It is still alive.  I love this format.  Hope it keeps going.  I'll keep running Blacktooth Ridge as long as people want to play.

                   Silver moved quickly and quietly forward – at least she hoped it was quietly, it was impossible to move quickly in these woods at night and not make noise.  She reached the tree and whispered to the otter, “Stay quiet I’m here to free you, give me a few seconds to cut your bonds.”  She could tell that the creature had been watching her approach and was eyeing the dagger she had pulled to cut the bonds cautiously.  It surprised her by quietly responding, “Bless you lady, they are a vile lot.”  She had heard it conversing earlier with the bugbear, but actually conversing with an 8’ long giant otter was still something outside her experience – especially as it was upside down and spinning as it hung from a tree.  Putting her surprise aside she quickly realized that getting the otter down would be a little harder than she had expected.  It was held but a rope around its paws and that went up into the tree, over a branch and was then tied to the trunk on the far side of the tree – where one of the bugbears was writing in the effects of Soledad’s spell only a few short feet away.  Plus, given that the otter was upside down and yet was looking Silver in the eyes – its eight feet length stretched up into the tree and its bound hind legs were well out of Silver’s reach.  For the moment she settled for attempting to free the creature’s forepaws.  She had to stand on her tiptoes to reach, but she carefully started to cut the rope holding its paws.  Unfortunately, the ropes were both tough and slick as well as almost out of reach.  She got partway through, but didn’t quite get through the bindings.  (Failed roll) As she cut, she kept her eye on the bugbears and looked straight into the face of the one that was crawling to this tree to rouse the enspelled creature.  The creature’s eyes grew big and it clearly saw her – it was less than 10 feet away. 

                   As all of this transpired Dok moved forward behind Sliver and prepared to defend her in case anything, otter or bugbear, attacked her.  He shared her frustration as he saw her fail to cut the ropes.

                   Hornet was pleased to see his shots landing, but frustrating that the large beasts seemed to be only hurt by them, not killed.  They were tough.  The one he had just plugged was now moving towards the other tree, apparently intending to rouse the third creature from the throws of Soledad’s spell. That would not do.  Hornet quickly drew and fired again.  But perhaps it was too quickly as the arrow hit the creature’s armor and not the vulnerable place a couple of inches to the right that he had been aiming for.  The arrow glanced off into the night leaving only a slight mark on the armor, but no damage.  But the creature knew it had been close and turned and looked directly at the place the arrow had come from with a glare. 

                   Thaoran wanted to hit the creature behind the tree for a fourth time.  That leg was looking more and more like a pincushion.  But for the moment it did not reveal itself and so he switched targets to the other beast as it made its way to the other tree.  Almost simultaneously with Hornets bolt, Thaoran’s arrow also glanced off of the beast’s armor.  He let out his breath in a hiss of frustration. 

                   Soledad focuses on her spell.  Spiders crawled all over the bugbear.  Or, at least, they did in its mind.  Biting, crawling, biting some more and inflicting pain over every part of the creature’s body.

                   The bugbear moving along the ground had already had an adventurous few seconds – first feeling Hornet’s arrow bounce off its armor and then looking up to find Silver only a few short feet away and attempting to free the otter.  It seemed to hesitate for a second and then with a snarl at Silver it dashed behind the tree the otter was hanging from and started to smack the bugbear there that was writhing in the effects of Soledad’s spell – invisible to this creature. 

                   The creature enjoying the wonders of Soledad’s spell was concealed by the tree from the group so they could not see exactly how it reacted to this attempt.  But while it wasn’t visible, the effects were clear to the witch who felt the force of her illusion snap.  The creature was no longer held by her spell.  It got to its feet and prepared to rejoin the fight. 

                   Meanwhile Luna continued to circle in the woods and watch the surroundings.  Holding his hound shape limited his ability to join the fight.

                   The dragonborn Constantine however, was done waiting and charged forward towards the enemy.  Enough with the arrows!  Running through the woods over uneven terrain at night in the rain, however, is not as easy as it sounds and his movements were slowed.  He got to within 20’ of the enemy and was ready to take action next round. 

                   The final actor was the bugbear alone behind the tree without an otter in it – Thaoran’s personal pincushion.  Few targets had presented themselves so far but now it saw Constantine crashing through the woods towards it and it stepped out from behind the tree long enough to hurl a javelin at the dragonborn.  Neither armor nor shield of faith was enough to stop such a powerful throw which scored a critical hit.  Twice now the big guy had taken a javelin.  (-10 HP) 

The Bugbears and otter

BB #1:  Has been hit twice.  Behind the tree with the otter in it – has partial cover since the tree is only so big.

BB #2:  Has been hit three times.  Has partial cover behind a tree.

BB #3:  A little damage from the illusion three times – no longer in the spell. Full cover behind the tree.

Otter:  Spinning in his bindings – forepaws not yet free.

Post coming later today - get your posts in or stand around slack-jawed.  

I'll be posting this weekend - it is the one week mark.  

Only three posts so far - get your moves in!

Remember that Steel is no longer with you.  He went back to town with the civilians.  Tann is now running Silver.  Constantine is the tankiest thing you got.  He is 2-3 rounds away from melee depending on if he sprints or not.  The woods at night are not easy terrain.  I'd hate to have him trip  - that would be embarassing.  Dok does have some abilities to reach out and touch someone as well.

          As the battle raged, Dok and Silver moved forward towards the otter.  Their eyes were set on a rescue, but as they tried to move somewhat stealthily they didn’t get there this turn – they remain about 25’ from the tree when the turn ends.  At the moment, Silver is a bit ahead of the dwarf.  They continue to believe nobody has spotted them, but as they have been moving it is hard to be sure. 

           Thaoran wanted to finish off the one he had already hit, frustrated that it wasn’t yet dead.  The creature was partially hidden behind a tree, but one leg stuck out a bit – the problem with being such a large beast.  How many arrows to a leg did it take to put one down?  A one?  A two? A thwack!  His arrow slammed into the beast kneecap and seemed to imbed itself in the leg.  The leg seemed to be a pincushion at this point and even from this distance the creatures howl of pain was audible.  It was a beautiful shot.  But it still wasn’t dead. 

           Hornet took the easier shot – the one that had been sleeping and now was lying on the ground trying to get behind a tree, but not yet covered.  His arrow took it in the side, damaging it but not putting it down.  That creature saw howled and looked up – seeing his companion a few feet away writhing for no particular reason.  (The one enjoying the effects of Soledad’s spell.)  He scuttled along the ground as quickly as he could over to his companion and grabbed him yelling something in a language nobody quite understood. 

           Luna continued to sit back and watch the action.  Constantine added his anger to the howls of the bugbears.  Still too far away to effectively attack he used his lay on hands ability to heal the damage he took from the javelin as he threw the offending weapon aside.  Shield of faith also was added to his armor class. 

The Bugbears

BB #1:  Has been hit twice.  Behind the tree with the otter in it.

BB #2:  Has been hit three times.  Has partial cover behind a tree.

BB #3:  A little damage from the illusion twice – seems to be in the grips of the spell

Otter:  Spinning in his bindings

Fixer sat back and listened to the stories being told by Casino and Vegas.  Before getting involved with this group his life had been fairly bland.  Oh, he hadn't just sat home playing with a chemistry set, but the scale of his jobs seemed to have taken a big step up.  And he wasn't entirely sure he liked it.  The Yakuza?  Sure, the paydays would likely be much better, but a lot of folks connected to gangs like that ended up in pieces.  And he really didn't want to become a part of an organization like that.  He valued his freedom and didn't like what those groups did.  Maybe.  And Vegas' tale wasn't that different.  Instead of the Yakuza it was . . . some big corp.  Dangerous stuff.  

But if he wasn't willing to take on some risk he was in the wrong line of work.  Since nobody else seemed to be speaking up, he did. "Ok, guys, it seems we have some choices to make.  I'll start by saying, "I'm in."  This team had a few hiccups in the last gig, but on the whole I think we proved we have some complementary skills.  Casino - I said I'm in, but I'm not interested in becoming a part of the Yakuza.  That didn't seem to be the case, this seems to be a freelance gig.  I'm in for that.  From what you two have said, it seems the Akagi gig needs to be priority #1.  But Vegas offers us a lead worth following also.  And judging from what happened to that lady, perhaps a cause I can get behind as well."  At that he nodded towards Vegas, recognizing that the big guy seemd to have an emotional as well as a practical interest in his gig.  "I guess we need to begin digging up some leads - assuming everyone else agrees . . . "  He trailed off and looked around the room.

I'll post again this coming weekend.  Lets make sure things get posted.  Two up so far.

Tann - Since Silver didn't do anything last turn she is about 50' through the woods away from the otter.  That means she is really out of reach for this next turn.  Because you didn't post last turn and it seems unlikely you would sit and do nothing (and you had implied moving forward the previous turn.) I would allow you to have moved up a bit and be able to get there this turn.  However - given the 50' distance and difficult terrain, to get there this turn you would essentially need to sprint - no hiding allowed.  If you wish to go sneaky as the post suggested, you won't get there this turn. Which do you prefer?  To sprint and get there or to sneak and not get there?

The first round of combat, the grand surprise attack, had mixed results for the party.  One enemy was incapacitated, but the others were mostly unharmed.  Things would not be resolved so simply it seems. 

                   Dok and Silver kicked off the action with little action of their own.  They were a little forward of the group but still about 50 feet away from the closest of the monsters.  They held their ground, hunkering down in the woods to remain unseen.  If the creatures moved towards the group, they would be ready.  Or perhaps they would move forward to rescue the otter – time would tell.

                   Thaoran lined up his bow and shot – aiming at the other bugbear that was by the fire.  He’d hit it before, and the elf hoped a second arrow would do the trick.  The shaft buried itself into the creature’s thigh and for a second time it howled in anger.  This seemed a more solid shot than the first, but still the creature stood. 

                   At this point the creature by standing by the otter spun towards the party and roared out his challenge.  He grabbed a javelin and flung it towards the party.  Somehow, even in the dark and at this distance the small spear found its mark.  Constantine, whose own javelin had flown so far amiss, was struck by the javelin.  (-5 hp)  As soon as he threw the javelin the beast ducked around behind the tree providing it with partial coverage from any ranged attacks.

                   That coverage quickly paid off as Hornet’s next shot thwacked solidly into the tree he was hiding behind.  The otter slowly spun in it’s bindings nearby, variously watching the action and trying to work out a way to get loose. 

                   Soledad was pleased to see one of the monsters fall to her sleeping hex, but frustrated that it was only one.  She marched forward twenty feet in the woods to get within range of her next spell – a phantasmal force spell aimed at the bugbear near the tree and otter.  A swarm of thousands upon thousands of poisonous spiders crawled out from the earth below.  Within the passing of a breath the venomous creatures covered the bugbear completely, they crawled into every crevice biting and biting and biting.  And they kept coming.  She hoped to see the creature thrashing and writhing against the swarm and was not disappointed.  It was hard to see behind the large tree, but everyone could hear its howls.

                   Luna and Constantine were both in the middle of a battle that didn’t match their skills – or current shapes.  Constantine pulled the bugbears javelin out and controlled his anger.  He held his weapon and prepared to defend his new companions should the creatures come closer.  Luna sat and watched the events in the shape of a hound.  His nose would likely be more valuable after the battle than anything he could do now.

                   The last upright bugbear screamed at the two arrows Thaoran had struck him with.  If they were not there before, elves had moved to the top of his “most hated critters” list.  He looked down at his napping comrade and started slapping him awake.   The other creature took a few slaps before he woke up.  But wake he did.  As soon as its eyes opened the one doing the slapping sought cover behind a nearby tree.

The Bugbears

BB #1:  No longer asleep, on the ground near the fire.  Has been hit.

BB #2:  Has been hit twice.  Has partial cover behind a tree.

BB #3:  A little damage from the illusion – seems to be in the grips of the spell

Otter:  Spinning in his bindings

The group:

Doc and Silver about 30’ to the left and forward – about 50’ from the tree/otter/Bugbear #3.  Believe they are unseen.

The rest are grouped together about 70-80’ away.  The tree is closer than the fire.

Soledad is 20’ ahead of the group.  She wanted to cast a spell with a 60’ range so I moved her into range.

A post will be coming either later tonight (Friday) or, more likely, sometime on Saturday.  Get your posts in if you want to be more than just a spectator.

I hope everyone had a great holiday.

I think at this point FIxer is just sitting around waiting to hear from the others.  If there is something I can be posting on let me know.  Otherwise Fixer will sit back and play some Mario-Kart to work on his driving skills.

Post up. 

Also, I have been trying to add some drawings of the river and battle scene.  I have been using directions Tann gave me making use of the following site: https/bytenbit.com/embed-google-photos-into-website/

It worked a few months ago when posting images of Botkinburg.  But now when I get to the last step it just spins and spins and spins.   And ideas?  I'd like to give beer images.  

The group moved to launch their assault on the bugbears.  Two of the creatures were sitting near a fire while the third appeared to be interrogating a very large otter that was clearly bound and hanging from a tree nearby.  The creatures appeared to be focused on their food and the conversation and saw nothing as the group prepared its attack. 

               As one they drew back their bows and prepared their spells.  Hornet aimed at the one on the left and saw his arrow fly through the wet night and smack into the left hand one by the fire.  The creature, caught completely unawares, threw whatever it was eating skyward as it caught itself from being tipped backwards.  At the same moment Thaoran’s arrow smacked into the one on the right causing it to drop its food as well.  Both stood up with a roar as Constantin’s javelin flew past their heads – harmless this time, but it caught their attention.

               Just as the arrows found their mark a sleep spell descended on the creatures and the bugbear on the left was stopped in mid roar, eyes rolling upwards as it fell backwards asleep.  The other two monsters looked at their dozing companion briefly and grabbed weapons – looking for their attackers. 

               Meanwhile Doc moved to the left a bit in the woods – about 30’ to the side and a little forward.  He didn’t think the bugbears had seen him in the chaos of the attack.  Silver moved in the same direction.  Like Doc she was still about 50’ away from the Otter when the creatures roared their challenge.  Meanwhile Luna sat a bit back from the others still in hound shape.  He had no more shape changes left for the day and presumably hoped to keep his shape (about 4 hours left) in case the goblin chase needed to be renewed. 

OOC

You got the drop on them and were able to get a free round off.  The situation is:

By the Fire:

Bugbear #1  (Left):  took a solid shot and is asleep.

Bugbear #2  (Right):  Minor injury and awake.

By the Tree:

Bugbear #3:  Unharmed.

Otter:  Looking around at the action.

The Group:

Doc and Soledad about 30’ to the left and forward – about 50’ from the tree/otter/Bugbear #3.  Believe they are unseen.

The rest are grouped together about 70-80’ away.  The tree is closer than the fire.

I was all ready to post but have one more question to ask first.

The plan is to launch attacks and then cast sleep.  Simple enough.  But . . .

Constantine is planning on launching a javelin.  The javelin has a normal range of 30'.  At greater ranges it is at disadvantage.  Currently you are 70-80' away from the bugbears.  The javelin can be thrown but will have disadvantage.  The bows have no issues.  Is the plan to launch from this point or to sneak closer first?  

FYI - it is currently raining modrately hard and the terrain is wooded - with patches of rough.  I will try to get a picture up shortly - but last time I tried it didn't work.  The terrain isn't likely to change your plans much so I'm not overly worried about the image if I can't get it taken care of.  

The current distance would also mean that Silver would take a couple of rounds to get to the otter from where you currently are located.  

You are, of course, welcome to try and move up more but I would need to know how close you are trying to get.  And, of course, there is always the chance of being seen.  

Also remember that if you want to target a specific spot there are significant negatives to your to hit roll - I'd have to look them all up.

Hoping to post soon so if you want to get something in - get it in soon.

Dragonborn do have a breath weapon - small, but dangerous.  Whether it is fire or some other destructive force depends on their specific ancestory.  You would have to ask Constantine for his spacific ability.

Yes, all three are wearing some armor - bits and pieces not anythign fancy.  But yes, they have armor.

Soledad:

Arcane Recovery:

You have learned to regain some of your magical energy by studying your Spellbook. Once per day when you finish a Short Rest, you can choose expended Spell Slots to recover. The Spell Slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your Wizard level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher.

Thus at third level you can regain one 1st level spell slot with a short rest.

"Fixer, try to keep this vehicle in one piece."

The techie didn't even bother responding to the stupid statement.  He knew darn well that there was nothing he could have done to avoid the big pileup.  When everything around goes 'caplooie!' there isn't much you can do but try and minimize the damage.  And he had actaully done that reasonable well.  Nobody got hurt in the carnage.  And now they continued down the road in some poor soccer-mom's ride.  He didn't like driving a stolen car.  It felt exposed.  He got out of the area of the kidnapping as quickly as he could and then did everything he could to blend into the traffic.

He headed towards the compound being sure to not do anything that would draw attention to their vehicle.  Keeping his eyes on the road he spoke to the others in the vehicle.  "I need to know where to go once we get there.  Where can I find a place to park?  Do I know where to find the others? I'd rather not leave this thing out int he open if possible, but I also want to know where to find it if we need to leave again in a hurry.  That seems kinda likely.  So help me out a bit." 

My assumptions.

1. The mule and cart will return to town with the retainers. There is no way it can progress along the river.


2. Knowing tracking would get more difficult I assumed you would leave now. But . . .this means that you do NOT get a long rest.  Take this into account for your spells.  Short rest only. 


3. The group going back to the town might have some basic perception checks, but you won't know any results until you see them again. 

Some other basic info:

1. I did do a number of rolls for perception for the tracking and such.  In general your druid rolls very well.  


2. You cannot hear anything being said by the bugbears - and would have to get quite close in the rain to make out anything.  


3. I will attempt to get a map up soon but the last time I tried it didn't work - despite getting directions earlier that had previously worked.  

*Let me strongly suggest that you make use of the Q7A or messaging to make plans.  If you do all the planning in character in the game posts it will take a long time to make an actionable plan.

The party with all of its various new and old members discussed options as the rain came down.  Eventually two plans seemed to emerge. 

First, the Dragonborn’s retainers would head to Botkinburg.  The Ridge had proven to be a place not welcoming to those not fully expecting adventure.  The big metal warrior Steel offered to guide them back.  It seemed likely that being across the river with a formidable warrior for protection they should be able to make it back safely.  There was some discussion of their continuing attempts to gather more information once they were there, but not many were confident they would learn much.  But that didn’t mean they couldn’t try.  For now the retainers sought a brief sleep in the dry corners of the hut while the sleepless warrior stood guard, staring out into the rain.  They would leave at first light.

Second, the other group agreed that they needed to find the goblin’s headquarters.  The problem as all noted was that they had no clue where such a headquarters might be – beyond simply being somewhere on the river.   The only hope for something beyond a search of the entire Ridge seemed to be the goblin that had fled the battle.  All looked out into the rain and knew that tracking the creature would be difficult at best.  Certainly the rain would wash away almost all tracks.  It wasn’t a true downpour, but it was a heavy and steady rain broken periodically by flashes of lighting.

As the group pondered options it was the newly arrived druid Luna that offered a potential solution.  He could shape-change.  Perhaps as a bloodhound he would be able to track the vile creature even in the rain.  Certainly goblins had a strong and rank smell.  But as he looked at the rain he also knew that every rain drop would make his job harder.  A light rain could actually make tracking easier – but this was not a light rain.  After making his suggestion he looked at his new comrades and added another part to the plan.  “If we are going to do this we must go quickly.  More rain will only make my job harder.  No, impossible.  As is I can’t be sure how long I will be able to follow the trail.  But the faster we go the more chance I have.  If you truly wish to find the headquarters, we can’t wait for the dawn or for the rain to stop.  We must pick up our bags and go now.”

The others agreed.  Not happily in most cases, but the truth of what the druid said seemed obvious.  Everyone quickly prepared their goods, picked up their packs and headed out of the hut and towards the battlefield.  Goblin bodies still lay scattered across the road, green blood washed away by the rain.  The other elves in the group quickly pointed out to Luna the direction in which the runaway had fled.  The druid quickly changed into a bloodhound – a large dog that sniffed back and forth across the ground scenting for the track.  It took a moment, but he found a track.  He stopped, looked back at the group and woofed quietly – then sped off down the slope.  The rest of the group quickly went after the druid hound.

The dog scrambled after the scent, hurried on by the urgency of the scent and the knowledge that every moment he delayed increased the chances of the scent being washed away.  Even before he reached the river he had already lost the track twice and had to search in an ever-growing circle to find it again.  The others in the group found themselves almost relieved by these breaks as scrambling through the brush, down the slope and over and around rocks and boulders proved extremely difficult going.  They weren’t 30 feet off the road before the party was covered with scratches and recognizing that sometimes the small size of a goblin might actually be an advantage. 

When he reached the river the hound turned . . . south.  The entire group seemed surprised as the goblin headed down stream and back towards the bridge.  This was the same bridge everyone but the dragonborn had crossed earlier.  As the tracks approached the bridge they appeared to head into the water.  The hound ran back and forth along the shore but could find no track.  After a couple of minutes of this he stopped, stared up at the bridge, and sprinted up to the top of the bridge and down on the other side – there had been no way to go under the bridge without swimming.  On the southern side of the bridge he again ran up and down the river looking for a scent . . . and quickly found it.  Looking back at the party as they straggled across the bridge abutment in the rain he offered up a little bark.  The hound shook the rain off and vent his frustration.  It seemed likely that the goblin had been floating under the bridge even as he had crossed the bridge in the shape of a cat earlier in the night. 

When the others reached the hounds location they didn’t need a bloodhounds nose to know that the goblin had indeed gone this way.  A pair of bootprints were plain in the mud, filled with water from the rain but obvious to all.  The hound moved quickly off downstream.  The goblin seemed to be sticking fairly near the river, but heading down-stream as quickly as it could.  The going was no easier here than it had been on the slope.  Moving as quickly as they could the party frequently had to wade into the water to get around deadfalls and giant rocky obstructions.  At other times they had to climb slopr 50’ or more before coming back down.  This land was not made for a hike. Periodically gullies ran up into the ridge with strong streams of rainwater rushing down them. The hound made progress but as the night progressed he found it harder and harder to keep the trail.  At times he would lose it and have to search for a while before finding it again.  At such times everyone grew anxious, fully aware that such delays only allowed the goblin to extend its lead.

Eventually the hound reached a marshy area and lost the trail completely.  Search as he might he could not find it in the reeds.  After 15 minutes he plunged through the mud to the far side a few hundred yards away and sought the trail on the far side.  As he trotted up and down on the far side with his nose to the ground he suddenly stopped and stuck his nose up in the air.  There was something on the air.  Not the goblin whose scent should be on the turf . . . but smoke.  A growl started in his chest but the druid suppressed it.  He moved quickly through the trees followed quickly by the others.  A few yards south of the marshy area everyone stopped at the same time.  Ahead they could see a flame.  A fire of some sort was less than 100’ in front of them. 

Creeping a few feet forward to see, Hornet peered from behind a tree and saw a sight he had not expected.  There were no goblins, but rather several tall and hairy creatures – bugbears he was sure.  Two sat around a small fire under a large overhanging fir tree apparently trying to stay warm and dry.  About 15’ away from that pair another bugbear seemed to be speaking to a large creature hanging upside down and tied to a branch of the tree.  The creature in question looked to be something long and furry and at Hornet’s best guess was probably a 6 or 7 foot long otter.  Even stranger, Hornet could swear that when the bugbear growled at it that the creature responded.  The otter seemed to be speaking.

(OOC:  You can see 3 bugbears.  They are around 70-80’ away from you depending on which one you are speaking to.  The otter-like creature is hanging upside down from a tree – apparently tied up.  The goblin trail disappeared on the other side of a marshy area – several hundred yards behind you.  At the moment the bugbears do not appear to know that you are there.)

I am inclined to take the last posts as the parties plan . . . so I will be posting soon - probably Friday.  Sorry for the delays, I just want to make sure I know what is up. 

Right now I show . . . 

1.  The main group headed towards the river hopefully guided by the nose of Luna in Bloodhound form.

2.  The retainers and any non-run players headed back to town.

If Come to Play has any specific things he wants the retainers to look into in town I'd be ok with a little role play in that regard.  If Tann wanted to run Steel for a bit of extension in town I'd let that happen as well before Steel was retired.  But this would be a little sidelight if you had specifics you want to do.  This is a very small sidelight.  The group is the big thing.

My intent is to move miles in a single post where possible to keep things moving. 

I was about to have you attempt to follow the goblin towards the river and see what happens.  But . . .two things need to be resolved.

1.  Soledad posted a question about going back to the village.  Is that happening?

2.  Luna offered to shape change into a sniffer.  Is that happening?