Action Thread 5

[rredmond]

It's nigh on lunch time on Day 10:

You have dispatched the ogre, survived the bear, found a possible new friend in the ogre's larder, and are searching the area.

In the back of the cave is an entrance, that the ogre, apparently, didn't want anyone coming out of.

Till says, "...Jeloon, do you want to attend the bear as you did our snake friends earlier? I need to check on a few things..." Jeloon smiles as she sets to her work.

Till will excuse himself to go back to the body of the ogre and search it properly for anything of value. Other than that snazzy spear, which you already lifted, the ogre has nothing.

Once that is done, he'll go to the camp area and search it for anything of value, as well. He'll move the furs to the side and examine the ground for any recent signs of digging (or old signs of digging, for that matter) and he'll do the same with the chair. Nothing on or around the furs or chair, no digging noticed.

When he is done examining the camping area, he'll return to the cave and perform the same search under the furs of the sleeping area, if nothing else immediately jumps out at him as being a possible hiding hole for treasure. There's lots of bones and garbage all around but under one of the furs you find a neck pouch with 11gps in it.

[ToniXX]

After Till finishes his searching, Bruard tells him to be still while he channels the powers of Shinare to heal his wounds:

Cure light wounds: [1d8] = 3

second one...
Cure light wounds: [1d8] = 3

Six total HP healed. Shinare must be busy at the moment :\

[Alethan]

It's nigh on lunch time on Day 10:

You have dispatched the ogre, survived the bear, found a possible new friend in the ogre's larder, and are searching the area.

In the back of the cave is an entrance, that the ogre, apparently, didn't want anyone coming out of.

Yah, noticed that last part. Doesn't bode well for us (what scares an ogre?), excepting that we now have a nice selection of magical weapons for at least three of the party members (including Derek, once we get his name) should we come up against something that needs to be hit with a magical weapon. Unfortunately, that still leaves Till and Bruard sans magical attacks.

BTW... cheap-@$$ ogre. Only 11gp? Hmmm... I suppose he DOES have a possible magical spear. But where else can Till check? Digging under the fire pit is always such a pain, but occasionally worth it. We could do that before we leave, I guess. Anyone else have any ideas?

Oh, there is one thing we could do here, though. Argennian, since Yosef is proficient in long sword and spear, we could give the long sword back to Jeloon (her specialized weapon) and you could take the new and very nice looking spear. Then we'll just heft the battle axe along until we can figure out what to do with it.

Then:
Jeloon would have the magical longsword.
Yosef would have the magical spear. (Assumed, at this point.)
Derek would have his magical longsword.
We hold on to the magical battle axe (possibly for resale at a later point?)
Till and Bruard still remain without magical attack (except for Bruard's one spell with the hammer, of course).

[Alethan]

After Till finishes his searching, Bruard tells him to be still while he channels the powers of Shinare to heal his wounds:

Cure light wounds: [1d8] = 3

second one...
Cure light wounds: [1d8] = 3

Six total HP healed. Shinare must be busy at the moment :\

Mmmm... Till probably just didn't do a very good job of standing still. He's a bit antsy sometimes.

That puts Till back up at 27 hit points. We might rest for the night and try a heal or two in the morning before going in the tomb, if that works for you, ToniXX.

[Alethan]

BTW... cheap-@$$ ogre. Only 11gp?

Aye the dice were unkind here. I'd prefer they were less kind in combat though.

HPs: Jeloon - 26/29; Till - 27/36; Yosef - 10/10; Bruard - 18/19

Jeloon's dex roll sucked. My dex roll sucked. My DAMAGE roll sucked for that, too! And now ToniXX's healing rolls sucked.

So it's kind of evening out...

[ToniXX]

We might rest for the night and try a heal or two in the morning before going in the tomb, if that works for you, ToniXX.

That's fine with me.

[Argennian]

...Oh, there is one thing we could do here, though. Argennian, since Yosef is proficient in long sword and spear, we could give the long sword back to Jeloon (her specialized weapon) and you could take the new and very nice looking spear. Then we'll just heft the battle axe along until we can figure out what to do with it.

Then:
Jeloon would have the magical longsword.
Yosef would have the magical spear. (Assumed, at this point.)
Derek would have his magical longsword.
We hold on to the magical battle axe (possibly for resale at a later point?)
Till and Bruard still remain without magical attack (except for Bruard's one spell with the hammer, of course).

OOC: Agreed with this going forward. Yosef does not fight with a shield so the spear would be fine.

As a point of order, if we're going to rest the remainder of the day, Yosef can memorize a Detect Magic spell and use that on the spear, just to confirm. Going into the actual tomb, having a Detect Magic spell would be handy, especially if we suspect a magical trap of some kind. I have a couple of other ideas but will have to wait till late tonight/early am to elaborate.

So, my vote would be to fall back to the main camp and rest out the remainder of the day, rememorize/repray for spells, get to know the newly-freed/met warrior and get his backstory, etc.

Oh yeah, almost forgot. Ron: no worries or hard feelings on those 1s rolled in combat against the party. Just sayin...

[Alethan]

See my comments on the Strategy Thread for my initial thoughts...

I don't think it's necessary for everyone to go down to the main camp for the night, though I suppose we could. We do have a camp fire and plenty of fire wood right in front of the cave.

Do we want to have Van come up in the morning, though, wielding the magical battle axe and taking a spot in the front lines (behind Jeloon and Derek)? We have the axe and he's a paid fighter... might as well use him, right? We could leave Eyman and Rosin down at base camp (hopefully it wouldn't take but a few hours to examine the tomb; it is, after all, a tomb and not a mountain dwelling...) in the mean time.

Till could take a trip down to the base camp and come back up with Van, maybe.

I think Bruard should use Detect Magic so Yosef can save both his spells for Magic Missile inside the tomb.

[Vokarius]

"Well all, my name is Derek Mandrake. I seem to have been hit fairly hard. That ogre did not have a very good taste for gear" Derek finishes putting all of his gear back in his pack, puts his weapons where they go, and looks around to his new friends."So, you guys need another sword arm? I kind of am out of work...."

[Argennian]

"Well all, my name is Derek Mandrake. I seem to have been hit fairly hard. That ogre did not have a very good taste for gear" Derek finishes putting all of his gear back in his pack, puts his weapons where they go, and looks around to his new friends."So, you guys need another sword arm? I kind of am out of work...."

After a few moments of intense and almost adverse scrutiny, Yosef seems to come to a mental decision of sorts. He relaxes what had been a previous yet unobvious ready posture, releasing a deep breath and sheathing Jeloon's magical blade.

The elf then steps forward, donning what appears to be the slightest of smiles and offers the human fighter his wineskin. "Well met, Derek Mandrake. I heard mentioned you could use a drink. I offer some of the fine wine of a village we hail from outside this unforgiving and vengeful mountain pass.

"My name is Yosef Travathas. Please forgive my initial, seemingly cold reaction to you. With everything my companions and I have been through to get to this spot, I fear that trust and general goodwill is naught but fleeting at best. Twice we have been malevolently set upon by those who would pretend to be our allies. Twice we were lucky to prevail those odds without permanent loss. At least, not physically..." he explains, his voice momentarily trailing off in what could only be the result of an onset of painful memory.

After the briefest moment of silence, the elf nods and becomes even a bit more relaxed. He then looks back to their new armored ally. "I say, Master Derek, I must confess a most powerful curiosity as to how you came to be here. Permit me a few questions, if you would?From where do you hail? What brought you here and how long have you been? How did you come to arrive at this particular and hidden place? Do you happen to know any elves or dwarves about these parts?"

[Vokarius]

Derrek gladly takes a sip of the drink and hands it back. "I know of no dwarves or elves in these parts. I am a traveling warrior looking for work. My village, far from here, is small and of not much note. There is not much there except tilling of dirt or crafting of simple wares. I know of dwarves, elves, and others from the merchants and adventures who came through. I grew bored of village life and took on some guard work with a merchant caravan. I grew bored with that and went out on my own. Recently I came into this area. Have been hunting around these parts for awhile. After that bump on my head, I am not sure if I got ambushed by that ogre, or something worse.... but all my items are here and I seem to be fine."

[ToniXX]

Bruard unpacks a few hunks of bread and cheese as he listens to the fighter's story. He hands a few pieces to the fighter, then to the rest of the party. You must be hungry also, new friend. Eat up and welcome to our intrepid group.

[Alethan]

The group decides to spend the night at the main camp, thinking they would find the best safety in remaining together as a group.

Till's Campfire Story

That night, Till joins everyone else in settling in around the fire, eating fresh roasted bear meat, and relaxing from the day's activities. After he's had his fill, and has taken several deep drinks from his water skin, he leans back against a stone, digs through his rucksack for his pipe and tobacco, and packs a bowl of the rich, dark leaf.

Lighting his pipe off of a small flaming brand, he takes a few long draws, setting a nice glow to the ember of burning tobacco, and lets out a relaxing sigh.

"I suppose you want to know what happened with the ogre," he casually asks the others. Seeing the excited look of anticipation on Ancor's face, he smiles and says, "Alright, then... I'll tell ya."

"Even with as careful as we were, climbing the cliff to the tomb, we made a heck of a racket, sending loose rocks and dirt clattering down as we made our way up the twisting path. If there was anyone at the top of the trail, they certainly knew we were coming. So while finding a camp site when we finally cleared the summit of the wooded ledge was a surprise, it was no surprise to find it empty, with a smouldering fire pit. We stayed low to the ground behind a thin grove of trees and quietly discussed our options while we waited to see if anything would show themselves. I noted, with some apprehension, that the makeshift chair of logs and hides was definitely larger than human-sized."

"Surveying the lay of the cliff before us, we could see it was at least 100 feet across, from our side to the other. Our end was provided slight cover by way of a thin grove of trees. The trees only continued along the edge of the cliff, creating an open clearing some 40 feet wide and 30 feet deep right in front of a cave we assumed to be the tomb entrance. On the other side of the clearing, a much thicker grove of trees created a darkened area even Yosef's elven eyes could not see into."

Till pauses for a moment, as if reflecting on their decision, slowly drawing on his pipe. "Eventually, we concluded that we should try and find out what we were up against, rather than just charge out into the clearing all willy-nilly. So Bruard passed me his wand of Enemy Detection and I slid into the shadows, making my way to the center of the cliff to try and locate any enemies with the wand. I used the trees along the edge of the clearing for cover. As I made my way along the wooded area, I divided my attention between trying to stay hidden and keeping an eye on the darkened woods. It paid off, because I spotted some movement about 10' in the wooded area. Glancing back at our group, it looked like Yosef had seen something, as well."

"Deciding that I was close enough to the center at that point, I tucked down behind the trunk of a larger tree and spoke the words to activate the wand. It immediately became warm in my hand and spun towards the darkened woods, pulsing quietly. That was no surprise! But then it pivoted and pointed towards the cave entrance and pulsed again."

"I tucked the wand away and quietly made my way back to the others to discuss our options, now that we had a little more information. We decided that I would sneak over to the darkened woods and wait. Then, after a half hour or so, the others would step into the clearing and call out to see if they could get a response. And when the person was flushed from their hiding place, I would take the opportunity to come at them from behind."

"So once again, I slipped into the shadows and made my way back through the wooded edges of the clearing. I was quite masterful in this attempt, if I do say so myself, even managing to elude Yosef's searching eyes for a few moments. When I made it to the darkened woods, I settled in and waited for the signal. A few minutes later, the others stepped out into the clearing and called out."

"There was no response. So we waited. And still, nothing happened." He stops for a moment to light his pipe back up with another burning stick sitting at the edge of the fire.

"I've never been accused of being too patient, if you take my meaning, so I decided to see if I could get a better look at what we were up against. Once again, I cloaked myself in the shade of the trees and moved towards where I'd seen the movement earlier. At first, I noticed nothing out of the ordinary, just a few boulders and some footprints. Then I realized one of the boulders was, in fact, a large ogre! He was laying in wait, unmoving, with a very large spear in his right hand." Till then points to the spear Yosef now has in his possession. "That spear right there."

"It seemed obvious he was waiting for something to happen. Maybe for the others to let down their guard so he could attack them unawares? Maybe for others to come out of the cave? Whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good. So... after half a moment's thought, I decided to introduce myself!"

"I crept up behind him, as quietly as I could (not such a difficult task with these wonderful boots of mine), and tapped him on his lower back."

"With the pointy end of my sword."

"As hard as I could."

"It went right into the small of his back and I knew it was a solid hit. I barely had enough time to pull my blade free before he whirled about, letting loose with a roar of pain. But his spear was unwieldy in such close quarters, so when he drew back for an attack of his own, I thrusted up into his exposed gut as hard as I could. Once again, I hit, though my aim was a little high. Still, the end result was as I intended. I must have taken the wind out of his lungs, as his cry was cut short and he collapsed to the side in a heap with a loud thud."

"Unsure of what was hiding inside the cave entrance, I quickly checked to make sure he was dead before grabbing his spear and stepping out into the clearing to stand with the others."

"And," he pauses, then waves his hand in an 'onward' sort of motion and says, "then Yosef and Bruard slew a black bear that was waiting inside the cave in a swift and efficient fashion. So," he raises an eyebrow at Eyman, "you can thank them for this wonderful meal we're eating tonight!"

After the meal, Till lays out what he's going to bring back up to the entrance with him in the morning (four torches and four vials of oil) and lays down, still wincing every now and then from the scrapes and bruises he suffered at 'the encounter with the bear', as he prefers to call it.

OOC: Still doing the same kind of watch as before, with Yosef having the last one so he can memorize spells and have good uninterrupted sleep. Of course, now we have an additional person in the party, so the shifts will be shorter. But I say in addition to having one party member on guard at all times, we also have the four hirelings do a shift each, as well. So we would have two people on watch throughout the night.

[Vokarius]

OOC: Derek will offer to take a watch with someone.

[Alethan]

Ok, so After a completely uneventful night ( ), Jeloon, Derek, Bruard, Yosef, and Till will prepare for the expedition into the tomb. Ancor will accompany them as the linkboy.

Till will make sure Ancor has a full lantern and a spare vial of oil (for light) as well as four torches. Till will carry four vials of oil in addition to his normal gear.

As a last minute gesture, Till also pulls out his whetstone and makes sure his old silver dagger has a keen edge on it. "It might still come in handy..."

Once everyone is ready (post if you are ready or if you have something specific you want to bring up from the stores), we'll make our way back up the trail to the tomb entrance.

Once there, Till will wait for Ancor to light the lantern, then he'll examine the doorway for traps (looking for any wire or twine attached to the door, release mechanisms in any designs carved on the door or the door frame, and listening at the door to see if he can hear anything on the other side) before motioning to Jeloon and Derek to remove the stones and logs blocking the door.

[rredmond]

Ancor, Rosin and Eyman are in awe of the story, and Van nods appreciatively, smiling at the action, and chuckling a little bit at the end with the bear fight.

The night does pass quietly! Fate tempter...

DAY 11 Dawns - it is a clear brisk morning.

Ancor accepts his assignment with only the slightest of gulps (he's already, somehow, got a bandolier of 10 torches, I'll leave that for now unless you want him to leave some behind).

Good night sleep ups the HP totals (see below) but I'll let you all decide if there are any more last minute things before entering the crypt.


HPs: Jeloon - 27/29; Till - 28/36; Yosef - 10/10; Bruard - 19/19

[Alethan]

OOC: I think there was some discussion of changing out spells by the two casters, but I don't know what they decided... They'll have to post that.

It would be nice if Till got a CLW or two thrown his way to get him closer to full strength - whatever Bruard thinks is necessary (start with one and we'll see where that leaves us, ToniXX).

Yeah, Ancor can bring all 10 of them, I suppose. Wouldn't hurt, in any case.

[ToniXX]

Bruard motions to his halfling friend to come over to him. He sits him down on a stone, puts his hand on his forehead, and says a prayer to Shinare. Till feels Bruard's hand warm first his forehead, then the warmth shoots down his body.

Cure light wounds: [1d8] = 1

Bruard feels the weakness of that first spell, so he prepares Till for another one:

Cure light wounds: [1d8] = 2

Ugh, what crappy rolls.

I'm sorry, Till, but I'm afraid we should save my other two for the encounters in the tomb.

[Alethan]

lol.

Karma for the "four room tomb" comment in the OOC thread?

Ah, well. *shrugs* No worries, ToniXX! Updated HP to 31.

[rredmond]

see the strategy thread though for a possible rewind

HPs: Jeloon - 27/29; Till - 31/36; Yosef - 10/10; Bruard - 19/19