[Completed] - Valorei/Elves II - 2 April, 1 VC

[Mister-Kent]

Olympia's backpack can carry 320 coins. She'd be willing to take some in her sack, but she's still sorta weak and would prefer to keep her hands free.

[Dram]

Baxtaw- I will carry my load in my backpack. I will have unload some of my items. All I will carry back to town is my spell book and rations and one flask of water. Here is my silk rope for the bags the horse is carrying.

[Scott308]

Dorvar

The dwarf's eyes suddenly open wider than would have been thought dwarvenly possible as he notices the griffin. What... Why...? stammers the less than eloquent dwarf. Seeing Valorei speaking with the griffin, he realizes they are not in immediate danger. He struggles to his feet and cautiously approaches Val and the griffin. Uh, hello. Hi ahem hi there. My name is Dorvar. I have a ring with your image carved on it. Well, not your image exactly, but a griffin anyway. Can you understand me? Anyway, here is the ring, he says, timidly showing his ring to the beast. Do you know anything about this by chance?

[Keehnelf]

Baxtaw- I will carry my load in my backpack. I will have unload some of my items. All I will carry back to town is my spell book and rations and one flask of water. Here is my silk rope for the bags the horse is carrying.

Backpacks carry 40 pounds total, so tally up the weight of your food (food is 1 pound per day) and spellbook, and the remainder is what you can carry.

[Keehnelf]

The griffin blinks from Dorvar to Valorei and back again, cocking her head to one side. Then she speaks, once again, in Elven, translated by Valorei:
"I recovered these coins from the northern part of the forest, scattered here and there. I believe the bull-man's brood left them in the forest as offerings for Embergris the dragon--he does not seem to bother them, and they leave him offerings of treasure and the occasional captive as meals. I believe they may have come from the shining plain and beyond. Perhaps the bull-man can tell you where he brought them from, if you can speak with him rather than being forced to fight. He is a formidable enemy.

"As for this ring--it surely is the image of one of my kind, but I know nothing of the ring itself. Perhaps the storyteller will be able to give you more information about it, should you visit."

[MonkeyWrench]

After translating the Griffons words to Dorvar, giving him a smile and a quick nod of his head, he turns back to the Griffon and bows low again, speaking in elven,

Elven:

"I think you once again for your generosity and hospitality, Dapple. Please, allow me a moment to speak to my companions on our next move, you must have many things that need tending to and I would not wish to hold you back. Once I have spoken with them and we figure out our next step, if you are still here, I will tell you our plans and say our farewells."

After that he pulls Dorvar and Varas gently on the shoulders, tell them to follow him as he makes his way back to the group, speaking in common, "To answer your questions, these coins were scattered throughout the northern forest by something that Dapple, that is the Griffons name, calls a Bull-man... My first thought is something like a minotaur, I would love the chance to speak with the beast, or at least study it if the creature is not keen on talking. But as for a location of ruins She is unaware, her best guess is that they must have come from the shining plains. These plains are the same place that is home to these apparent twisted elves... I believe that should anyone feel up to travelling more in this forest and the shining plains beyond they meet with this storyteller with me and we speak at length as to what is happening... So then, the question is, do we return with the large amount of silver and then return?"

[Zhym]

Harold shifts the weight of his backpack on his shoulders. "Let's head back to town," he says, "and unload these coins before we try to do anything else."

[MonkeyWrench]

Valorei considers the option, looking at everyone straining with the weight of the new coins and giving his own pack a sidelong glance, knowing that they stuffed many coins in there for him... He nods to Harold, "Allow me to say our farewells to Dapple for being a gracious host and we shall be off to unload our payment at the town."

He strides over to the Griffon, if she is at the island then he will walk to the edge and call out to her, getting her attention.

Elven:

"Dapple, it would seem that we will be heading back to unload our goods and rewards from this venture. Once that is done I shall return with whoever would like to accompany me back, I would not miss a chance to speak to your tribe. If it were possible, please keep an eye out on the forest in the next few days for our return. On the off chance, and because I do not want anything to happen to you, your child, or your people, if you do not see me among the group I would consider them a new threat, or at least an unknown group, to be treated accordingly."

[Keehnelf]

Upon hearing this news, the griffin bows graciously before taking her leave of the party. She wings her way back across the pond to the small island and busies herself there.

The party makes the rest of its preparations and then begins the long journey back to Vaul.

[Keehnelf]

April 11, 1 VC - 10:30pm

The party heads directly west to reach the edge of the forest as quickly as possible. After about a day and a half's travel, they reach the moor once again and recognize the area around them as being near the spot where they initially sighted the strange statue of the elf boy. They stop for a moment in consideration of all the odd things they've seen in this part of the world, and then continue on their way. Mid-morning on the third day of travel, passing across the moor, a strong wind blows up out of the west, driving directly into the faces of the party members. They continue, preserved from the powerful wind perhaps by the loads of coins that weigh them all down, finally making camp some miles west of the tree line that night.

The band is resting, with Varas and Olympia on watch (I determined randomly), when they hear a quick buzz like something vibrating against the trunk of a tree. It lasts only a second before the pair are caught off-guard by a flight of a half dozen three-foot long insects descending suddenly from above against the party! At first they look like the bees from earlier, but in the campfire light the pair identify them successfully as some kind of aggressive giant fly.

Surprise roll: Monsters: [1d6] = 4, Party: [1d6] = 3 (giant carnivorous flies surprise on a 1-4)

Fly target: 1-2 Varas 3-4 Olympia 5-6 Mustard [1d6] = 6
Fly target: 1-2 Varas 3-4 Olympia 5-6 Mustard [1d6] = 3
Fly target: 1-2 Varas 3-4 Olympia 5-6 Mustard [1d6] = 3
Fly target: 1-2 Varas 3-4 Olympia 5-6 Mustard [1d6] = 5
Fly target: 1-2 Varas 3-4 Olympia 5-6 Mustard [1d6] = 4
Fly target: 1-2 Varas 3-4 Olympia 5-6 Mustard [1d6] = 3

Varas is apparently too scrawny for the taste of these flies--they're after big game only! Four of them swarm around the half-giantess, and she seems like she will be able to fend them off, but the swarm splits up, attacking her from both sides, and as she is making a defensive swipe at one pair, the other dive in and slam into her from behind--one strikes her body and begins tearing the sections of her armor away with its mandibles, while the second aims a horrible bite at the back of her neck--Varas watches in horror as the thing bites completely through her neck, severing her blong-haired head with a look of pain and horror etched forever on its face! It rolls across the grass a few feet toward Varas.

Fly damage vs Olympia [2d8] = 13

Flies vs Olympia [1d20] = 9, [1d20] = 20, [1d20] = 6, [1d20] = 19

Mustard the erstwhile pack-horse is faring much better, however, rearing up on her hind legs as the flies swoop in, and causing the pair of them to collide against one another and fall to the ground, stunned momentarily.

Flies vs Mustard [1d20] = 1, [1d20] = 1

Actions and Initiative!

[Keehnelf]

Meanwhile - It's been long enough that everyone has been fully healed by divine magic if they were not already at full HP.

And Mustard is panicking.

Mustard Morale [2d6] = 8

[MonkeyWrench]

Holy hell....

Well... Um.... is this enough noise for us to wake up?

[Keehnelf]

There's a 3 in 6 chance for each person that they'll wake up just from the commotion. Up to 4 in 6 if the horse starts rampaging, 5 in 6 if Varas screams and yells from horror and fear and wanting help.

[AleBelly]

"NO! NO! NO! NO!" yells Varas in horror (and to wake the others) as he sees the brave Olympia decapitated. He draws his long bow and fires in anger at one of the bugs that slew her.


Attack with long bow under 70' (THAC0 19) [1d20+2] = 13+2 = 15, damage [1d8] = 2


He actually hit something with his bow, and doesn't know what to do.

Depending on how much he can do this round, he will rouse as many companions as possible if they don't stir from his screams.

[Zhym]

Harold wakes with a start. He looks around and sees Olympia on the ground, beyond his help. He reaches for his sling and fires a bullet that sails far wide of its mark.

Wakey wakey? [1d6] = 3
Sling (THAC0 20): [1d20] = 7, Dmg: [1d4] = 4

Mustard is panicking.

Mustard's not the only one.

[Keehnelf]

Screaming and shooting is all he can do. He'd have to forgo the attack to do any targeted rousing.

[MonkeyWrench]

Wake Up: [1d6] = 6
I guess Val is just a REALLY heavy sleeper....

[Marullus]

Ferris the wolfhound begins barking incessantly, dutifully trying to warn them of the danger as a trained guard dog. Nihilius wakes abruptly, rising quickly to his feet and intoning words of his spell, the darkness of night amplified as it swirls and eddies around him.

Time to rise and shine! [1d6] = 2
[Cast Sleep on the flies and hope it works!]
Sleep Spell: [2d8] = 9 HD of creatures for [4d4] = 12 turns

[Enoch]

Wake Up: [1d6] = 6

Halfred sleeps on, blissfully unaware of the horror occurring all around him.

[Keehnelf]

For the sake of realism, let's say not that a failed roll means you don't wake up, but that you're disoriented and groggy enough that you can't act.