Chapter 25: Tooth and Claw

[Inferno]

Pictland, the World of Hyboria
Day Seventeen. Near Sunset. 27th day of the month of Qrot, 1280th year of the Age of Aquilonia







In the beautiful, cruel, unforgiving wilds of Pictland, the adventurers divide their number.

At one with the land, Torix descends into the valley. There will be water there, luring game at dusk. The savage Pict moves swiftly to be in position before then.

Near sunset, he finds a surging river of bright clean cold water! Fish leap across the sparkling current. It's the salmon run.

Suddenly, Torix looks towards a small waterfall 60 yards away, and sees he is not alone!



The gigantic grizzly, twice the height of a man, does not smell, hear nor see Torix yet.


Actions, Torix?!



Unfamiliar with the terrain of Cimmeria's traditional enemy, Cruloc the barbarian is still at home in the wilds unlike those borne of city, desert and the mysterious East.

In truth, Dahinna has never before held so much gold while on the brink of starvation.

Nuts and berries are foraged (add 1 ration to the group), sorcerous tomes are studied, and preparations for a defensible campsite are underway when suddenly...

Cruloc alone hears an almost silent footfall within the viridian wall... where none of his companions are standing!




Actions, Cruloc?!


Behind the DM Screen:

Surprise: Torix: [1d6]=4, Monsters: [1d6]=5
Barbarians surprise opponents on a 4 in 6 chance if they are in familiar terrain. Torix is not surprised.

Surprise: Rest of Party: [1d6]=3, Monsters: [1d6]=4
Barbarians surprise opponents on a 3 in 6 chance in unfamiliar terrain. Cruloc is not surprised.

PC Status:

Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 4/3: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 17/17, Spells: 3/8 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl
Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 36/54
Dahinna: Zamoran Southwoman Thief 5: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 21/25
Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 16/21, Spells: 1/3 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
Torix: Pict Savage Barbarian 4: Move: 12", AC: 2, HP: 24/38

PC Magic:

None currently

Player Resources:

The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[ChubbyPixie]

Kiri quietly tells Grandfather to stop gathering firewood after the barked direction from Cruloc. Instead he has him begin clearing a spot for sleeping, oblivious to the new potential danger...

[jemmus]

Torix is anxious to test the ancient spear in battle... but not against a full-grown brown bear. He quietly backs away, slings his bow, and readies the spear, for just in case. He walks in a wide crescent path to approach the river a thousand yards upstream, hoping that he will only find big, flavorful fish there.

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

The Cimmerian's senses burn bright as the barely audible sound of footfall reaches his ears. He is on his feet quicker than the hairs on the nape of his muscular neck can stand, and he sets his eyes toward the source of the low disturbance. Thither he glides, gripping his sword, making no more noise than a panther stealing through the chaparral.

"If 'tis a Pict, his breath shall cease 'ere he can breathe a whisper to his kin. If it be a beast, its flesh shall fill our bellies 'neath the moon's gaze."

[hedgeknight]

Dahinna

With a handful of berries, the rogue is happy...for now, but when Cruloc suddenly jerks to his feet, she nearly drops all of the berries as she pivots and peers into the canopy. When the Cimmerian begins to creep toward the dense forest, she mouths his name, but no sound is able to escape her throat, so stressed is she and fearful. Instead, she pockets the berries, draws her sword and finds a thick tree to stand behind where she can watch.

[Inferno]

Pictland, the World of Hyboria
Day Seventeen. Near Sunset. 27th day of the month of Qrot, 1280th year of the Age of Aquilonia





At the shimmering river alive with leaping fish, Torix slowly backs away. Suddenly, the wind shifts and the ravenous grizzly catches his scent!

The monstrous apex predator quickly turns and looks directly at Torix! Then it rears up to its full towering height - ten feet tall! - and roars ferociously!




Actions, Torix?!






Meanwhile, hours away, at the half-finished campsite, Cruloc hears the soft pad of a misplaced footfall and suddenly, glittering steel is in his fist!

As Dahinna watches from behind a tree, the Cimmerian crouches and plunges through the green! But the barbarian finds neither Pict nor beast! Instead, Cruloc holds Zahra's sword to her own throat! Or the throat of her ghost!



Pale as death, the Verulian amazon stands before them dazed, starving, weary and filthy; fingers bloody from having escaped the funeral cairn they had built around her! Another of the accursed walking dead of the Forbidden City of Death!


Actions?!






PC Status:

Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 4/3: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 17/17, Spells: 3/8 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl
Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 36/54
Dahinna: Zamoran Southwoman Thief 5: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 21/25
Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 16/21, Spells: 1/3 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
Torix: Pict Savage Barbarian 4: Move: 12", AC: 2, HP: 24/38
Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 27/29

PC Magic:

None currently

Player Resources:

The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[hedgeknight]

Dahinna

"Mitra's Grace!" the rogue exclaims, rushing toward Zahra, tears stinging her vision. "Oh my, oh my, Zahra!" Dahinna cries as she grasps her friend in her arms. "How did...were you...we didn't know...we never..." these phrases coming in between gasps and choking back tears. She gingerly leads Zahra back to their camp. "We have a bit of food. You look starved to death."

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

The Cimmerian is incredulous. Another companion he thought dead emerging from the trees fazes him less than his ears failing to hear Dahinna draw near.

"Crom's silent judgement!"

His blade, poised to open Zahra's throat, falls aside at the last moment, thwarted by the Zamoran's charge.

"The cursed Lost City, like a fickle god, grants life as effortlessly as it snuffs it out!"

[jemmus]

Having startled the giant bear, Torix averts his eyes to the ground, not looking it in the eye. He holds the Atlantean spear across his chest, so that it and his short bow slung over his shoulder form the shape diagonal cross. He hopes they together give the illusion of making him look bigger. "It's just a big raccoon," he thinks to himself. "With the same nature. Just much bigger. To a shrew, a raccoon is as terrible as brown bear is to a man. But some shrews do survive an encounter with a raccoon." He looks at the bear, tries to understand the character and nature of the Bear Nation, and adopt it and mirror it back. He squints his eyelids, looks the bear in the eyes, and murmurs, Gur e igag, gado e ka gathuitho. Gapas gnatho. Gur e be mithaw. Gur e kam e beni chakrom, e re beni e nigt e fathrom. Igag e re yaan ngrarom. Ke fel.* He looks toward upstream, and starts heading that way, presenting as moving through the woods as if hunting. And actually doing so, observing for signs of game. Raccoons are too smart for human lies. And bears are big enough to not need to have to decide on about them, this way or the other.

*You and I, we have seen each other. Peace to you. You're fishing. You came here first, so the fish here are yours. I'm going that way (upstream). All's good between us.

[Urson]

Zahra
Zahra blinks, and tries to speak. Sand and grit fall from her lips, and she croaks something that might be a greeting.
She wipes her mouth, leaving streaks of blood across her milk- pale cheeks.
Are we... *cough* Are we dead? This looks nothing like the Afterlife... She sinks to the ground, blinking.
Please, water...

[ravenn4544]

Amethu nods in greeting as Zahra returns, also, from the unknown chasms of death and darkness that is the tomb below. Grateful for yet another comrade to aide on their quest. The old Verulian prejudices long sown don't seem to mean so much out here on the precipice of Death and the cult that asserts it's will....

[ChubbyPixie]

Kiri shows no specific emotion as he snatches water and some rations from his pack and moves to hand them to Zahra.

“I was dead,too,” he says, “It’s not as peaceful as the priests say. Kind of boring.”

[Inferno]

The Pictish Wilderness, the World of Hyboria
Day Seventeen. Near Sunset. 27th day of the month of Qrot, 1280th year of the Age of Aquilonia







In the face of the immense savage bear, Torix defies his every instinct and neither flees nor charges headlong into those murderous fangs and claws! With a supreme power of will, he forces himself to remain calm, holds his spear across himself and speaks to the fearsome leviathan!

"You and I, we have seen each other. Peace to you. You're fishing. You came here first, so the fish here are yours. I'm going that way. All's good between us."

Then, hoping to conceal hands that tremble involuntarily, the Pict moves on with a strained nonchalance.

The grizzly descends to all fours and snorts and huffs at Torix. And then it returns to its feast at the salmon-rich torrent.

Within the treeline, Torix follows the river a thousand yards upstream and finds another small waterfall where the fish are plentiful and leaping.



He is alone, and there might be an hour til sunset.


Actions, Torix?






Torix's friends reunite with Zahra, another living cadaver from the enigmatic City of the Dead! Is this what was meant by "belonging to Thanatos"?

The charnel amazon, late of her own burial cairn, falls to her knees and accepts Kiri's water gratefully, bringing it to her parched, white lips.

Suddenly, Cruloc cries out as ebon-feathered arrows blossom across the bodies of his companions!






Amethu, Kiri, Zahra and Dahinna are each impaled in eruptions of blood! (8hp, 2hp, 3hp and 7hp damage respectfully!)

The barrage of deadly missiles flew from out of the foliage! (near the X's on the map)


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet. Cliff that protects campsite is 35 feet high. Bottom of map is north and in that direction lies the clearing.

Behind the DM Screen:

Is Party Surprised? [1d6]=3 Yes, except for Cruloc. So the rest of the Party will go last.
Who will go first, Cruloc or Monsters?...
Initiative: Party: [1d6]=3, Monsters: [1d6]=3 Tied!
Picts have missile weapons and higher Dex than Cruloc, so they act before him:
Two Pict arrows at Amethu: [1d20]=13, [1d20]=18 Both hit!
Damage to Amethu: [2d6]=8
Two Pict arrows at Cruloc: [1d20]=11, [1d20]=9 Cruloc is not surprised. Both arrows miss!
Two Pict arrows at Kiri: [1d20]=13, [1d20]=1 One hits. One misses. No fumbles in this game.
Damage to Kiri: [1d6]=2
Two Pict arrows at Zahra: [1d20]=5, [1d20]=10 One misses, one hits!
Damage to Zahra: [1d6]=3
Two Pict arrows at Dahinna: [1d20]=10, [1d20]=16 Both hit!
Damage to Dahinna: [2d6]=7

Picts have acted in this round. Next it is the Party's turn to act in the same round. Among them, Cruloc will act first.
(I don't do surprise rounds. Too deadly. Surprise just automatically wins initiative.)

PC Status:

Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 4/3: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 9/17, Spells: 3/8 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl
Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 36/54
Dahinna: Zamoran Southwoman Thief 5: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 14/25
Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 14/21, Spells: 1/3 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
Torix: Pict Savage Barbarian 4: Move: 12", AC: 2, HP: 24/38
Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 24/29

PC Magic:

None currently

Player Resources:

The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

Cruloc is unscathed by the murderous rain from the undergrowth!

His keen eyes, even in the low light of the coming dusk, show him a hint of motion through the shrubs to the south and west. Instantly, he draws the wondrous Sword of Xuthalhotep, wheels, and thrusts its lustrous pommel into Zahra's unwashed hand.

"Unleash hell, Verulian!"

His fingers coil like thick serpents around the shaft of his flint spear, and he barrels towards the nearest foe (X2), a whirlwind of fury, hair, and muscle!

Attack with +1 flint spear [1d20+3]=11+3=14
+1 flint spear vs. S/M opponent [1d6+4]=2+4=6

"I'll gut you like a fish before you can blink!"

[ChubbyPixie]

Unable to pinpoint the exact origin of the attacks, Kiri makes a break for the cover of the tree immediately to his north.

“I am not anxious to return to the afterlife,” he shouts. “Like I told you, it’s boring…”

Grandfather moves to the base of one of the trees hiding their assailants and begins shaking the undergrowth in an attempt to create a distraction.

[Urson]

Zahra EDIT
The bite of the arrow and the weight of her blade seem to jolt Zahra like a bucket of cold water to the face. Her snarling warcry echoes as she charges toward (X4). She keeps her shield in front of herself to help block any further arrows.

att [1d20+4]=1+4=5
She reaches her attacker and slashes- missing. Apparently, her time in the Land of The Dead has dulled her reflexes.

[ravenn4544]

Amethu grunts in pain beneath his mask as arrows pierce his robes and flesh! He moves to stay behind cover and the protection of the others with no target in sight for his sorcery!

[jemmus]

Torix slowly and quietly approaches the riverbank. The many fish should attract predators-- such as himself-- whether walking, flying, or even swimming. And even more fearsome predators of predators. He takes time and care to harvest only adult fish, the ones big enough to have bred at least once before, and leave the younger ones to mate and make the next generation of the Salmon Nation. He takes six big fish of four to six pounds each, one for each of the companions. Moving far from the riverbank, he guts them to keep the dying fishes' gut juices leaking and spoiling the meat, and to reduce the weight of carrying them back to group. And beheads them and cuts out and enjoys the delicacy cheek meat. But with the finest, strongest, and most delicious-looking fish, he brushes fallen leaves away to bare earth, and leaves its two bigger morsels on it.

Burdened by an additional 25 pounds or so of fish flesh, he stands and trot off back toward where he left his companions outside of the underground city of the Death God. Well aware that there's no use washing the smell of delicious fish flesh from his hands. He's carrying it with him in his slung deer hide bag, with every step along the way. He carries at the ready not his hunting bow, but the ancient spear from the place of death.

[hedgeknight]

Dahinna

Having just received her companion back from the dead, the rogue screams as the arrow takes her in the back! She pivots and gets into a crouch, drawing her short sword. Peering into the undergrowth for a few seconds, she steps in behind the closest tree and tries to find her attacker...

If Dahinna can get a visual of X5 she will position herself as best she can for a possible attack and/or backstab.

[Inferno]

The Pictish Wilderness, the World of Hyboria
Day Seventeen. Near Sunset. 27th day of the month of Qrot, 1280th year of the Age of Aquilonia





"Unleash hell, Verulian!" snarls Cruloc the barbarian, and then he takes his own advice! Lunging through the brush, the brutal Cimmerian drives his spear deep into the chest of a Pict (X2), almost killing him in one blow!

The Pict is different from any that Cruloc has ever before seen!



Unlike the tattooed warriors of Torix's northern clan, or the painted tribesmen of Conajohara, this fierce cannibal is adorned in raven feathers and human bones!

Nearby, Zahra charges another ghoulish savage (X4) but the mythic Sword of Xuthalhotep does not strike true. The pale lioness of Verulia has not fully recovered from her death.

Dahinna hides in the dense growth, silently stalking a third necromantic Pict (X5), her unsheathed blade poised to strike!

Amethu takes cover in the thick foliage as a fourth macabre primitive (X3) is descended upon by the mystic warrior, Kiri and the ghost of his dead grandfather!


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet. Cliff that protects campsite is 35 feet high. Bottom of map is north and in that direction lies the clearing.





Far away from the murderous life and death struggle that just erupted, Torix easily falls back into the peaceful, timeless rhythms of Nature.

At the foot of a surging cascade, he spearfishes the way his ancestors had for thousands of years.



After a serene hour of pleasurable work beneath the setting sun, Torix has caught several fishes, good sized ones, and laid them out on the grass in the deepening shadows of the river bank. He cleans them and, in gratitude, offers the two finest to the sacred spirit of the land.

"Tattooed brother. You are far from your hunting grounds," comes a woman's voice from behind him, speaking in the language of Picts.



A shaman woman of the Raven clan, perhaps here to consecrate the salmon run by the light of the moon.

Torix knows his presence here does not desecrate the ritual, nor should his fishing be seen as an affront. But he had never before met one of the Raven clan. And this woman is not what he expected.


Actions, Torix?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet. North is toward the top of the map.





PC Status:

Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 4/3: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 9/17, Spells: 3/8 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl
Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 36/54
Dahinna: Zamoran Southwoman Thief 5: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 14/25
Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 14/21, Spells: 1/3 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
Torix: Pict Savage Barbarian 4: Move: 12", AC: 2, HP: 24/38
Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 24/29

PC Magic:

Unseen Servant (Kiri): Duration: 12 minutes

Player Resources:

The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)