magicks momentarily. Hrmph! Do try to avoid its fangs, my friends. I fear that Lycosidae enormisicus is likely teeming with deadly venoms!

OOC:

Eltrezar is going to stay where he is and not attack. Depending on what happens this turn, he may cast his Magic Missile on the next turn.

May 8, 2021 5:41 pm

Making good on his word Bors rushes in and slashes at the spider, lopping off another two legs. The spider hisses even more fiercely and opens it's dripping chelicerae threateningly.
Having sustained such severe injury is likely to vastly interfere with his hunting ability for quite some time, so catching a few meals that were foolish enough to come rushing to it may be imperative for its survival for the long weeks it will likely take to regrow new legs. Not that the spider necessarily considers so critically its own situation beyond the immediate moment; only a druid might know for sure of the Giant Wolf Spider, Lycosidae enormisicus, is capable of future-oriented cognition.

OOC:

Round 1 continues! While Maloria, the Man-at-Arms, and the spider all act simultaneously, I'm going to let the Huge Spider make their attack roll "last". I do know that the Man-at-Arms is going to engage in melee this round, so I'll roll for that, and I do know that the spider is going to attack someone withing melee distance and I will roll randomly to select it's target, but since I don't know if Maloria is going to jump into the melee as well, I don't know if the spider is going to roll a d3 or a d4 to select it's target. Mechanically, B/X rules as written state that it's assumed all three characters take their actions at the exact same time, so rolling order doesn't make a difference even if one or more characters get killed because they still got to take their Actions at the same time they were dealt said killing blow. It's just a matter of whether the spider has thre or four targets to choose between for its attack...
Turn order is as follows:
1. Gilly (8)
2. Bors (5)
3. Eltrezar (4)
--> 4. Maloria, Man-at-Arms, Huge Spider (3)
5. Angel (2)

The hired Man-at-Arms rushes into the tower and stops at Bors's right side and slashes with his sword. True to form, the attack misses as the spider caught his approach min a number of its many black, beady eyes, and it considers briefly that another potential meal has just entered the field of battle.

Rolls

Man-at-Arms Attack roll; Damage roll - (1d20, 1d8)

1d20 : (11) = 11

1d8 : (5) = 5

May 8, 2021 11:25 pm

Not daring to look away from the spider, as she waits for its attack, Gilly makes a mental note to renegotiate the contract she made with this hired help, now that she’s seen the goods.

May 8, 2021 11:32 pm

"Dear gods, Chester, have you not learned a single thing I've taught you so far? Your sword is still as clean as a shopkeep's display sword!"

May 9, 2021 4:03 pm

A look of annoyance flashes across the man's face, though whether it's at his own failings to fight or impress his patrons, or at Bors's incessant habit of giving the man different names beginning with the letter "C" is unknown, for as many of you have noticed by now, the man hasn't spoken a word in the entire time he's been in the party's employ. Even Gilly would recall that negotiations for his services were conducted by the men who run the Trading Post and the Man-at-Arms gave no input to his either his fees or the expectations of him.
Bors notices the man seems to make a deliberate effort to not look at the fighter directly, however, and aside from the barely perceptible scowl that crosses his face, the man appears to ignore the fighter's verbal jab.

May 10, 2021 2:40 pm

OOC:

Perhaps we ought to put a reasonable time limit on turn taking.

May 10, 2021 2:48 pm

OOC:

As frustrating as it is during combat, the weekends are a time when plenty of people are busy.

That being said, posting intentions is a good idea. Especially at these early levels when we have only the option "hit it with hammer bruh".

Last edited May 10, 2021 3:31 pm

May 10, 2021 4:10 pm

"Ugh, why'd it have to be spiders?!"

Mal charges through the breach with her hammer raised high and her shield angled high. She swings at the hairy monstrosity and calls to Cuthbert to guide her hand...

Rolls

Attack - (1d20+1)

(14) + 1 = 15

Damage - (1d6+1)

(1) + 1 = 2

May 10, 2021 4:49 pm

OOC:

I agree that a lot of players are often away from the keyboard on weekends taking care of stuff irl, hiking in the woods, etc. I myself am often out of town/state for my daughter's wrestling endeavors. But I also like @cowleyc's suggestion that maybe we include posting instructions for the PCs if we think we're going to be away from the keyboard for a while, in order to keep things moving.
That said, I figured if Mal didn't act by the time I logged in this morning I'd make an executive decision to have her step forward and engage in melee with the spider, despite it putting her at potential risk of getting hit by the spider, but it looks like we're back on track.

The Huge Spider attacks at the same moment Mal and the Man-at-Arms does. Target Selection will be a d4 roll as follows: 1-Man-at-Arms, 2-Bors, 3-Gilly, 4-Maloria

As the Man-at-Arms takes an unsuccessful swing on the arachnid, and Bors begins his needling at the man about his lack of name or combat ability, Mal rushes into the tower, her hammer and shield raised. Sensing the movement as its most immediate danger it ignores the Man-at-Arms attack and faces the dwarf's assault, lashing it with its venomous fangs as soon as the cleric is withing range. Its chelicerae clang and scrape against Maloria's shield as she brings her hammer down on the beast's skull, feeling it crush inward under the weight of the blunt head. The spider's five remaining legs collapse clumsily under its immense weight, and a few twitch, but it is clearly dead.

Rolls

Giant Spider Target Selection roll, Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d4, 1d20, 1d6)

1d4 : (4) = 4

1d20 : (16) = 16

1d6 : (4) = 4

May 10, 2021 4:57 pm

OOC:

Sorry, yeah backpacking. Anytime you need to NPC Mal feel free. She's a melee type so if the fight is on its gonna be "swing the hammer."

May 10, 2021 5:01 pm

OOC:

Poison save VS 11

Rolls

Save - (1d20+3)

(18) + 3 = 21

May 10, 2021 5:25 pm

OOC:

@dominion451: You didn't have to roll vs Poison; the spider missed Mal. With an AC1, it needed to roll a 18 or better to hit you. So her shield and armor held off the attack.

Also, @nezzaraj: I was supposed to mention this to you after your first defense against the Giant Tick and forgot, so we'll throw it in now before I forget again.

Bor's has had something eating at him since the last encounter with the Giant Tick. Almost as if there's something he should be making note of but can't quite figure it out. Something that should be glaringly obvious, but in his focus to get under the skin of his companions, especially that of the silent-but-not-so-deadly Man-at-Arms, he's been shoving it out of mind. But as he entered combat with the spider it struck him again, that despite not having to defend himself from a poisonous attack like Maloria did, the shield strapped to his off hand seems excessively hard and dense for its size and material, yet considering the quality of the object, it doesn't seem to add any extra weight or clumsiness with handling. This might explain that regardless of how long it sat in the strong digestive acids of the Giant Lizard's stomach, it seems to be in almost perfect condition still, with a new-looking sheen to its surface and leather straps that are still supple and strong.

OOC:

As DM, unless a spell has been cast to identify "magic" items, or an object has been brought to someone with those skills, I shouldn't reveal any such properties unless a PC uses it. In that case, the DM should tell the players of any such "magical" properties.
Sometimes the results of using an item without the player's knowing are bad (it's cursed in some way, for example). Other times the outcome is good. In this case, the shield that Gilly cut from the Giant Lizard's stomach and which she has given to Bors is a Shield +1. By my calculations this brings Bors down from AC3 to AC2.

May 10, 2021 7:57 pm

OOC:

it was just preemptive, I'm used to every kind of insect in BECMI being deadly poisonous, lol

May 10, 2021 8:02 pm

With the scuffle finished, the wizard attempts to look over the shoulders of his companions. "I do not believe it necessary to gut this creature, as I understand they do not try to eat large objects. But the glistening of coin in this room warrants a closer inspection. I will guard the doorway as you do so." He looks into the room and up, as though searching for more spiders, but does not actually enter.

OOC:

Hrmph! "Leave it to a dwarf to confuse Poisonous for Venomous."

May 10, 2021 10:49 pm

OOC:

is the fight over? I didn't read that...

May 10, 2021 10:53 pm

funfungiguy says:

... Its chelicerae clang and scrape against Maloria's shield as she brings her hammer down on the beast's skull, feeling it crush inward under the weight of the blunt head. The spider's five remaining legs collapse clumsily under its immense weight, and a few twitch, but it is clearly dead.

May 11, 2021 12:19 am

"It might not have anything in its stomach, but what about its fangs or venom glands? I don't know anything about magicking but I would assume any good wizard would try to salvage some sort of ingredients from a spider this size." Bors shakes his head at this knife thrower masquerading as a wizard.

May 11, 2021 12:44 am

Hrmph! "If only it were as simple as lopping off the fangs and yanking out the glands. Alas, that is the sort of training someone of the natural arts would be better equipped for. It would be possible to make the attempt, but the chance of accidentally poisoning myself is quite great. And to what end, warrior? Do you wish a necklace made of this creature's teeth? Best you let me perform the arcane arts, and I will leave you to... waving that sword around."

May 11, 2021 1:35 am

Gilly, rolling her eyes at all the noise bouncing around the crumbling tower, begins to search the spiders den. Looking for bodies of previous victims to loot. She also watches for spiderlings and eggs.

May 11, 2021 2:29 am

Bors rolls his eyes. "A necklace of teeth? Good gods man, even Colin here knows spiders don't have 'teeth!' And waving my sword has been pretty effective so far. I've yet to see any magic yet though. Curious. But, it's not important. Much more important is my loyal sword, Spiderspiker, has helped slay another foul creature!"

Last edited May 11, 2021 2:30 am

May 11, 2021 3:36 am

Walking away in exasperation, Eltrezar throws his arms up (almost comically) as he grumbles about fangs being a specialized form of tooth. He doesn't stray too far, instead waiting for his companions to finish exploring the room. He is eager, however, to explore the lower levels. With the treasure they had found up here, with all the exposure to the elements and banditry, the lower levels must be a veritable (and likely literal) treasure trove.

May 11, 2021 8:49 am

Grinning at the old man's reaction, he follows him, also eager to continue exploring.

May 11, 2021 9:15 am

Gilly remains behind, until her search is finished to her satisfaction. She trusts they’ll wait for her before they descend.

May 11, 2021 2:28 pm

Gilly makes a pretty thorough search. No spiderlings or eggs are found; the wolf spider was living a solitary life, it seems.
On inspection of the dessicated corpses, there is again nothing of value. The bodies are merely husks... Leather bags of rotting skin filled with indigestible or undesirable bones.
But as the halfling collects the coins the party saw shining she notices they become more densely scattered under a fallen piece of timber, and moving the rubble out of the way, she finds their source. Wrapped in a rough spun sackcloth she discovers a small ivory box, with a number of coins spilled out.
In total, the coins hold only minimal value. 38 silver pieces, and 71 copper pieces are recovered. But the ivory box, about the size of a large book, could easily fetch 50 gold or more if sold to the right buyer.

May 11, 2021 2:33 pm

Gilly clambers out of the ruins holding the box up to her chest. She’s careful not to drop any coins, for fear of sending sounds through the whole building.

She sets the box down in the courtyard, in a place that wouldn’t immediately draw attention should someone arrive. The start to their next haul to Hommlet.

May 11, 2021 3:36 pm

Eltrezar, curious, takes a look at the ivory box. It brings to mind an idea he had had previously, about hiring another minion to carry his spellbook, and a protective case to keep it in.

OOC:

Is the box the size of a large book, or the size required to store a large book?

May 11, 2021 5:09 pm

OOC:

Good Question... 1-3=large book will not quite fit, 4-6=a large book will fit snuggly.

Unfortunately, the text on the module states:

Quote:

Amidst the rubbish are 71 cp and 38 sp,and an ivory box about the size of a largebook (easily worth 50 gp or more to the right buyer).

OOC:

This would suggest that a large book likely wouldn't fit within the inside dimensions of the box. I thought maybe I'd let the dice decide, because it's a cool idea, but the dice say "no" as well.

But, I mean, Eltrezar only has one spell he never uses, so just jot it down in little notebook or on a napkin or something. What does he even need a whole large book for even? What, is he gonna hollow it out and hide all his daggers inside it?

Rolls

Ivory Box size - (1d6)

(3) = 3

May 11, 2021 5:16 pm

Eltrezar sighs. Upon closer inspection, it will not be larger enough for his hefty tome. Perhaps his next haul will have to go towards contracting a case and hiring a loyal- and useful- hireling.

May 11, 2021 8:28 pm

Gilly sets the box and its contents on the ground, in an out-of-the-way location in the main hall. The time approaches noon, and as the party reflects, it occurs to them that aside fro the strange secret door they found in the room the brigands were taking shelter in, the entirety of the main floor of the moathouse ruins has been explored. There remains the staircase in the storage room leading underground and whatever may be discovered there, for good or ill.

May 11, 2021 9:09 pm

Ahem! "Let us not tary, there is much to explore and only half a day. Make sure we have proper lighting; I, myself, have a lantern to provide the option of sight. Perhaps our new hireling should carry it." The wizard takes the lantern from his pack, and begins moving towards the staircase down, not straying too far from his companions.

May 11, 2021 9:46 pm

OOC:

Ha! No idea how I could have missed that bit.

Mal recovers her torch from the spiders den and carries it behind Eltrezar toward the foreboding staircase leading into the bowels of the keep.

With what Mal had heard during the nights of her captivity, she felt more than a little apprehension about rooting out it's source. Nonetheless, there was a job to do and so the dwarf screwed up her courage and marched alongside the others into the black.

May 12, 2021 12:10 am

Seeing Eltrezar sizing up the ivory box against his book, Bors asks as he follows to the stairs, "How any spells do you have in that book, anyway? It looks big enough to contain the entire history of the world."

May 12, 2021 1:14 am

The wizard rolls his eyes. "It is not the number of incantations, but the power they invoke. I have only a few, and even these took much of my life to master. Much of the book is dedicated to the principles of magicks, which might as well be the history of Oerth. If you must know, I have been dabbling with some new formulae, but do not yet have them complete."

May 12, 2021 1:46 pm

Gilly checks her equipment before they descend into the deeper part of the dungeon.

"Who’s going to go first then? Could go in twos, if you’d feel better about it?!"

May 12, 2021 3:04 pm

Eltrezar looks down his nose at his small friend, nodding. "Pairs is the smart decision, as our strength is in our numbers. I will happily stand in the middle, if Bors and Mal would like to take point. Or perhaps our silent companion would like to stand in the lead with the lantern..."

May 12, 2021 8:00 pm

Mal steps forward to stand alongside Bors and acknowledges him with a nod. With a quick whack of her hammer against her shield, the dwarf is ready to go. She turns around and holds out her out torch to Eltrezar, thinking the old wizard might make better use of it than she.

May 13, 2021 12:43 am

Bors pairs up with Mal and proceeds next to her.

May 13, 2021 5:02 am

Eltrezar looks between the torch he was just handed, and the lantern which he gave to the hireling. Some baffled noises ensue, and he swaps the light sources.

May 13, 2021 5:29 am

OOC:

Okay, I have Man-at-Arms in the front with the lantern. Bors and Mal in the second row close behind but without a light source. Gilly and Eltrezar in the next row with Eltrezar carrying a torch. Angel taking up the rear. Correct me if I've misinterpreted anything.
In the meantime...

The party gets their gear ready and returns to the storage room and readies their marching order at the top of the staircase before descending into the depths below.

Rolls

Secret Roll

May 13, 2021 5:42 am

OOC:

I think we have three rows of two. Bors and Mal in the front, Eltrezar and Man-at-Arms in the middle, and Gilly and Angel in the rear. At least, that's how I interpreted it. And Eltrezar just swapped light sources with the Man-at-Arms, so the wizard has a lantern and the meatshield has a torch.

May 13, 2021 5:53 am

OOC:

Yeah that's how I read it too. Mal has infravision of course

May 13, 2021 6:35 am

OOC:

Ah, Gotcha! Okay, let me make some adjustments and fix this Dynamic Lighting. I forgot Maloria has Darkvision.

The party stands at the head of a steep stone staircase that descends into the depths below. The stairway is just wide enough to allow party members to walk two abreast, so melee fighters Maloria and Bors take the front. Lantern and torchbearers, Eltrezar and the Man-at-Arms take the middle, and ranged fighters Gilly and Angel bring up the rear. At the base of the stairway a stone archway looms over the entrance to a room shrouded on absolute darkness save for the brief illumination of lantern and torch shining on a stone floor below.

OOC:

What... do you do?

May 13, 2021 12:21 pm

Gilly arms herself with her short sword for now, given that she might be attacked suddenly out of the dark at close quarters. She sticks close to the wall and strains to listen for any sounds before they descend fully.

OOC:

Listen at "doors."

The way down seems quiet and clear, and Gilly will creep behind the group, ready to run between their legs at a moment’s notice to listen or scout ahead.

Last edited May 13, 2021 12:22 pm

Rolls

1d6

(6) = 6

May 14, 2021 12:38 am

Bors also keeps his eyes and ears out. Unless Gilly or he hears something, Bors will continue into the room with Mal at his side, shield and sword at the ready.

Last edited May 14, 2021 12:40 am

Rolls

Listen - (1d6)

(1) = 1

May 14, 2021 6:26 pm

OOC:

Oh, you son of a gun, Bors...

As the party descends the stairs and approaches the darkened room Bors hears a barely audible, wet squelching noise coming from overhead, but the stone archway impedes a good view of the room's ceiling on the other side of it.

May 15, 2021 4:56 am

OOC:

Lol hey you said to be careful since it's so dangerous! So I made my dice listen to you.

Bors stops and holds out an arm to block Mal's progress. He points upward toward the room beyond. "I heard something coming from the ceiling," he whispers. "Perhaps another giant spider. I'll go in toward the center with my shield raised above me to protect against anything falling down. Everyone else immediately fan out around the edges and hit anything that comes down." Bors waits to see if his plan was agreeable before proceeding.

May 15, 2021 3:49 pm

Eltrezar nods at Bors, with a dagger in one hand and lantern in the other. He looks around a little nervously, trying to find the safest way forward. "Good ears, warrior. Perhaps you'll earn your keep after all." A little jest is in his voice, but it might also be an attempt to lighten the mood in a dangerous situation.

May 15, 2021 8:05 pm

Mal nods in agreement and prepares to move in and fan out...

May 15, 2021 9:10 pm

Bors raises his shield above his head and enters the room expecting another giant spider or something of that nature to fall on him. Instead, he rushes into the room and hears a wet-sounding "splat" as a faceless, amorphous, green blob of slime falls from the stone ceiling and hits the floor behind the fighter with a wet smack. It starts forming itself back into some sort of shapeless mass.

OOC:

Though the slime technically lost its "surprise" round after being heard, running in anyway allowed it to get a "surprise" round, which it failed to capitalize on. Round 1 begins! Turn order is as follows:
1. Gilly, Green Slime (6)
2. Maloria, Man-at-Arms (5)
3. Angel (4)
4. Eltrezar (3)
5. Bors (2)

Rolls

Secret Roll

Green Slime Attack roll - (1d20)

(1) = 1

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(4) + 2 = 6

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(4) - 1 = 3

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(4) + 1 = 5

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(1) + 1 = 2

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(5) = 5

Green Slime Initiative roll - (1d6)

(6) = 6

May 15, 2021 10:33 pm

As the green slime writhes and moves, Gilly just shoots for whatever amounts to a central mass. She threads her shot between her companions.

Rolls

1d20+3, 1d6

1d20+3 : (16) + 3 = 19

1d6 : (1) = 1

May 16, 2021 4:02 pm

Gilly fires an arrow at the slime, hitting the oozing mass directly, and watches as the arrow sinks into its soft texture, stopping somewhere near bloblike creature's center. The creature doesn't react to the direct hit at all, but instead a green, nearly shapeless psuedopodium of slime darts forth at one of the nearby fighters.

OOC:

Green Slime Target Selection: 1-3=Bors, 4-6=Maloria.

The shapeless "arm" of the creature lashes out at Maloria, driven by some unknown sense of her presence, but misses, and the psuedopod retracts and rejoins itself.

OOC:

Round 1 continues! Turn order is as follows:
1. Gilly, Green Slime (6)
-->2. Maloria, Man-at-Arms (5)
3. Angel (4)
4. Eltrezar (3)
5. Bors (2)

Rolls

Green Slime Target Selection roll, Attack roll - (1d6, 1d20)

1d6 : (5) = 5

1d20 : (4) = 4

May 16, 2021 4:07 pm

Without a word, the Man-at-Arms rushes forward and stops at Maloria's side. Ignoring his own sword the man brings his torch down on the slime flesh and holds there for a moment, and Maloria sees it's gluey surface vibrate and boil at the fire's touch. The Man-at-Arms looks at Maloria's hammer and shakes his head back and forth at the dwarf.

OOC:

Round 1 continues! Turn order is as follows:
1. Gilly, Green Slime (6)
-->2. Maloria, Man-at-Arms (5)
3. Angel (4)
4. Eltrezar (3)
5. Bors (2)

Rolls

Secret Roll

Man-at-Arms Attack roll; Damage roll - (1d20, 1d6)

1d20 : (13) = 13

1d6 : (6) = 6

May 16, 2021 7:19 pm

OOC:

Actually, the Man-at-Arms has the torch. Eltrezar has a lantern. They swapped at the top of the stairs.

May 16, 2021 7:32 pm

OOC:

whoops, reposting...

Mal catches the silent swordsman's meaning and drops her hammer and pack, quickly pulling a torch and her flints from the top. She sparks to life a new flame and brandishes it before the caustic monstrosity...

May 16, 2021 10:22 pm

With the poor lighting and the fact that any communication had was silent with the Man-at-Arms back to him, angel fails to notice the silent exchange regarding weapons and takes a five foot step forward and to the right, to get a better shot at the slime with his bow, occupying the space the Man-at-Arms just vacated. He draws back his bow string and fires. Unfortunately his shot flies wild clattering on the wall beyond the slime.

OOC:

Round 1 continues! Turn order is as follows:
1. Gilly, Green Slime (6)
2. Maloria, Man-at-Arms (5)
3. Angel (4)
--> 4. Eltrezar (3)
5. Bors (2)

Rolls

Angel Wisdom roll - (1d20)

(16) = 16

Angel Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20+1, 1d6)

1d20+1 : (3) + 1 = 4

1d6 : (6) = 6

May 16, 2021 10:39 pm

Upon seeing the use of fire being effective against this beast, and the lantern in his hands being useless (though it may be his skill in lantern-combat that is useless), Eltrezar does his best to provide adequate lighting for his fellow companions. The dagger in his hand would likely be useless against this creature, but he gives a single test throw to be sure.

Rolls

Attack - (1d20)

(12) = 12

Damage - (1d4)

(1) = 1

May 17, 2021 1:14 am

Eltrezar throws his dagger, which hits and embeds itself in the slime's mass. Like the arrow Gilly fired, it seems to sit suspended in whatever fluid makes up the creature's slimy composition.

OOC:

Round 1 concludes with Bors's turn! Turn order is as follows:
1. Gilly, Green Slime (6)
2. Maloria, Man-at-Arms (5)
3. Angel (4)
4. Eltrezar (3)
--> 5. Bors (2)

May 17, 2021 9:17 am

Armed with only a shield and sword, Bors does what he does best, even if it will be less effective. He waits for a pseudopod to form, then attempts to sever it clean off.

Rolls

Sword attack - (1d20+2)

(13) + 2 = 15

Sword damage - (1d8+2)

(3) + 2 = 5

May 17, 2021 3:29 pm

Bors sword strikes true and cuts deeply into the slime. The blade extracts coated in a fair amount of the sticky ooze than makes up the slime's entirety but the slime seems to be oblivious that it was sticken, or that a fair amount of its mass was robbed by the fighter's blade.

OOC:

Round 1 concludes! Round 2 begins! Turn norder is as follows:
1. Angel (7)
2. Bors, Man-at-Arms (6)
3. Gilly, Maloria (5)
4. Eltrezar, Green Slime (2)

Rolls

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(6) + 1 = 7

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(3) + 2 = 5

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(3) - 1 = 2

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(4) + 1 = 5

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(6) = 6

Green Slime Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

May 17, 2021 3:41 pm

Seeing Eltrezar's and Bors's attacks seem to do little damage at all, Angel notches another arrow. Only this time he uses his Action to nudge the Man-at-Arms and places the tip of his arrow in the torch's flame. It takes a bit of time for the arrow to catch fire, and Angel draws back the string on his bow to take a shot.
After the arrow is burning, the Man-at-Arms turn around at takes another swipe at the slime with the torch, but the attack misses as the Man-at-Arms seems hesitant to get too close to the creature.

OOC:

I'm going to rule that Angel will fire a flaming arrow at the slime, but actually getting an arrow to catch fire takes a bit longer than if it was soaked in oil or something flammable, so getting the arrow lit will take his full turn.

Round 2 continues with turn order as follows:
1. Angel (7)
-->2. Bors, Man-at-Arms (6)
3. Gilly, Maloria (5)
4. Eltrezar, Green Slime (2)

Rolls

Man-at-Arms Attack roll; Damage roll - (1d20, 1d4)

1d20 : (2) = 2

1d4 : (4) = 4

May 18, 2021 12:20 am

Bors sees Craig hesitate and make a half-hearted attempt with torch and fail miserably. Frustrated at the lack of results from his amazing sword and at Craig's terrible performance, he tries to think quickly. "It seems many of our weapons are ineffective. Wizard, don't you have any fire magic? I'll try to distract the slime." Bors retreats a few paces deeper into the room, trying to get the ooze to follow him and give his party time to come up with a plan. Or at worst, prevent the thing from blocking the entrance and separating him from the party.

May 18, 2021 7:06 am

Useless in this combat, Eltrezar shrugs and begins to step back.

OOC:

I ain't wasting my one spell for the day on something that's highly flammable. Also, this is a response to Bors rather than an actual combat turn.

May 18, 2021 7:17 am

With an exasperated gruntsigh, Gilly runs forward, snatching the torch from the hired hand as she does so, and then drives the flame into the jelly creature.

OOC:

Tell me if I can do that!

Last edited May 18, 2021 7:18 am

Rolls

1d20+1, 1d4

1d20+1 : (2) + 1 = 3

1d4 : (2) = 2

May 18, 2021 11:14 am

OOC:

Lol I think with that roll you probably grabbed the flame end of the torch :P

May 18, 2021 4:01 pm

Bors moves back five feet to open the area up for others a bit more, and Gilly snatches the torch from the Man-at-Arms hand and swings it but misses nearly as badly as their party's hired man did.

OOC:

Round 2 continues, but with Gilly now holding the torch a bit more light is illuminating the room before you. Turn order is as follows:
1. Angel (7)
2. Bors, Man-at-Arms (6)
3. Gilly, Maloria (5)
4. Eltrezar, Green Slime (2)

It should also be noted that Maloria has a torch lit now as well this round.

May 18, 2021 7:11 pm

With the lit torch in hand Mal stabs at the lime flavored ooze, peeking out from behind her raised shield in case and of the jelly sizzles and spits...

Rolls

Attack - (1d20+1)

(17) + 1 = 18

Damage - (1d6)

(6) = 6

Torch damage reroll due to wrong dice - (1d4)

(1) = 1

May 18, 2021 7:50 pm

The torch burns and sizzles the surface of the green slime again.

OOC:

Round 2 continues, but with Gilly now holding the torch a bit more light is illuminating the room before you. Turn order is as follows:
1. Angel (7)
2. Bors, Man-at-Arms (6)
3. Gilly, Maloria (5)
--> 4. Eltrezar, Green Slime (2)

May 18, 2021 8:10 pm

Without any other options (other than using his limited magical ability), Eltrezar holds out his lantern to allow Angel faster access to lighting his arrows.

May 18, 2021 10:24 pm

OOC:

I have a bad feeling about the slime’s round...

May 19, 2021 8:04 pm

Eltrezar holds his turn and the slime attacks.

OOC:

There's four targets to for the slime to select from: 1=Bors, 2=Gilly, 3=Maloria, 4=Man-at-Arms.

Another set of pseudopods advance forth from the amorphous blob, this time reaching for the Man-at-Arms. Expecting one appendage the man is caught off guard by a second one darting forth from elsewhere, which grabs hold of his arm and immediately retracts dragging the man towards it. More extensions of lithe slime's body erupt forth and begin enveloping the hirelings arms, crawling crawling up and over his body. For the first time, the party hears the man give a vocal grunt of exertion, but finding himself unable to free himself from the slime's sticky grasp.

OOC:

Round 2 concludes, and Round 3 begins! Turn order is as follows:
1. Angel (6)
--> 2. Gilly, Bors (4)
3. Maloria, Man-at-Arms, Green Slime (2)
4. Eltrezar (0)

Seeing the Man-at-Arms in trouble, Angel forest his burning arrow at the slime. The projectile hits and the creature quivers again in response to the missile's flaming tip.

Rolls

Green Slime Target Selection roll, Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d4, 1d20)

1d4 : (4) = 4

1d20 : (15) = 15

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(2) + 2 = 4

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(1) - 1 = 0

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(1) + 1 = 2

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Green Slime Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Angel Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20, 1d6)

1d20 : (15) = 15

1d6 : (1) = 1

May 19, 2021 9:06 pm

With the slime showing its true potential, Eltrezar begins his complicated casting process.

OOC:

Declaring a Magic Missile this turn.

May 19, 2021 9:38 pm

OOC:

Oh no! Not man at arms! He was gonna give the speech at my wedding!

May 19, 2021 11:50 pm

Torch in one hand, sword in the other, Gilly slashes down hard across the appendage, hoping to cut it free and save the hired hand before he is sucked in!

Rolls

1d20+1, 1d6+1

1d20+1 : (20) + 1 = 21

1d6+1 : (3) + 1 = 4

May 20, 2021 12:27 am

"Gods dammit, Caleb, can't you stay out of trouble for six seconds?" Bors yells as he swipes at a pseudopod to free his regrettable investment.

Rolls

Sword attack - (1d20+2)

(18) + 2 = 20

sword damage - (1d8+2)

(5) + 2 = 7

May 20, 2021 8:59 pm

Mal wonders at how Bors can find such humor in situations like these, he must be very accustomed to violence, she thinks. Plunging her flame into the slime once more, Mal aims for the pseudopod grappling the unnamed fighter in an attempt to free the poor bastard...

Rolls

Attack - (1d20+1)

(14) + 1 = 15

Damage - (1d4)

(1) = 1

May 21, 2021 6:47 pm

Gilly's and Bors's swords cut away at the increasing number of pseudopods enveloping the hired man, but as slices are stripped off many falls to the floor or land on the creature and are immediately reabsorbed, while other cling to the warriors weapons like a sticky glue. And each time a tendril is cut away from the man, two more seem to replace it, the Man-at-Arms becoming quickly and thoroughly encased in slime.
As the the halfling and fighter each consider the ineffectiveness of their sword attacks, Mal darts in with her torch and stabs at it. The slime again seems to react negatively to the burn as it's surface sizzles and an acrid smoke rises off the location of the hit and burns at the nostrils unpleasantly.

May 21, 2021 7:03 pm

The Man-at-Arms, having his hands and wrists encased in slime up to the forearms, and having lost his torch to Gilly, can only thrash and stumble around, actually moving 5 feet forward towards the slime and now both occupy the same space. He remains silent but his stoic composure seems to be slipping as he struggles to pull himself free.
Meanwhile the Green Slime just spreads itself further over the man, covering his arms completely and now engulfing the mans torso and back, tendrils wrapping around his throat and chin.

OOC:

Round 3 will conclude with Eltrezar:
1. Angel (6)
2. Gilly, Bors (4)
3. Maloria, Man-at-Arms, Green Slime (2)
--> 4. Eltrezar (0)

May 21, 2021 7:10 pm

"Arcaniss Nil'gnos"

A bolt of energy erupts from Eltrezar's pointed finger, zipping through the air and striking the green slime with uncanny force. Ripples spread across the creature.

Rolls

Magic Missile Damage - (1d6+1)

(6) + 1 = 7

May 21, 2021 8:23 pm

Eltrezar sends forth his spell, and a burst of energy erupts forth from his finger, striking the slime directly. The slime erupts and disintegrates under the Magic Missile's intense power, but the party also hears another grunt of pain as the Man-at-Arms takes some of the spell's brunt as well.
Picking himself up off the ground and brushing himself off, the man silently nods at Eltrezar. He then points to Bors's sword, Gilly's short sword, and Eltrezar's dagger, now laying on the floor. Gilly's short sword has lost a great deal of it's shine and finish, and is pitted in a few spots after only a single swipe with the blade. Bors's sword is pitted even further, it's edge in bad shape, and Eltrezar's dagger, despite only being held suspended inside the slime for fifteen or twenty seconds, is badly chewed, it's blade dull, and the metal looking fairly brittle.
Gilly, too, notices the first arrow she fired laying near Eltrezar's dagger. The fletching is completely gone, and the wooden shaft looks dissolved almost entirely dissolved through, and the metal arrowhead in much the same condition as Eltrezar's dagger. It's obvious to all, that your weapons have taken a significant amount of damage from exposure to the green slime's corrosive acids.
With your limited light, you see that the stairwell opens into some sort of darkened room.

OOC:

I currently have Gilly, Maloria, and Eltrezar carrying light sources, and Mal has Darkvision besides.

May 21, 2021 8:50 pm

Eltrezar nods back at the person (unsure if he can be called a warrior) who survived the grasp of the slime. He looks at the dagger in its ruined state, and opts to leave it behind. After all, he has several more still in his belt, and his skill is not so great that he can make such a pitted blade useful.

He strides into the room, lantern held high. Keen eyes peering around, he wanders around exploring the immediate room. His eyes often dart to the ceiling, searching for more of these slimes that might still be lurking in the dark.

Hrmph! "I believe you had questions about my magicks, Bors. I hope that display has answered them."

May 22, 2021 4:31 am

Gilly decides to keep carrying the damaged blade, until she can find something suitable to replace it with. Torch in one hand, scarred blade in the other, she stays up front and creeps to illuminate the room at least once, so they know that they’ve seen everything.

OOC:

Gilly will walk around the perimeter of the room, to check things out.

May 22, 2021 11:02 am

While the others explore the room, Bors holds his sword like a fallen comrade. "You did well, Slimeslicer. Fear not, I will restore you to your former glory when we can visit a blacksmith. Until then, hold on and do your best." He sheaths his sword and turns to Eltrezar. "I guess a sword can't solve every problem. You did well old man."

May 22, 2021 4:10 pm

As Eltrezar and Gilly enter the room lights shining ready to get a better idea of the layout of the room they've entered. Gilly immediately makes her way towards the perimeter Eltrezar's eyes begin scanning the ceiling. Just as the wizard's eyes make out the shape of something unusual and amorphous once again from above, Gilly walks beneath it, and before Eltrezar can shout a warning a second slime dislodges itself.
To Gilly's good fortune, the tacky footing the creature has on the stone ceiling throws it into a slight swing, and instead of landing directly on the halfling is falls 5 feet to the east of her.

OOC:

Another battle begins! The slime failed to make use of it's Surprise Round and now sits in on the floor ready to strike at nearby prey. Round 1 begins! Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Bors (7)
2. Gilly, Maloria (5)
3. Angel, Man-at-Arms (4)
4. Green Slime #2 (2)
5. Eltrezar (0)
Bear in mind that the only PCs with torches this round are Maloria and Gilly. Eltrezar carries a lantern for light.

I have included a couple of images. The first is what Eltrezar sees in this room from the position of his light source.

The Second is from Gilly's vantage point.

Maloria, still standing at the foot of the stairs doesn't have visuals on anything the others dont, but she can see the new Slime from where she stands.

Rolls

Secret Roll

Green Slime Attack roll - (1d20)

(11) = 11

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(3) + 2 = 5

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(1) - 1 = 0

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(4) + 1 = 5

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(6) + 1 = 7

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(4) = 4

Green Slime #2 Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

May 23, 2021 12:46 am

Knowing his sword is, for once, nigh useless, he searches around for anything flammable he can put over the slime, like a rug or curtain or something similar.

May 23, 2021 12:59 am

Gilly grunts as she ducks back from the dropping slime, careful to avoid its appendages! She readies the torch, bringing it back and then stabbing forward, putting the fire to the gloop of the creature!

Rolls

1d20+1, 1d4

1d20+1 : (9) + 1 = 10

1d4 : (4) = 4

May 23, 2021 4:16 pm

Looking around in the area Eltrezar's lamp illuminates, Bors spots some torn sacs amid a pile of rubble and debris in the area of F13/G13. He rushes over and tries to grab a few but they are tangled and pinched amid broken crates, lumber, and other old and rotting furnishings and Bors has to fight to get the sack free. With a hard heave, the bag pulls loose, and the jumble of piled debris collapses revealing a door behind it.

No time to stop and examine it, Bors returns to the slime just as Gilly slashes with her torch. The slime somehow senses the flame and retracts itself momentarily as the fire sails past, and then reforms where it was again.

OOC:

@nezzeraj: I assumed that Bors's plan was to find some flammable cloth, grab it, return to the slime and cover it and burn it. So I rolled to see if what you were looking for was even in a place of illumination (50%) and rolled a "42" (it was). I then made a Wisdom check to see if Bors would spot it in the dim light and rolled a "4" (success). Since it was in an illuminated area, and Bors spotted it immediately, I would argue this was all a Free Action and shouldn't use up all of Bors's turn.
I went ahead and presumed that you would have had Bors go and retrieve said materials, which were buried and tangled amid the debris, so I made a Strength check for him and rolled an "11" (success). I then assumed you'd have had Bors return to the slime.
If this wasn't your plan, go ahead and let me know and we can retcon it, but I think looking for and finding the materials you were hoping to find should be a Free Action and shouldn't use up your turn.
If you're satisfied with this then Bors took a Free Action (look around for something), split a 30' Move Action (10' to Sack at G13, followed by 20' return to the slime at K12), and make a regular Action (Strength check to pull the sack from the debris)

Round 1 continues with Maloria up. Mal has a torch, but with Bors at K12, she will have to move to get into melee range of the slime (options are L12, M11, or M12) to attack.

1. Bors (7)
--> 2. Gilly, Maloria (5)
3. Angel, Man-at-Arms (4)
4. Green Slime #2 (2)
5. Eltrezar (0)

Rolls

Secret Roll

Bors Wisdom roll - (1d20)

Bors Strength roll - (1d20)

(11) = 11

May 23, 2021 4:53 pm

"Cuthbert's mace! More slime?! We may not be properly geared for this mates!"

Mal rushes up to the awful ooze and thrusts her torch at it...

Rolls

Attack - (1d20+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Damage - (1d4)

(1) = 1

May 23, 2021 5:10 pm

Maloria swings with her torch and misses. Angel, seeing that fire is the only tool that has proven effective against the slimes drops his bow and pulls off his pack, fishing two torches from them He begins to light them with his tinder ready to hand one over to the Man-at-Arms as soon as they're lit.

OOC:

Without specific instruction, I'll put Mal at L12. Continuing, Angel uses his turn to prepare a couple of torches, and Man-at-Arms passes his turn waiting for one to be handed over to him. The Green Slime will attack and has 3 targets to choose from: 1-2=Gilly, 3-4=Bors, 5-6=Maloria.

The slime lashes out with it's pseudopods, but Gilly just barely gets out of it's way due to her halfling experience at dodging and ducking around individuals greater size than her all her life.

OOC:

I wasn't sure if green slimes are considered large or not, so I 50/50'd it. The dice blessed Gilly this time.
Round 1 concludes with Eltrezar.
1. Bors (7)
2. Gilly, Maloria (5)
3. Angel, Man-at-Arms (4)
4. Green Slime #2 (2)
--> 5. Eltrezar (0)

Rolls

Green Slime #2 Target Selection roll, Attack roll - (1d6, 1d20)

1d6 : (2) = 2

1d20 : (14) = 14

Green Slime #2 size roll (50% large) - (1d100)

(2) = 2

May 23, 2021 9:13 pm

Eltrezar, expended of any use in this combat, tries his best to provide light for his companions, as well as easy access to flame with which to alight their improvised weaponry.

May 23, 2021 9:17 pm

OOC:

Round 1 ends with little activity from either side. Round 2 begins! Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Gilly, Maloria (7)
2. Eltrezar, Bors (3)
3. Angel, Man-at-Arms, Green Slime #2 (2)

Rolls

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(1) + 1 = 2

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(5) + 2 = 7

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(5) - 1 = 4

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(6) + 1 = 7

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Green Slime #2 Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

May 23, 2021 11:35 pm

Gilly ducks and weaves again. She had been lucky thus far, though she anxiously looked over at the half-shape of Bors in the dark!!

Hurry...

She swings back around with the torch again, hoping to drag the flame across the whole side of the blob!

Rolls

1d20+1, 1d4

1d20+1 : (14) + 1 = 15

1d4 : (4) = 4

May 24, 2021 12:01 am

OOC:

You were right on is all of your assumptions!

Originally Bors was going to throw the cloth over the slime and attempt to light that on fire, but on his way back with the material he had a new idea. He quickly withdraws his pitted sword and wraps it in the cloth, then uses Mal's torch to set it on fire. It may not be a literal sword of fire, but close enough!

OOC:

I'll roll damage as if it was a torch instead of a sword since I'm sure the cloth would blunt any cutting effect anyway.

Rolls

Sword/torch attack - (1d20+2)

(18) + 2 = 20

Fire damage - (1d4)

(4) = 4

May 24, 2021 12:25 am

"Good thinking Bors!"

Mal thrusts her torch at the blob again, having no other recourse than to burn the thing.

Rolls

Attack - (1d20+1)

(17) + 1 = 18

Damage - (1d4)

(2) = 2

May 24, 2021 4:31 pm

OOC:

Oh wow, this was a very bad round to be a Green Slime already.

Gilly drags her torch against the slime's exterior surface, causing it's flesh to burn badly, as Bors hits its southwest facing side with his makeshift burning sword and Mal strikes it from the south. All three attacks do great damage to the slime which reacts in the same manner its predecessor did, by boiling, sizzling, and thrashing like an hen's egg on a hot pan, and the slime looks severely damaged and not long for the world.

OOC:

Round 2 continues with Eltrezar.
1. Gilly, Maloria (7)
--> 2. Eltrezar, Bors (3)
3. Angel, Man-at-Arms, Green Slime #2 (2)

Rolls

Secret Roll

May 24, 2021 4:40 pm

Eltrezar cries out, "It's working! More fire!" as he sees the creature so quickly ravaged by the flames. Alas, his lantern is not a functional weapon.

OOC:

Just chillin like a villain until I have an enemy I can actually hit.

Last edited May 24, 2021 4:41 pm

May 24, 2021 6:06 pm

Having no viable means of attacking the slime Eltrezar holds on his turn, and Angel and the Man-at-Arms rush over with newly lit torches in to surround the slime, while the slime makes what may be it's final hope for nourishment.

OOC:

Green Slime Target Selection roll as follows: 1-2=Gilly, 3-4=Bors, 5-6=Maloria, 7-8=Man-at-Arms, 9-10=Angel.

The slime reaches out for Mal but fails to grab hold of her, and Angel's torch misses as well. But the Man-at-Arms draws his torch along the side of the slime as Gilly had and holds it there until the slime finally stops quivering and lays still.

OOC:

The Green Slime is dead. Victory again! You once again stand in a quiet room, most of which remains in darkness. A door has been revealed at F13 after Bors disturbed a pile of rubble fighting to free a flammable sack.
Those currently emitting light are Angel, Gilly, Eltrezar, Maloria, and the Master-at-Arms.

Rolls

Angel Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20-1, 1d4)

1d20-1 : (8) - 1 = 7

1d4 : (1) = 1

Man-at-Arms Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20, 1d4)

1d20 : (13) = 13

1d4 : (4) = 4

Green Slime #2 Target Selection roll, Attack roll - (1d10, 1d20)

1d10 : (6) = 6

1d20 : (4) = 4

May 24, 2021 8:46 pm

Mal retrieves her hammer and snuffs her torch to be used later. She takes three more torches from her pack and hands them to Bors, Angel and Eltrezar.

"Can't hurt to have them in case we run into more of that muck."

She examines the newly found door in the rubble and checks the area for any traps laid into the stonework, then examines the stability of the ceiling.

Rolls

Traps in stone 1-2 - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Examine structure 1-2 - (1d6)

(5) = 5

May 24, 2021 10:20 pm

Maloria inspects the area around the stonework, including floors and ceiling. Her keen dwarven eyes see no anomalies or reasons for concern, and it appears that the piled up debris was intended to hide the door. The door itself is closed, and the lock on it looks new and well-oiled.

Fifteen feet or so to the south another pile of debris is stacked against the wall.

May 25, 2021 12:16 pm

Relieved to be alive, Gilly scurries back up the stairs and into the courtyard. She rummages around for a moment, until she finds two swords of suitable length for herself and Bors. And another one spare for good measure, just in case. Then she descends the stairs again to see what the group is planning to do.

May 25, 2021 3:59 pm

Mal cautiously approaches the second pile of debris and prods at it with her hammer from as much of a distance as her stubby frame will allow. Should nothing jump out at her, Mal proceeds to search through the rubble for anything of use or value.

May 25, 2021 4:02 pm

Trusting the Dwarf in this underground realm, Eltrezar looms behind Mal and provides any support she asks for. He holds the lantern high, and a drawn dagger low.

May 25, 2021 4:31 pm

OOC:

Going through my notes, it looks like only the leader had a longsword (1d8) and a lance (1d6). Everyone else appears to have had shortswords and crossbows. So I'll assume she grabbed 1 longsword, and 2 short swords. Her encumbrance for the moment is 60'.

Gilly runs up to the courtyard and digs through the pile of weapons. Grabbing the items she needs she returns more slowly, encumbered with the additional weight of the steel in her arms.
Meanwhile, downstairs Maloria prods at the second pile of rubble, which seems untrapped, and like the other one, appears to be in effort to hide a door, whci like the other, is secured by a new, well-oiled lock. The wizard waits cautiously behind Mal in case there's trouble.
With a quiet padding of feet, Gilly returns with the swords in hand.

Rolls

Wandering Monster roll Moathouse Ruins - (1d6)

Wandering Monster roll Moathouse Dungeon - (1d6)

May 25, 2021 11:32 pm

Gilly hands off the sword to Bors.

"A sword and two shields all in the one morning! I can’t wait to see what you get me in return!

Which door then?" she says, as she tosses her old sword aside and takes a few practice swings with the new one!

May 26, 2021 12:10 am

"Did you grab a scabbard as well?" Bors looks in shock as Gilly casually tosses aside her old blade as if it was an apple core. "Does your sword mean so little to you? Don't you at least have a bonding ceremony to transfer the sword's essence into the new weapon?" Of course a sword is a companion, keeping its owner safe. If you must change to a new weapon you have to have the "essence transference" ceremony. That is just plain common sense. "You must at least thank your old blade for its service and give your new weapon a name."

May 26, 2021 12:36 am

"Well, I hadn’t really thought about it, to be honest! It was my mother’s old sword."

Gilly faces the sword and bows her head in some pantomime reverence.

"Okay done! I guess I was more concerned with my essence being transferred to the blobs!"

May 26, 2021 5:09 am

Hrmph! "It would seem the bandits were right to worry about the goings-on down here, as this door is well maintained! We should prepare for resistance behind. After all, for what other reason than criminality would one skulk around in the shadows in these ruins?"

May 26, 2021 1:48 pm

Bors shakes his head at Gilly's woefully lacking bonding ceremony. And her mother's sword no less! A family heirloom. But at least she tried, he supposed. He'd make sure to teach her the correct ceremony after they finished liberating this place of treasures.

May 26, 2021 10:03 pm

"Eltrezar is right, these locks are well kept. Something more than slime lives down here."

Mal looks around for where Angel is skulling and waves him over.

"You have the look of a first class burglar, mind taking a whack at these locks?"

May 26, 2021 10:24 pm

OOC:

There are two doors, right? Both equally inviting? If we spend a few minutes in indecision, Gilly will listen at both of them for noises!

OOC:

Well, nothing!

Last edited May 26, 2021 10:24 pm

Rolls

1d6, 1d6

1d6 : (3) = 3

1d6 : (4) = 4

May 27, 2021 10:35 pm

Gilly listened at each door a while, finally determining there's nothing of interest to be heard, and Angel steps forward with his thief's tools out, hoping to pick open the locks...

For a while he tries at the northernmost door, but after ten minutes the lock remains held fast. The thief then moves to the more southern door, and another ten minutes passes before Angel gives up un trying to pick the locks.

Rolls

Angel Pick Locks roll (20%) - (1d100)

(52) = 52

Wandering Monster roll

Angel Pick Locks roll (20%) - (1d100)

(81) = 81

May 27, 2021 11:53 pm

"Well, you tried your best. Shall we try brute force next?"

May 28, 2021 4:16 am

Hrmph! "While I worry that breaking down the door will bring upon us whomever waits beyond, it will do us no good to sit here without venturing forth. Let us examine this room once more, both of these doors seemed to have been hidden from the wrong side." Eltrezar begins exploring the area to the right, around the corner from the staircase. Naturally, he will ensure at least one warrior comes with him.

OOC:

The area to the bottom right of the map is what I'm interested in.

Last edited May 28, 2021 4:16 am

May 28, 2021 3:01 pm

"I agree that beating down the doors could bring more trouble than we wish, let's all stay together down here though. Come, fighters up front, let's see what else is down here."

May 28, 2021 4:51 pm

Opting to hold off for the moment on the noisy racket that would come with breaking down the two doors, the party decides to explore the room, Eltrezar taking the lead with the fighters up front with him and the archers taking the rear.

The room square-ish and littered with torn sacks, broken blates, and the debris of old weapons racks, indicating this may have been storage place and armory for the fortress. The western wall is piled with great heaps of worthless rubble, broken containers, and furniture, all obviously junk, used to hide the locked doors at G13 and G16. Examining the other side of the room, Eltrezar finds a closed door in the northeast corner (Q15), and a corridor running southward in the southeast corner of the room.
As he approaches the southeast corner's corridor his lantern light suddenly falls upon an emaciated-looking man standing behind a tall, floor-to-ceiling, stone pillar. As soon as the light shines upon his eyes the man gives a sorrowful groan and steps out to reveal a body draped with decomposing flesh. This man is a corpse, yet attacks!

OOC:

Gilly's token is actually at M12 right now. I only have it where it is to provide the most illumination for the room. Neither party rolls a 1 or 2 on a surprise check, so Round 1 begins with turn order as follows:
1. Maloria (7)
2. Angel (6)
3. Gilly (5)
4. Bors (4)
5. Man-at-Arms, Zombie (2)
6. Eltrezar (0)

Rolls

Secret Roll

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(3) + 2 = 5

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(1) - 1 = 0

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(6) + 1 = 7

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Zombie Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

May 29, 2021 2:11 am

"Light of Cuthbert, the living dead! Strike this abomination from the world lads!"

Mal cautiously advances toward the necrotic creature with her shield raised. Although the zombie is too far for her to attack with hammer, Mal holds her position on the front line and pulls her sling from her belt, loosing a stone at the lead walker.

OOC:

Move to O16

Last edited May 30, 2021 6:39 pm

Rolls

Attack - (1d20+1)

(6) + 1 = 7

Damage - (1d4+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

May 30, 2021 6:24 pm

OOC:

By my measurements Maloria is 20' from the monster, and has a movement of 90' (30' per round during combat). So she can move all the way to the monster and attack if she would like. But maybe she wishes to hold at O16, because...

As Maloria steps forward to approach the creature who has been lurking in the pitch black of this basement for an untold measure of time, a second one accompanying the first, previously obscured by a pilar, comes into her line of sight.

OOC:

@dominion451: If you would like Mal to move the rest of the way forward to attack, let me know and we can retcon the attack.
Otherwise the dwarf used 15' of Movement to O16 as requested this turn.

Angel for his part, immediately dashes laterally to O14 before firing an arrow at the nearest monster but the arrow clatters uselessly against the wall to his target's right.

OOC:

Round 1 continues. Turn order is as follows:
1. Maloria (7)
2. Angel (6)
-->3. Gilly (5)
4. Bors (4)
5. Man-at-Arms, Zombies (2)
6. Eltrezar (0)

Sorry, I forgot to move Gilly's token back. She is at M12 at the moment. This is her perspective:

Rolls

Angel Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20+3, 1d6)

1d20+3 : (2) + 3 = 5

1d6 : (5) = 5

May 30, 2021 6:37 pm

OOC:

Mal's movement should be 20' in combat because of Plate Mail, and I thought I used it up as I hadn't considered moving on the diagonal. I WOULD like to retcon an attack with my sling tho...

May 30, 2021 7:08 pm

dominion451 says:

OOC:

Mal's movement should be 20' in combat because of Plate Mail, and I thought I used it up as I hadn't considered moving on the diagonal. I WOULD like to retcon an attack with my sling tho...

OOC:

@dominion451:
That's Option #1: Encumbrance by Armour Type. In that case, yes, Mal would have a movement of 60' (20') per turn. We've been using Option #2:Encumbrance by Weight Carried for this campaign because I think it's a little more realistic without being a ridiculous pain in the butt for me to micromanage your stuff.

OOC:

So in this case, I have Maloria at 500c for her Plate, 100c for her shield, 30c for her hammer, 36c fr coins she's carrying, and 80c for all other miscellaneous gear (backpack, potions, rations, etc.), for a total of 746c, which puts her in the 90' Movement Rate group, though just barely.
And then I keep all of that encumbrance tracked on the same spreadsheet as linked in the first the post of each thread so that you guys don't have to. Anytime you need to know what your PC's Encumbrance and Movement Rate is just refer to that sheet. I keep it pretty up to date for you and all I have to do is enter data in the "Encumbering Equipment" cells of the sheet and it automatically updates the "Movement Rate" cell in Column E.

Other than that, as I understand it, you would like to retcon and have Mal attack with her sling from O16, correct? If so, go for it!

May 30, 2021 7:17 pm

OOC:

Hmmm, now I'm all for taking the better interpretation of a rule set if it benefits me, but as a semi honest gamer I have to say that the words "up to" before the weight indicate that the number is the upper limit for the move rate. 0-400 is 120', 401-600 is 90', 601-800 is 60', etc.

Feel free to tell me to stuff it, but it seems pretty clear to me. No disrespect xoxox

May 30, 2021 7:59 pm

OOC:

@dominion451: Yeah, actually you're right... You made me double check my formulas for that Movement Rate Cell, and it turns out I copy/pasted the formula for Mal's and Bors's Movement Rate off of the entry for Angel's PC. So it was reading Angel's Total Encumbrance and applying it to your Movement Rate. I fixed it, and now it accurately says you have a MR of 60' (20'). Technically, you could still make it to the zombie because of diagonal movement, but if you want to throw a sling stone from O16 go ahead and roll your attack.
Also, Bors has a Movement Rate of 60' (20') as well.

May 30, 2021 8:07 pm

OOC:

Yeah I have a bad habit of rushing in and dying so I'm gonna try some caution in the depths of the Moathouse ;)

May 30, 2021 8:51 pm

OOC:

Sounds good. Go ahead and make your sling attack of you like.

May 31, 2021 11:44 am

OOC:

Bors will move to N18 and take up a defensive position and try to get some line of sight to the south.

May 31, 2021 12:03 pm

OOC:

Is it my turn now too? Hard to make out with all the OOC! I’ll roll in any case!

Gilly drops the torch to the floor, and quickly sends an arrow sailing into the darkness at the shambling figure by the pillar. It’s a tough shot, truth be told!

Rolls

1d20+3, 1d6

1d20+3 : (13) + 3 = 16

1d6 : (3) = 3

May 31, 2021 5:00 pm

OOC:

Okay, Gilly had first initiative so we'll do her turn first, then Bors.

Gilly drops her torch on the ground and grabs her bow, and despite a penalty of 4 for teammates giving the zombie a good amount of cover, her arrow still sails through and hits its target. The corpse jars a little at the projectile's impact but seems otherwise indifferent, too interested in the new arrivals standing before it to care.

OOC:

Those currently emitting light are Angel, Gilly, Eltrezar, Maloria, and the Master-at-Arms. I don't have Bors marked as carrying illumination, but since Bors is standing right next to Gilly we can say Bors picked up Gilly's torch and carried it with him for light.

Bors moves forward to get a closer look at the enemies before him, and only sees the 2nd zombie of the two. There appears to be a corridor leading somewhere south but beyond the reach of his torch everything remains shrouded in darkness.

The Man-at-Arms drops his sword and torch on the ground as well and draws his longbow firing an arrow at the one gilly shot.

Rolls

Man-at-Arms Attack roll; Damage roll - (1d20, 1d6)

1d20 : (10) = 10

1d6 : (1) = 1

May 31, 2021 7:30 pm

Moving to behind Maloria for protection, Eltrezar takes one of his trusty daggers and flings it at the nearest zombie, hoping that the creature would not persist long after an assault. He mumbles something about never having seen the undead before, a combination of curiosity and caution in his voice.

OOC:

Eltrezar moves to P-15 and throws a dagger at the closest Zombie. If he can move after the attack (still having movement left), he will return to N-15.

Rolls

Attack - (1d20-1)

(10) - 1 = 9

Damage - (1d4)

(1) = 1

Jun 1, 2021 4:06 pm

OOC:

I put my sling attack in my original action post but it was a miss

Jun 1, 2021 7:28 pm

dominion451 says:

OOC:

I put my sling attack in my original action post but it was a miss

OOC:

Ah, I see it now. Alright.

Eltrezar moves over to get a better angle on an enemy and throws a dagger, but the weapon sails past the undead target. The wizard then retreats behind the protection of Maloria again as the monsters advance.

OOC:

I think these zombies would naturally attempt to attack whomever is nearest to them. Mal and Bors are both 15' from Zombie #1, however Zombie #1 can only see Maloria, as Bors is hidden behind the column there. Zombie #2's closest target is Bors, so it will attack the fighter.

One of the monsters kunges for Maloria, who deftly blocks the creature's claws. The second one shambles to Bors and attacks, but again its assault is thwarted by the fighter!

OOC:

Round 1 ends; Round 2 begins! Turn order is as follows:
-->1. Angel, Gilly (6)
2. Man-at-Arms (5)
3. Bors (4)
4. Maloria (3)
5. Eltrezar (0)
6. Zombies (2)

Rolls

Zombie #1 Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20, 1d8)

1d20 : (2) = 2

1d8 : (2) = 2

Zombie #2 Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20, 1d8)

1d20 : (5) = 5

1d8 : (7) = 7

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(4) + 2 = 6

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(1) - 1 = 0

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(5) = 5

Zombies Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Jun 1, 2021 7:42 pm

Angel draws another arrow and fires at the one attacking Mal. Another arrow hits the undead fiend, but it barely reacts to the piercing projectile and maintains it's focus on its intended quarry, Maloria.

OOC:

Round 2 continues! Turn order as follows:
-->1. Angel, Gilly (6)
2. Man-at-Arms (5)
3. Bors (4)
4. Maloria (3)
5. Eltrezar (0)
6. Zombies (2)

Rolls

Angel Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20+3, 1d6)

1d20+3 : (10) + 3 = 13

1d6 : (1) = 1

Jun 1, 2021 10:26 pm

Satisfied that her arrow found its mark, she sends another sailing towards the same zombie.

Rolls

1d20+3, 1d6

1d20+3 : (3) + 3 = 6

1d6 : (1) = 1

Jun 4, 2021 8:30 pm

Gilly fires her bow and misses. The Master-at-Arms moves twenty feet south to have a clear shot at the one Gilly shot at, and his arrow hits, just barely. Like every arrow that's punctured it so far, the zombie jarrs a bit at the impact, but seems otherwise little concerned with the projectiles. He does seem to be functioning with a bit of a herky-jerky fluidity however, as some of the arrows have damaged muscles and tendons necessary for mobility and proper function.

OOC:

Round 2 continues! Turn order as follows:
1. Angel, Gilly (6)
2. Man-at-Arms (5)
--> 3. Bors (4)
4. Maloria (3)
5. Eltrezar (0)
6. Zombies (2)

Rolls

Man-at-Arms Attack roll; Damage roll - (1d20+1, 1d6)

1d20+1 : (10) + 1 = 11

1d6 : (1) = 1

Jun 6, 2021 12:03 am

While Bors slashes at the zombie in front of him, he thinks over what words rhyme with "zombie" or at least start with a "z."

Rolls

Sword attack - (1d20+2)

(15) + 2 = 17

Sword damage - (1d8+2)

(2) + 2 = 4

Jun 6, 2021 4:49 pm

Mal hammers away at the fetid mound of rotting flesh before her...

Rolls

Attack - (1d20+1)

(15) + 1 = 16

Damage - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Jun 6, 2021 5:03 pm

Bors and Mal attack the two zombies before them. Bors's sword slices through the chest of his target tearing open the decomposing flesh and allowing a slurry of rotted entrails to spill to the stonework at its feet. As it staggers at the attack, the fighter can't help but notice how much more effective his sword's slashing steel seems compared to the effects of the arrows piercing the monster in numerous spots already.

A short distance away, Maloria brings her hammer down upon the craniumof the corpse before her again and again, feeling a sense of satisfaction when the skull finally caves in and the final blow completely folds the vertebrae in it's neck. The zombie falls to the floor, truly dead this time.

OOC:

Round 2 continues! Turn order as follows:
1. Angel, Gilly (6)
2. Man-at-Arms (5)
3. Bors (4)
4. Maloria (3)
--> 5. Eltrezar (0)
6. Zombies (2)

Rolls

Secret Roll

Jun 6, 2021 5:40 pm

Relieved at seeing one of these undead monstrosities fall, Eltrezar scurries to behind Bors and flings a dagger at the remaining zombie. He had not yet noticed the ineffectualness of the piercing weapons compared to other types, not that it would make a difference to the magister.

Rolls

Attack - (1d20)

(14) = 14

Damage - (1d4)

(3) = 3

Jun 6, 2021 9:57 pm

Eltrezar's dagger his the target with a thump as the blade buries itself in the zombies chest. It flinches before swiping a clawed hand at the fighter standing before him. Luckily for Bors the slash misses, as the raw bones of the creature's flanges extruding from the flesh of its fingertips appear sharp and lethal enough to tear a throat out with one grasp.

funfungiguy sent a note to dominion451

Rolls

Zombie #2 Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20, 1d8)

1d20 : (8) = 8

1d8 : (8) = 8

Jun 6, 2021 10:07 pm

OOC:

Round 2 ends; Round 3 begins! Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Angel, Gilly (6)
2. Bors (4)
3. Maloria (3)
4. Man-at-Arms (1)
5. Eltrezar (0 - For the 3rd time in a row?!?)
6. Zombie (3)

Rolls

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(4) + 2 = 6

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(1) - 1 = 0

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(1) = 1

Zombie Initiative roll - (1d6)

(3) = 3

Jun 6, 2021 11:31 pm

Thinking it too far to run and join the melee, Gilly resigns herself to sending another arrow at the zombie left standing. Perhaps she’ll get lucky and destroy the thing from afar, somehow!

Rolls

1d20+3, 1d6

1d20+3 : (10) + 3 = 13

1d6 : (3) = 3

Jun 7, 2021 12:22 am

Smiling in satisfaction as the efficacy of his sword, Bors swings again, hoping to just sever the damn head off.

Rolls

Sword attack - (1d20+2)

(12) + 2 = 14

Sword damage - (1d8+2)

(5) + 2 = 7

Jun 7, 2021 3:11 am

"There are two more coming up the hall!"

As Mal shouts her warning to her companions, she sets her hammer down on the floor and grasps the holy symbol of her faith from it's resting place on her chest. Holding the emblem of Cuthbert forth, she shouts a rebuke at the oncoming dead...

Rolls

Turn check (1hd=7, 2hd=9) - (2d6)

(66) = 12

Number of HD turned - (2d6)

(45) = 9

Jun 7, 2021 7:16 pm

Angel steps forward so that Maloria no longer provides cover and fires another arrow at the zombie struggling with Bors. The missile hits to the same effect every other arrow has had.
Gilly's misses a shot, as her target has become difficult to see through the cover her companions are providing for it, but Bor's sword cleave's the monster's head off its shoulders and it collapses to the floor, returned to death's cold embrace for good this time.

Just as the feeling of celebration begins to fill each of you, Maloria throws a wet blanket on things and shouts that more zombies have joined the fight. She raises the holy symbol of Saint Cuthbert and channels her faith to turn these undead creatures, and feels completely in tune with the power of her deity. Not only does she see the immediate effects, as the two zombies in her Darkvision give a give a groan of agony and repulsion, but to her surprise she hears additional groans coming from a number of the open cells lining the west wall of the southern corridor.

Rolls

Angel Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20+3, 1d6)

1d20+3 : (17) + 3 = 20

1d6 : (5) = 5

Jun 7, 2021 7:50 pm

Having dropped his torch in favor of using his bow, the Man-at-Arms is unable to see into the darkness beyond the torchers and lanterns, and has no view of the ones Mal has warned the others about, and will hold his turn. If the zombies are illuminated before the turn is over he'll shoot.

OOC:

Round 3 continues! Eltrezar is up!
1. Angel, Gilly (6)
2. Bors (4)
3. Maloria (3)
4. Man-at-Arms (1)
--> 5. Eltrezar (0 - For the 3rd time in a row?!?)
6. Zombie (3)

Jun 7, 2021 8:12 pm

Eltrezar, unable to see the coming threat, scurries to collect his two daggers before returning to a position diagonally behind Mal.

OOC:

With his range bands, it isn't even worth holding an action.

Jun 7, 2021 11:49 pm

Hearing that more are on the way, Gilly lets out an irritated grunt and gets ready to charge into range with her short sword!

Jun 8, 2021 12:21 am

OOC:

If they're coming from open cells, is it reasonable to assume Bors could attempt to just shut the cell doors to trap them inside before they get out?

Jun 8, 2021 4:23 pm

Eltrezar retrieves his daggers and finds a spot behind Maloria to get ready for any further trouble. Gilly switches to her short sword.

nezzeraj says:

OOC:

If they're coming from open cells, is it reasonable to assume Bors could attempt to just shut the cell doors to trap them inside before they get out?

OOC:

I think Bors would probably know that these doors require a key to lock and unlock. If you had a key, I think you definitely could. But without the key to lock the cells they just sort of swing freely and hang open.

The undead creatures affected by Maloria's divine presence turn around and retreat from her. When suddenly she sees two more spill out of one of the cells, both unaffected by the clerical abilities she demonstrated.

OOC:

Round 3 ends with 2 zombies killed, and at least 2 more turned by Maloria, though groans in the side cells indicate that more unseen zombies were affected by Maloria's turning. Two more undead have joined the fray.
Round 4 begins with turn order as follows:
--> 1. Bors (6)
2. Angel, Maloria
3. Gilly (3)
4. Man-at-Arms (1)
5. Eltrezar (0 -for the 4th Round in a row!)
6. Zombies (3)

Rolls

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(1) + 2 = 3

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(1) - 1 = 0

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(1) = 1

Zombies Initiative roll - (1d6)

(3) = 3

Jun 9, 2021 12:40 am

OOC:

Gonna move to Q19.

Hoping to get the zombies to split up, as well as having some defense from the pillar, Bors moves up and east and prepares for (hopefully only one) zombie to come to him. "Fan out and let them come to us. Two or three to a zombie.."

Last edited June 9, 2021 12:41 am

Jun 11, 2021 4:13 pm

Bors moves to the east side of the room hoping to split up the zombies, but what his torchlight reveals turns his blood cold. The doors of the cells running down the western length of this corridor are unlocked and open, and within the two most-northernmost cells, lurk more zombies... A pair per cell it seems, standing absentmindedly, waiting for an unsuspecting soul to disturb them, even if only to shine a torch's light upon their clouded pupils. As Bors's flame illuminates their faces, their eyes turn toward the fighter. Between the newcomers in the hallway and the two pairs now discovered by Bors, there are six zombies in this area, and still more cells stretching beyond containing who knows what...

The way now clear for Angel to get a clean shot at one of the zombies without the fighter providing cover, the thief draws and looses an arrow which hits with a "splat" but otherwise seems to affect the monster little.

OOC:

I guess with @dominion451 gone for a few days, we should come to a consensus as to what Maloria would do here. I'm on the fence between her simply rushing forward with her hammer, or trying to Turn Undead again. I'll let the Players decide her next course of action.

Rolls

Angel Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20+3, 1d6)

1d20+3 : (16) + 3 = 19

1d6 : (4) = 4

Jun 11, 2021 4:32 pm

OOC:

She had talked about playing it safe here, so I would guess that a good ol' fashioned Turning would be the way to go.

Jun 11, 2021 4:43 pm

OOC:

I'm good with that, then, for this round. She doesn't see what Bors sees from his position, but she certainly sees the two wandering up the hallway at the party, so she'll focus on those two...

Maloria lifts her holy symbol and continues to try Turning the newly arrived zombies. This time her faith falters, and the undead seem unaffected by the divine act.

OOC:

Round 4 continues with turn order as follows:
1. Bors (6)
2. Angel, Maloria
-->3. Gilly (3)
4. Man-at-Arms (1)
5. Eltrezar (0 -for the 4th Round in a row!)
6. Zombies (3)

Rolls

Maloria Turn Undead roll, HD Turned roll - (2d6, 2d6)

2d6 : (32) = 5

2d6 : (43) = 7

Jun 11, 2021 5:01 pm

OOC:

Gilly will move as far as she can to get beside Bors! I can’t imagine I can do anything after that.

Jun 11, 2021 5:56 pm

Gilly runs to Bors's side, short sword at the ready, and sees the undead lurking in the cubicles illuminated by the fighter's torchlight.

The Man-at-Arms moves 10' to his left (east) and fires another arrow at the one Angel just struck. The arrows hits its target with another wet "smack".

OOC:

Round 4 continues with turn order as follows:
1. Bors (6)
2. Angel, Maloria
3. Gilly (3)
4. Man-at-Arms (1)
--> 5. Eltrezar (0 -for the 4th Round in a row!)
6. Zombies (3)

Rolls

Man-at-Arms Attack roll; Damage roll - (1d20+1, 1d6)

1d20+1 : (14) + 1 = 15

1d6 : (2) = 2

Jun 11, 2021 6:14 pm

Feeling less than useful in this instance, given his expenditure of magical energies and ineffectualness of his daggers, Eltrezar moves to behind Bors to provide light, in the event the warrior decided a shield was more useful than a torch. He holds the lantern high, hoping to illuminate the area as much as possible.

Jun 11, 2021 7:50 pm

OOC:

Oh wow, I forgot that carrying a torch and sword means Bors can't use a shield. That will change his AC to 4 instead of 2, but wouldn't have otherwise affected what's transpired so far. Good thinking, Eltrezar.

Before I let the Zombies take their turn I'm going to wait a bit and let anyone who wishes to toss in their hat on the Turn Undead discussion in the OOC thread have a chance to chime in. Unfortunately @dominion451 isn't available to speak, so whatever is decided, we may have to revisit the issue when they get back from their vacation.

Jun 12, 2021 3:35 pm

OOC:

Keeping the game moving, so for the time being we'll table the Turn Undead debate...

While two of the Zombies that Maloria previously turned continue to try and flee the effects of her divine aura, pressing themselves against the southernmost wall, the two that remain unaffected by the clerics last attempt press forward now. Only ten feet away from the halfling, one advances on Gilly and tries to claw at her with it's broken, and gnarled fingers...
...They rake and claw the little halfling's face bloody as it digs and desperately tries to find her throat.

The other Zombie follows the first but instead turns its attention on Bors, clubbing and beating on the man with its fists...
...With a supernatural strength the creature hammers repeatedly at the unprotected head and face, ringing the fighter's bells with a particularly hard club fist to the temple.

Another Zombie comes staggering out of the northernmost cell and makes its way along the wall. It lunges forward when it gets close enough to grab the Man-at-Arms who's currently readying another arrow in his longbow...
...Not paying attention or expecting more trouble to come in from so near, the Man-at-Arms is taken unawares by the new arrival, which grabs the man's left arm and bites down hard, a splurt of blood accompanying a grunt of pain.

OOC:

A rally from the Zombies at the close of Round 4 leaves the party in big trouble. Gilly takes 5HP Damage, leaving the Halfling severely injured with only 2HP remaining. Bors takes 6HP Damage, leaving the Fighter severely injured with only 2HP remaining. The Man-at-Arms, previously injured from taking some of the brunt of Eltrezar's Magic Missile, takes 3HP Damage, leaving him severely injured.
As Round 5 begins, the party surely feels the bad turn this fight has just taken and I'm sure the Man-at-Arms, bleeding badly from the arm and burned from the Magic Missile attack that ultimately saved his life, isn't the only one beginning to consider whether a tactical retreat to fight another day might not be prudent soon. Turn order for this round is as follows:
--> 1. Gilly (8)
2. Angel (6)
3. Eltrezar (5?!?)
4. Man-at-Arms (4)
5. Bors (3)
6. Maloria (2)
7. Zombies (6)

Rolls

Zombie #5 Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20, 1d8)

1d20 : (14) = 14

1d8 : (5) = 5

Zombie #6 Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20, 1d8)

1d20 : (18) = 18

1d8 : (6) = 6

Zombie #7 Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20, 1d8)

1d20 : (16) = 16

1d8 : (3) = 3

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(6) + 2 = 8

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(6) - 1 = 5

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(1) + 1 = 2

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(4) = 4

Zombies Initiative roll - (1d6)

(6) = 6

Jun 12, 2021 4:35 pm

Gilly shoves the claws off with an effort, and feels blood run down her cheeks and chin. She motions to Bors, similarly assaulted, and says "Get to Mal! She can drive them off while we make a break for it!" She pushes the fighter back towards the others, half heartidly, before slashing out at the zombie to put some space between her and it while they get ready to retreat!

OOC:

Best to do this in an organized way. Fighting retreat maybe. I don’t know if they can attack me if I move out of range, so I will simply act like they can. No free attacks on this Halfling, no sir!

OOC:

Welp, I have the zombie AC at... pretty low. But maybe 1 point higher than that 9 I just rolled!

Last edited June 12, 2021 4:36 pm

Rolls

1d20+1, 1d6+1

1d20+1 : (8) + 1 = 9

1d6+1 : (5) + 1 = 6

Jun 12, 2021 5:11 pm

OOC:

@KCC69:
Okay, so I had Gilly's Movement Rate (MR) at 90' (allowing her to move only 15' on a Fighting Retreat), because she has 192 gold in her inventory, which is pretty heavy. I notice on the PC tracker spreadsheet she also left her shield, which weighs 100c, on her pony, and so I assumed that if she's leaving her shield with her pony, she would probably leave a lot of that coin in a saddlebag too. So I moved 190 gold to her saddlebag and her MR is 120' (allowing for a 20' fighting retreat). Correct me if I was mistaken, and she is in fact carrying 192 gold on her Encumbrance.

Gilly swings, but misses by a small margin, then backs up toward the staircase.

Angel fires an arrow at the Zombie who just bit the Trading Post Man-at-Arms striking it directly in the left temple. The Zombie groans and releases its bite on the prey in its clutches and then watches as Angel retreats 20', unable to go further without risking whatever lay in the darkness beyond the reach of his companions' torches.

OOC:

Round 5 continues with Eltrezar next:
1. Gilly (8)
2. Angel (6)
--> 3. Eltrezar (5?!?)
4. Man-at-Arms (4)
5. Bors (3)
6. Maloria (2)
7. Zombies (6)

Rolls

Angel Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20+3, 1d6)

1d20+3 : (20) + 3 = 23

1d6 : (1) = 1

Jun 13, 2021 5:43 am

Hrmph! 'If the Halfling is fleeing, then perhaps it is time I follow suit!'

The tides in the process of turning, Eltrezar makes a last-ditch effort to throw a dagger the nearest zombie before retreating to the side of his shortest companion. Ahem! "Perhaps to the stairs, before they surround us!"

OOC:

Eltrezar throws a dagger at Zombie 6 and moves to P-15.
Yes, he clears his throat in his thoughts, too.

Rolls

Attack - (1d20)

(20) = 20

Damage - (1d4)

(2) = 2

Jun 14, 2021 3:54 am

OOC:

Nice throw! It's about 10pm Utah time. I've been on the road all day to get here, and it's been 100+°F all afternoon, so I'm going to get my run in now that the sun's gone down and things have cooled off, and then when I get back, I'll fire up the chrome book and update this post, including the Man-at-Arms turn.

Eltrezar sends a dagger at the Zombie nearest him before retreating towards the stairs. The blade sinks itself directly in the undead creature's temple and it gives a grunt and staggers a bit on it's feet. This particular specimen was by far the most rotted and decomposed of the bunch, reduced to little more than dusty bones, and one might think a stiff breeze all that would be needed to reduce it to a pile of limbs on the ground, so the dagger smacking it directly in the cranium is about all it's likely to able to endure before it's down for good.

The Man-at-Arms follows the lead of the others and makes a fighting retreat 15' towards the stairs before firing off his long bow at the one just south of him. It shudders and jerks before righting itself again.

funfungiguy sent a note to cowleyc

OOC:

Round 5 continues with Eltrezar next:
1. Gilly (8)
2. Angel (6)
3. Eltrezar (5?!?)
4. Man-at-Arms (4)
--> 5. Bors (3)
6. Maloria (2)
7. Zombies (6)

Rolls

Secret Roll

Man-at-Arms Attack roll; Damage roll - (1d20+1, 1d6)

1d20+1 : (12) + 1 = 13

1d6 : (1) = 1

Man-at-Arms Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20+1, 1d6)

1d20+1 : (17) + 1 = 18

1d6 : (2) = 2

Secret Roll

Jun 15, 2021 12:56 am

Bors will throw the torch at the closest zombie, pick up his shield, and make a retreat to join his party members.

Rolls

Torch throw - (1d20+1)

(9) + 1 = 10

Torch damage - (1d4)

(1) = 1

Jun 15, 2021 6:05 am

Bors takes his torch and throws it at the undead attacker before him, which simply bounces clumsily off the monster's chest. With shield in hand, he then makes a 10' Fighting Retreat to fall back toward his companions.

OOC:

Bors has lost his light source, but with shield in hand again, his armor class is reduced from 4 to 2.

Round 5 continues with Maloria's turn next.
1. Gilly (8)
2. Angel (6)
3. Eltrezar (5?!?)
4. Man-at-Arms (4)
5. Bors (3)
--> 6. Maloria (2)
7. Zombies (6)

Jun 16, 2021 5:22 am

Mal continues to stand behind her faith, invoking Cuthbert's righteous fury to drive back the damned...

Rolls

Turn check (1hd=7, 2hd=9) - (2d6)

(46) = 10

Turn HD - (2d6)

(33) = 6

Jun 16, 2021 6:16 am

Mal once again attempts to invoke the strength and spirit of Saint Cuthbert, and this time the three corpses shudder as if they were hit with a shockwave of righteous energy. They begin emitting a shriek of fear that sounds like a mix of groaning and whispering or hissing. Like their predecessors, they rush to flee the cleric, making a clumsy run as far south as the corridor will let them.
Not all is yet safe and secure, though, as two more of the undead horde come lurking out of another cell and spot Maloria, moving towards her.

OOC:

Round 5 ends with a crucial Turn Undead casting on Maloria's part, giving those fleeing a bit of a reprieve before the horde was on them and attacking again. Round 6 begins! Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Bors (7)
2. Angel, Maloria (6)
3. Gilly, Eltrezar, Man-at-Arms (4)
4. Zombies (5)

Rolls

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(2) + 2 = 4

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(5) - 1 = 4

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(6) + 1 = 7

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(4) = 4

Zombies Initiative roll - (1d6)

(5) = 5

Jun 16, 2021 9:35 am

Bors makes a beeline back toward the nearest entrance that they can lock up to keep the undead at bay.

Jun 17, 2021 5:36 am

OOC:

Is he headed up the stairs, then?

Jun 17, 2021 10:41 am

OOC:

If he can make it and there's a door there, yes.

Jun 17, 2021 4:00 pm

OOC:

@nezzeraj:
Okay, noted. Technically, if performing no other Action on their turn, a PC can move their full Movement Rate (60' in this case), though because Bors doesn't have a light source I moved him as far as he can go and still see based on the light sources others are carrying. This actually moved him to the base of the stairs, and I would argue there's a bit of light spilling into the stairwell from avove. Not enough to actually illuminate anything below, but enough the be able to see if there's any dark silhouettes in the stairwell (there aren't). So Bors can use his last 30' of Movement to run up the stairs.
Finding a door that locks will be a more difficult matter. Most of the doors on this level are untested, and the two that were tried proved to be locked, which Angel failed to pick open. Above, I don't recall any doors being locked at all, and while they could possibly be barricaded if anyone has an iron spike in their inventory, I think most of the doors on the ground floor are pretty rotted and weathered, like the rest of the Moathouse Ruins.

Bors retreats, making his way to the stairwell. Once he reaches the base of the stairs he finds himself leaving the illumination of his companions, but a small amount of ambient light spilling down from above seems to indicate the way upstairs is clear and the fighter rushes up, making his way to the rat-ransacked pantry on the ground level above.

Seeing the fighter flee, and having not seen the newly arrived undead that Maloria has due to them having yet to step into any actual light, Angel assumes the coast is finally clear or at least that no immediate danger exists and rushes after Bors, also heading up the stairs to the ground floor.

OOC:

Round 6 continues! Bors and Angel have escaped this dungeon level to run upstairs. Turn order is as follows:
1. Bors (7)
--> 2. Angel, Maloria (6)
3. Gilly, Eltrezar, Man-at-Arms (4)
4. Zombies (5)

Jun 18, 2021 5:37 pm

"Where the blazes are you two going?!"

Mal shouts after her fleeing companions as she stands stalwart against the surging tide of the dead. Only a moment does she spend on the thought before she turns back to the zombies and again thrusts forth her medallion.

"You may not pass here! In the name of the First God of Man, see me and despair!"

Rolls

Turn check (1hd=7, 2hd=9) - (2d6)

(42) = 6

Turn HD - (2d6)

(23) = 5

Jun 19, 2021 12:12 am

Gilly makes to pass Maloria and head for the stairs. When she sees the cleric not retreat, she stops. She looks to the stairs, and then to the cleric. She moves beside her and tries to pull the cleric towards the stairs.

Straining:

"Not... down... here. Up... stairs!" Gilly stands by the cleric, short sword drawn and pointed towards the dark, urging the cleric to leave and follow the others up in to the light!

Jun 19, 2021 8:12 am

OOC:

Okay, so I 'm clear, the way I'm understanding things is that we have Bors and Angel ran upstairs already. Mal is opting to stay downstairs and continue casting Turn Undead, and Gilly is staying downstairs this Round with Mal, but trying to convince the cleric that the fight should be moved to upstairs, correct? That leaves Eltrezar and the Man-at-Arms to go this turn, and @cowleyc declared in the OoC thread that they will be gone a couple days to go hiking, but Elrezar would follow those that ran upstairs. Elrezar leaving and carrying a lantern with him would be the last source of illumination in the basement. Mal can see in the dark, but Gilly and the Man-at-Arms are not carrying a light source at the moment, and I think that the Hireling is going to have to pass a pretty steep morale Morale roll if he continues to stay in the dark with only two members of the party.

Is this all accurate and does it make sense?

Jun 19, 2021 9:07 am

OOC:

*gulp* Maloria has gotten Gilly into a spot of bother here!

Jun 20, 2021 1:05 am

With the warrior priestess standing her ground against the undead horde (at this point, horde seems to be the accurate description), Eltrezar hangs back a little longer. He provides light for the Halfling and the silent warrior, but begins working his way back to the stairs. Ahem! "To the stairs, Maloria! We need to use a chokepoint. Save your stubbornness for another time!"

OOC:

Eltrezar is moving back until the Man-at-Arms is just within the light of his lantern.

Jun 20, 2021 5:49 pm

Understanding now what the plan is, Mal nods in agreement to Eltrezar and pulls back at top speed as soon as she is able.

Jun 21, 2021 4:26 pm

Eltrezar retreats towards the stairs, keeping not only the Man-at-Arms within illumination, but also Gilly remains withn the edge of his lantern's light.

Following the others, the Man-at-Arms rushes after those retreating upstairs.

The two zombies continue to chase after Maloria and Gilly, closing the distance on them, but because they ran to get to them, they are unable to attack this round, Meanwhile another if the undead emerges from a cell.

OOC:

Round 6 ends; Round 7 begins! Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Bors (6)
2. Angel, Maloria (4)
3. Gilly, Eltrezar (3)
4. Man-at-Arms (1)
5. Zombies (1)

Entering this Round, we have Bors, Angel, and the Man-at-Arms upstairs.

Still downstairs we have Maloria, Gilly, and Eltrezar (I have the Man-at-Arms on both maps because he's currently at the top of the stairwell.

It should be noted by @KCC69 and @dominion451 that while the two undead have closed the distance to melee range on their PC's, they have not actually engaged in melee combat yet because they used their turn to make a full run last round. Therefore, nobody is currently in melee, and if either PC wants to back away towards the stairs, they are not required to make it a Fighting Retreat (at 1/6 their Movement Rate) unless they opt to attack the zombies first (thereby engaging in melee) and then back way.

Rolls

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(1) + 2 = 3

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(4) - 1 = 3

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(1) = 1

Zombies Initiative roll - (1d6)

(1) = 1

Jun 22, 2021 12:17 am

Bors will take up a defensive position at the top of the stairs to protect the others as they come up, with a readied action to attack the first zombie that comes in range.

Jun 22, 2021 5:00 pm

Bors moves to the head of the stairwell and awaits any oncoming enemies. Because of the narrowness of the stairwell, and the small size of the storage room, Angel can't really get a good shot at anything coming up the stairs without Bors providing it cover, so he waits where he is just outside the room.

OOC:

Round 7 continues! Maloria is up. A reminder that while the zombies before her are in melee range, melee hasn't actually started yet, so if she opts t retreat, she is not required to make a Fighting Retreat maneuver, and can either tack an action and move at 1/3 her MR of 60', or she can make a full run at her full MR...

1. Bors (6)
--> 2. Angel, Maloria (4)
3. Gilly, Eltrezar (3)
4. Man-at-Arms (1)
5. Zombies (1)

Jun 22, 2021 8:32 pm

Mal turns and runs after her companions at top speed, aiming to make it to the stairwell and block the walkers from coming up after her companions.

Jun 22, 2021 11:51 pm

Gilly trundles after her, breathing heavy once she reaches the top, and the light.

Jun 23, 2021 1:42 am

With the last of the party up the staircase, Eltrezar moves to a position just behind everyone, holding the lantern high to illuminate the otherwise dark staircase.

Hrmph! "Bors, Maloria, take the front. We shall slay these abominations as they shuffle into our bastion. Arrows and daggers seem to be all but useless here, so be sparing!"

Jun 25, 2021 6:53 pm

OOC:

So where are you thinking the choke point is at for these zombies? At the head or the stairwell, or are you thinking at the storage door where the Giant Rats were slain?

Jun 25, 2021 11:15 pm

OOC:

The way I saw it was at the head of the stairwell, where we would have some form of upper ground. Make it harder, even if just in roleplay, for the zombies to fight back.

Jun 26, 2021 12:15 am

The Man-at-Arms makes his way to the corner of the storage room. The staircase, being only 5' wide, makes for a bottleneck which draws the undead attackers into a single file arrangement at the top of the steps, where Maloria waits with Bors directly behind her. Because the zombies ran to keep up with the fleeing adventurers they cannot engage in melee with Maloria, but one of them is directly adjacent to her, but down a few steps, and the dwarf sees the other one following right behind.

OOC:

Round 7 ends; Round 8 begins. Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Gilly (8)
2. Angel, Maloria (4)
3. Bors, Man-at-Arms (2)
4. Eltrezar (0)
5. Zombies (3)

The Storage Room the characters are cramped inside is tiny, and very much less than ideal for hand-to-hand combat (or any other type of combat, for that matter). Barely able to all fit inside this room, there's almost nowhere to move around. Those making ranged attacks are unable to see any undead until they make it to the top of the staircase and enter the small room properly at Q11, which is all but impossible with Mal blocking the stairs and Bors standing at the top of the staircase right behind her. As it is, unless she moves aside (basically requiring her to leave this tiny room) only Mal can actively attack the zombies using melee attacks, and no PCs can get a shot on the zombies using ranged attacks due to the angle of the staircase going down, and bors blocking the way behind the cleric.

Rolls

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(6) + 2 = 8

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(1) - 1 = 0

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(1) + 1 = 2

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Zombies Initiative roll - (1d6)

(3) = 3

Jun 26, 2021 2:34 pm

OOC:

I hope we can avoid mice part 2!

Gilly shuffles out, between the legs of her companions. So this is what they heard at night…

She’ll move to the back and give the others some space!

"Maybe bring them out here so we can all clobber them?!" she shouts, sure that everyone is probably too preoccupied to hear!

Jun 26, 2021 8:09 pm

Listening to Gilly's suggestion, Angel clears out of the Storage Room as well.

OOC:

I have Gilly at T9 and Angel at T10 for the time being. Round 8 continues with Turn order as follows:
1. Gilly (8)
--> 2. Angel, Maloria (4)
3. Bors, Man-at-Arms (2)
4. Eltrezar (0)
5. Zombies (3)

Jun 28, 2021 3:06 pm

Mal turns at the top of the stairs and thrusts out her holy medallion once more.

"Back hellspawn! You have no power here!"

Rolls

Turn check (1hd=7, 2hd=9) - (2d6)

(33) = 6

Turn HD - (2d6)

(44) = 8

Jun 28, 2021 4:58 pm

The party's pursuers show little interest in Mal's medallion this time and prepare to attack the Cleric. But first, lacking an angle where he can get a shot off on one of the zombies with his bow in this tiny room, the Man-at-Arms steps out of the Storage Room and draws his longsword.

OOC:

Round 8 continues. Turn order is as follows:
I have Gilly at T9 and Angel at T10 for the time being. Round 8 continues with Turn order as follows:
1. Gilly (8)
2. Angel, Maloria (4)
--> 3. Bors, Man-at-Arms (2)
4. Eltrezar (0)
5. Zombies (3)

I really hate that this melee is in the stairwell, to be honest. The fact that one map has it as being 5' wide, while the other one has it as being 10' wide was just mildly annoying, but easy enough to ignore until the party decided the stairwell was going to be the location of the entire module's zombie battle. This entire Storage Room is a knife fight in a phone booth, really...

Jun 28, 2021 11:42 pm

OOC:

Bringing them out into the open where we can see them without torches might help! And we can spread out! Archers can get their shots off!

Jun 29, 2021 5:38 am

OOC:

Mmmmm... Choke point. So nice.

Jun 29, 2021 5:54 am

OOC:

Can Mal hold off the zombies while Eltrezar runs off and kills five hundred and fifty four (and a half) wild boars to gain the XP necessary for Fireball? Just brainstorming.

Jun 29, 2021 6:17 am

OOC:

I agree that the map is a little disorientating. Bors is just going to stab whatever comes up the stairs within reach. Let me know whenever I need to roll and I'll make one.

Jun 29, 2021 2:49 pm

OOC:

I think Mal can do that for you Eltrezar! Let's get our Man at Arms to mov into that empty square next to the zombie asap so they don't push out that way and ruin the point of the choke

Last edited June 29, 2021 2:51 pm

Jun 29, 2021 6:19 pm

OOC:

You won't have to worry about the zombie moving to that side. There's the stairwell wall there, and also a shelf that's been for the most part picked clean by the Giant Rats that previously inhabited this area.

It's kind of hard to tell by the map, so maybe this drawing will help.

Bors is standing at the top of the landing, five feet ahead of him, Maloria is standing on the stairs, probably on the top one or two steps. One zombie is standing a few feet below her, while another is currently behind that one lurking somewhere in the dark.
So basically, as it stands right now, the only way the Zombies are gonna get upstairs if for them to get past Maloria, and then shove past Bors who's standing directly behind Mal.

Jun 29, 2021 8:04 pm

OOC:

AC don't fail me now!

Jun 29, 2021 8:59 pm

OOC:

Is Eltrezar holding his turn, or was he going to do something else?

Jun 29, 2021 9:06 pm

As the group tries to figure out the optimal caging for the zombies, Eltrezar does his best to get out of the way. He backs out of the storage room, finding a place behind Angel and Gilly. As always, he holds his lantern high, hoping to still provide illumination into the room, and readies a dagger with his other hand. "Mal, Bors! Back away, create a formation outside the room!"

Jun 29, 2021 9:50 pm

Eltrezar flees the room, leaving only Mal and the Fighter to hold off the zombies rushing up the stairs. The zombie closest to Mal attacks the cleric with his shredded fingers. Luckily for her, the creature is too clumsy to make purchase with its hands which look easily strong enough to rend flesh and meat from bone.

OOC:

Round 8 ends; Round 9 begins! Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Gilly (8)
2. Bors (7)
3. Maloria (5)
4. Angel, Eltrezar, Man-at-Arms (2)
5. Zombies (6)

Rolls

Zombie #9 Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20, 1d8)

1d20 : (8) = 8

1d8 : (8) = 8

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(1) + 1 = 2

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(6) + 2 = 8

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(3) - 1 = 2

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(4) + 1 = 5

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(6) + 1 = 7

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Zombies Initiative roll - (1d6)

(6) = 6

Jun 30, 2021 12:24 pm

Seeing as how the others didn’t all follow, Gilly will spend a turn watching their backs in the courtyard. She watches where the front gate is, and around the shadowy corners almost out of sight. She’s making sure they don’t get ambushed by some creatures cunning enough to capitalize on the zombie assault!

Jun 30, 2021 4:19 pm

OOC:

Mal will follow for sure, just gotta get to my number... PS we need to get Mal, Bors, and Man at Arms in the S10, and T9&10 spaces. Angel will need to move out and I believe Gilly already has with her last post. Mal and Bors can move into S10 and T9 this round while Angel and Man at Arms can swap places on their shared initiative count.

Last edited June 30, 2021 4:24 pm

Jul 2, 2021 3:51 pm

OOC:

In order to see the front gate DGilly will have to move a bit. I put her at V9.

It sounds like a solid plan to killbox them in the same spot you did the rats is coming together. It is Bors's turn next.
1. Gilly (8)
--> 2. Bors (7)
3. Maloria (5)
4. Angel, Eltrezar, Man-at-Arms (2)
5. Zombies (6)

Jul 3, 2021 4:24 pm

OOC:

Let's wait one more day and see if Bors takes his turn, and if not, to keep things moving I'll npc him a round. I'm thinking Bors will heed Mal's suggestion and move to T9 and ready his weapon and shield. But let's give it another minute and see.

Jul 3, 2021 5:43 pm

OOC:

All wise warriors heed dwarven wisdom.

Jul 4, 2021 3:08 pm

OOC:

Mal's suggestion sounds good, he will move to T9

Jul 4, 2021 4:47 pm

As Bors pulls back into position, Mal sees her opening to do the same. She begins a fighting withdrawal and then shimmies her way over to S10.

Jul 5, 2021 1:38 am

With the group finally in position, Eltrezar stands firm with lantern overhead. Nothing to do now but wait. He casts a worrisome glance at the group, seeing evident injuries that might become dire if this battle gets out of hand.

Jul 5, 2021 12:30 pm

Gilly wipes the sweat from her brow as she looks about the courtyard, watching the groups back. She prepares to swap over to her bow and arrows as soon as she catches her breath!

Jul 5, 2021 5:15 pm

OOC:

@domimion451:
Few important things to mention real quick... Then we'll move onto Angel, Man-at-Arms, and Eltrezar.

1. Since Mal has to make a fighting retreat, she can only move 1/6 of her Movement Rate. Mal's current MR is 90', so she'll only be able to make a Fighting Retreat of 15'. After backing up the stairs and rounding the corner of the shelves the Giant Rats picked over, she can only get as far as R10 this turn. (Movement pattern for this round would be [Start at] Q10-->Q11 --> R11 --> R10 [End Movement].)

2. Since Mal is making a Fighting Retreat instead of a Full Retreat, she can still attack this round if she wants, either before or after her Move Action.

3. If you don't want to use your attack this round, you can opt for the Full Retreat. If making a Full Retreat you can move up to your Encounter Movement Rate (30' in this case), which would put you at S10, where you want Mal to be, but Maloria will forfeit her attack this round and any opponents gain a +2 To-Hit bonus on her this round.

Jul 6, 2021 6:19 pm

OOC:

If we don't get an update on Mal by the end of the day I'll roleplay that she opts for the Full Retreat option.

Jul 7, 2021 2:16 pm

Mal will full retreat to get in position

Jul 9, 2021 5:19 pm

Not being particularly strong with melee weapons, Angel steps back, 5' away from the killbox's front-line fighters and readies his bow just in case the melee fighters need help. The Man-at-Arms steps forward and fills the space Angel left unoccupied and readies his longsword.

OOC:

Eltrezar is up next before the two remaining zombies rush up the stairs and attack the killbox fighters.
1. Gilly (8)
2. Bors (7)
3. Maloria (5)
--> 4. Angel, Eltrezar, Man-at-Arms (2)
5. Zombies (6)

Jul 9, 2021 5:20 pm

With the group finally in position, Eltrezar stands firm with lantern overhead. Nothing to do now but wait. He casts a worrisome glance at the group, seeing evident injuries that might become dire if this battle gets out of hand.

Jul 10, 2021 11:10 pm

With all fighters in position the group stands at their killbox in anticipation. They don't have to wait long as the undead creatures make their way up the staircase and out of the storage room where the first one is immediately met by Mal, Bors, and the Man-at-Arms ready to attack.

OOC:

Because the zombies used their turn to make full movement instead of their Encounter Movement speed, they cannot attack this round. This gives the party at the killbox one more chance to bat their attackers around a bit before they finally face being attacked. Round 9 ends; Round 10 begins.
Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Gilly, Bors (7)
2. Angel (6)
3. Man-at-Arms (5)
4. Maloria (3)
5. Eltrezar (2)
6. Zombies (2)

funfungiguy sent a note to Demagor

Rolls

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(5) + 2 = 7

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(3) - 1 = 2

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(6) + 1 = 7

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(5) = 5

Zombies Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Secret Roll

Jul 11, 2021 12:39 am

Hearing the moaning noises, Gilly ceases her watch on the courtyard and readies an arrow to shoot at the shambling corpses!

OOC:

Did I see anyone approach through the gate? (Making space for new entrant, if needs be)

Last edited July 11, 2021 12:40 am

Rolls

1d20+3

(11) + 3 = 14

1d6

(1) = 1

Jul 11, 2021 10:10 am

Bors prepares a graceful thrust at the first walking corpse to enter his range.

OOC:

I jinxed myself by writing "graceful" :(

Last edited July 11, 2021 10:11 am

Rolls

Attack - (1d20+3)

(1) + 3 = 4

Damage - (1d8+3)

(7) + 3 = 10

Jul 11, 2021 4:29 pm

OOC:

@KCC69:
Gilly doesn't see anyone approaching through the front gate at the moment.

Bors "gracefully" stabs at the first corpse that spills out of the Storage Room, but graceful thrusts don't seem to be in his repertoire. The zombie doesn't even notice the attack.

Meanwhile Angel looses an arrow at the monster while the Man-at-Arms of the Trading Post hacks at the creature with his sword.

Angel's arrow hits it's mark but the zombie barely notices the hit. The Man-at-Arms's attack is quite another matter. His weapon nearly cleaves the monster's head from it's torso, as it diagonally cuts from the neck to nearly the right armpit. The Man-at-Arms puts his foot on his enem;y and uses it as leverage to pull his sword out of the undead entity.

OOC:

Round 10 continues. Turn order is as follows:
1. Gilly, Bors (7)
2. Angel (6)
3. Man-at-Arms (5)
--> 4. Maloria (3)
5. Eltrezar (2)
6. Zombies (2)

Rolls

Angel Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20+1, 1d6)

1d20+1 : (18) + 1 = 19

1d6 : (5) = 5

Man-at-Arms Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20, 1d8)

1d20 : (12) = 12

1d8 : (8) = 8

Jul 11, 2021 8:03 pm

Deciding that Cuthbert can't do all her fighting for her, Mal swings her hammer at the dead man just behind the one her comrade turned into a taco...

Rolls

Attack, Damage - (1d20+1, 1d6+1)

1d20+1 : (12) + 1 = 13

1d6+1 : (2) + 1 = 3

Jul 12, 2021 4:57 pm

Maloria struggles a bit to hit the one still inside the storage room from the angle she stands at but the hammer manages to find a piece of the zombie, though just barely. She hears a crunch as the shoulder socket of the monster crushes under her attack.

OOC:

Round 10 continues with Eltrezar finishing up for the party before the two undead shamblers get to take their turn chisseling at the boundaries of the killbox:
1. Gilly, Bors (7)
2. Angel (6)
3. Man-at-Arms (5)
4. Maloria (3)
--> 5. Eltrezar (2)
6. Zombies (2)

Jul 12, 2021 5:10 pm

With the undead finally within their trap, Eltrezar does his best to help out in combat. He flings a dagger through a gap in his teammates, but the awkwardness makes it quite difficult to aim.

Rolls

Attack - (1d20-2)

(16) - 2 = 14

Damage - (1d4)

(3) = 3

Jul 13, 2021 9:07 pm

Eltrezar's dagger sails right past Bors's left ear and embeds itself in the undead shambler's mouth, embedding itself in the back of the creature's throat. It gives a muffled "Gruugh..." in response, it's cracked lips wrapped around the dagger's hilt.

In response the zombie claws at the killbox perimeter surrounding it.

OOC:

The zombie will attack a PC using the following Target Selection numbers: 1=Bors, 2=Man-at-Arms, 3=Maloria.

The zombie attacks the man standing right in front of it, and luckily the fighter gets his shield up, just in the very nick of time and bats the monsters ragged hand away, realizing as he does so that in his current condition, had he still been carrying a torch he'd surely have been dead right now.
The zombie behind, unable to shove through the doorway of the Storage Room, can only push hungrily at its companion from behind.

OOC:

Round 10 ends; Round 11 begins! Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Norris (6)
2. Maloria, Bors (4)
3. Angel, Gilly, Eltrezar (3)
4. Man-at-Arms (2)
5. Zombies (2)

funfungiguy sent a note to Demagor

Rolls

Zombie #9 Target Selection roll, Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d3, 1d20, 1d8)

1d3 : (1) = 1

1d20 : (14) = 14

1d8 : (4) = 4

Secret Roll

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(1) + 2 = 3

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(4) - 1 = 3

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Norris Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Zombies Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Secret Roll

Jul 14, 2021 12:40 am

Demagor sent a note to funfungiguy

Last edited July 14, 2021 12:41 am

Jul 14, 2021 1:41 am

"Bors!" shouts Mal,

"I'm gonna pass you a healing potion! Be ready to grab it!"

Jul 15, 2021 12:17 am

"Um, I don't have any free hands at the moment!" he says while slashing and blocking. "Also, what does it taste like? I hope it's not cherries, I hate cherries."

Jul 15, 2021 12:30 am

"You should be so lucky! Probably tastes like a priest's socks!"

Jul 16, 2021 12:26 am

With themselves acting as ranged backup for those that make up the killbox for the attacking undead, and not being forced to focus as intently as those in direct melee Gilly and Eltrezar's intention is suddenly grabbed by the approach of a rather roguish-looking man in leather armor and a shortsword in hand but not yet drawn approaching the stairs from the weathered and defunct Moathouse gates the party recently entered.
Suddenly the Man-at-Arms turns and spots the man as well and raises his sword, unsure of which threat to focus on first.

OOC:

Round 11 continues. Mal and Bors are up now:
1. Norris (6)
--> 2. Maloria, Bors (4)
3. Angel, Gilly, Eltrezar (3)
4. Man-at-Arms (2)
5. Zombies (2)

Rolls

Secret Roll

Jul 16, 2021 4:42 am

Once again, Eltrezar flings one of his many daggers towards the nearest undead. Hrmph! 'These warriors make it look so difficult to throw around bits of metal willy nilly.' The dagger finds purchase, though empirical evidence has shown the ineffectualness of these piercing weapons against the scourge of the undead.

OOC:

Posting early because I'll be gone for a few days. If, for some incredible reason, there are no zombies left, Eltrezar will just chill.

Last edited July 16, 2021 4:45 am

Rolls

Attack - (1d20-2)

(15) - 2 = 13

Damage - (1d4)

(3) = 3

Jul 16, 2021 12:42 pm

Gilly let’s loose another arrow at the zombie before turning from the melee and calling out:

"If you’re with those men that lived here… well… they’re not here anymore…" she points to the bloodstained courtyard where they arranged the bodies yesterday.

Rolls

1d20+3

(1) + 3 = 4

1d6

(6) = 6

Jul 16, 2021 2:52 pm

Bors tries a less graceful approach to his sword swings this time.

OOC:

What the everloving...

Last edited July 16, 2021 2:52 pm

Rolls

Sword attack - (1d20+2)

(1) + 2 = 3

Damage - (1d8+2)

(1) + 2 = 3

Jul 16, 2021 4:46 pm

OOC:

Okay, we got our orders messed up a little bit. I'm good with letting Gilly's and Eltrezar's turns go as rolled, but we'll wait until their turn. For the time being, Bors just went and now it's Maloria's turn. Then we'll squeeze in the halfling's and wizard's turn a rolled and roleplayed...

Bors swings for the undead before him but completely whiffs.

OOC:

Round 11 continues. Turn order as follows:
1. Norris (6)
--> 2. Maloria, Bors (4)
3. Angel, Gilly, Eltrezar (3)
4. Man-at-Arms (2)
5. Zombies (2)

Jul 16, 2021 6:44 pm

Since Bors didn't seem to want the healing potion, Mal shrugs and continues to hammer away at the zombie in front of her...

Rolls

Attack, Damage - (1d20+1, 1d6+1)

1d20+1 : (7) + 1 = 8

1d6+1 : (3) + 1 = 4

Jul 17, 2021 4:46 pm

Maloria's hammer just misses the zombie in front of her, as does Bor's sword and Gilly's arrow. Eltrezar's dagger on the other hand hits it's target, and in addition to the dagger in the monster's mouth, a second one embeds in one of its eyes and it crumples to the ground in a mess of still limbs.

Angel moves a bit northward to get a better shot on the one just emerging from the Storage room and fires between Botrs and the Man-at-Arms. His arrow hits its mark and the arrow sinks itself in the creature's chest.

The Man-at-Arms then steps five feet in, slashes at the zombie but misses, and makes a fighting retreat back to his spot on the killbox.

The final zombie steps out of the Storage Room and attacks Maloria, but her armor easily defends her from it's tearing bony fingers.

OOC:

Round 11 ends, and Round 12 (what could possibly be the last round) begins! Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Maloria (7)
2. Eltrezar, Man-at-Arms (5)
3. Angel, Gilly, Bors (4)
4. Norris (3)
5. Zombie (3)
5.

Rolls

Angel Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20, 1d6)

1d20 : (18) = 18

1d6 : (1) = 1

Man-at-Arms Attack roll; Damage roll - (1d20, 1d8)

1d20 : (5) = 5

1d8 : (8) = 8

Zombie #11 Target Selection roll, Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d3, 1d20, 1d8)

1d3 : (3) = 3

1d20 : (3) = 3

1d8 : (1) = 1

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(2) + 2 = 4

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(6) - 1 = 5

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(6) + 1 = 7

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Norris Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(5) = 5

Zombies Initiative roll - (1d6)

(3) = 3

Jul 17, 2021 8:46 pm

While his right hand remained securely on the smooth round pommel of his sheathed sword, at the sight of the burly warriors shift into a ready-stance, the newcomer raised his other hand towards the group, flattened and palm-out as an attempt at soothing an otherwise volatile situation, "I'm not here with them, I'm here with me..." he explained, though he refrained from going into too much detail.

Clearly, the group had their hands full with the abominations, even with the evident progress they had made before his arrival. "I'll just have a seat right here while you all settle that..." he suggested with a curt nod towards the corpse. The lithe and slender fellow then took a seat on some random overturned block of stone or bit of rubble and crossed his arms patiently. It was evident he was in no rush.

Jul 19, 2021 3:23 am

Mal casts a quick look back at the new voice behind her but then notices the newcomer taking a seat and decides not to worry about it. Fending off the last zombie's blow, the dwarf lunges forward again with her hammer in retaliation...

Rolls

Attack, Damage - (1d20+1, 1d6+1)

1d20+1 : (17) + 1 = 18

1d6+1 : (3) + 1 = 4

Jul 19, 2021 3:35 am

Understanding that his attempts are futile and numbered, Eltrezar lets out a sigh before turning to the newcomer. He takes a moment to compose himself, tugs on his beard, and speaks. Ahem! "This is not a place for the feint of heart to be roaming, yet you walk in with a calm that troubles me. What is your name? And what is your quest? Speak now, and pray your answers are suitable. We will suffer ourselves no danger while in this stony keep. The wizened gentleman draws a dagger from his belt, showing that a couple more yet remained, and points it at the stranger. It would appear that he was beckoning the man to speak, but not threatening him. Yet.

Jul 19, 2021 5:04 am

The new arrival did not take kindly to the path chosen by the bearded man, for he had opted to not engage in hostilities and yet here was someone exhibiting the same aggression he hoped to avoid. Producing a weapon and pointing it at him was a gesture received poorly- for not knowing anything about the wielder, there was no way for him to accurately judge his intentions. In response, he promptly stood and wrapped his long thin fingers around the grip of the sheathed blade, but being the bigger person, he still did not call it out of its resting spot.

"I'll caution you once, good sir... and only once... to sheath your blade. I opted to keep my weapon out of sight as a peaceful gesture, a show of good faith, if you will... hoping that you would do the same. If you opt for a more aggressive meet, that too can be arranged" he replied sternly, unwilling to yield regardless of the numbers advantage. It was a threat, of course, but a conditional one, which could be avoided if the other party chose wisely.

"I will assure you..." he added, with a deliberate pause for emphasis, "I am harder to fell than those mindless... things..." stressed the newcomer, giving the fallen zombies an indicative nod.

"I will share my name if asked of me, not demanded. So please reconsider your decision; first impressions only occur once, after all..."

Jul 19, 2021 6:32 pm

As the two men banter back and forth, measuring one another, the cleric swings her hammer at the final zombie... It's heavy, mauling head crashes into the skull of the undead attacker and the thing stumbles, barely standing.
The Man-at-Arms follows up with a swing of his sword at the target but fails to hit the now wobbling zombie.
Angel fires another arrow at it to much the same result.

OOC:

Round 12 continues! Turn order is as follows:
1. Maloria (7)
2. Eltrezar, Man-at-Arms (5)
--> 3. Angel, Gilly, Bors (4)
4. Norris (3)
5. Zombie (3)

Rolls

Man-at-Arms Attack roll; Damage roll - (1d20, 1d8)

1d20 : (9) = 9

1d8 : (4) = 4

Angel Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20, 1d6)

1d20 : (6) = 6

1d6 : (6) = 6

Jul 19, 2021 11:32 pm

Gilly drops her bow! This has gone on long enough! She draws her sword and runs between the legs of her companions! Full of frustration, she stabs at the zombies head, repeatedly!

Rolls

1d20+1

(17) + 1 = 18

1d6+1

(6) + 1 = 7

Jul 20, 2021 12:22 am

"Guide my hand, Corpse-re-maker!" Bors stabs at whatever animated undead is within reach.

Rolls

Sword attack - (1d20+2)

(15) + 2 = 17

Sword damage - (1d8+2)

(8) + 2 = 10

Jul 20, 2021 1:00 am

OOC:

Good lord, the poor guy only had 1 Hit Point left!!!
Let me get home and I'll post...

Jul 21, 2021 11:04 pm

OOC:

Sorry, my daughter has been wrestling in the national championships in Fargo this week and my entire focus has been on that stuff. Also normally when I post "when I get home I'll update this post", I'm posting from my phone at local brewery and definitely gonna forget to post when I get home.

Gilly, tired of this confrontation swings her shortsword at the last remaining zombie. Her blade smashes repeatedly at the badly beaten thing's head, but before the snapping thing can even hit the ground Bors...

OOC:

Wait a second... Wait, wait, wait... Gilly can't run up there because there's not a square to actually move to since everyone is crowded around the zombie. Let's try again...

Gilly, tired of this confrontation, rushes in and attempts to swing her shortsword at the last remaining zombie, but despite her ability to dash through the legs of her companions the zombie at the end is impossible to slip past. Fortunately her companion Bors swings his sword, stabs right though the thing's skull as the halfling langles up under his wide stance. The zombie hits the floor dead.

From the stairwell descending to the dungeons below, the party hears the hissing and groaning of those still turned by the cleric's Turn Undead castings, though they're not likely to be an issue now or at any point later. Upstairs, the party now realizes a man, possibly one of the bandits the party defeated on their last exploration of the Moathouse Ruins, has arrived.

OOC:

Combat ends! You'll be given XP for all of the turned or killed undead (except Norris of course). Now is time to decide what the party wishes to do from here, or roleplay freely considering the new, suspicious arrival of a man in similar armor and garb as the dead bandits.

Jul 22, 2021 12:09 am

"Ah ha! Victory is ours! And my sword acquires yet another new name, Corpse-re-maker. Because zombies are already corpses, see, and it makes them corpses again. Look, it's the best I can think of right now," Bors says sounding defensive.

Jul 23, 2021 1:06 am

With the zombies in the stairwell felled and the newcomer not moving to attack, Eltrezar reluctantly lowers his dagger. Hrmph! "Had you wanted to kill us, you missed your opportunity. Now then, let us speak as friends. My name is Eltrezar the Medium, known amongst the elves as Tarathiel, the dwarves have called me Dalomdûmir, and the Barbarians of the North have titled me Hrattothvok. What do they call you? And, more importantly, what brings you to this place of death and danger?" He tugs on his beard, eyebrows furrowed, as he appears to be attempting to discern the reason for the appearance of this young man.

Jul 23, 2021 8:19 am

"And known amongst our group as 'Grandpa'," Bors interjects after Eltrezar lists his many nicknames. "My name is Bors the Fighter."

Jul 23, 2021 9:00 am

"Known as Lean Meat to the Halflings, too.

Gilly Puddlefoot, the Halfling. Halfling by trade, Halfling by nature, my mother always said.

Don’t suppose you met any other Puddlefoots throughout your travels?"

Jul 23, 2021 3:03 pm

While at first he seemed hesitant and defensive, ignited somewhat by his first impression with the scornful mage, the young man began to seem a lot less standoffish as each member of the party offered greetings and introductions. With the general tension dissipating, he felt little need to maintain his guard, and so his hand drifted away from the pommel of his weapon and off to the side, hanging idly as arms tend to do.

He was about to speak... but then paused, seemingly mumbling to himself for a moment- perhaps gathering his thoughts or preparing an appropriate reply. It was a short-lived delay though as he then promptly addressed the folks in turn. "Well met, Eltrezar the Medium... or Dalum-doomer... rat havoc..." he stumbled, realizing there was no way he would remember all the spellcaster's names, so he defaulted the one he did catch. "I'm glad we could continue our conversation in a more cordial manner, Eltrezar. My hope, frankly, was to avoid any bloodshed" added the man with a respectful nod.

Grinning at the warrior's salutation, the fellow gave him an observant glance from head-to-toe, assessing the towering warlord before him, "A pleasure, Bors the Fighter, and a similar greeting to your fearsome blade... Corpse-re-maker, was it...?" he added in jest.

The charming and bubbly little halfling seemed to catch the most interest from the stranger, who peered at her with unabated glee. "A sincere pleasure it is, Gilly Puddlefoot. I have always favored your race and found them to be the epitome of bravery and the most innately cheerful sort I have ever come across" he emphasized, with unquestionable sincerity. "Oh... and sadly, no- I have not met a Puddlefoot in my travels, but... I did have a disagreement with a Paddlefront once. Went by the name of Ebeneezer Paddlefront, if I'm not mistaken..." he offered, before drifting off momentarily, his attention seized away by some past memory.

Before the others could chime in however, he offered his own greeting. "Norris DeWitt" he stated plainly, accompanying the declaration with a curt bow; nothing excessive, nothing pretentious. He hesitated a moment just then, biting his lower lip in obvious contemplation, "You all favor a slew of names so..." he muttered casually, while his mind raced to offer aliases suitable to the company, "Norris DeWitt, the Unwanted Guest to some, the Ill-Timed Visitor to others, the Forgetful Borrower, to a select few..." he clarified, offering a sheepish but simple grin.

Last edited July 23, 2021 3:08 pm

Jul 23, 2021 4:52 pm

From the basement the party occasionally hears the groans and hisses of the turned undead somehow still sensing the cleric's divine presence, through at least ten feet of thick stone above their heads.

Jul 23, 2021 7:27 pm

Mal approaches the gathering of names and nods to the newcomer.

"Hoy! I'm Mal, Church of Cuthbert. The others ya met. How came ye here? Sent by someone or just a nose for danger?"

Mal tenses as the sounds of zombie hiss come wafting from the stairwell.

"Plenty more work to do down there lads."

Jul 24, 2021 4:14 pm

Bors nods, glad the newcomer understood. "These abominations were acting very un-corpse-like, so we had to make them follow proper corpse etiquette." He looks at Eltrezar, looks back at master DeWitt and raises his sword to better show it off. "You'll be happy to know I have no other titles that you will have to remember. My sword on the other hand is a different story. It's current names are Bugbane, Shadowreaver, Pixiepoker, Ticksticker, Spiderspiker, and Slimeslicer. In addition to Corpse-re-maker, of course. My blade has seen much action," He explains.

Last edited July 24, 2021 4:16 pm

Jul 24, 2021 9:24 pm

Norris nodded slowly, clearly impressed with the blade's accomplishments, "Is it a family heirloom?" he prodded, inquiring about the weapon's origin.

"A well-timed purchase? A creation of your own making? It seems to have done so much, I'd not dare insult you by assuming it's ordinary. Or worse... insult it!" he joked, offering a disarming grin in the event that it didn't reach the audience in the manner he had intended.

As the sounds from the basement escaped into the area and caught Norris' ear, accompanied by the cleric's rousing call-to-arms, he seemed to take an uneasy stance, "You're not done with all of them I take it..." he commented uncomfortably.

With a look of worry rushing across his face, he made his offer, "Would you like some help to dispatch them? Whatever will help build trust and such...", and again his palm shifted to the hilt of his sleeping blade- though this time, the setting assured it was in a non-threatening manner.

Jul 24, 2021 11:54 pm

"A family heirloom? No no. I picked that up off the floor down there… she points to the staircase … and handed it to him. I think the family heirloom ended up in a puddle of goo."

Jul 25, 2021 4:24 am

"Sadly, Gilly is correct. My
old sword was mostly destroyed by a corrosive slime creature. I did however perform the Ceremony of Essence Transfer, so now this sword has become my old sword. You do know about the Ceremony, right?"

Jul 25, 2021 9:03 pm

OOC:

So we have it all laid out, the party has a couple of choices here. There's the option of continuing their exploration of the Moathouse Dungeon below, or returning to Hommlet to recover and handle loot. Some things to consider:

• I have the party HP at full HP except for Gilly (2/7), Bors (2/8), and the Man-at-Arms (severely wounded).
• I have Maloria carrying 3 Potions of Cure Light Wounds, and Bors carrying 1 Potion of Cure Light Wounds.
• I have the party (not including Norris) having collected 2092XP collected, not including an amethyst and an ivory box of undetermined value. Divided equally, you would not have enough XP to Level Up yet.

Really, I'm not sure there's much incentive to return to Hommlet yet, except for the injured PCs to heal and recover, unless you were looking to hire more help to come explore the dungeons with you. Also consider that next time the group leaves for Hommlet Angel is likely to depart the group due to lack of player activity and the Man-at-Arms will have fulfilled his obligations as well. Elmo you'll recall said he would be out of town for a few days or up to a week possibly.

Jul 25, 2021 10:18 pm

OOC:

Being one of the injured parties I'm biased to return lol. Also not really interested in dealing with more zombies. Change of scenery would be cool.

Last edited July 25, 2021 10:19 pm

Jul 25, 2021 10:31 pm

Hrmph! "Now that introductions and anecdotes about swords are out of the way, perhaps we should discuss what brings all of us into this gods-forsaken place. We originally came to deal with bandits that had taken over the first floor, bandits whom were quickly dispatched. But it would seem that there is more to this place than merely thugs. Now we seek challenges, gold, and fame. There are creatures below our feet that would make your blood curdle, some of whom we have defeated... Some, not all. We would return below ground to continue marking our place, and claiming out loot. And, as you can see, we could use the assistance."

Eltrezar first speaks to Norris before turning to his companions. "There is still much daylight ahead, it would be wasteful to head back to town now. Especially when we have alchemical potions that should close your wounds. I propose we take a moment to regather our strength, and head back down. Mal, do you know how long those last undead will be held back?"

Jul 26, 2021 12:43 am

"Unfortunately no, but I suspect they will keep away from the light of Cuthbert whenever they see it."

Mal takes out her stash of healing potions and offers them to the wounded.

"The wizened one is right, I have blessed potions that will staunch yet wounds for those who need 'em."

Jul 26, 2021 1:47 am

OOC:

Bors has a Potion of Cure Light Wounds in his inventory, according to my spreadsheet. Mal has 3. I'm not trying to railroad you. I'm just saying, there's a strong case to use the potions and get some XP, then go back later...

Jul 26, 2021 9:39 am

Bors nods in agreement for a rest and settles down. He scrounges through his backpack and is surprised to find a bottle of some mysterious liquid. "Huh, when did this get here?" he mutters. Shrugging he drinks the stuff.

OOC:

I'll take your word for it lol. How much do these things heal? 1d8?

Jul 26, 2021 10:11 am

Gilly watch’s the fighter drink the potion. She takes her own from the cleric!

She hesitates, and then winks to the newcomer!

"Oh, Bors. I’ve never done a Ceremony of Essence Transfer. Would you mind showing me how it’s done?

What do I say?"

Jul 26, 2021 3:37 pm

OOC:

From what I can tell, it heals for 1d6+1. This is from the Cure Light Wounds spell. It looks like potions just replicate spells.

Jul 26, 2021 4:04 pm

nezzeraj says:

OOC:

I'll take your word for it lol. How much do these things heal? 1d8?

OOC:

Yes @cowleyc is correct. I guess it's technically called a "Healing Potion", not a "Potion of Cure Light Wounds". But if used for restoring Hit Points, a "Healing Potion" can cure 1d6+1 HP.

Jul 26, 2021 4:08 pm

Nodding a curt thanks, the Trading Post's Man-at-Arms takes a potion from Maloria and downs the thing. He seems to grimace a bit at the taste but the burns, resulting from both the green slime's corrosive attack and the Magic Missile that Eltrezar cast to free him from the slime in the first place seem to heal some.

OOC:

I'll let you roll your own Healing Potion rolls. I now have Maloria with 1 Healing Potion in her inventory.

Rolls

Man-at-Arms Healing Potion - (1d6+1)

Jul 26, 2021 4:42 pm

OOC:

copy that

Jul 27, 2021 12:06 am

The liquid tastes of lemons and almonds but at least it sends warm waves of healing through Bors and reduces his pain.

Rolls

Healing - (1d6+1)

(4) + 1 = 5

Jul 27, 2021 12:24 am

OOC:

Healing!

Rolls

1d6+1

(5) + 1 = 6

Jul 27, 2021 2:52 pm

Seeing his wounded companions down the foul-smelling potions, the wizard stands up straight and tugs on his beard. Hrmph! "Now that we are more capable again, should we return to the basement and continue our excursion? I would find more riches before we turned tail and rode to town." He makes a move towards the staircase, but gestures for the warriors to take the lead. As he passes the corpses, he bends down to pick up his discarded and imbedded daggers.

Jul 27, 2021 5:51 pm

OOC:

Recall that the stairwell is 10' wide after you cross the threshold going down. What's the marching order and who will be carrying a light source?

Jul 27, 2021 5:51 pm

Pleased that some manner of progress was being made, Norris briefly contemplated letting the inquiries slide, as it seemed his answer was not enough of a cause to hesitate or delay the group's departure.

Still, thinking it was best to tilt one's first impression towards the positive, especially since he had been labeled as "one of the bandits" from the onset, the persistent Norris answered the question, in a manner that would do nothing short of aid his position and paint him in a favorable color, "I could do without the challenge bit, but I'm all for a fair share of the gold. You can keep the fame- I much prefer being easily forgotten than permanently imbedded in one's memory" he notes, struggling to conceal the grimace born of a memory prompted by that statement.

"To answer your question good man Eltrezar, about how or why I find myself here... I am a convenient acquirer of convenient things, and suspecting that such things could be acquired here... conveniently and for my convenience, I would have been a fool to resist and a sap to let such an opportunity go. If you'll have me as one of your number and assure me of a fair share of any riches we unearth, I'm sure we can all work together towards that common goal" offered the young man. His rising and falling brows and extended hand awaited approval and a binding substitute for a signature at the end of a yard-long contract scribbled on yellowed parchment.

Jul 28, 2021 12:27 am

Mal takes lead next to Bors on the stairs but upon hearing Eltrezar and Norris exchanging lengthy discourse the dwarf pauses and turns to address the newcomer.

"We keep things fair in this lot, equal work for equal pay. Fight without cowardice and you'll get yer cut o'tha bounty. Dead men below, keep the talk at a whisper if ya please."

Jul 28, 2021 12:50 am

"We’ll need torches again!" Gilly whispers as she draws her short sword again.

Dead men below…

She nods her head, confirming she’s good to go when torches are lit.

Jul 28, 2021 12:59 am

Eltrezar takes his position somewhere in the middle, lantern held high. He whispers to Maloria, Ahrm! "Perhaps we should finish exploring the main chamber, then look into some of the passageways we spied. Also, let us not forget the cells from which the undead erupted."

Jul 28, 2021 3:04 am

Mal listens to Eltrezar's advice and nods solemnly.

"Agreed" she whispers as she in hooks her hammer and snugs her shield against her shoulder.

Jul 28, 2021 3:05 am

Norris promptly interjects, "First rule of searching... err... determining a house is safe- check your corners. Then, make sure one area is clear before you put it behind you..." he urges, speaking as if from innate knowledge.

"I think pointy hat's suggestion is a good one; best make sure this upper level is safe before we delve much deeper- you should always protect your escape- keep your options open" added the footpad sagely. He really did seem to know all these plans and tactics for maneuvering in places and getting into and out of things that one probably shouldn't be bothering with in the first place.

Interesting.

Jul 28, 2021 3:24 am

Just stay alive, and no arrows on the zombies. Find a club or swing a torch."

Jul 28, 2021 4:00 am

"Oh the upper level is quite safe. There were the bandits. And the rats. And then there was the snake. Oh, that got me good, that one. And the lizard of course…" she goes quiet for a moment.

"Yes. The lizard. And now slimes and zombies."

Jul 28, 2021 7:37 pm

OOC:

So how about for the sake of keeping things moving we go with Bors and Mal in front. Gilly and Angel next. Eltrezar and Norris after that. And the Man-at-Arms bringing up the rear.
I have Maloria with Infravision, and I have Eltrezar carrying a lantern for the group?
We good with that?

Jul 28, 2021 7:47 pm

OOC:

Works for me. Better to not have the new Thief hiding behind me...

Jul 28, 2021 10:40 pm

OOC:

Sounds good!

Jul 28, 2021 11:29 pm

OOC:

Good for me.

Jul 30, 2021 1:35 am

The party gets themselves organized into a proper marching order and return to the top of the staircase in the Storage Room. You begin to descend and the base of the stairwell looks much as before. The flaking remains of two torched slime molds lay on the floor. The undead previously turned seem to still be groaning somewhere to the east, presumably agitated by Maloria's descent. To the west the doors Angel failed to unlock remain so.

Jul 30, 2021 2:14 pm

Eltrezar spurs the group to the east, trying to roughly maintain the same formation. They had been caught one too many times spread out. He observes how the zombies respond to Maloria's presence, and encourages the group to check every crevice in this chamber.

Jul 30, 2021 2:48 pm

Gilly shuffles behind, glad to be led. Last time, it was chaos in the dark.

"If we check this room, perhaps we’ll find some lanterns on the wall that we might be able to light. We could go room by room lighting up the place as we go!"

Jul 30, 2021 3:46 pm

Norris takes the comments and actions as his que. Yet, while he seems ready and willing to search the area for precious torches (at Gilly's suggestion) or the crevices for useful items (at the mage's suggestion), he appeared a tad hesitant, "Either someone with a lantern is going to follow me or this isn't going to happen. I'm not diving into these shadows alone" he pointed out.

His apprehension seemed born more of caution and less of cowardice; something about him revealed he was not one fond of risk- much less, needless risk.

Last edited July 30, 2021 3:48 pm

Jul 30, 2021 4:16 pm

Hrmph! "Don't worry about going alone. There has been far too much danger lurking in the shadows for that. We will stay together, and I will do my best to provide lighting. But perhaps our short-statured friend is right, let us check this room before continuing on."

Jul 30, 2021 5:00 pm

Norris nods agreeably, and once the lantern begins to follow him, he will do his best to conduct a proper search of the area, including any nooks and crannies that the spellcasting curmudgeon points out.

OOC:

Remind me, good Sir DM, which di(c)e I should be rolling?

Jul 30, 2021 5:04 pm

OOC:

You missed out on a lot of exploration and explanation. We're moving to the door to the left of the map (red arrow), which our other thief failed to unlock.

Jul 30, 2021 6:47 pm

Mal keeps her head on a swivel with her hammer at the ready as she leads the group over toward the locked door.

Jul 30, 2021 9:09 pm

The group moves to the west where a pile of broken furniture lay on the floor, once concealing two doors that remain locked despite Angel's best efforts to pick them. Getting a sense as to Norris's rougish mannerisms, the Man-at-Arms and Angel look expectantly at the newcomer.

OOC:

If Norris intends to try and unlock each door he would make a percentile (d100) roll for each door. As a Level 1 Thief, he needs to roll 15 or lower to succeed. A difficult task, but much more discreet than trying to breach them with a warhammer.

Jul 31, 2021 3:34 am

OOC:

Youve got this, Norris! Roll them single digits!

Jul 31, 2021 7:13 am

OOC:

Bors is ready to do some breaching if lockpicking doesn't work lol.

Jul 31, 2021 6:57 pm

Observing the stubborn portal, the rogue steps over to it, kneels, and peers at the locking mechanism. He tilts his head one way, then the next. He leans forward then back, then gently taps it, listening to the faint sounds emanating from within it; almost as if the lock contained a secret it was dying to reveal to the first person who would hear it.

Quietly muttering to himself, Norris mumbles standoffishly "So that's how it's going to be, hm...?". Cautiously and deliberately, he takes out a small leather roll, bound together with a thin cord. Placing it on ground, he undoes the knot and unrolls the pouch. Inside are a series of picks and narrow metal tools, each ending with a unique head; some shaped like a small shovel, a few tipped by a hook or bill, a couple with heads like fine-tipped chisels and even a few that resemble tiny little pikes. The specialist gazes at his instrument arsenal, selects two of them- one with a chisel at its edge, the other like a tiny harpoon- and gets to work on the lock.

"I make no promises..." he comments absentmindedly.

Rolls

Pick Locks - (1d100)

(81) = 81

Jul 31, 2021 6:58 pm

OOC:

At least when he fails, he still looks good.

Jul 31, 2021 10:22 pm

The picking process takes a while. Ten minutes pass while Norris takes his time trying to get the door open, but the northern most of the two doors gives no budge to his thief's tools. The door and the secrets that lay beyond it remain closed to the group.
The southernmost door remains untested to the new arrival's skills.

Jul 31, 2021 11:42 pm

"Well when finesse fails, strength succeeds." Once the way is clear, Bors takes a mighty kick at the door.

Rolls

Strength - (1d20)

(14) = 14

Aug 2, 2021 5:07 am

Mal turns to face the rear of the party, preparing for whatever the sound may bring...

Aug 2, 2021 12:17 pm

Gilly cringes as Bors makes a go at breaking through the door. She shuffles on the spot, clenching her short sword closer as she awaits some response from out of the dark!

Aug 2, 2021 1:18 pm

Norris, defeated but refusing to show it, simply rolled up the tool kit, deftly tucked it way in one of his belt pouches, and stepped aside as the brutish man forced into splinters what was otherwise a perfectly good door.

Last edited August 2, 2021 1:18 pm

Aug 2, 2021 2:05 pm

Eltrezar lays a hand on the Thief's shoulder. Ahem! "Do not worry about this one door, the lock seems to be quite stuck. Instead, focus on honing your craft on the many other doors that are likely to be locked. But for now, be on guard!" He raises the lantern high, observing as Bors attempts to shatter a door with just a foot.

Aug 2, 2021 5:11 pm

Even though the pair got off on the wrong foot, as threats and sharp weapons tend to breed, Norris was acclimating to the elder mage, finding him a much cordial person now than at first.

Giving him an appreciative grin and curt nod, Norris shrugged off his failure and set his hand to his sword's hilt, ready to face whatever evil the newly breached portal would spew.

Aug 2, 2021 7:21 pm

Bors kicks at the door repeatedly, the sounds echoing through the dark, but judging by the solidity of it under his foot's strike, it's extremely thick and heavy, and possibly reinforced with inside. It's impossible to put enough force against it to break through by kicking it. That said, they hear the loud groaning of what can only be another zombie somewhere in the blackness beyond even the Dwarf's excellent Infravision. Though it seems alone, its voice sounds aggressive and angry; very much different from the agonised groans from the turn ones, which occasionally still utter moans of repulsion at the perceived presence of the Cleric.

OOC:

@nezzeraj: The rules for breaking down doors in B/X is pretty simple. If it's a locked door, you have to pick it open.
If it's just stuck you can try and bust it open with a 2-in-6 chance on a 1d6 roll. In this particular case, because the door was locked kicking it open would be impossible.
BUT... This particular module (maybe because it was written for AD&D and not B/X) actually has implemented rules for this. You CAN break through locked doors if you hack away at them enough with a weapon like a sword or an axe. In this case it's just a matter of making an attack roll against it and adding up the damage done. There's no To-Hit roll against a door, and only the Damage roll matters. After the door has sustained enough damage to reduce its Hit Points to "0", the door is considered splintered open. Of course, while To-Hit rolls are unnecessary and automatically succeed, there is the issue that chopping down a door is time consuming and noisy. So there's that...

@Demagor: There's a second door about ten feet south from the one Norris just tried to pick, if you would like to make a go of it as well. The difficulty is going to be the same (15%), and as usual takes about ten minutes of working on it. The choice is yours.

Aug 2, 2021 8:05 pm

OOC:

Thank you, but had you not mentioned the approaching, shambling undead, I would have taken you up on that offer. I can't realistically envision him taking his sweet time, working on a lock for 10-minutes while some unearthly abomination spars against his newfound business partners. After? Definitely.

Aug 2, 2021 11:36 pm

Gilly turns about, squinting into the darkness for their enemy.

"Bors! Keep chopping. We’ll take care of this one!"

She yanks at the magic user’s robes.

"Reckon he knows where the door is for now. Can you shine that thing back this way?" Gilly shoots him earnest smile from out of the dark below him. It must look a little…off as it’s illuminated by the flickering flame.

Aug 2, 2021 11:38 pm

"Oh!" It would seem that Gilly had managed to surprise the man. Hrmph! "Of course, of course, by goodness. It would seem that Maloria missed one of those dreadful creatures... I would prefer to not wait for it to find us." He raises the lantern to provide as much illumination as possible, back out into the imposing darkness.

Last edited August 2, 2021 11:39 pm

Aug 3, 2021 10:43 pm

It doesn't take long for the creature to arrive. Already aware of the sound of Bors's boots banging against the heavy wooden door, the sound of conversation between the party allows it to zero in on the noise. The party hears a growl followed by the sound of bare feet slapping on the floor as it rushes towards the noise it hears. After a moment it rounds the corner fro the east of the stairs and rushes after the wizard holding the light in the air.

OOC:

The zombie used its entire turn in a full run but still fell ten feet shy of the wizard. Round 1 begins, though with a single undead attacker, I anticipate the party making short work of it! Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Gilly, Bors (6)
2. Maloria (5)
3. Eltrezar (4)
4. Angel, Norris, Man-at-Arms (2)
5. Zombie #10 (4)

Rolls

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(1) + 1 = 2

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(4) + 2 = 6

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(5) - 1 = 4

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(4) + 1 = 5

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Norris Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(1) + 1 = 2

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Zombie Initiative roll - (1d6)

(4) = 4

Aug 3, 2021 11:39 pm

Gilly pushes the wizard back to safety, but the man barely moves. Stubborn fella.

She jumps forward as the zombie comes into view and slashes out with her short sword.

"Let’s make this quick, before others come!"

OOC:

Noooo! All that nice damage wasted on an 11!

Last edited August 3, 2021 11:40 pm

Rolls

1d20+1

(10) + 1 = 11

1d6+1

(5) + 1 = 6

Aug 4, 2021 12:38 am

Since the zombie still isn't within range and Bors is still stubbornly kicking the door, he will continue doing that until the zombie gets in range.

Aug 4, 2021 6:02 pm

Seeing the war master's brief hesitation, Norris calls out to Bors, "Keep at the door! We've made so much noise already, there's no sense stopping now! We'll take care of this!" he stressed urgently, and without further delay, darted off into the skirmish.

Skirting the group (OOC: G12 -> H11 -> I11), the deft rogue scrambled around Mal and Eltrezar, coming around to a stop just beside the spellcaster, his short sword in hand and ready to pierce through rotted, dead flesh. Acting before the creature can ready whatever defenses it could muster, the wily rogue shuffled his feet and thrust the rude-end of his weapon into the undead's chest. He knew there was no vital heart to strike for, but for that one moment, instinct vanquished logic.

Rolls

Attack Roll: Short Sword vs Zomzom - (1d20+1)

(1) + 1 = 2

Damage Roll: Short Sword vs Zomzom - (1d6+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Aug 4, 2021 6:03 pm

OOC:

Flying sword! Duck!

Aug 4, 2021 6:48 pm

Mal jumps in front of the zombie to impress it's progress towards the group and brings her hammer down atop the wretched creature...

Rolls

Attack, Damage - (1d20+1, 1d6+1)

1d20+1 : (10) + 1 = 11

1d6+1 : (2) + 1 = 3

Aug 4, 2021 8:25 pm

OOC:

So Gilly and Bor's would go first. Then Maloria. Norris's turn isn't until a ways down the line, after Eltrezar, so that action would have to wait for the others that rolled a higher Initiative. But...

As Bors stubbornly tries to break down the locked door with his boot, Gilly dashes forth and swings her sword at the undead attacker's head as it attempts to run down the party's wizard. At first she suspects the blade has missed, a sense of disappointment and maybe a bit of apprehension at the prospect of facing a direct attack from the monster after just recently healing herself. But as Maloria steps forth and swings her hammer, both she and the halfling realize any concerns Gilly had are unfounded, for as the Cleric winds up and lets loose her hammer, the zombie is already falling to it's knees, head begginning to tumble off its shoulders. Gilly's short sword has decapitated it.
This doesn't stop the momentum of Mal's swing however, and her hammer head slams into the now detached skull with a splat, and the cleanly cut head sails across the room and hits the wall with another wet smack.
Having dispatched of the undead creature, the room is again relatively silent, excepting the occasional hiss of the turned ones somewhere deeper in the darkness.

OOC:

Success! The encounter ends before the first Round is even over! The party will receive 36XP for their victory, to be divided evenly, when you next find a safe place to rest and recover.
The party can now continue interacting with the two locked doors, exploring the dungeon deeper, or anything else. I will say that kicking the door is not yielding great results, as it more or less has to be chopped down, meaning even blunt weapons have little effect on breaking through this heavy door.

Aug 4, 2021 9:01 pm

Eltrezar lets out a sigh of relief, his dagger held high and ready to be thrown. With the enemy slain, he lowers the dagger and once again raises the lantern. Hrmph! "Perhaps your sword will do more to this door than your boot, Bors! Norris, might you begin attempting your craft on the second? I have yet to glean the knowledge required to magick the doors open..."

Aug 4, 2021 9:02 pm

Realizing the situation has returned to normal, whatever that is, Norris sheaths his sword, finding no further need to hack down an unmoving corpse. Instead, he strolls over to the 'other' door, the one which has so far evaded the fury of Sir Bors' boot and gives it a casual glance.

Repeating his earlier routine with flawless, military precision, the rogue takes a knee before the door and its lock. He gazes at it. He peers at it. He even sneers at it for a moment... at least someone could have sworn they caught that. Regardless of the fundamentals of the ritual, it is at last completed, and with a short burst of air from the locksmith's pursed lips striking the keyhole, he unravels his kit and extracts two of the slender picks. They seem identical to the ones used in the recent attempt... or maybe not... your eye isn't trained for this labor, how would you know?

Leaning forward, he tilts his head, bringing an ear closer to the latch and begins fiddling with the two rods.

Rolls

Skill Roll: Lockpicks vs Lock - (1d100)

(43) = 43

Aug 5, 2021 1:24 am

Again, the lock holds fast. Whatever lay behind these doors, someone took care to keep it secured, as Norris notices that, like the previous lock, these have been well oiled and taken care of, and debris had been stacked against the wall to conceal the two doors.

OOC:

I think if the party wishes to chop at these doors, we have two options. Either the individuals can make individual damage rolls at once per six-second turn, until the door is destroyed, or if the party is committed to chopping at the doors until the job is done, I can make damage rolls for anyone that's participating and tell you how long it took to chop it down.

Aug 5, 2021 2:23 pm

Hrmph! "I do not believe it wise to spend all day on these doors, my friends. Instead, let us seek out those who might hold the keys. There is nothing but evil down here, and it should be prudent of us to clear out what we can before we depart back to town. I still have no desire to set camp in this dark place." The wizard seems agitated at the doors, but also the lack of progress made this day. He swings the lantern around to get a better look at the general area, hinting that he'd rather head towards the east side of the chamber.

Aug 5, 2021 3:03 pm

Having already disregarding his unsuccessful attempts, Norris seemed in agreement with the wizard. Glancing back at the doors, he commented to the group in general, "You don't need all sorts of cover and illusion to suggest or hint at the fact that no one wants you to go through a door- that's what the locks are for. Whatever's behind them isn't coming out any time soon. I think we have the luxury of time on our side... let's take advantage of that" he suggests.

Eager to get on with the exploration, he dusted off his trousers and moved back into the central room.

Aug 5, 2021 11:35 pm

"I agree, we might even find a key further in."

Mal keeps watch on the party's back while they decide what next to do.

Aug 5, 2021 11:45 pm

Hrmph! "It's decided then. Let us check the rest of this chamber, including the cells, before we make more decisions. And let us hope that Maloria's strength is enough to keep the other undead at bay." Eltrezar leads the way from the middle (verbally directing and the occasional prodding) through the chamber, allowing the warriors in front to take charge once the other zombies are in view.

Aug 6, 2021 12:11 am

"I hate to admit it, but it appears you are correct. These boots were not made for kicking."

Aug 6, 2021 12:54 am

OOC:

Is the party moving to explore the cells, then?

Aug 6, 2021 1:09 am

OOC:

Yes! Also further down, which we haven't really explored. But cells first.

Aug 6, 2021 11:01 pm

Following the wizard's lead, the group moves to the other side of the room and looks south to the row of cells, where they first encountered the zombie horde. A few remnants of the original pack remain alive, though all seem to hiss and shirk away from Maloria's presence for the time being. There are a number of doors here, including the cells the zombies emerged from (N20, N22, N24, N26, N28), as well as a door directly behind their left shoulder (Q15).
In addition to these doors, there is a 10' cutaway about halfway down the eastern wall (Q23/24) that opens into a new room, though the transition here between the two areas is open and has no door.

Aug 7, 2021 1:14 am

OOC:

Given that they are turned, is it possible to narrate us dispatching them easily? They aren’t a threat to us. Not at the moment, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take the opportunity to put a knife into their brains.

"We should kill them while they can’t fight back. We don’t want to deal with them on the way out if… something happens." she side eyes Maloria and then looks away, with a sad expression on her face.

"And someone else might stumble across them."

Aug 7, 2021 1:50 am

OOC:

Yeah, I would say we could probably just roleplay their dispatchment without taking extral IRL days waiting for dice rolls. Let's just say that if you approach them, I'll post how you finish them off (so long as they're turned, of course), and after they're all killed off, I'll just add 1 ten minute turn to the party's clock to represent the time it took to do it during your exploration. Does that sound fair, so we're not getting bogged down waiting for dice rolls?

Aug 7, 2021 1:59 am

OOC:

Sounds great to me! Let’s get em! And check the cells!

Aug 7, 2021 1:33 pm

Anxious for the opportunity to make a quantifiable contribution to the group, Norris hastily unsheathes his sword and moves to help the spirited halfling permanently remove the turned zombies from the infamous List of Things That Could Still Kill Us. Still seeing them as a threat, though- the thief will approach them cautiously and strike fast, shuffling back in the event that they can manage any form of counter-attack. Once he realizes they are in fact fully 'helpless', he will be more relentless in his extermination.

Caution remains ever-present in his mind, however, but it has taken second place to the eagerness of helping make a difference.

Aug 7, 2021 7:29 pm

Having no particular skill for physical violence, nor a desire to engage himself, Eltrezar instead moves towards the cells. He maintains as much distance between himself and the zombies as space will allow, ready to bolt at the first sign of aggression from them. He doesn't stray too far from the group, trying to keep them within the light of the lantern, but also tries to illuminate the closest cell as well, and moving on if there is nothing waiting within.

Aug 7, 2021 10:56 pm

Unable to continue all the way south to where the zombies are without adequate light, Norris and Gilly are forced to stay within the boundaries of Eltrezars lantern light. The first cell the wizard examines contains a zombie who seems to instinctively sense Maloria's location despite a stone wall separating them and blocking one another's view from each other. As the zombie crowds the wall to get as far away from the cleric's presence, Gilly and Norris enter and dispatch of the creature.

OOC:

Eltrezar, Norris, and Gilly are in the northernmost cell with a freshly dispatched zombie.

Rolls

Secret Roll

Aug 8, 2021 12:18 pm

Having dispatched the zombie, Gilly gives the room a once over. She rummages around on the floor, and pushes haphazardly at the walls checking for loose stones. Content with her search, she will return to the hall.

Aug 8, 2021 5:09 pm

Having caught Gilly's glance and earlier comment about the lizard, regarding which she knew had taken a friend of her's, Mal gently pats the halfling on the shoulder and offers a sincere smile.

"You make your fallen proud with every step, and I know for a fact they watch you from Cuthbert's citidel in the Heavens, beaming with joy."

With the dead men dispatched, Mal lends a hand in searching the cells top to bottom, scouring the corners and cracks with her keen dwarven eyes for any glint of a key.

Aug 9, 2021 1:02 am

Eltrezar stands back, giving light to the chamber and the cell, allowing his shorter companions the opportunity to search the area. His eyes are old and, well, human. His face drops somewhat Maloria speaks of the dead, the pain still being fresh. With more of a gesture than a word, he ushers Bors and Norris into the next cell to follow the same steps as Maloria and Gilly.

Last edited August 9, 2021 1:04 am

Aug 9, 2021 6:32 am

Bors takes up a position of defense at the edge of the light to keep anything from ambushing the group while they search. It gives him a moment to rest his aching foot.

Aug 9, 2021 5:30 pm

As each zombie was felled, the witty rogue would search their bodies and tattered clothes in hopes of finding anything (such as coin) that may have given them an idea of who this fallen person was (or how much money they carried). Perhaps these findings could help Norris show the body to true peace (and show their coins into his purse) and bring closure to their distraught families (and new boots to his distraught feet).

Last edited August 9, 2021 5:30 pm

Aug 10, 2021 4:25 am

"Looks like we’ve got nothing in here. Let’s keep moving down this way." she says, pointing further along the path they had just started heading!

OOC:

Not sure if I need to actually roll something for search. A d6 for each room or something?

Aug 13, 2021 2:24 am

OOC:

Sorry for the lack of communication the last half of the week. As I mentioned before, I was out in a small Montana town in the middle of nowhere for a few days so my daughter could attend a wrestling camp. The AirBnB we stayed at was on a farm even further out in the middle of nowhere, and internet was not the greatest. Not that that wasn't peaceful...

Give me a moment to post a response to each PCs activity...

Gilly searches the room, finding small amounts of debris and loose stone, straw, latrine buckets whose contents are so dried up and ancient they give no odor and hardly elicit a sense of disgust anymore.
Aiding in the halfling's search, Mal enter the cell and looks around, and withing only a short moment her eyes fall on a loose stone in the cell wall. Pulling the stone away, she discovers a beautiful green peridot gemstone, undoubtedly worth a significant sum of gold to the right buyer. Aside from that, the cell is void of anything of value.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Forsterite-Olivine-tmu14a.jpg

As the dwarf and halfling search the first cell, Eltrezar moves along the rows of cells with Bors and the others. Bors keeps watch and one by one they move along. The next cell down contains another zombie still under the effects of the clerics Turn Undead casting, and once dispatched, the room is searched as the one before.
The party systematically inspects each cell, but turns up no other items of value. Five more turned zombies making their way as far south as the walls allow are eventually dispatched of in short order, and likewise, after being searched by Norris, nothing of interest is discovered on their persons. Their clothes are old, and threadbare, and the soles of their boots have worn to the undead creatures' bare feet long ago. It seems by the looks of them that they've probably been wandering these cells for countless decades, though who facilitated their undead state is uncertain. After ten minutes of searching the cells, the zombies corpses, and the room outside the cells, the party is fairly certain that only the gemstone discovered by Mal is worth note. Meanwhile, there remains a closed door at Q15 and an unexplored area of this dungeon at Q24.

Rolls

Secret Roll

Aug 13, 2021 3:17 am

Though he cannot see clearly what is found in the cells, Eltrezar is confident that his companions are efficient and professional. He is content with providing the light. After all, how would they all fare in the darkness? Once the rest of the group seems satisfied with their efforts, he speaks up. Hrmph! "As you all have fumbling around in the cells, I noticed an extension of the chamber along the opposite wall. Let us continue through there, and see if any keys can be found." The lighting from the lantern makes it difficult to notice, but a keen eye might notice an expression of pride on his wizened face, perhaps related to the group working as a team.

OOC:

I'll be gone tomorrow and Saturday, trying to get to a glacier I couldn't quite reach in the early summer.

Aug 13, 2021 4:26 pm

OOC:

Awesome! Where? Colorado?

Aug 14, 2021 2:05 am

Gilly slinks out of the room, and follows behind the wizard. She step in front of him before they enter another room, to ensure he doesn’t come face to face with anything that wants to hurt the party! It’s hard not to feel concerned about the moans, sure that she is that they are turned.

"This way?" Gilly asks rhetorically, before heading in!

Aug 14, 2021 6:01 am

After showing the lustrous green gemstone to the others, Mal takes position at the front of the group and cautiously peers around into the eastern passageway...

Aug 14, 2021 10:25 pm

The party enters the room to the east of the cells and examines their surroundings. The room looks on first glance to be long abandoned; dust, dirt, and cobwebs abound, and two stone pillars rise from floor to ceiling. It is quite obvious this room is an old torture chamber, and a number of racks line the walls, while two tables stand bolted to the floor with skeletons stretched out and shackled atop them. Next to each table the party sees the dull glimmer of rusting iron tools and ugly-looking instruments used to extract confessions and secrets from those unfortunate enough to be brought here.

Aug 14, 2021 11:02 pm

Glancing at one of the racks, and the poor skeleton fastened to it, Norris feels inclined to comment, "You know... this reminds me of this one girl..." he trails off, before realizing that he is not with his usual crowd.

Catching himself before saying too much, the wily and clever thief pivots and spins the direction of the story into something much more innocent, "She was... skinny. Real skinny" he explains unconvincingly, nodding in the direction of the skeleton.

Hoping to redirect any attention away from the sputtering anecdote, the thief interjects, "There was a door back there... should I double-back and fail at opening it?" he offers, showcasing his often employed disarming grin.

Last edited August 14, 2021 11:02 pm

Aug 15, 2021 2:49 am

"Might as well. The worst that can happen if you fail is we laugh at you. Or if it's booby trapped you could die. I guess there is that possibility too," Bors adds after giving the matter some thought.

Aug 15, 2021 8:12 am

Norris stares blankly at the fighter for a few moments. Then as dryly as he can manage, offers a short but emphatic bit of advice, "Never have children".

Without lingering on the topic, he moves to the [Q15] door and tries his best to overcome the lock, though his hope is low and his confidence wavering.

Last edited August 15, 2021 8:12 am

Rolls

Norris v. Lock - (1d100)

(69) = 69

Aug 15, 2021 2:33 pm

Eltrezar takes a quick glance at the skeletons to see if they perhaps had tried to take any valuables into the next life, grumbling at Norris' quite tasteless joke. Hrmph! "Yes, let us check that door and perhaps delve deeper into this dungeon. I feel there is little else to gain from this main chamber." He follow closely, lantern held high.

Aug 15, 2021 7:23 pm

Standing up in an almost thoughtless, automatic manner, as if propelled more from reaction than deliberate thought, Norris glances over at the wizard and shares something which is clearly bothering him, "Why would a place so aged and withered, so old and abandoned, have so many locked doors?" he ponders aloud, though his return to the present suggests it may have been a rhetorical question and one that he would rather not hear the answer to. That is until he continues to ramble...

"I've been in countless homes, most of them lived in, most being lived in while I was there... and they had fewer locked doors..." he stumbles. "Heard of", corrects Norris.

"Head of homes. I've heard of them" emphasizes the footpad gingerly as if dismissing the validity of the words would make them that much less impactful.

Last edited August 15, 2021 7:26 pm

Aug 15, 2021 8:13 pm

As Eltrezar leaves the party in the torture room to join the thief at the door that has remained shut up until now, he can't help but feel like there's something he should have noted about the torture room. As the wizard ponders upon this, Norris spends some time tinkering with the lock before realizing it isn't locked at all, but merely stuck shut.

funfungiguy sent a note to cowleyc

The others are now left in total darkness, Eltrezar having abandoned them to follow the thief and only Maloria has Infravision to see by.
"Hey!" The party hears Angel shout. "Bring that light back here!"

OOC:

I think maybe more than one lantern might be in order if the group wants to split up to explore this dungeon.

Rolls

Secret Roll

Wandering Monster roll - (1d6)

Aug 16, 2021 6:08 am

Prior to departing the torture chamber, Eltrezar stand stoicly and strokes his beard. Ahem! "I do believe we have found more proof that this dungeon is not uninhabited. The bandits we slew were afraid to delve deeper, and yet we find cleaned and oiled doors, along with these fresh, abeit poorly maintained, instruments of torture. I feel it needs not repeating, but we must be on guard." He follows, hoping to make progress soon rather than stand pondering the horrors that have taken place in this unholy place.

Aug 16, 2021 12:45 pm

Gilly, unseen by her companions, rolls her eyes there in the fresh darkness, and begins to fish around awkwardly for a torch. When she eventually finds it, she sets about lighting it, holding it in one hand, her sword in the other.

"Have to do everything myself…" she mutters as she follows the wizard into the room, careful to wait for her friends to follow along this time.

Aug 16, 2021 4:52 pm

As Gilly lights the torch, Angel (the only PC/NPC to pass a very difficult notice roll), walks over to the southern pillar, certain he saw something earlier before Eltrezar left with the lantern. Examining it closely under Gilly's torchlight, he points out to the remaining party in the room the outline of a secret door embedded in the pillar itself.

Aug 16, 2021 10:43 pm

Realizing that the door hasn't defeated him, but rather outsmarted him, Norris seems no less dejected; moreso, in fact.

"Bors? Your foot, please?" he prods, hopeful the smash-happy warrior may be able to jar this jammed door loose from its moorings, and give the party a more appealing and optimistic area to search.

Aug 17, 2021 12:25 am

"With pleasure. Although I should use my left foot, since the right one is still a little sore."

OOC:

I can never remember if its roll under your stat or if you add modifier and want to get higher lol.

Rolls

Strength check (kick) - (1d20+2)

(15) + 2 = 17

Aug 17, 2021 3:01 am

Mal looks upon the poor souls chained to the racks and offers them their last rights. Whoever they were, whatever their affiliation, surely no one deserves to die like this.

When Angel mentions the secret door hidden in the pillar Mal snaps out of her melancholy and trots over to where Bors is putting boot to portal.

"Anyone try opening the thing before we kick it down? Is it even locked?"

Aug 17, 2021 8:42 am

Before opening it, Gilly will clamber forward to listen at the door that Angel has stumbled upon!

OOC:

Success!

Last edited August 17, 2021 8:43 am

Rolls

Listen - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Aug 19, 2021 9:59 pm

OOC:

Oh, nice... Okay give me a second to get home to my keyboard and I'll edit this post.

As far as Bors's post, to force open a stuck door in B/X is typically a 2-in-6 roll but Strength modifiers apply, so Bors's +2 makes it a 4-in-6 (5-in-6 is the best you can ever have, regardless of Strength). To open a locked door in B/X it's usually a Thief skill roll. To chop down a locked door in this module, it's usually a damage roll with a weapon sufficient to chop down a door.

I'll roll the 1d6 for Bors, and detail the outcome in a bit when I get home.

Rolls

Bors's Stuck Door roll - (1d6)

(6) = 6

Aug 20, 2021 1:20 am

Bors, Eltrezar, and Norris stand at the stuck door just outside and north of the Torture Room. Bors attempts to put his boots to the door in order to break it down. The noise echoes through the entire basement, but the door remains lodged shut.

Meanwhile back in the Torture Room, Gilly, Angel, and Maloria examine the secret door embedded in the floor-to-ceiling pillar on the south end of the chamber. Gilly presses her ear to it, but hears no sound from the other side.

The Man-at-Arms stands in the threshold keeping one eye on the trio messing with the stuck door, and the other on the trio messing with the secret door in the pillar, bow drawn in case trouble comes from either direction.

Aug 20, 2021 3:08 pm

Hrmph! "It would seem we may need some leverage, but I have not spied anything that would assist us here. Upon returning to town, we might invest in some sort of prying bar. But for now, Bors, let us rejoin the group. There is safety in numbers." Eltrezar begins moving back towards the group with Maloria and Gilly, a little annoyed that they have been overall unsuccessful in opening any doors.

OOC:

I think our next logical step is for Angel to try picking that lock. If that doesn't work, then we hire dwarven contractors.

Last edited August 20, 2021 3:09 pm

Aug 20, 2021 4:41 pm

OOC:

I know a guy

Aug 20, 2021 8:35 pm

At Eltrezar's comment, the thief smiles quietly to himself. "You mean one of these?" he asks, producing a small, dulled black steel crowbar from one of the loops in his pack.

Last edited August 20, 2021 8:35 pm

Aug 20, 2021 9:12 pm

Eltrezar sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. Eerngh. "Bors, try it with this, now."

Last edited August 20, 2021 9:13 pm

Aug 22, 2021 11:12 am

Too many doors…

They were all getting scattered again. Gilly missed the cleric again, here in the dungeon. She’d have picked a path and followed it, even if it meant getting axes into the doors. She takes her ear from the secret door, sighs, and moves to the door the others are aiming to pry open instead.

Aug 22, 2021 9:42 pm

Giving up on the newly discovered secret dor for the time being, Gilly, Angel, and the Man-at-Arms join the others, where they see Norris handing Bors a crowbar.

Rolls

Secret Roll

Aug 22, 2021 11:51 pm

Boris accepts the crowbar and shrugs. "Can't work worse than my foot." He slides in the crowbar and pushes with all his might.

Rolls

Open Door - (1d6)

(1) = 1

Aug 23, 2021 8:34 pm

Mal turns away from the secret door with Gilly and the others with a grumble.

"Oh sure, find a secret door but no, let's open the boring door."

Aug 23, 2021 9:07 pm

Bors easily pries the stuck door this time, noting that after pulling free from the jam it was pressed into, the door itself swings open but makes no noise. The room inside is a mess of filth and broken junk, but is utterly unremarkable otherwise.
In the northeast corner of the room, another set of double doors sits closed (S11 and S12).

Aug 23, 2021 9:13 pm

Hrmph! "At last, a door that acts as a door should! Can the other even be called doors, when they act much more as walls?" Eltrezar leans his lantern through the open doorway, hoping to see a glitter of gold amongst the refuse. Turning towards his dwarven companion, "Don't worry, we'll return to that other door soon enough. Let us do our due diligence here, first."

Last edited August 23, 2021 9:13 pm

Aug 23, 2021 9:29 pm

Eltrezar steps past Bors and shines his lantern in the room. Nothing glitters, and at a brief glance, all this debris seems to be nothing but old, broken refuse.

Aug 24, 2021 3:50 am

Hrmph! "There are more doors through here, but let us return to them soon. For now, my friends, let us rejoin the group and see what lays in wait beyond the secreted portal." He moves back towards the pillar with the door, his lantern moving along with him.

Aug 24, 2021 5:15 pm

OOC:

Oh wow, we're going back to that room?

Eltrezar returns to the regular Torture Chamber, that's definitely never been used for sex stuff, and examines the secret door that's been discovered in the pillar. Pressing on it with his hands, the door slides in a half inch, and then silently slides to the side on expertly crafted tracks lining the inside of the hollow pillar. Inside the pillar is a shaft some 30' deep, with iron rungs set into the stonework for easy descent. Wearing on the rungs indicates to the wizard that they are obviously used with some frequency.

Aug 24, 2021 5:43 pm

Eltrezar holds the lantern over the shaft, allowing light to tumble down like a cascade. Hrmph! "I do not suggest we explore down here today. Instead, let us check the doors through the storeroom. They seem to be one of the few remaining directions. We should also consider heading back soon, it is hard to tell the time of day from down here." He gestures back the way he came, as several members of the group hadn't necessarily seen the doors of which he spoke.

Departing the torture chamber, the wizard leans towards his Halfling companion. He clears his throat and speaks with a hushed voice, Ahrm! "I do believe I read about rooms like this in an old tome, one that my teachers had tried to hide away. The Book of Erotic Fantasy, I believe it was called, though its proper, untranslated name escapes me. Not very well received among my peers."

OOC:

And back we go.

Aug 24, 2021 6:02 pm

But also The Book of Erotic Fantasy's proper, untranslated name is How to Commit Acts of Ghastly Torture and was poorly received by Eltrezar's peers because it was in the Erotic Fiction section but was just all pictures and descriptions of people being regular brutally tortured, and it was on the wrong shelf and in the wrong section of the Dewey Decimal System because of it's poorly translated title, and that's why all the regular old torture stuff in this room reminds him so much of The Book of Erotic Fantasy.

All this the wizard ponders as he returns to the storeroom of trash and reports his findings to the others.

Aug 25, 2021 12:10 am

dominion451 says:

Mal turns away from the secret door with Gilly and the others with a grumble.

"Oh sure, find a secret door but no, let's open the boring door."

OOC:

For the record, the mention was brief and made by the DM as proxy for Angel- no one in the party overtly commented on it, so I admit that it totally slipped my mind and notice (and thus Norris').

Aug 25, 2021 12:11 am

OOC:

Also, I'm completely lost and will require a little time to realize where I am and what's happening.

Aug 25, 2021 1:33 am

"Eltrezar is right, we can't go any further down until we're fed and rested. Let us try the new set of double doors through the refuse room instead?"

Aug 25, 2021 12:11 pm

Gilly looks up at the old wizard as he spins his yarn. A look of belief, disbelief and disgust are on her face.

"Is that what you read in them old books then?" she looks about at the others to see if they confirm his tale.

"Just figured it was old stories and wibby wobbly lines for the magic bits!"

Aug 25, 2021 4:06 pm

At the sound of the words Erotic and Fantasy coming out of the grizzled old man, Norris admittedly shuddered a bit... then took a generous step away from the mage. Who knows what worrisome, dark, and twisted thoughts rolled around under that pointy hat? Whatever he's thinking of is almost assuredly a matter that Norris will want nothing to do with.

Finding Mal's suggestion wise (and a justifiable reason to walk at a distance from the troubled elder), Norris fell back in line and gazed at the formerly-secret doors. "I'd offer to search them for traps, but odds are I won't find any... and it's usually more exciting to watch someone else trip them..." he offered, an impish grin crawling across his face.

Aug 25, 2021 6:16 pm

As the party arrives at the set of doors on the northeast corner of the trashed storage room they notice that a solid wooden plank of about 15' in length bars it shut from this side. The plank is heavy, though likely not so heavy that a couple of strong warriors or ten or so Eltrezars couldn't lift it from its brackets if one were determined to discover what could possibly be worth keeping on the other side of these double doors.

Aug 26, 2021 4:07 am

Hrmph! "Do we dare risk what lies beyond this door today? Or do we return in the morning? I do fear that whatever is locked beyond this door must be truly dreadful.
Not even the zombies had this sort of barrier." . The wizard doesn't look scared, but thoughtful. He looks to be weighing options.

Aug 26, 2021 10:42 pm

OOC:

Thoughts to @cowleyc's suggestion of returning to Hommlet for the evening and returning rested vs exploring either the secret door ladder, the heavily barricaded door, or the two still locked doors?

Aug 26, 2021 11:38 pm

"Couldn’t we set up in one of these old rooms for the night?" she points up at the ceiling to indicate she means a room up there, not down here!

"Worked well enough for those bandits, until we showed up."

Aug 27, 2021 6:48 am

"And the doors seem pretty resistant to boots. If we barricaded the door we should be relatively safe."

Aug 27, 2021 5:17 pm

Unable to resist the sarcasm bubbling up inside him, Norris replied to Bors' observation. "As long as there's no boot-golem waiting for us in the shadows, we should be fine" he commented sarcastically, admiring his fingernails and clearing one out with the tip of a lockpick.

"Camping out here? Just like the previous lot didn't expect us to stroll on in... how can we be sure that another lot, or the bandits' buddies looking for their friends, don't stumble onto us while we're snoring happily, oblivious, dreaming about riches and plush beds and friendly sheep?" he prodded, grinning slyly as his imagination drifted off.

"We can't Turn cutthroats." added the sardonic thief, "If we're taking votes- I say we go back to town for a proper and safe rest, then come back in the morning. I don't think this guy's going anywhere...." he observes, taking the tip of his lockpick and poking at one of the skeletons on the rack.

Aug 27, 2021 7:33 pm

"Noris has a point, if we stay in the keep it might be better to bed down upstairs where the bandits did, somewhere more defensible."

Mal takes stock of her rations and decides she has enough to last a few days.

"We loose a lot of time going back to town and have no way of knowing if any one or anything is coming or going while we're gone."

Aug 27, 2021 8:06 pm

OOC:

Alright, we have 2 votes for going back to town: Eltrezar and Norris. We have three votes for staying upstairs where the bandits were sleeping: Gilly, Bors, and Maloria.

The Man-at-Arms is a hireling and more or less follows orders, nor does he ever have much to contribute to any discussions ever.

That leaves Angel left, who likely has been thinking about leaving the group as soon as you get to town again, meaning he'd probably vote for returning to Hommlet. But that also means that you two men to aid you in encounters if you did (the Man-at-Arms contract ends when you return to the village, and Angel will wish you all good luck and saunter off into the distance). I assume losing two capable fighters is something the party would wish to avoid, and giving Angel a vote is going to go against the party's best interests in terms of available manpower as a whole, so since I'm NPCing him I don't want to sway the vote one way or the other.

The vote by active players goes 3-2 in favor of staying upstairs in the room the bandits have been using. Give me a bit so I can get some work done and we'll move the party upstairs for the night, assuming nobody has any further input when I check back in in a few hours.

Aug 28, 2021 12:49 am

Eltrezar combs his fingers through his beard as he looks around. Hrmph! "It might be safe enough to sleep here, but I worry what may lurk in these walls that might emerge when the sun has faded. The bandits that we slew spoke of strange noises coming from the darkness, and while they may just be superstitious cowards, it might be a real danger. But let us rest here and make that determination for ourselves. And not to worry, I do have a bottle of wine." It's hard to see through the beard, but the wizard might be smirking.

Aug 28, 2021 4:08 am

"Thank Cuthbert for that!"

Mal laughs and raises her hammer in salute to the wizard for bringing the only provision that truly mattered in camp.

"As for the noises in the night, that's what I'm counting on. Might just give us a better notion of what we're dealing with."

Aug 28, 2021 4:59 am

"The thing that really dealt with those bandits… was me! And I don’t suspect that I’ll be chasing you lot through the halls tonight. Unless the wizard drinks that wine and tells us more about that old book of his, of course!"

Aug 28, 2021 11:47 am

Bors shrugs. "Town it is. Maybe I can soak my feet in some nice hot water, then."

Aug 28, 2021 9:59 pm

The party moves upstairs to the room the bandits used as a shelter, once the former quarters of the lord of the castle. The room seems largely unchanged since last time the party entered it, floored in black flag-stones and ebon-colored wall hangings, now burnt and tattered, in addition to the jumbled wreckage of the room. The brigands bedrolls remain pitched in odd corners, and the remains of a fire can be noted in the northern fireplace. In the southeast corner a hole in the moathouse's stonework leads to the outside, though only a halfling or a dwarf could easily pass through this room. The corpses of some of the first slain in the attack on the previous occupants remain lying about the floor, likely stiff now with rigor mortis, and beginning to decompose.

It doesn't take much effort to find some debris large enough to barricade the door with, and even possibly close the hole leading to the moat outside and by around 2pm the party feels relatively safe and secure. Despite it being only late afternoon everyone is exhausted from overall tension and a late morning of battling slimes and undead attackers, and everyone drifts off to sleep, though Eltrezar first uses an hour of time to read his spellbook and memorize his Magic Missile spell.

As you each begin to stir finally, night has fallen on the ruins. From outside you hear the "cheep-cheeping" of crickets, and the various squawks and croaks of frogs desperate to announce their willingness to meet a mate. The room is chilly with the fall air outside creeping through the stonework, and a glance at the moon and stars through the arrow slots in the wall indicates that it's around 11pm at night, dark outside, yet irrelevant in the pitch darkness of the basement below. Luckily the rest was quiet and uneventful as you all realize you drifted off to sleep without posting watches to take shifts.

OOC:

At this point, I think Eltrezar now has his Magic Missile spell re-memorized. Everyone is at full Hit Points with the exception of Bors ( 7 of 8 HP) and the Man-at-Arms who seems to be a bit beat up. It's currently 11pm. If you'd like, you can continue with your exploration of the ruins downstairs as is. Or, if wish to make this a full 24-hour rest you can laze about this room until tomorrow afternoon and both Bors and the Man-at-Arms will get 1d3 Hit Points back before you set out again. I'll leave it up to you all to decide.

Rolls

Wandering Monster roll Moathouse Ruins - (1d6)

Aug 30, 2021 4:55 am

"Must have been some very soft bandits, to get so worked up over a bit of chirping."

Aug 30, 2021 2:50 pm

"It would seem they were as skittish as I had thought. Perhaps you are right, my diminutive friend. Let us take one last swig of liquid courage, as it would seem my bottle has nearly run dry, and delve back into the depths. I am truly curious what hides beyond that barred portal." Eltrezar holds out the nearly empty bottle of wine to his companions as he methodically chews on the remains of a trail ration.

Aug 30, 2021 3:40 pm

It's around 11pm of Day 5, and the wizard has spoken, opting not to sit around in a corpse infested room for longer than necessary. The party makes their way downstairs, back to the garbage-filled storage room with the heavily barred door. Eltrezar and Gilly carry light sources for the party, I presume, excepting Mal of course, and all is as it seemed when you left this area earlier this afternoon.

Aug 30, 2021 6:54 pm

"I wonder if they weren't trying to keep something in rather than out..."

Mal kicks at the door a couple times and then presses her head up against the wood to hear what might begin stirring within...

Rolls

Listen - (1d6)

(4) = 4

Aug 30, 2021 6:55 pm

The dwarf waves the others over and motions for them to do the same.

"Can't hear through this helmet, anyone else hear better than I?"

Aug 30, 2021 7:04 pm

"You know..." starts Norris, as he observes Mal pressing her ear to the door. "A friend of mine, who was in the business of home appraisal... once told me how some clever owners used special doors with worms and mites ingrained in the wood. If you press your ear up against the door for a good listen, the worms and mites crawl into your ear."

"They have an insatiable appetite; all they do is eat and lay eggs. So... well... you can imagine the rest" he adds, securing everything snugly onto his pack and making certain all the buckles are buckled and the straps are strapped, ensuring nothing is swaying or clinking. With a jolly little hum, he joins with the others in their curious exploration of the room.

Aug 30, 2021 8:04 pm

Mal screws up her face in disgust,

"Is it worth living in a house of worms and mites just to deter a peeping Tom? A couple of dogs would do the same trick with less pestilence."

Last edited August 30, 2021 8:04 pm

Aug 30, 2021 8:24 pm

The doors jar at the sound of Maloria's plate clad boots banging against them, though she get's no response from the other side. Placing her ear to the door, she listens but hears nothing through the thick wood.

Aug 30, 2021 9:55 pm

Hrmph! "Your boot would wake the dead, I suspect that the room may be empty. Bors, Maloria, see if you can't lift this beam. No sense in wasting time."

Aug 31, 2021 12:48 pm

There’s something worse about it being dark below and above! At least during the day there was always the light above to return to. Now…?

Well, she listened at the door alongside Maloria, then hastily moving aside when the two approach to move the plank!

Rolls

2/6 - (1d6)

(5) = 5

Aug 31, 2021 3:22 pm

OOC:

I'm gonna go ahead and have Angel listen at the door as well. He is a Thief class after all, and listening at doors is a pretty thief/halfling-strong ability, so it would be lousy of me to not utilize him in the party's bests interests if his player likely would have done the same. Honestly, I should have been having him doing that this whole time, but unfortunately I forget stuff with all the other stuff I juggle on the DM side of things.

Gilly listens at the doors as well, but like Maloria, she hears nothing of concern. This plank is nearly the thickness of a small piece of timber, and most likely the doors aren't exactly particle board either, so it may be that it's merely too difficult to hear anything on the other side of these. Or maybe there's nothing...
Noting Gilly's lack of response when she pulls her head away, Angel steps forward and presses his ear to the doors. He looks back and shakes his head as if to say "nothing".

Rolls

Angel Hear Noise roll - (1d6)

Sep 1, 2021 5:01 am

Eltrezar tugs his beard with impatience as he awaits the stronger warriors to lift the plank barring their way.

Sep 1, 2021 11:36 am

Though small, Gilly is no slouch herself. Her small Halfling size is pretty muscular and strong. And so she shifts herself almost fully under the plank and begins to push upwards, waiting for the two warriors to flank her and help shift the log off this door.

Sep 1, 2021 8:01 pm

"Here goes nothing."

Mal waves the Man at Arms over and with his help heaves against the wooden bar, attempting to open the door...

Sep 2, 2021 12:07 am

Bors cracks his neck dramatically and helps Mal lift the bar.

Rolls

Strength - (1d20+2)

(9) + 2 = 11

Sep 2, 2021 9:00 pm

The party lifts the heavy plank from the door and they swing out into the storage room, and almost immediately the party is hit with a combination of odors most foul as they sidestep the doors swing. The wave of reek is nauseating and hard to pin to only one source. While the zombies that wandered the cells outside the torture room were not entirely pleasant, they had mostly been ancient and dried specimens, and gave little by means of smell anymore, and certainly not those as overpowering as what billows forth from the room before you. The stench seems a combination of fresh excrement, the coppery tang of fresh blood, and the putrid stink of rotting meat, among other less decipherable sources.

The second sensation you discover is the sound of gnawing, like that of a dog chewing a cow's shin or other large bone, but what squats before you is not a dog, nor any canine more fearsome even. What sits upon a pile of of tattered old clothing and rodent chewed animal skins in a larger room than the littered storeroom you stand in now is a massive ogre gnawing distractedly at what appears on first glance to be the blood-glistened remains of a humanoid femur.
As it busily rips a strip of meat off the bone in its hand the light of Eltrezar's lantern and Gilly's torch fall on the great monster, not enough to fully chase the shadows away, but enough to get the monster's attention finally. For a moment it merely looks at each of you. Then it speaks on broken Common language...
"No fire eye..." it says after a moment of looking at each of you. Suddenly its eyes light up as if it has just discovered something of great import. "Lubash see no fire eye!" It slowly rises to its feet and you realize that this ogre is at least as large if not greater so than any tales you've heard of such creatures, standing at least 10' in height despite slouching posture and hunkered shoulders. "Tiny mans have no fire eye on clothes-skins! That make tiny mans Lubash playtoys now! Lubash break and smash toy's legs and then can keep for plaything for as long as Lubash want!"
The ogre, now gleeful in expression at the prospect of new "playthings" reaches down, and with a grating scraping noise, picks up a huge, rusted, dull and ugly-looking bardiche from the floor and begins to advance on the party as bloody drool runs from its mouth and down it's huge stomach in Pavlovian response.

OOC:

Round 1 of this encounter begins! Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Gilly, Bors (7)
2. Maloria, Norris (6)
3. Angel (5)
4. Man-at-Arms (4)
6. Lubash the Ogre (3)
6. Eltrezar (1)

Rolls

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(4) + 1 = 5

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(5) + 2 = 7

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(2) - 1 = 1

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(6) + 1 = 7

Norris Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Lubash the Ogre Initiative roll - (1d6)

(3) = 3

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(4) = 4

Sep 3, 2021 6:17 am

Bors raises his shield protectively and moves to the southwestern side of the northern pillar, giving space for his comrades to enter the room if they chose. "Anyone know what 'fire eye' means? Wizard, that sounds like your territory. Otherwise fan out and surround it. With some luck, my sword will get a new name this day!"

Sep 3, 2021 12:43 pm

Gilly grits her teeth, as the wave of stink wafts over her. As the ogre approaches, she grits her teeth, and clenches her short sword all the tighter. The Puddlefoots had told a story or two about ogres, and how the family had taken down a few in their time. And now it seemed like Gilly might get her chance! She enters the rooms and fans out as Bors suggests.

OOC:

I’ll move about 5 squares across, to give the ogre a choice in who to attack! I do have a good shot with an -2 due to size difference too

Sep 3, 2021 7:00 pm

KCC says:

OOC:

I’ll move about 5 squares across, to give the ogre a choice in who to attack! I do have a good shot with an -2 due to size difference too

OOC:

Oh, very good of you to remind me; I might have forgot. This thing is very definitely greater than human-sized, so at this time Gilly's AC has lowered from "4" to "2". As per your instrictions, Gilly moves 25' into the room and now stands at Y12.

Round 1 of this encounter continues! Turn order is as follows:
1. Gilly, Bors (7)
--> 2. Maloria, Norris (6)
3. Angel (5)
4. Man-at-Arms (4)
6. Lubash the Ogre (3)
6. Eltrezar (1)

Sep 5, 2021 5:15 pm

"Wait where are you going?!"

With a groan Mal rushes into the room to support her companions, shield raised and hammer in hand. She sets her hammer down next to her and whips out her sling...

"We could have just closed the door you know."

OOC:

move V, 11

Rolls

Attack, Damage - (1d20+1, 1d4+1)

1d20+1 : (9) + 1 = 10

1d4+1 : (2) + 1 = 3

Sep 6, 2021 9:16 pm

Mal moves into the room and throws a stone at the ogre with her sling. It strikes the monster's thick shoulder with a "whap" that the ogre doesn't even notice.

OOC:

Just fyi, when Maloria used a ranged weapon she gets a +1 To-Hit for her Dexterity Modifier, and another +1 for close range in this instance. There is no Dexterity bonus for damage in a ranged attack.

Following suit, Norris enters the room with his own sling readied. He moves to T11 and releases his stone, and strikes the ogre's other shoulder with the same effect.

Angel steps inside to T8, and fires his short bow at Lubash, hitting the great creature directly in the chest, and the ogre bellows in pain and rage at the thief.

Finally the Master-at-Arms rushes in and stops at V14 and fires his long bow at the ogre. Those watching, with the exception of Eltrezar who has noticed this once before, are momentarily distracted by the fact that two arrows came from the man in lightning-fast succession. The first arrow pierces the ogre's shoulder, while the second clatters against the wall beside him.

In a rage, Lubash looks back and forth between Angel and the Man-at-Arms, both of whom pierced him with arrows then stomps over to Anger and swings his ugly-looking bardiche at the thief's head. Angel just barely manages to duck the swing and chips of wall explode from the wall behind him and the huge weapon smashes against the stonework.

OOC:

Round 1 of this encounter concludes with Eltrezar!
1. Gilly, Bors (7)
2. Maloria, Norris (6)
3. Angel (5)
4. Man-at-Arms (4)
6. Lubash the Ogre (3)
--> 7. Eltrezar (1)

Rolls

Norris Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20+3, 1d4)

1d20+3 : (7) + 3 = 10

1d4 : (3) = 3

Angel Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20+3, 1d6)

1d20+3 : (15) + 3 = 18

1d6 : (5) = 5

Man-at-Arms Attack roll; Damage roll - (1d20, 1d6)

1d20 : (16) = 16

1d6 : (3) = 3

Man-at-Arms Attack roll; Damage roll - (1d20, 1d6)

1d20 : (11) = 11

1d6 : (6) = 6

Lubash Target Selection roll (1-3: Angel, 4-6: Man-at-Arms) - (1d6)

(3) = 3

Lubash the Ogre Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20, 2d4+5)

1d20 : (8) = 8

2d4+5 : (21) + 5 = 8

Sep 7, 2021 4:13 am

Eltrezar hesitates momentarily, pondering the riddle of the "fire eyes" that the ogre had presented. Off the top of his head, this didn't correlate with any ogre knowledge he possessed, whether it be a reference to a deity or a cult. The crashing of mallet against stone breaks his thought process, and he realizes that the creature had vanished from view. The wizard takes a few steps into the chamber with a drawn dagger and attempts to throw it into the large target. Recognizing that this creature will likely take more than a few daggers to fell, he begins preparing his arcane invocation.

OOC:

Eltrezar moves to U-11 and throws a dagger at Lubash.

Last edited September 7, 2021 4:03 pm

Rolls

Magic Missile - (1d6+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Attack - (1d20-1)

(6) - 1 = 5

Damage - (1d4)

(4) = 4

Sep 7, 2021 5:45 am

OOC:

My mistake, mixed up OSE sling with DnD slings

Sep 7, 2021 3:54 pm

OOC:

@cowleyc: Unfortunately, because Lubash had moved to the left to attack Angel, Eltrezar would have lost line of sight to the ogre because of the wall, as you can see from Eltrezar's perspective below.

A wizard casting a spell generally has 3 rules:
1. They must announce that they are casting a spell at the start of the round (we sort of hand-waive this rule because PbP mechanics make this a pain in the butt for players with Magic-User PCs).
2. They may not take any other action, including Movement, on a turn where they will cast a spell.
3. Unless specified otherwise by the spell description, the target of a spell must be within sight.

The bad news is that this means that Eltrezar cannot cast Magic Missile this round, having lost sight of his intended target.
The good news is that the spell wasn't "Disrupted", so the spell isn't forgotten, and merely goes back into the wizards available memorized spells (possibly allowing for a better roll than a "2" later?).
Furthermore, I think it's reasonable that the wizard, losing sight of his target, could still act this round if he wants and make other Actions (ie: Move into the room, throw a dagger, attempt to negotiate a peaceful resolution to this conflict, play a musical instrument, drink a potion, think distractedly but fondly on that sinful book he once found in the library... just some examples...)

But casting Magic Missile would not be an option and so it's still Eltrezar's turn.

Sep 7, 2021 4:51 pm

His spell interrupted when he lost sight of the ogre, Eltrezar steps into the room and throws a dagger at the wall, where it clatters to the floor. The ogre doesn't even notice the new arrival to the room, it seems.

OOC:

Round 1 concludes with no PCs taking damage. The ogre has lost 8HP in the fight to a couple of arrows, and appears to be moderately wounded.

Round 2 begins! Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Norris (7)
2. Man-at-Arms (5)
3. Bors, Lubash the Ogre (4)
4. Angel, Gilly, Maloria (3)
5. Eltrezar, lol (1)

It should be noted that Norris, who is up first, currently has his sling armed.
It should also be noted that Angel and Bors now find themselves in melee range of Lubash. If these character wish to get out of Lubash's melee range they must make a Fighting Retreat (allowing an attack Action and a Movement Action at 1/6 their Base Movement Rate), or a Full retreat (allowing a Movement Action at half or more Encounter Movement Rate and +2 to shieldless Armor Class.

Rolls

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(1) + 2 = 3

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(2) - 1 = 1

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Norris Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(6) + 1 = 7

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(5) = 5

Lubash the Ogre Initiative roll - (1d6)

(4) = 4

Sep 9, 2021 12:35 am

Norris rushes across the room to Z11 to avoid letting Angel and Bors block his shot and throws another stone at the ogre with his sling, but again the shot misses it's mark.

Likewise, the Man-at-Arms rushes to Z10 and fires two shots at Lubash. Like, Norris, both arrows clatter uselessly against the stonework in the corner of the room.

OOC:

Round 2 continues! Turn order is as follows:
1. Norris (7)
2. Man-at-Arms (5)
--> 3. Bors, Lubash the Ogre (4)
4. Angel, Gilly, Maloria (3)
5. Eltrezar (1)

Still focused on the thief that hit him with an arrow, badly injuring him, Lubash takes another swing at Angel. This time the ogre brings his filthy bardiche from overhead. The thief deftly side-steps the arc of the weapon and it snashes into the floor, more stone chips scattering as the floor crumbles under the weight of the swing.

Rolls

Norris Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20+3, 1d4)

1d20+3 : (10) + 3 = 13

1d4 : (2) = 2

Man-at-Arms Attack roll; Damage roll - (1d20+1, 1d6)

1d20+1 : (3) + 1 = 4

1d6 : (3) = 3

Man-at-Arms Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20+1, 1d6)

1d20+1 : (7) + 1 = 8

1d6 : (3) = 3

Lubash the Ogre Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20, 2d4+5)

1d20 : (2) = 2

2d4+5 : (24) + 5 = 11

Sep 9, 2021 2:29 pm

Restraining himself with muted glee as his tiny little sling stone strikes the ogre, a thought bursts from Norris' mind which he thinks would be beneficial to share, "It's a symbol!" he replies, and though not aimed at the wizard, he's hoping the mage understands the contribution.

"The fire eye is likely a symbol... a badge, emblem, a cloak or something..." he adds, all the while slinking in the shadows and behind safe, sturdy pillars of cover. "With a lunk like this, you gotta keep orders simple. If they have the symbol, let 'em pass- if they don't, do whatcha' will with 'em. Whoever's running this... they're tied in with that symbol".

The role which the symbol played in the ogre's standing orders was clear- it was the significance of the symbol itself which was lost on Norris. Hopefully, that's where the smarter, but less attractive, members of the group may be able to help.

Last edited September 9, 2021 2:34 pm

Sep 10, 2021 2:22 am

"It's time to christen my sword with the name Ogreslayer! Name subject to change!" He swings for the giant creature's hamstrings.

Rolls

Sword attack - (1d20+2)

(3) + 2 = 5

Sep 10, 2021 3:39 am

Gilly launches across the herself room and tries to drive her blade into the ogre’s ankle!

OOC:

W8, I believe!

Last edited September 10, 2021 3:40 am

Rolls

1d20+1

(4) + 1 = 5

1d6+1

(6) + 1 = 7

Sep 10, 2021 5:56 am

Mal runs up to stand beside Bors,

"C'mon ya great stinking oaf!"

She swings with her hammer in an attempt to hobble the massive creature...

Rolls

Attack, Damage - (1d20+1, 1d6+1)

1d20+1 : (20) + 1 = 21

1d6+1 : (5) + 1 = 6

Sep 10, 2021 6:17 am

With the ogre solidly within his sight, Eltrezar continues his incantation. The new "burglar" buzzed in his ear, but it was clear the man had no idea what concentration it took to perform such feats of arcane might! Finally his spell is completed, and a nearly invisible bolt of energy flies through the air from the wizard's outstretched finger, slamming solidly into the chest of the beastly monstrosity.

Rolls

Magic Missile - (1d6+1)

(3) + 1 = 4

Sep 10, 2021 4:47 pm

Bors swings at Lubash but misses in the chaos of stone-chip shrapnel ricocheting off of everybody, and Gilly's sword slashes out at the monster but fails to even find a bit of flesh to nick. Maloria's hammer, on the other hand, crashes soundly against the left kneecap of the ogre who bellows out in pain, giving Angel a chance to make a Fighting Retreat, moving 20' south and firing another shot from his bow. The shot misses uselessly, and immediately a streak of energy races across the room and hits the ogre square in the chest, rocking it backwards.
Lubash stands bloodied, looking for those that just hurt him, beady little eyes moving back and forth between the nasty little dwarf at broken kneecap level immediately in front of him, and the even more dangerous looking wizard across the room throwing those majiks triks at him. He hates majiks triks, but he's surrounded by others blocking his way to the wizard.

OOC:

Round two ends with Lubash the Ogre taking an additional 10HP of damage, for a total of 20HP so far this encounter. He's bloodied and looking like the constant barrage of attacks from all directions is starting to wear on him. Again, the PCs have gone unscathed this round, but Lubash's focus is now on Maloria and Eltrezar, and he since can't pass through enemy squares to get to the wizard, he'll have to deal with those before him first... Especially the dwarf that just crushed his patella.

Round 3 begins! Turn order is as follows:
--> 1. Maloria (6)
2. Angel, Bors (5)
3. Eltrezar, Lubash the Ogre (4)
4. Gilly, Norris (3)
5. Man-at-Arms (2)

Rolls

Angel Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20+1, 1d6)

1d20+1 : (3) + 1 = 4

1d6 : (4) = 4

Angel Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(4) + 1 = 5

Gilly Initiative roll - (1d6+2)

(1) + 2 = 3

Eltrezar Initiative roll - (1d6-1)

(5) - 1 = 4

Maloria Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Bors Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(4) + 1 = 5

Norris Initiative roll - (1d6+1)

(2) + 1 = 3

Man-at-Arms Initiative roll - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Lubash the Ogre Initiative roll - (1d6)

(4) = 4

Sep 10, 2021 11:13 pm

OOC:

Dang, Gilly has been uncharacteristically slow this encounter!

Sep 10, 2021 11:15 pm

"That's right big boy, plenty more where that came from!"

Not wanting to loose momentum, Mal swings again at the leg...

Rolls

Attack, Damage - (1d20+1, 1d6+1)

1d20+1 : (13) + 1 = 14

1d6+1 : (1) + 1 = 2

Sep 10, 2021 11:38 pm

Seizing the opportunity, Norris drops his sling for the moment and stealthily approaches the ogre. With the multitude of distractions, he feels confident that a slender, agile little pest can approach it without drawing any attention... until his serrated steel blade pierces thick ogre flesh, sprouting a vibrant stream of crimson to pool on the ground.

At least that's the plan...

With the results of execution far less predictable, Norris will hope that doom and misfortune has only hovered above him during locksmithing work... and not in the thick of combat. Taking good aim, he will attempt to strike at the ogre's legs- targets which have brought the others notable success- in hopes of sending the behemoth crashing to the ground.

Rolls

Backstabbing Lugash - (1d20+1)

(5) + 1 = 6

Sep 10, 2021 11:39 pm

OOC:

:insert facepalm emoji here:

Sep 11, 2021 2:51 am

Annoyed at his miss and looking bad in front of the hired help Chorizo, Bors makes a thrust at the ogre's other knee.

OOC:

Ooh I think I get to roll damage on that one.

Last edited September 11, 2021 2:52 am

Rolls

Sword Attack - (1d20+2)

(16) + 2 = 18

Damage - (1d8+2)

(6) + 2 = 8

Sep 11, 2021 2:59 am

OOC:

oh thank Crom

Sep 11, 2021 6:01 am

The creature still stood, even after taking so many powerful blows from the wizard and his minions! Eltrezar draws a dagger from his belt and takes aim, though several of his underlings stood in the way. He lets the blade fly, hoping to catch the ogre while it was distracted, while not drawing too much attention himself.

Rolls

Attack - (1d20-3)

(19) - 3 = 16

Damage - (1d4)

(4) = 4

Sep 11, 2021 4:21 pm

Maloria swings her hammer again at Lubash's bad knee, and he grunts in pain.

OOC:

Norris's Action was posted out of turn, so I'll skootch it down to where he is in the Initiative order and we'll see what we can do with it then if Lubash still stands. Meanwhile Bors and Angel were up after Mal...

Angel rushes over to Z7 so as to get a clean shot on the ogre and sinks an arrow into Lubash's left shoulder.

Not to be outdone by the others, Bors slashes at the legs of the ogre, his blade severing a major artery. Blood begins spilling onto the floor in pumping surges, as the fighter nearly cleaves the leg clean off at the knee.

OOC:

At this point I'll go ahead and tell you that Lubash is nearly dead. Eltrezar and Lubash both go at the same time, Lubash now focused on three attackers that have harmed him since his last turn. Target Selection will be as follows: Maloria 1-2, Bors 3-4, Angel 5-6.

Lubash, beginning to look quite gray and pallid as his blood oozes out in small rivulets here and huge sputtering gushes there, on two badly damaged legs, takes a final hack at Bors, but so worn down and beaten he is that he can barely even lift his bardiche, let alone bring it down with any effectiveness. Bors easily side-steps the attack and it clatters to the floor, as the ogre loses his weak grip on the thing, while at the exact same moment a dagger whistles past Bors's and Mal's heads and sinks in the ogre's throat. With a final "Hurk--", Lubash stands like a wavering tower, before crashing comically backward, slamming onto the stone floor with a wet thud.

OOC:

Gol' darn it! I just could not get any decent die rolls out of that encounter! I didn't want to TPK that fight, but considering Lubash had a THAC0 of 14 and did a minimum of 7HP damage and a maximum of 13HP damage (2d4+5) on a successful hit and started out with 32HP (HD 5+1), I was hoping for SOMETHING to at least give you a bit of a scare! Maybe just really badly wound one of you? Maybe Lubash could kill one of the NPCs? I figured you'd maybe lose a party member or two and opt to retreat to Hommlet, hire a bunch of reinforcements, get yourselves pumped up for a big baddy fight, and go back. Something to reflect that you were facing easily the toughest encounter so far, at least on paper... But Lubash couldn't hit squat that fight, and the rats caused more trouble for you guys! Dang it!

The party earns 195XP for slaying Lubash the Ogre...

Catching your breath, you take in your surroundings. Next to Gilly, at X7, a nest of old rags and rotting skins makes for the ogre's bedding, and a large wooden chest sits among this pile. At the southwest corner of the room another door stands, again barred with a heavy plank on this side of the room. The plank itself is not nearly at large and heavy as the one that was used to keep Lubash locked inside here. Whatever sits on the other side of this door, Lubash had access to whenever he wanted.

Rolls

Angel Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20+3, 1d6)

1d20+3 : (14) + 3 = 17

1d6 : (2) = 2

Lubash Target Selection roll - (1d6)

(3) = 3

Lubash the Ogre Attack roll, Damage roll - (1d20, 2d4+5)

1d20 : (2) = 2

2d4+5 : (34) + 5 = 12

Sep 11, 2021 10:31 pm

"The bigger they are, am I right?"

Mal beams at the massive corpse of the ogre as though expecting it to laugh at her joke. When nothing happens, she shrugs her shoulders and stows her shield and hammer. The dwarf walks over to the chest in the pile of garbage used for a bed and kicks it open.

"So what do ya think an ogre finds valuable enough to keep in a box?"

Sep 12, 2021 12:33 pm

Having done nothing to help, Gilly stands triumphant nonetheless. Survival an ogre was achievement enough.

She looks at the box and the slop she’d have to cross to get to it. Skin… and probably ogre matter best left unmentioned and unimagined stood in the way. With one hand over her nose, she says to Maloria:

"I don’t know. But let’s find out! I’ll get it."

It’s the least she could do, having not drawn ogre blood in the fight.

OOC:

I’ll grab it and drag it out for examination

Sep 12, 2021 3:06 pm

Bors kneels down with his sword in front of him. "I add to thy names the moniker, Ogregnasher!"

Sep 12, 2021 6:41 pm

OOC:

Lol, I hope that Bors is keeping track of his swords' names. I may have to go back and write these down for our records...

Maloria and Gilly drag out the chest and find it unlocked. In fact, the lock at some point was smashed and broken, and Lubash seemed to have little need to have it replaced. Most likely, it was the ogre's bardiche that acted at the chest's last key.
Inside the chest Maloria and Gilly find many treasures of little to no value. Intermixed with worthless glass beads, brass candlesticks and other trash is a number of coins worth 823cp, 46sp, and 3gp (this amounts to 15.83gp but the weight for purposes of Encumbrance is 872 coins, so you'll need to figure out how that's going to be carried, assuming you want it).
However, tangled up with the rags, bits of old carpeting, and foul skins that Lubash used for bedding, Gilly finds an article of cloth that catches her eye. As she pulls it out she finds a small-sized Elven Cloak. This priceless artifact is smelly and soiled with what is probably best not to think about, and quite likely to have fleas, seam squirrels, or some other critters making a home of it, but is otherwise still in excellent condition, and tailored for any small-sized wearer (ie. dwarves and halflings).

Sep 12, 2021 7:11 pm

Mal gawks at the tiny cloak in Gilly's hands,

"Woah-ho! That's quite the find Gilly! Elven magic is second to none, and that rag looks like it's just your size!"

Sep 12, 2021 10:57 pm

"Your size, too." Gilly asks, a little more cheerfully now that there’s some treasure in her hands.

"Oh! Is it because… you don’t want it because…"

She looks around, hesitant:

"Maybe it’s rude to ask! Is it because it’s…"

She whispers the final word:

"… elven?" she gives the dwarf a knowing look.

Sep 13, 2021 12:12 am

OOC:

I keep the names written on my character sheet lol. I'm up 7 seven already!

Sep 13, 2021 2:07 am

Mal laughs heartily, bending at the waist with the effort.

"Aye lass, that's it on the nose! Not to mention it'd take all the elves that ever were to make a cloak quiet enough to hide this armor."

Mal clangs her gauntlet twice on her breastplate for emphasis.

Sep 13, 2021 3:38 am

Eltrezar, in the midst of poking around the room, gives Bors a keen side-eye. Ahem! "You would be best served calling it Wizardhelper, as I seem to recall it being my sharpened blade that felled the creature." It is hard to see his smirk through the beard, but it is definitely there. He continues collecting his blades and looking at the pile of treasure they were slowly putting together in the center of the room.

As Gilly and Maloria discuss the cloak, Eltrezar approaches and examines it. While he did not know any more than the other two, he made some "hmm" and "hrm..." noises before handing it back. Unless he were to utilize an elven loincloth, it would be too small for him.

Sep 13, 2021 9:16 am

Gilly concedes the point and fixes the elven cloak around her! She sidles off to the side for a moment and climbs atop the dead ogre when no one is watching!

Once she has mounted the fallen foe she bellows in a faux-booming voice:

"Lean Meat, sorcerer supreme, can you see me now?!"

Sep 13, 2021 2:27 pm

Eltrezar closes his eyes and pinches his nose. Hrmph! "It's not a toy, Gilly. You are in possession of an ancient artifact of the elven race, a token of their mastery of craft. Now then, let us see what it is that the ogre was trying to keep to himself, if the cloak and gold were not worth hiding." He walks to the barred door, gesturing for those fit in body to come lift the plank.

Sep 13, 2021 2:30 pm

Gilly gets down among the others while the wizard crosses to the door.

"I bet he just upset that he couldn’t see me. Ancient artifact… pfft…"

Last edited September 13, 2021 2:30 pm

Sep 13, 2021 5:14 pm

Mal moves to the newly discovered door and helps to heft the bar aside.

Sep 13, 2021 7:30 pm

Silently in the back ranks, Norris returns the sling to its belt loop of a home and fastens shut the pouch containing his sling stones. He dusts off his hands, gives the lifeless ogre one last glance then moves to depart. He'll stride up alongside the others and waits idly to see what's behind the door- and silently thankful that it isn't locked.

Otherwise, they'd need to find a skilled rogue and there doesn't seem to be one about.

He sighs.

Sep 13, 2021 7:35 pm

This door is heavily barred, but Mal and Eltrezar lift it out of its brackets easily enough. Upon opening the door the party discovers that this is the grisly pantry of Lubash the Ogre.
Three sets of frightened eyes peer out of the dark room including a pair of humans who have undergone only mild torture, plus a badly beaten gnome upon whom Lubash intended to soon dine—a mere snack, and tough, but a nice change nonetheless.
"Oh, by the gods," the humans shout in relief. "Please help us! We are but a pair of merchants who were on our way to the to our homes in Dyvers when we were captured and brought to this awful place! If you help us I promise a large reward for our rescue! We can have it delivered to you! Please don't leave us here!" The other human man merely nods his head in agreement to all of this, while the first crawls on his hands and knees and grovels at the feet of the dwarf standing before him.
The gnome sits on the floor and says nothing for a moment. You can tell that in addition to the awful beating he's taken, both of his legs have been broken. The little fellow never had a chance to escape. After a moment, as if realizing he may be expected to explain his reason for being locked in this room, he says, "I was captured by a pack of foul gnolls some days ago on the road between Hommlet and Verbobonc. A hood was put over my head and I was beaten. I believe I was traded to some men though my memory is fuzzy. I can only assume that I was to be used as food for that disgusting ogre, who broke my legs to prevent me from running away. I have no money to give you for my release, and I can offer only my gratitude and friendship."

The rest of the room is empty save some old straw and a few bloodied rags and strips of clothing.

Sep 13, 2021 7:41 pm

While initially motivated to chime in on how he can serve as a fine doorstop or as a means to prevent papers from being tossed in the wind, in the end, Norris decides not to "help" the gnome with future career choices and instead remains quiet. Negotiation and... helping others... have never been his strong suit. Best to leave that sort of talk to the nicer members of the group.

Sep 13, 2021 10:45 pm

Mal gasps in horror at the sight of the captives.

"Fear not, we're getting all of you out of here."

Mal stoops down to lift the little gnome and turns to the others.

"I cannot leave these people down here, please let your intentions be known but know that I must help them get back to town."

Sep 13, 2021 10:49 pm

"Some men? You mean the ones up there in the castle?" Gilly ponders for a second. Those were men, indeed. But they didn’t venture down here.

"Back to town? It’s the middle of the night. Is it safe?"

Sep 14, 2021 12:35 am

"I suppose you're right about that Gilly. They'll have to camp with us tonight."

She looks to the gnomes legs,

"Hopefully we can bind your legs well enough for the night."

Sep 14, 2021 12:41 am

OOC:

The wizard may illuminate things for us: did the Druid give us some healing potions?

Sep 14, 2021 1:03 am

One of the human merchants speaks up, answering Gilly. "The gnome is correct. We weren't captured by gnolls as he was. We were overtaken by highwaymen. They put bags over our heads as well and brought us here. I don't know the hour, but we heard most of our captors sleeping and we were brought down a set of stairs individually by one of the bandits... the leader I think, based on his voice and the fact he spent most of the day giving orders. We were given over to a group that didn't speak our language. They may have spoke bugbear... possibly goblinoid... something harsh and guttural, though I speak neither. It wasn't gnoll, as the gnome heard. I don't speak that language either, but I would recognize the voice of a gnoll. This was deep and rough-sounding. After we were turned over, we were brought to this small room.
"The brigands roughed us up a bit, but not like what happened to the gnome, who was brought in some time later. Maybe days later... maybe only hours... hard to tell in this room, with no light, no way of telling time. The gnome was brought in after though...
"The ogre came in later, grabbed the gnome, and took him out. The noises we heard were horrifying. We heard the ogre break the little one's legs and it sounded like the gnome was toyed with for a while afterward. Then he was thrown back in here with us. I guess the ogre got bored and wasn't hungry yet. I don't know...
"The sounds were horrible. I'll never forget them. I'm so sorry, gnome. All I could do was selfishly plug my ears with my fingers and feel thankful to the gods that it wasn't happening to me.
"I'm sorry, little one... I'm so sorry."
He looks down at his feet in shame, as if he could have done anything to help the gnome. The gnome pats him on the thigh in comfort from where he sits on the floor with broken legs.

Sep 14, 2021 1:10 am

OOC:

The party currently has 1 Potion of Healing left, I believe. I'd have to look at my spreadsheet to see who has it. (Actually, Maloria is carrying it, according to my spreadsheet).

Eltrezar has some potions being brewed by the Druid of the Grove, but they wont be ready for a couple of days still. Then you can make another order.

Sep 14, 2021 1:39 am

OOC:

And do potions of healing fix broken bones? A serious consideration!

Sep 14, 2021 5:09 am

OOC:

Sure. I think so. I mean, imagine you just get bashed to pieces with a mace to the body. Like almost all your Hit Points. Probably some serious damage. Then you drink a potion and just heal? Obviously all those broken bones and ripped guts have to mend... right?

Sep 14, 2021 5:19 am

Hrmph! "I am not an expert in the natural magicks that the Druid's potions invoke, so I do not know if they will mend your legs, Gnome. But we should at least try. We will depart at daybreak, and not a minute sooner. I fear there are things worse than the ogre that lurk in the darkness of night, and at least here we have walls and doors to keep us safe."

Sep 14, 2021 12:22 pm

"Could be good to give this fella a potion, and then make our way back to town in a few hours, once it’s bright!" she paces the room as she speaks.

"Make sure they get back safe and drop off our coin. Might even ask about these men we’ve been hearing about… unless thems the ones we killed."

Sep 14, 2021 12:59 pm

Mal agrees with the plan and fishes out the potion from her pack. She offers it to the gnome and holds her breath with anticipation while he drinks it.

Sep 14, 2021 4:03 pm

The gnome drinks the Potion of Cure Light Wounds. Some of the cuts and bruises covering his ace and the rest of his body mend and after a moment he moves his little legs. He nods... "Still a bit sore and stiff, I suppose, but I can at least walk on them again for now. Thank you, dwarf; I'm Bramblecatch, by the way. I'm sorry, I don't believe I caught yours yet. He speaks to all, but mostly seems to focus on the cleric.

Rolls

Gnome Potion of Cure Light Wounds - (1d6+1)

Sep 14, 2021 4:16 pm

OOC:

So it's probably somewhere around 11-11:30pm right now. Are we thinking that the group is going to rest for a bit and leave at Sunrise? If so is anyone sleeping? Is anyone standing watch?

Sep 14, 2021 4:35 pm

"Well met Mr. Bramblecatch, I am Maloria Stoneforge, Cleric of Saint Cuthbert, but please, call me Mal. As late as it is, we should perhaps head topside and make camp for the night. I would take a watch shift if some of you lot care to join."

Sep 14, 2021 5:52 pm

Eltrezar doesn't introduce himself, but does agree that heading upstairs would be in their best interest. He lingers behind for a moment to speak to whichever companions are near, out of earshot of the prisoners. Hrmph! "I must admit, I am a little concerned by their claims of more men and other creatures. We have not yet found them down here, and by their own admission the bandits we slew were too afraid to come down here. That, and all this "Flaming Eye" talk... I fear there may be more going on down here than we had known. And with the number of secret passages we have found as well as the fine state of many of the doors, I suspect there is more here than meets the eye."

Sep 14, 2021 7:09 pm

Mal helps to bag up all the coin the group has found in the ogre chest and does one final search of both the ogre room and the hostage closet before heading upstairs with the others.

Sep 14, 2021 9:20 pm

OOC:

Are you leaving the two locked doors by the stairs alone? The ones where there was piles of debris concealing them? Where Angel and Norris failed lockpick rolls?

Sep 14, 2021 9:32 pm

OOC:

I think so, for now. At least until Eltrezar can learn Knock. Is there a rule for retrying tests like lockpicking? Giving it a day, trying with different equipment, etc?

Sep 14, 2021 9:41 pm

OOC:

we may as well leave them until we return from town where we could buy some hand axes

Sep 14, 2021 10:31 pm

The rogue replied with a curt nod, "Norris" he replied- there was no need for a surname. Who knows who he knows- don't want too much information flying around out there. There are still a few darker sorts out and about who would rather the thief's skin be used as an area rug. First names were enough for now.

Instead, Norris opted to query the captives a little further. His curiosity had an appetite, and at the moment, it was famished, "Are all of you accounted for?" he asked, "Was there anyone who was brought in at one point... and was later taken? What do you all have in common?" he prodded, clarifying the previous question. There was certainly more to this riddle and while he was convinced the prisoners weren't actors in the play, there was certainly a script being followed. There was intent here- these men had to have greater value or purpose than as a snack tray for the lumbering behemoth.

Last edited September 14, 2021 10:35 pm

Sep 15, 2021 12:41 am

"I'm Bors the Fighter, and this is the most useful member of our party, my sword Ogregnasher. Oh, and this is Grandpa Surly Beard, our wizard. He's useful, too, sometimes," Bors gestures at Eltrezar in an off-hand way.

Sep 15, 2021 2:25 am

Maloria stifles a snort and nearly has a stroke suppressing her laughter. Not a peep escapes her lips, but her face turns beet red with the effort.

Sep 15, 2021 11:53 am

"And I am Gilly. Gilly Puddlefoot. Adventurer for hire.

Gilly to the humans. The elves call me the Unseen! Bandit-bane to the dwarves!" she announces, stealing the wizard’s bit.

Sep 15, 2021 1:38 pm

Harumph!

Sep 15, 2021 4:22 pm

cowleyc says:

OOC:

I think so, for now. At least until Eltrezar can learn Knock. Is there a rule for retrying tests like lockpicking? Giving it a day, trying with different equipment, etc?

OOC:

If a Thief fails a lockpicking test they can't try again on that particular lock until they gain a level.

OOC:

At this point, chopping the doors down would be a noisy but probably effective option if the party wishes to avoid waiting for Norris to get more Experience...

The prisoners look from one party member to the next during introductions, then one of the human merchants speaks up to answer Norris's questions. "We are all accounted for, I am sure. The was none others before us that I saw or heard when we were brought down here, and only the gnome was brought in after. The gnome was pulled out after a time and toyed with by the ogre before being tossed back inside. The only thing I believe we have in common is that we were all captured while traveling. As I said, us on our way home to Dyvers. And the gnome, I don't know. Somewhere north of Hommlet, I believe?"
The gnome nods, to conform the human's story.
"But, as I said before," says the merchant, continuing his story to Norris. "We we taken by highwaymen and delivered to some creature that spoke a guttural language. Possibly goblinoid; I don't know. We saw the highwaymen's faces before we were captured. The gnome here was taken by gnolls somewhere north of Hommlet and delivered here."

Being the member of the group that was part of this party when it was initially formed to escort a wagon to Hommlet, Angel reminds those listening that his original group survived an encounter with a small group of gnolls a day's ride or so north of hommlet, though the gnolls at the time didn't attack the party. The party took the offensive to the gnolls and one of their number, a dwarf, nearly died as a result of their decision.

Sep 15, 2021 8:15 pm

Norris nods in turn with the key points in the man's story, "...and you're confident that, while you may not know who the gutteral voice was, you're sure it wasn't the ogre?"

He pauses to contemplate this, then chimes in openly, not directing his voiced thoughts at anyone in particular, "There's someone orchestrating this. Someone that has a plan and you fine men are a part of it, one way or another. If you were simply ogre-feed, then you would have probably known about the other guy... Footsy, we'll call him" he pauses, maintaining a straight face.

"A firey eye. A symbol with an eye, on fire, ablaze... does that symbol sound familiar to any of you? Have any of you seen such a thing?" he prods the former captives, dead-set and confidence that the symbol is a critical component to solving the mystery.

Last edited September 15, 2021 8:16 pm

Sep 15, 2021 11:45 pm

"Is it safe to speak here? Should we go up to our hidey hole and wait for the sun?"

Gilly doesn’t even try to figure out the meaning of the symbol. That stuff would be decided among the wizard, cleric and the rest!

Sep 17, 2021 1:09 am

"Fire eye? Yes! The guttural voice wasn't the ogre, I don't believe. The ogre seemed to speak common, the entire time he spoke, but he did say something about a fire eye when were were brought in and stored in this room. It meant nothing to me at the time, and I was too fearful to bother considering it, but he said something about "has fire eye when we were brought to him..."

Sep 17, 2021 2:26 pm

Hrmph! "Let us return to the surface before speaking too much more. Who knows which walls have ears down here..." The wizard begins herding the larger group back towards the stairs leading to the first floor of the moathouse, but holds back for a moment to speak.

He lingers behind for a moment to speak to whichever companions are near, out of earshot of the prisoners. Hrmph! "I must admit, I am a little concerned by their claims of more men and other creatures. We have not yet found them down here, and by their own admission the bandits we slew were too afraid to come down here. That, and all this "Flaming Eye" talk... I fear there may be more going on down here than we had known. And with the number of secret passages we have found as well as the fine state of many of the doors, I suspect there is more here than meets the eye."

OOC:

My timing was off with one of my previous posts, since nobody seems to feel like moving. I've repeated his dialogue so it doesn't get lost.

Sep 17, 2021 3:01 pm

Norris seems very agreeable to the wizard's observations, "I know we wanted to press our advantage here, delve deeper and see what we find, but now with these wards in our care, and the need to investigate the significance of this eye...." he trails off, obviously pondering the options, "It seems the gods are nudging us back to town, don't you think?".

He glances at the cleric to gauge her opinion, now that religion has been introduced into the conversation.

Sep 18, 2021 2:38 am

OOC:

Go upstairs.
Barricade ourselves into the room again.
Wait a few hours for daybreak.
Back to town.

Correct?

Sep 19, 2021 6:39 pm

Hrmph! "I would have to agree, let us rest and return to town. We have resources in Hommlet that we can leverage for information about this mysterious eye." He finally begins to head up the stairs, following the others back to the surface.

Sep 19, 2021 10:38 pm

The party heads back upstairs and returns to the room the bandits used for as their sleeping chambers in northeast corner of the castle. The night goes without interruption and as the party begins stirring, it's about 7am on the morning of the 15th of Eleint, the month commonly known as "The Fading" (September). Looking outside through the arrow slits of this room you see and feel that it's about 50°F (10°C) outside and while there's no wind, the rain is falling in buckets from the sky.) It's likely to be a wet, miserable ride home in this weather.

OOC:

I assume that you're all heading back to Hommlet now?

Rolls

Wandering Monster roll - (1d6)

Secret Roll

Sep 19, 2021 10:56 pm

OOC:

Yep! Let’s pray we meet these Gnolls so we can put them to the sword, too!

Sep 19, 2021 10:59 pm

Gilly fixes her elven cloak around her. She pulls the hood up, with little red wisps of her bushy red hair still poking out the front. She crosses to where Timber and the other mounts are waiting, and feeds him a handful of food. She pats him on the neck as she climbs on.

"Ready to go home, Timber?"

She looks to the gnome, and thinks of his legs.

"Get on! Timber can carry you!"

Last edited September 19, 2021 11:03 pm

Sep 20, 2021 12:13 am

The party heads out in the morning.

OOC:

Uno momento por favor...

Rolls

Wandering Monster roll - (1d6)

Secret Roll

Sep 20, 2021 12:26 am

OOC:

I need a marching order and an idea of who is carrying the merchants on their mounts (Gilly is carrying the Gnome on her pony).

I'll let everyone have 24 hours to speak up if they want to be front, back, or middle, and the I'm going to randomly roll for the rest.

Sep 20, 2021 12:27 am

OOC:

I don’t know why, but I feel like Gilly is up front!

OOC:

Realizing that we will now lose our archer and our hired man!

Sep 20, 2021 12:29 am

OOC:

Gilly up front with the gnome... noted.

Yup, Angel is gonzo. Man-at-Arms is now done with his contract. You can rehire him if you want. There are definitely hirelings to have bought when you return.

Sep 20, 2021 1:59 am

OOC:

Hrmph! "It is always wise for the wizard to take the middle of the group. Not the first into the fray, nor the last to be taken from behind. In fact, sitting in the middle allows me to do a little light reading and be gently guided along, as to not get lost."

Sep 20, 2021 5:53 am

"Is it that book you were talking about earlier that you’ll be reading by on the way back, it is?" Gilly calls back, as Timber trots slowly back towards town. At least this time they hadn’t lost anyone to the fort.

"Do you think that Druid might come with us?" she asks the wizard, more seriously now.

Sep 20, 2021 3:24 pm

Unfamiliar with what druid the girl speaks of and never having been particularly fond of burying his nose in dusty old tomes, Norris found little interest in the small talk. He felt that third in line, behind 'Doorbreaker' (his new, private nickname for Bors) was a nice spot; close enough to be in the action, but not so close as to be unwillingly thrown into it. He was stealthy, but that was very different from being a point man or a scout- he's seen too many people eat spearheads up front; it was not a role he desired.

Last edited September 20, 2021 3:25 pm

Sep 20, 2021 4:44 pm

Mal takes her place at or near the front of the column and tries to become one with the rain. She chats idly as she rides to distract herself from the cold.

"I've been thinking about that eye we keep hearing about. While I don't know of any god who uses that symbol specifically, the implication is very much evil. We are watching you, or we are all seeing, these things come to mind."

Sep 20, 2021 5:19 pm

The party is heading back to Hommlet, still making their way along the swampy road leading to the "T" that will let them turn west towards the village. This particular section of the trail is different as there are less tallgrass or cattails as some sections the party has had to bushwack through and the road is surrounded by a deep-running stream on one side that likely leads to the castle's moat, and a rock outcropping on the other.
In previous passings, this area held little interest to the party aside from being a brief respite from the backbreaking bushwhacking the group had to do the first time they visited the ruins, but with the overcast cloud cover and heavy rains, the stream on the east of the road seems to feel swollen and bloated and gives off a rank odor, and the shadows of a deeply forested rock outcropping ahead and to the right seem deeper and more insidious than when passed in finer weather.
The group is chatting as amiably as possible given the fact that they're all soaked to the bones when a fog begins to roll in and the air suddenly feels like the temperature has dropped at least ten degrees. As each of you notice the turn of atmosphere, you see the breath of your companions suddenly visible in little puffs with each exhale...

Rolls

Secret Roll

Sep 20, 2021 10:22 pm

OOC:

Bors will be rear guard and have one of the rescued people on his horse.

Last edited September 20, 2021 11:07 pm

Sep 20, 2021 10:52 pm

Gilly blows a few practice puffs of air to check and double check.

"Oh! Getting cold, isn’t it?" she says, as she pulls the cloak tighter. Then she looks to the gnome, and thinks it best if he doesn’t get cold, what with his injury and all.

She whispers:

"Try to get the cloak wrapped around you a bit! It’s cold!"

… Adventurer indeed…

She eyes the outcrop suspiciously. And then looks to the ugly river. Was it the same body of water that held those great fat frogs? Gilly didn’t pretend to know about any of that. Nor had she paid the water much mind on their journey this far.

"I can sneak up there and check it out, if you want!"

Sep 20, 2021 11:09 pm

"Cold indeed. If my armor were touching skin I'm sure it would freeze to it. Something bad is coming." Bors pulls his sword in anticipation of danger.

Last edited September 20, 2021 11:09 pm

Sep 20, 2021 11:50 pm

Clearly unhappy with the plummeting temperature, Norris pulls the edges of his traveling jacket close, though it's really not designed for this sort of weather, "What's all this about?" he mutters audibly. "I'm not from around here- is this sort of change normal?!?" grumbles the drenched and now freezing thief.

Sep 20, 2021 11:59 pm

Gilly dismounts, giving the gnome an apologetic look as the cloak falls away from him, following the Halfling.

She turns to the others, and puts a finger to her lip.

Wait…
Quiet…

And she begins to sneak forward to see if anything suspicious lies ahead in the grove or the river!

Sep 21, 2021 5:13 am

"This doesn't feel right..."

Mal hops down from her horse as the column stops to give Gilly time to scout. She arms her shield and un hooks her hammer...

Sep 21, 2021 1:45 pm

Eltrezar, sharing a horse with one of the freed prisoners, slows his horse as well, but doesn't immediately dismount. Hrmph! "I agree with you, Dwarf. Let us stay alert, and see what Gilly has to say upon her return." Despite his words of patience, he draws a dagger and keeps a keen eye out.

Sep 22, 2021 11:49 am

OOC:

*creeps closer*

Sep 23, 2021 12:12 am

The group watches the halfling head off into the marshy landscape and within seconds all lose sight of her. Halflings are near invisible in neutral terrain when they want to be to begin with, and with the aid of the fine elven cloak none can find her after only a couple of blinks. Two or three minutes go by and there's no sign of her yet.

funfungiguy sent a note to KCC

Sep 23, 2021 5:39 am

KCC sent a note to funfungiguy

Sep 23, 2021 8:22 pm

funfungiguy sent a note to KCC

Rolls

Secret Roll

Sep 24, 2021 6:40 am

KCC sent a note to funfungiguy

Gilly emerges from the brush ahead, shaking off a shiver as she does so. She isn’t spotted by anyone until she finally presents herself to the group, pulling back her cloak, and revealing her bright red bushy hair.

"Something in a cave up ahead. We could pass easily enough, I think…"

Sep 24, 2021 12:53 pm

"Then by all means, let's pass easily little one."

Mal saddles back up and once the others are ready she begins to walk her horse slowly forward once more.

Sep 24, 2021 2:49 pm

Hrmph! "I would be curious as to what is in the cave, though now is not the time to look. Not while we have so many that need protection. Perhaps on our return trip, we could take a closer examination?" The wizard follows suit, but his eyes linger on the rocky outcropping as he passes.

Sep 24, 2021 3:39 pm

"Few things can steal the warmth from the world Master Wizard, and none I know of that I would wish to meet."

Mal takes a beat and then continues,

"All the more reason I suppose that we should root it out before someone less capable stumbles upon it."

Sep 24, 2021 6:40 pm

The party moves past unimpeded. As the group gets closer to the southernmost tip of the rock outcrop, everyone feels the temperature get colder and colder. Not quite the painful burn of near frostbite that Gilly felt as she approached within 30' of the cave mouth, but not a pleasant feeling either, for as well as being simply cold in temperature as evidenced by their billowing breaths, each companion feels a sense of oppressive despair and dread as they pass. Likewise, all feel a sense of relief as they pass the outcrop and feel the temperature rising again. Whatever lay in that dreadful cave, it wasn't there yesterday morning when the party last passed, and though some of you worry about what danger it may pose for others, it's doubtful many would travel this road as it only leads to the abandoned ruins of the moathouse, and each of you secretly hopes to some degree or other that it will have moved on before you return.

The rest of the journey is uneventful and by about 9am the party reaches the eastern edge of Hommlet. Farmers and laborers glance at the group as they pass, still interested in the group, but by now more accustomed to the comings and goings of the party these last few days. Stores and shops are open and ready to do business as you pull up to the village square in front of the Welcome Wench Inn and Tavern.

Sep 24, 2021 8:01 pm