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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Jargon Hooves bears down on the enemy!
28 Desnus
Temple of the Elk
Narlmarches
Zeran automatically poured a shot of powder into his pistol at sighting the bear. He nodded to Frodrick. “Uh... After you?”
Miguel paused. “I don't know. Maybe we shouldn't disturb a creature in its home. I've always heard it's better to back away slowly in times like—”
Frodrick banged his axe against his shield. “Let's get this thing-o a taste of steel people. I want me a nice bear skin rug for our residence, and some gristly meat for me belly tonight!” The dwarf threw a signal to Jargon and began to charge around the pool, with Zeran following close behind.
Jargon Hooves, fleet of foot and swift to obey, cantered ahead of the party around the left side of the pool, outstripping the humanoids easily. She was already at the rubble-strewn foot of the stairs by the time the rest had traveled half the stone wall of the stagnant pool.
The bear was no dawdler either. It rumbled along the top of the stairs to the unbroken steps and lumbered down, crawling over the rubble to Jargon. When the two beasts met Jargon broke off her charge and stomped aggressively on the flagstones. The bear rose on its hindlegs and bellowed her down.
Frodrick 22/22 –
Jargon 19/19 –
Giles 19/19 – 20 bolts
Kyrie 21/21 –
Miguel 17/17 – 19 arrows, Inspire Courage (1/9)
Zeran 19/19 – (loaded) 23 bullets
Grizzly: Angry
(A couple actions pending on exact distance moved, or if Miguel actually initiates music this round, but most of the party is just around the middle of the pool, while Jargon and the bear have made it to melee range with each other at the foot of the left stair.)
Posted on 2014-02-21 at 20:15:32.
Edited on 2014-02-21 at 20:21:00 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Unbearable puns to come as soon as I can think of them.
Exploration & Mapping
26-28 Desnus
Hexes: D3 +25XP Each
Despite early examples such as the monstrous shambler, the heart of the Narlmarches was proving to be not nearly as dangerous a place to travel. Or at least not so densely populated with monsters as earlier feared.
The next couple of days passed navigating the undulating forests without disturbance, whether from wild, malicious, or mischievous intent. Rounding out their circuit of the northern woods the Charter Party turned east back toward the general region of the bandit camp previously explored.
(28 Desnus)
Late in the afternoon the party encountered a particularly thick tangle of brambles around the base of a stripped hill-face and were about to navigate around it when they saw something in the clearing through the thorns. It looked like some kind of structure, but it was impossible to tell from outside the tangle.
Blades out, the party progressed by cutting clear the worst of the thorny plants surrounding the clearing and squeezed through one by one, with Frodrick leading Jargon at the rear. What lay just inside the clearing, almost completely invisible from the outside, was impressive to behold.
The edge of the clearing was partially defined by aged, ruined stone pillars in a half circle surrounding a large oval pool of stagnant water. The west edge of the circle was bordered by the hillface, revealed to be a rocky upthrust ridge over 300' across and reaching a moss-topped height of 100' at the centre. Carved into the rock face was an immense elk head looming down, massive stone horns framing a wide cave entrance marked with columns. Both the elk and the crumbling stone steps leading up to the entrance were thickly encrusted with moss and the 50' oval pool was covered with more algae than the Skunk river from the previous days.
The whole shrine—for that's what it most seemed to be—was in a state of advanced overgrowth, seemingly long abandoned by whomever had established it this deep in the forest, presumably one of the many attempts at colonization this region has seen over the years. If the massive elk head weren't enough indicator, Giles thought the site might have once been a dedicated to Erastil, the elk-headed god of hunting and farming.
While the party made these speculations, they discovered the site was not quite so long-abandoned as they had thought. As they approached the far side of the stagnant pool, their speech disturbed something within the cave—a gigantic grizzly rumbled out onto the top of the steps. The powerful brown bear swayed in place for a moment, as if unable to find its balance, then shook its head in a very humanoid gesture and issued a tremendous roar, warning the party off its territory.
Frodrick 22/22 –
Jargon 19/19 –
Giles 19/19 – 20 bolts
Kyrie 21/21 –
Miguel 17/17 – 19 arrows
Zeran 19/19 – () 23 bullets
(Zeran, Miguel, and Frodrick all win initiative almost right away. Since Frodrick's not on Jargon, he'll have to issue a command to direct her in combat. Everyone has drawn their preferred weapon prior to entering the clearing just in case trouble like this ensued--though in Kyrie's case this is sickle/shield, not shovel, especially to cut through thorniage)
(The grizzly is somewhere in the area of 100' away from the party, across the length of the oval pool and up the steps, as seen below)
Map of Temple ~here~
(Oh yeah, there's also further information on Erastil in the Q&A from way back, if anyone's interested. It's the basic general info your character might know.)
(Finally, note that while every hex around it is explored, the C4 hex has not yet been fully mapped, and so is not an explored hex yet--that's the very next part of the journey)
Posted on 2014-02-18 at 19:34:04.
Edited on 2014-02-18 at 19:51:40 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Another curb stomp battle (well, plus a few good rolls)
Kyrie splashed into the shallow water following Miguel and the frog. “Bad frog,” she said. Kyrie smashed it in the head with her shovel. “Don't eat that.” The frog dropped Miguel and fell limp into the pond shallows.
The other frog never had the chance to realize the danger it had stumbled into. Giles and Zeran both turned their aim to it and pulled the trigger. Zeran's lead ball exploded through the side frog's leg and Giles' bolt stuck it just below the water's surface in the fleshy gut (-5dmg, -4dmg FrogB Bloodied).
The frog began to turn away to flee, but Frodrick was not going to have any giant carnivorous amphibians loose in his province. He lead Jargon splashing into the water, her experience and training serving her as she sunk into the watery muck, and surged into the pond up to the depth of Frodrick's high stirrups. He raised his axe as he came down on the frog and dropped it against the back of its skull (-7dmg FrogB Dying).
Frodrick 22/22 –
Jargon 19/19 –
Giles 19/19 – 19 bolts
Kyrie 21/21 –
Miguel 17/17 – 19 arrows
Zeran 19/19 – () 23 bullets
Frog A: Dying
Frob B: Dying
(A few poor rolls and that battle could have instead been at least moderately painful, but with a little luck and tactical nuke coordination, it was cakewalk)
Posted on 2014-02-17 at 07:15:11.
Edited on 2014-02-18 at 18:01:31 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Be happy I didn't throw a real greased pig at you
25 Desnus
Frog Pond; D2
Narlmarches
Frodrick bent low to Jargon's whithers, bracing himself for a tug-of-war in which he was the prize in the middle. Kyrie leapt off the wagon, shovel in hand, and hustled down the sodden edge of the water. The frog held fast to Frodrick while it faced Kyrie, but her shovel arm already had much practice. She brought the flat of the spade down on the frog's back with a wet 'splat', half-forcing the frog under the surface (-7dmg FrogA).
Frodrick urged Jargon on to pull away from the bank, but she get much ground under her hooves, turning up muddy soil. Frodrick's grip was tight enough to avoid being pulled from his saddle, but the frog's grip was strong enough to stay put. With a grunt, Frodrick took up his axe.
Zeran hopped out of the carriage and jogged a short way along the edge of the lake. He dropped a ball into the barrel of his pistol and looked for an excuse to and exotic meal.
Giles and Miguel stood up in the wagon after Kyrie. The newcomer loaded his crossbow and took aim at the frog still crossing the pond. With a second thought, he drew a small wooden disk marked with a bullseye and held it up at arms length. The handsome scarred swordsman uttered a chant under his breath and suddenly the world around him seemed to slow down just slightly, and he foresaw the exact angle and path his shot would take and the precise correction for his target's motion.
Miguel meanwhile followed Kyrie down the bank and thust his sword at the frog, but it jumped back faster from him. The frog released Frodrick and its tongue snapped back into it's mouth as it took a full step back deeper into the pond. Its bulging eyes zeroed in on Miguel, and just as the bard understood what was happening, it launched its pink tongue back out and struck his arm and shoulder as he tried to dodge.
Miguel tried to resist, but his footing on the back gave way and he slid into the water shallows, reeled in by the frog's strength. Within moments his free hand was halfway down the frog's throat, with the rest of him soon to follow save for his efforts to pull back.
The other frog was swimming quickly toward the shore on powerful leg strokes. Once it got its feet under it in the shallows it took a moment to line up its aim, opened its mouth, and launched its tongue at Kyrie. Kyrie turned quickly to avoid, but the warm, wet muscle struck her with unerring accuracy. The paladin hastily pulled away. It was a glancing shot, and Kyrie was able to avoid getting wrapped up and stuck—the tongue lost hold as it flew back into the frog's mouth.
Frodrick 22/22 –
Jargon 19/19 –
Giles 19/19 – 20 bolts, True Strike (1/1)
Kyrie 21/21 –
Miguel 17/17 – 19 arrows, Grappled
Zeran 19/19 – (loaded) 24 bullets
Frog A: Injured, Grappling THEN HE'S GONNA EAT ME
Frob B: Uninjured
Posted on 2014-02-16 at 21:22:48.
Edited on 2014-02-16 at 22:26:36 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: It just keeps getting more awkward.
Exploration & Mapping
23-25 Desnus
Hexes: D2 +25XP Each
25 Desnus
Skunk Headwaters Pond; Hex D2
Narlmarches
To cover as much of the northern bulk of the forest as possible, the party left the area of the river and travelled further south, to the region their map told them should include the headwaters of another river with an equally picturesque name to the Thorn—the Skunk river.
When they finally came upon the river itself, they learned the truth of the name before they ever saw it—the smell of rotting eggs filled the air. As they approached, they soon discovered a pair of bubbling hotsprings forming together into a large pond that made up the headwaters of the Skunk.
The pond was just about 150' across at its widest, bubbling intermittently, and covered in places in algae, contributing to the distinct stench. It was a disturbance in the algae that first alerted Frodrick to the movement of something large and dark in the waters, coming toward the party. It was too late by that point, however.
A pink blur burst almost impossibly fast from the algae-covered shallows. It travelled 15' in the blink of an eye and struck Frodrick in the chest. A bare second's realization that he was caught by some kind of massive tongue was all the time he had before he was tugged in his saddle. His training kicked in and he resisted the force, keeping himself mounted.
At the other end of the long pink tongue was a massive frog, an easy 6' long, head peeking just above the surface, pulling back like some sort of macabre reverse fisherman. In the middle of the pond the original motion Frodrick spotted was still approaching, increasing the likelihood that it was another giant frog on the way toward a hearty meal.
Frodrick 22/22 – Grappled
Jargon 19/19 –
Giles 19/19 – 20 bolts (of 48)
Kyrie 21/21 –
Miguel 17/17 – 19 arrows
Zeran 19/19 – () 24 bullets
Frog A: Uninjured, Tonguing
Frob B: Uninjured, Swimming
(No pressure, by the way, if you're not done responding to the above post--consider this just an addendum to that post that I wasn't sure I was going to finish before I had to start packing up to leave. That said, Kyrie and Frodrick win initiative. Zeran follows. Then Giles and Miguel.)
Posted on 2014-02-15 at 22:40:24.
Edited on 2014-02-15 at 23:15:51 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: I don't really care to ride out all the tiny details of whether you finish off the last mites or no
Exploration & Mapping
20-22 Desnus
Hexes: C3 +25XP Each
(20 Desnus)
The next day rose as if nothing had happened the night before. A quick inspection of gear proved that nothing had been mislaid by the mysterious pranksters overnight. At least for one night.
The sky the sky was grey and overcast as the group travelled further upriver along the Thorn, looking for a dry passage around as they explored. Though spring had come early and it was already late in the spring season, the heavens threatened constantly to fulfill the proverbial 'Gozran showers make Desnus flowers'.
In addition to the looming threat of rain, the group was harried by another phenomenon—wherever they seemed to go, the sound of crickets chirping in the bushes seemed to follow them for miles up the river. It came to the point where nobody was especially surprised to hear chirping suddenly coming from inside the wagon itself.
The chirping from inside the wagon sounded twice more, at different pitches, sounding strangely more like a tiny violin each time. Then, without further ceremony, the music began. The chirping sound grew into a disembodied fiddling originating vaguely from somewhere in the wagon.
The tune was catchy, but before anyone had a chance to seriously consider investigating, the song became quite literally a toe-tapper. Zeran's foot began tapping entirely outside his control, and the passengers in the wagon began standing up one-by-one, helpless but to start dancing suddenly, accompanied by sounds of their own and each other's confusion and bewilderment.
Frodrick, with his feet twitching slightly in the stirrups, couldn't even help from shuffling his body in the saddle. “What in the nine hells!?”
Even Bogdan, Miguel's horse tied to the wagon, was bobbing his head and swaying slightly, though none of the other horses seemed to be affected. Of the passengers, only Miguel threw off the compulsion as it struck him.
The bard looked around for some kind of attack, but when he saw none, he shrugged his shoulders. Bogdan had the right idea, he decided. Miguel joined in the dancing with the rest of the party.
(The effect is only as if you were staggered, so technically you can still perform 1 action per round if you want to figure out what's going on; regardless, nothing attacks during the fiddling. If you do nothing, it ends 1 minute after it began.)
For the rest of the day after this unusual incident (punctuated by the laughter from the trees the party'd come to expect by now), the persistent cricket song disappeared and did not disturb them again for the rest of the day.
(Desnus 21)
In fact, it was not until first thing the next morning that the party was certain they'd been followed from the general area they first encountered the fairy pranks.
The party awoke with the strange feeling that they'd overslept. Almost at once they snapped awake, straining their senses to be alert for some kind of danger, when they realized they were never woken for their watch...
It was in that next moment they simultaneously discovered that every one of them had been stripped to their underclothes overnight, somehow without alerting them. Most the party was struck with momentary embarassment and immediately rose to find their clothing—or tried to. With sudden cry Kyrie fell to the ground again, having stepped on something very slippery.
Zeran went next, collapsing straight into Frodrick, putting an end to the dwarf's own attempt to get to his feet. From the ground Frodrick saw that the forest floor immediately around their campsite was covered in sheen like a well-buttered hog.
After the initial surprise and alarm, it was no serious difficulty to stand on the greased ground—except for Frodrick's stiff old bones, who had to spend most of his concentration to stay upright, and only dared moving far enough to get a solid grip on the wagon.
Riotous laughtered filled the forest the whole while until the party's clothing and armour was discovered draped over the horses only a short distance away.
Following that scene, the rest of the day went nervously undisturbed by any kind of supernatural occurances. The party followed the river further west around its headwaters and was able to begin exploring the south bank.
22 Desnus
Dead Trapper; C3
Narlmarches
The mischievous sprites again did not make an appearance the following day. What did make an appearance, however, was the body of a dead trapper, pinned underneath a pile of logs. Moondays.
By all appearances the man had been attempting to set a deadfall trap with a handful of logs when the rope snapped and pinned him underneath. Notably there were no markings or posts to alert humanoid travelers of the trap's existence, and the man did not appear to have any among his possessions, making Frodrick nervous for the possibility of running into more hidden and poorly marked traps like the ones they had encountered further north in the forest weeks before.
The only item of note in the area besides the trapper and the deadfall was a hatchet—excellent in quality—stuck into a stump less than a foot away from the trapper's outstretched arm. (mwk handaxe)
(You may backpost over any of these details, including if you want to attempt to interact with the unseen pranksters, or if you want to investigate the trapper's plight further. I don't know if I'll get the next part out before it's time to get to work, so I'm posting this to arouse your excitement now)
Posted on 2014-02-15 at 21:50:01.
Edited on 2014-02-15 at 23:15:19 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Scatter like... uh... mites? No wait that's not right at all...
Kyrie wasted no time settling the question of whether it was better to be in or out of the garden. Even as she pulled back from smiting down the first careless mite, she pivoted around to Zeran. She stepped next to him and unleashed her farmer's fury upon the second mite, clobbering it if not senseless, at least visible staggered (-3dmg MiteC Disabled).
Toward the camp, Miguel picked up his new bow now that he had seen to the lighting problem. He strafed around the circle somewhat so that he didn't have any of his allies in his sights and nocked an arrow. He targeted the mite next closest from escaping the nightmarish garden and loosed the string. The mite turned just in time to see, startled, the arrow come for him and bounce off his cranium—not without leaving a large bloody mark. The mites were supernaturally tough as ever, but they were not invincible (-2dmg MiteD Bloodied).
Zeran saw the way the garden was crippling the mites' cohesion and coordination with every second. There was no need for his kind of firepower here. He drew his rapier and stabbed the staggered mite in the gut, dropping the creature almost as an afterthought (-6dmg *crit* MiteC). He flicked his blade off and raised it toward the mites in the tangled field.
“Tally-ho!” he shouted, and took a single, purposeful step past the perimeter. At once he could feel the grasses and ferns grabbing and pulling at his boots, but he simply danced away from their grasp.
With calm, methodical precision, Giles loaded another bolt into his bow and fired into the garden. One of the mites in the far back took the bolt in the chest with a meaty 'thuck' and was knocked clear off its feet, not likely to rise again (-5dmg MiteE Dying).
Next to where he fell, his companion flinched in alarm. In that momentary distraction a fern wrapped itself around most of his leg, ensnaring him once more.
Frodrick 22/22 –
Jargon 19/19 –
Giles 19/19 – (-2 bolts)
Kyrie 21/21 –
Miguel 17/17 – (-1 arrow)
Zeran 19/19 – () 24 bullets
Mite A: Dying
Mite B: Dying
Mite C: Dying
Mite D: Bloodied
Mite E: Dying
Mite F: Uninjured,
Mite G: Uninjured, Entangled... Again.
The new leader in the race to escape the field paused, looking at the handful of corpses scattered in front of him and the well-armed not at all in a state of panic victims of the ambush. It didn't take long for reason to kick in and the mite turned to flee for the nearest edge of the circle that didn't lead to certain death. It broke past the circle and started running (MiteD some 30' to the right of the party).
The other two mites saw the majority of their companions dying or fleeing. It was beginning to seem like a really good idea just to take their leave of this whole situation. The began to run for the left edge of the circle, but its companion was held back by the fern wrapped around its leg. It struggled and pulled, but the plant held fast, pinning it down.
(Declaring unofficial victory. MiteD is 30' to the right, MiteF is 30' forward and 20' left. MiteG is cursing its miserable existence and also is 30' forward.)
Posted on 2014-02-14 at 05:33:23.
Edited on 2014-02-15 at 22:33:16 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Why is it that you can only get one good ambush and then the rest are all screwy somehow? =3
The bushes and grasses sprung up and tied down four of the group of mites. The three who avoided the grasping plants clambered desperately away, but the writhing and flailing made the ground difficult to run across. They made it only half way from the centre to the edge.
The four who had been ensnared struggled to free themselves. One managed to break free, chasing after its companions to break free from the area of the effect. After a couple moments more of squirming, another managed to free itself, but it was caught again almost immediately by a fern branch.
The party roused as soon as they could, climbing to their feet and retrieving their weapons. Kyrie and Zeran ran to the edge of the enchanted field, drawing their weapons. Miguel threw his will into a quick spell to illuminate the whole area. There were seven mites visible, three of which were still pinned down while the other four struggled to escape.
Frodrick’s hand went to his side and he drew out... his pipe. The dwarf lit the mysterious weeds that had replaced his typical fare. He kicked back and waited for there to be something to swing his axe at.
Giles picked up the loaded crossbow at his side. He dropped prone on his stomach and took aim while the mites panicked. It was no real challenge to get one of the creatures in his sights. He fired and struck one, though the bolt didn’t penetrate as deeply as he expected–but still more than enough to knock it off its feet (-6dmg MiteA Dying).
Frodrick 22/22 –
Jargon 19/19 –
Giles 19/19 –
Kyrie 21/21 –
Miguel 17/17 –
Zeran 19/19 – () 24 bullets
Mite A: Dying
Mite B: Uninjured
Mite C: Uninjured
Mite D: Uninjured,
Mite E: Uninjured, Entangled
Mite F: Uninjured, Entangled
Mite G: Uninjured, Entangled, Escaped, Entangled Again
The two remaining leaders in the race to escape left their ally’s body to be wrapped up by the thrashing vegetation. One of the mites, in its haste to get to solid ground, provoked a shot across the cranium from Kyrie. The mite fell with a sharp crack and the characteristic ‘oioing’ that the party now associated with a successful strike (-5dmg MiteB Dying). The other mite on the other hand ended up next to Zeran.
In the middle distance the fourth mite fought to clear the field, getting close to the rim after some effort ploughing through supernaturally dense vegetation. In the back, still stuck at the centre, the last three mites fought to free themselves from the tangle. Again one tore free and scrambled a full ten feet, while the other two after much effort also managed to escape.
(This means, at least for the moment, all remaining mites are free, unless they should fail when the plants strike again! One is in melee with Zeran, one is 10' away from the edge, one is 30' from the edge, and two are still stuck dead centre. Two are dying.)
Posted on 2014-02-08 at 09:23:42.
Edited on 2014-02-08 at 21:42:33 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Explosion of Movement
17 Desnus
Oleg's Trading Post
South Brevic Borderlands
Eager to be back on the move, the party had their wagon restocked and ready to go again for the next morning. Just as they were finishing up breakfast, though, Krii made an announcement.
Krii was leaving for Ustalav. The tall, genial man might have left the story at that, but something in the looks of confusion from the people he had spent the last two and a half months with moved him to explain further. He told them about the letter he had received from Ustalav, his homeland to the west, that recent events showed him he couldn't run away from his duty.
As the party rolled their wagon—the charismatic stranger, Giles, now taking up a seat—away from Oleg's and toward the forest in the Southwest, Krii and Vilify headed along the South Rostland Road east back to Restov.
Exploration & Mapping
17-19 Desnus
Hexes: +--XP Each
The group spent most of a day travelling over the grasslands to a stretch of the Narlmarches they had not yet mapped. They took the plunge the next morning into the unknown depths, aiming to have most of the heart of the forest committed to paper by the time they emerged.
While at first the trip was uneventful, the party soon became aware that they were not alone in the forest. A mysterious presense seemed to be watching the group.
(18 Desnus)
In the first instance later in the day, about every ten minutes for an hour, one of a variety of loud noises would suddenly emerge from just beyond the party's vision, causing all to jump out of their skin in alarm. The first time the sound resembled the roar of an angry owlbear coming from immediately behind the wagon. Another time it was as if a dozen bandits were suddenly closing in, shouting battlecries from all around the party, only when the sound 'arrived' there was nothing but vague disembodied bellows. Yet again there was a terrible blood-curdling shriek that provoked a very short-lived exploration.
Almost as soon as they'd heard them, they group recognised the sounds for a fake (doubly so given the lack of any physical source) but they served to put everyone on edge for the entire hour straight. The last disturbance they were forced to endure at the hands of their tormentors was that of a tremendous belch emanating from directly underneath the wagon. This last sound was accompanied by stifled giggling coming from the trees above.
Later that evening after the party had made camp found to their dismay that the laces of their boots had by some mysterious force been tied together over supper.
(19 Desnus)
Any hopes that the oddities of the previous day would be an isolated incident were dashed immediately upon waking to discover their hair had been all mussed and tied into knots—except for Frodrick, whose beard had been loosened and perfectly straightened. This discovery was accompanied with surprise as they turned to each other and saw their companions' faces adorned with soot-drawn glasses and moustaches.
Zeran, who had been on the morning watch, awoke along with everyone else, and could not remember when he had dozed off.
Later in the day each began to notice something of their possessions missing. First was Frodrick, reaching for his compass when he discovered it had been replaced by an acorn tied to a bit of string. Kyrie cried out when she saw this, her hand going to her neck. Sure enough, she pulled out her acorn pendant that she always wore around her neck—but this one was different, it was tied out of a length of horsehair. Later Giles was found inexplicably with Frodrick's compass and all the tent pegs from both his and Miguel's tents. As Miguel put these away, though, he discovered his lyre was missing from his pack, though quite as mysteriously he found Zeran's bullet pouch. Kyrie procured the lyre from her own pack while Zeran found that he now possessed an entire set of crossbow bolts for loading his pistol. He returned Giles' ammo and received his own, and with a quick check-over everyone found that all items were accounted for, with the exception of the extra acorn.
As for the task of exploration, the group found that the Thorn river cut off their travel through this part of the Greenbelt. As per their plan they knew they would have to turn west after this to go around the river's source.
The party settled down in the evening for their second day in the forest, only to find themselves plagued by unusually loud wildlife, as if every creature and critter that hopped, flew, or swam around the riverbank felt a dire need to loudly announce its presence. This phenomenon went on, starting and stopping most of the evening and well into the night.
It was, in fact, when suddenly the entire forest dropped silent at once that alerted Giles on his watch.
He saw them right away—a group of seven ugly creatures with bulbous eyes forming a ragtag band stalking up on the camp. He saw them and saw that they saw him see them. They outnumbered the sleepers just barely, and were on the verge of calling their attack when their battlecry turned to shrieks of terror.
In just as much confusion as they were, Giles saw the vegetation around the group spring into motion, with bushes and ferns writhing and wild grasses thrashing, all reaching out to ensnare the would-be midnight ambushers.
Giles would have woken the rest, but the mites' shrieks had already done this for him.
Frodrick 22/22 –
Jargon 19/19 –
Giles 19/19 –
Kyrie 21/21 –
Miguel 17/17 –
Zeran 19/19 – () 24 bullets
Mites: Uninjured, Entangled (4)
(I kinda went overboard on trying to get us moving without actually doing that much at all. Top initiative is the mites, followed immediately by Kyrie, Frodrick, Miguel, Zeran, and last Giles in that order. The area of the lashing weeds/bushes is a 40' radius circle centred on the seven mites, four of which are currently having troubles with the plants.)
(Obviously, feel free to work out rp moments across the last three in-game days, since things moved kind of suddenly from stasis to conflict in the blink of a post.)
Posted on 2014-01-29 at 09:57:31.
Edited on 2014-01-29 at 09:58:59 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: oh yeah
In case anyone was wondering about the sudden wealth flux in the stats sections, Miguel went on a spending spree. He bought himself a shortbow and a shiny new sword, but also
-Grappling Hook
-Hammock
-Large Tent (fits 4)
as a heads up for new resources now available to the party.
I gotta find some way to better catalogue the resources that individual characters own that are not weapons or armour. Or at least not necessarily weapons or armour.
Posted on 2014-01-22 at 06:44:43.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Sleep is for the weak and the mortal... oh dear
15 Desnus
Moonradish Patch; C5
Narlmarches
The kobold lowered its spear in confusion (and perhaps the exertion of holding it up with a bloated stomach).
“Without Tartuk? Tartuk gone?” Suspicion crept into the kobold's eyes. “You lie! You want radish!”
(Assuming some explanation and a little convincing)
“Tartuk dead.” The kobolds took a moment to wrap their heads around what that meant. “Tartuk dead!” The four jumped into the air with hoots of joy. They all immediately regretted it in their current state and bemoaned the pains in their guts.
They talked excitedly amongst themselves in their own language and resolved to leave the patch with their earnings, but not before giving the party a very stern look that they should not attempt to take their radishes while they were away.
16 Desnus
Oleg's Trading Post
South Brevic Borderlands
The party returned to Oleg's, with their prisoners, late in the afternoon. There was much jeering that at this rate they would need to a bigger fort to house all the extra labour. Nevertheless the prisoners were led away to join those from the Thorn Ford camp.
After the business of unhooking and setting aside the horses and wagon was settled, Oleg had some news for the group. A messenger came with bounty from the swordlords at Restov in response to Oleg's message to the city that reports of the kobolds had settled down in the region.
Furthermore, a letter arrived at the same time addressed to one 'Ser Valen Krii, Master of Castle Corvisanto in his Uncle's Name and Heir Presumptive'. Krii took this letter and, following a quick skim of it's contents, disappeared to some corner of the fort for several hours, not to return until near supper.
Finally, the last bit of news, there was a visitor to the post, having arrived only two days prior. He seemed to be a gentleman of some sort and carried a sword. He claimed to have business with the Greenbelt Charter party. Oleg thought he might have been a knight, perhaps looking to join the Charter. At the present moment he was out of the fort on some unknown business but was due to return later in the day.
(Supper)
The mysterious stranger had yet to return by the time Svetlana put food on the table. The return of their wedding ring put the Levetons in an especially festive mood and Oleg had some extra supplies brought out of the store to celebrate.
It wasn't until Zeran excused himself to use the privy that anything was found amiss. When he returned to his seat at the table, by some contrivance he had also taken up a seat on the opposite side, joining in conversation with Adela and Luka.
For a whole second neither of the two identical gunslingers seemed aware of each other's presense, until Svetlana gave one the other's requested second helping of stew.
Frodrick 22/22 –
Jargon 19/19 –
Krii 16/16 –
Kyrie 21/21 –
Miguel 17/17 –
Zeran 19/19 – () 24 bullets
Zeran 19/19 – () 24 bullets
(I absolutely had to get something up finally to respond—this has been a real fun week. I definitely don't have the time to do all that needs to be done for the next post, but who knows what can happen with a day off in the immediate future. Also in retrospect actually I think I just did get most of it out anyway... so much for sleep XD.)
(Also, by the way, that bounty reward totaled 800G for the party, plus the return of the ring nets you 1000G worth of credit (200 each) for buying things from Oleg's stock)
Posted on 2014-01-16 at 09:29:59.
Edited on 2014-01-16 at 09:33:07 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: It's like a trip up memory lane, except with less continuity and more tripping
9 Desnus
Hex F5
Kamelands
Miguel threw up some light only moments after the brief conflict began. Sure enough, face down on the grass a few yards in front of him were the two bandits under his sleep spell.
By firelight Kyrie worked quickly to apply bandages to the fallen guard. With the wound bound and the bullet in place to stop the majority of the bleeding, the woman would likely live. Whether it was worth saving her life was another question for when she woke.
While she worked, Frodrick guided Jargon over to Zeran and the only conscious bandit and led him back to the camp site. The dwarf threw Miguel's rope to Kyrie so she could bind the hostages together, while the bard himself, aided by Krii, dragged the enspelled sleepers to join the train.
A minute later, as the spell wore off, both sleepers jumped life with much kicking and jostling, then immediately froze when they realized they were surrounded and unarmed.
“Go ahead, try the ropes. You best get comfortable. You lot are now our prisoners.” Frodrick told them. He explained their situation in short, and the benefits of cooperation.
“You will pay for this. We are agents of the Stag Lord. This is our territory and he will not let such insults pass.” Frodrick did not respond. He favoured them with a flat, unimpressed look and left them, effectively silenced.
Exploration & Mapping
10-15 Desnus
Hexes: E5, D4, C5 +75XP Each
In the morning the bandits' rope was tied to the back of the wagon to trail along behind as the party continued it's trek north along the Thorn river. Besides some grumbling and twisting against the ropes, the party suffered no mischief from their prisoners.
(11 Desnus)
In their exploration the Greenbelt party passed the bridge across the Thorn as landmarked on their map. The Thorn in this part ran narrow and deep between two hills, across which the bridge stretched.
Though the party was not travelling south and did not need to cross the old wooden bridge, it's obvious age would have made them hesitant to use it. While it was still traversable, it likely had not been maintained any time since the map was drawn, itself already a fairly old document. There was no way of knowing how much weight it could still bear.
(12 Desnus)
Early the next day the party followed the river north into the forest. Despite the precedent set by previous trips into the Narlmarches, the most action all day came in the dead of night (as it always seemed to) when a small gang of three elk passed by, the camp.
The remnants of the Thorn Ford bandit camp lay dejected and untouched by human hands since the day it was razed now more than two months ago.
15 Desnus
Moonradish Patch; C5
North Narlmarches
Over the next few days the pattern of mapping and exploration undisturbed by any threat greater than the bandits' complaints about their ropes rubbing their wrists raw and the woman's slow and painful recovery.
They left the river a couple days ago, travelling east of north back toward Oleg's as they explored the reaches of forest that they had first passed through getting to the bandit camp.
It was late midday when Frodrick heard a low, contented moan coming from a clearing to the right. Further investigation revealed an arrowhead-shaped patch of moonradishes, with four kobolds laying in the centre. They lay amidst a pair of buckets filled to the brim with radishes, as well as the remains of what radishes now filled the four reptilians.
One kobold, turning its head slightly from gazing vacantly at the forest canopy to gazing vacantly at some hallucination of a dwarf riding a horse, suddenly sucked in its breath, staring wide-eyed at the apparition.
With a slightly delayed reaction the kobold jumped to its feet, grabbing its spear. “Back! No take radishes! These kobold radishes.”
The other three kobolds soon descended from their food-coma stupor and similarly leapt up with their spears.
Frodrick 22/22 –
Jargon 19/19 –
Krii 16/16 –
Kyrie 21/21 –
Miguel 17/17 –
Zeran 19/19 – () 24 bullets
Posted on 2014-01-11 at 09:33:23.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: That didn't go so smoothly, but at least nobody got hurt... oh wait.
9 Desnus
Hex F5
Kamelands
Frodrick guided Jargon in the half-light up the hill. Jargon's hooves thudded against the grassy terrain as the bandits scrambled to get up.
It looked like their first plan had been to split up and flee in different directions. With the heavy plodding of Frodrick's mount on one side and Zeran's shouting on another, the end result was all three booked a flight in a single direction.
One of the three tripped over the dark terrain almost immediately. He fell hard into the dirt and rolled while the other two made their getaway.
Unbeknownst to them, Miguel and Krii waited in the darkness in exactly that direction, as Zeran directed. Krii waited until their mad-dash brought them within his range.
“Thirty feet, directly in front of us,” he told Miguel. The sorcerer fired a glittering purple-black ray from his palm, striking the man on the left, weakening him (-5Str Bandit B).
Things were already going very pear-shaped. Krii's timely warning gave him the opportunity to fix at least part of the situation. He sighed and muttered the notes to his spell, directing it into the darkness about where Krii had said. The area of the spell was wide enough that it would probably catch them if they were remotely where he aimed.
With a nigh-inaudible release of energy, the running footsteps disappeared and were replaced by a pair of solid thumps. Krii confirmed a moment later what Miguel suspected. “They're both down.”
Back at the top of the hill Zeran charged in after the fallen bandit, skillfully keeping his balance where the other man had fallen. He couldn't see exactly where the man was, but he heard the moan of pain and the scrambling.
He pointed the gun vaguely at the darkness and counted on the fact that the man couldn't see any better than he how far off he was. “Stay down if you value your life!”
There was a groan, a slump, and a muttered curse of admitted defeat.
Frodrick 22/22 –
Jargon 19/19 –
Krii 16/16 – Ability Damage: -4Dex (-2 AC, ranged, init, Ref, CMD), Mage Armour
Kyrie 21/21 – Ability Damage -1Dex (no penalty)
Miguel 17/17 –
Zeran 19/19 – () 24 bullets, 2G
BanditA: Dying
BanditB: Uninjured, Enfeebled (-5Str damage), Sleeping
BanditC: Flop
BanditD: Uninjured, Sleeping
Posted on 2014-01-09 at 08:47:05.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Even the best laid plans go awry... But that's not what's happening here
9 Desnus
Hex F5
Kamelands
At Frodrick's urging the party travelled, keeping to the dark places between hills, on the off chance the feeble moonlight caught a glint off their weapons or armour. The bandits were camped at the top of the hill like people who were either not concerned about being spotted or thought to take advantage of the higher terrain.
“Okay, we surround them and take them alive if they are willing.” Zeran reminded the group.
“How are we going to go about this?” Miguel asked.
“Don't worry, I've got a plan. On my mark, run in like the city watch raiding a cathouse—you'll know the signal.”
Zeran directed Kyrie and Frodrick to stand ready down the hill from the camp, so that they didn't alert the guard trying to sneak around in their armour. Krii and Miguel were to get as close as they could on the opposite side while Zeran took care of the sentry.
When he was sure everyone was in place, the former river pirate crawled up as close as he could without alerting anyone to his presense. To be most effective with his weapon he needed to close a certain distance.
Suddenly Zeran felt the tiny snap of a twig underfoot. The sentry stiffened, far too close for such a distinctive sound to be missed at this time of night.
“Seriously?” Zeran looked at the ground under his foot. He couldn't tell one way or another.
“Hey! Who goes there?” The bandit woman on guard was standing up, the others beginning to stir at the noise.
“Ah, screw it.” Zeran looked back to the woman, put on his best dirty watchman squint and fired. (-10dmg BanditA Dying) The guard dropped from the ball in her chest.
“That was the signal! We have you surrounded. Surrender now and we'll spare your lives!”
Frodrick 22/22 –
Jargon 19/19 –
Krii 16/16 – Ability Damage: -4Dex (-2 AC, ranged, init, Ref, CMD), Mage Armour
Kyrie 21/21 – Ability Damage -1Dex (no penalty)
Miguel 17/17 –
Zeran 19/19 – () 24 bullets, -2G instead of one
BanditA: Dying
BanditB: Oh
BanditC: Sonuva
BanditD: Crap
Posted on 2014-01-05 at 23:30:13.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: What goes around.
9 Desnus
Hex F5
Kamelands
The party left the Sootscale caverns the next day and followed the Shrike west to where their map indicated the Thorn river would join with it flowing south. They were only passing through for now—the planned route stuck to the northern side of the Thorn on the return.
(Night)
With a consistency that had yet to disappoint, that same night while Krii was on watch, the party's rest was disturbed once more in their travels. From his vantage point Krii saw in the dim light of the moon Krii saw smoke from another campfire. Searching carefully he saw the faint glimmer of fire at the top of another hill not far away.
Around the fire were a couple bandits, probably four counting the sleepers. It didn't seem like the troupe had noticed the campfire Frodrick built in the valley between the hills. Likely the two groups had set down their camps without noticing each other at this distance.
Silently Krii woke the rest of the party. This would be an excellent opportunity to return the favour of so many night time ambushes.
Frodrick 22/22 –
Jargon 19/19 –
Krii 16/16 – Ability Damage: -4Dex (-2 AC, ranged, init, Ref, CMD), Mage Armour
Kyrie 21/21 – Ability Damage -1Dex (no penalty)
Miguel 17/17 –
Zeran 19/19 – () 25 bullets
Posted on 2013-12-30 at 23:15:45.
Edited on 2013-12-30 at 23:16:22 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Diplomatic Relations. Kind of.
Sootscale scratched his chin absently. As he nodded, Frodrick got the impression that the kobold chieftan had either heard or suspected much of his answer already. “I see. Then it is fortunate indeed that we were able to come to a mutual agreement of peace. I can assure you that so long as the legacy of this day carries on, my people desire no conflict with the tallfolk.”
“Should your attempt at civilization succeed where others have failed, I look forward to dealing with you in the future. It is my hope that as the leaders of our fellows, we can come to an agreement for the benefit of both our peoples.”
(Welp, looks like I don't have much more to say on this, if the last three hours are any indication. Coming soon (probably): What do we do next? (Seriously, time to pick a course--back to Oleg's? More exploration in the hills?))
Posted on 2013-12-29 at 23:56:09.
Edited on 2013-12-29 at 23:57:06 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Hah, I figured out what to do next
8 Desnus
Kobold Caverns – Sootscale's Quarters
Kamelands
After the crowd dispersed to carry their messages and set about preparing for the celebrations, Sootscale said very little except to help coordinate the effort to catalogue and identify the magic left behind in Tartuk's hoarde. The majority of the trove was comprised of the Sootscale tribe's own treasury, plus whatever paltry spoils from the war.
After the task was finished and the due payment separated from the kobold treasury, Sootscale turned to the party. “Had your company not come along my warrior Mikmek in the hive of those infernal mites, I doubt very much my tribe would have survived another summer. You have the gratitude of the Sootscale tribe—I would like to invite you to stay and rest in our cavern for the evening as you recover from your battles with the mites and shaman.
“I know this is not the environment you are used to, and I fear our stores may be somewhat lacking, but many generations of my ancestors have lived in these tunnels, and I can guarantee its safety from fey, wildlife, and weather—at least now that Tartuk and the mites have perished.”
(If anyone comments that we must get on exploring, Sootscale will offer the services of his best scouts. Since it looks like more or less everyone agrees about celebrating with the kobolds, I'm going to assume one way or another these events transpire)
While the hunters and fishers went out to scrounge up food for the celebration, Sootscale's promised cartographer came to help sort out a map of the region—a small kobold with nubby horns recognised a beat later as none other than Poro, the kobold who had tried to rob them at the river three nights back. Her expertise was instrumental in getting the entire area surrounding the kobold's cavern accurately mapped (+25XP). For the rest of the day after that, she hung around with the party save for occasional absenses to perform some chore.
That evening the tribe's numbers had swollen to almost twenty kobolds, not including the children and those on long-ranging missions that took them far from the caves. It was paltry numbers compared to the tribe's former size and greatness, but the general cheer over their liberation made up for the lack of numbers.
During the festitivties, the party sat in a position of honour with Sootscale and Mikmek. The chief kept up conversation mostly in Taldane for the benefit of his guests, but addressed the assembly in Draconic when it came time to speak to the whole room. Mikmek offered his best (sometimes stilted) translation when these moments occured.
Toward the end of the meal, Sootscale addressed the members of the Greenbelt charter party.
“If I may, I desire to know what brings tallfolk such as yourselves into this region. Most tallfolk we see are either hunters or trappers or the bandits. Rarely there are travellers, even rarer ones as well armed as yourselves.”
Posted on 2013-12-29 at 09:33:17.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Just as I was closing my eyes last night... "What the hell are the kobolds doing?"
MINOR RET-CON
There was a breathless moment after the kobold shaman tumbled to the ground. A full second's pause, then the dozen-odd kobolds occupying the main passage to the cavern erupted in cheers, starting with those closest to the door with the ability to peer into the room from the tunnel.
The kobolds rushed into the room to gawk at Tartuk's body, none daring to get too close. After a moment chief Sootscale called for silence in Draconic and addressed his clan, then turned to the party to thank them for their help in the matter.
"My people have a lot of work to do in Tartuk's wake, but for now we will celebrate. I have ordered that word be sent to all our scouts in the region to abandon their wartime manoeuvres. We will prepare for a feast--though there is not much left in our stores at this time, this occasion must be marked."
The chieftan looked around the room as the kobolds poured out. "That shaman really made a mess my quarters..."
(Thereafter, under Sootscale's supervision, the loot division and gathering. Sootscale tells the party to take all of Tartuk's equipment and everything in the leather bag stolen from the mites. If Krii mentions the secret tunnel to Sootscale, the kobold already knows, since this room was his former quarters.)
Posted on 2013-12-27 at 18:52:51.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Do kobolds even metabolize alcohol the same way mammals do? XD
Krii sped off chasing the raven—what did it know that it wasn't telling? He found behind the decorative frame down the supposedly dead-end passage a longer tunnel. He only barely caught a glimpse of tail feathers as he pulled the canvas back—but the trip proved interesting anyway. The long tunnel led a couple dozen yards to a well-concealed secret entrance to the caverns, a couple hundred feet distant from the main entrance.
Meanwhile Miguel turned his magic to identifying features of the room. While the floating items did not of themselves appear to be magical, whatever force was keeping them elevated was emanating a faint aura of conjuration.
Tartuk had on his body several magical auras, not including the dim aura from the fading shield spell.
Zeran found a small journal on the shaman's body and was about to flip it open when Miguel suddenly jumped at him—he had just detected a faint aura coming off the book. When powerful mages were concerned, even the mildest of auras left around supposedly mundane objects were rightly cause for suspicion. Fortunately all it turned out to be was a scroll of flight tucked into the back cover.
While Miguel catalogued the rest of the magic that he could identify—with Frodrick being sure to separate rightful spoils from the kobolds' own treasure, and Sootscale watching interestedly—Zeran proceeded to read the journal aloud, also written in Undercommon, though with a much finer hand than any he had found in the mite's lair.
Hoping perhaps for a little insight into the purple kobold's strange life and maybe some entertainment, Zeran quickly found matters even stranger than he had imagined.
Tartuk was not a kobold.
Devoid of coherent organization, the journal was mostly filled with the ramblings of a very angry creature, beginning with a curse toward the villagers who made him the way he is now. It takes a while to sort the details from the hate-fuelled ranting, but eventually quite an unusual tale begins to unfold.
The narrative vaguely begins with an account of his death, crushed by ogres before he could finish offering his help in raiding the village in exchange for his life. It isn't until the third page that Tartuk's original race comes up in the middle of a long lament about the illustriousness of hier former purple hair—he was a gnome.
Apparently the villagers, misinterpreting his actions as a heroic sacrifice that bought the village time to drive off the ogres, chose to have him restored to life with a scroll of reincarnate that had sat in the village treasury for years.
Brought back to life in the body of none other than the most hated of monsters (according to the journal's description), a kobold, the following passages detail how, enraged, he ended up among a tribe of kobolds which he manipulated into going to war with his old village.
Tartuk describes his delight that both sides in the conflict eventually destroyed each other in a dramatic battle. Since then Tartuk has drifted through several of the River Kingdoms, periodically murdering gnomes and insinuating himself into kobold tribes and manipulating them into hopeless wars.
The most recent pages describe with glee Tartuk's contempt for the Sootscale kobolds, and how easily he convinced them he was a messianic figure come to save them from a terrible curse—engineered through castings of prestidigitation to turn the scales of deceased kobolds yellow—and lead them in the worship of the false god of the idol.
The back page, where the scroll of fly was found tucked, indicate Tartuk's plans to use the scroll when he finally tires of life to fly upward as high as he can over the spell's five minute duration, leaving him well out of the spell's safety net for the spell's expiration, including scrawled calculations estimating a height of nearly 2,000 feet.
On that light note, Sootscale suggests that the party take the entire contents of the sack looted from the mites, containing not only a plain brass wedding ring set with a pearl (matching the Leveton's description), but several hundred coins and a dose of magical powder of unknown properties.
(Loot from Tartuk's person and the soiled leather bag detailed on Q&A. For further development of plans to celebrate the Sootscale clan's newfound religious independance—with or without accompanying booze—see Skype discussion and I'll get to it as I can)
Posted on 2013-12-27 at 08:55:55.
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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: Tartuk Loot
Loot
-Wand
-Small mwk Cold Iron Sickle
-Bracers
-Journal (+Scroll)
-Soiled Leather Bag
---(containing: plain bronze ring w/ pearl, pouch of dust, 321 silver, 249 gold, 13 platinum ~412.1G)
Not among the loot, but scattered in the treasure pile for you to beg an extra bargain from, if you dare:
-A lot of quartz/mica crystals, bits of metal, shiny useless junk
-Unusual Bolts x7
-Fine Boots
-If anybody cares/dares to pull down from it's floating position, the mwk Light Metal Shield
Miguel uses Detect Magic and through a combination of Knowledge (arcane) and Spellcraft identifies the following magical items out of the loot
-Wand of Magic Missile CL 3 (27 charges) – Faint Evocation
-Bracers – Moderate Aura ???
-Scroll of Fly CL 5 (in journal) – Faint Transmuation
-Dust – Moderate Aura ???
(Non-Loot Magic)
-Shield (unless removed from spell effect suspending the other items, in which case it has no aura)
-Flaming Bolts +1 – Moderate Evocation
-Boots of Elvenkind – Faint Transmutation
Examining the bracers—they're green, leather, and etched with small runes. Examining the pouch of dust, it's a chalky white powder, but as you look at it, whether a trick of refraction, it changes colour.
Posted on 2013-12-27 at 07:44:21.
Edited on 2013-12-27 at 07:47:24 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: I was hoping to get off one or two more shenanigans, but the shaman's hp couldn't cut it
8 Desnus
Kobold Caverns – Sootscale's Quarters
Kamelands
Krii looked at the floating armour/shield/sword combination in front of him. He'd been watching, it hadn't attacked anyone yet. At worst, it was being a nuissance to his ability to aim, but it wasn't acting up as a serious threat. Squinting between the floating objects, Krii took aim and fired a bolt of electricity between the shield and armour, managing to strike Tartuk and make him twitch like a puppet in Frodrick's hands (-3elec Tartuk).
Kyrie slipped the wand she had taken from Tartuk in her belt while Frodrick kept him distracted. She channelled life back into her beaten and scraped body again, this time with better effect (+6dmg Kyrie). Feeling refreshed, Kyrie swung her shovel, clobbering Tartuk in the head with a bare glancing blow (-4dmg Tartuk Bloodied).
Whether it was the fatigue or the blunt force trauma, Tartuk grumbled, “Gods damn, woman, what is with and that shovel?”
Miguel saw Frodrick was about to bolt any second now, as soon as the dwarf could get his legs under him to start moving. He knew Frodrick was caught in the grips of a the same kind of fear spell he had just thrown off—that was not a fate he wished on anybody.
“Frodrick. Look at me.” He demanded. The knight registered his name, but his gaze was unfocused, not paying attention. His grip on Tartuk's shoulder was loosening.
Without bothering to refine his approach, Miguel unleashed a primal bellow at the dwarf that reverberated throughout the small chambers and all through the cavern, magically reinforced like all the bard's arcane music.
Frodrick suddenly snapped to attention, regaining his hold on the kobold shaman. Tartuk saw the focus return to Frodrick's eyes. “Aw, sonova—”
In a flash of blackpowder, Zeran cut off the rest of Tartuk's sentence. Fine misty spray of blood spattered Frodrick's gauntlet as a tight hole opened up in the shaman's chest (-21dmg *crit* Tartuk). Tartuk gasped in pain, unable to hold air in his lungs. “Well it's. About. Time.” Tartuk dropped limp, dead almost instantly from the rapid loss of heart blood (Dead).
Frodrick 19/22 – Ability Damage: -1Str, -1Con (no damage), Frightened (END)
Krii 15/16 – Ability Damage: -5Dex (-2 AC, ranged, init, Ref, CMD), Mage Armour
Kyrie 11/21 – Ability Damage -2Dex (-1 AC, ranged, init, Ref, CMD)
Miguel 15/17 – Rallying Cry 19 (1)
Zeran 19/19 (1) – () 25 bullets
Tartuk: Dead
Tickbiter: Uninjured
Detritus Devil?: ??? (for Added Alliterative Appeal)
As their master fell the raven flinched for half a second in the air. "Screw this, I'm out of here." The mangy raven turned wing and zipped speedily just over the heads of the party, passing Kyrie on the way down the dead-end corridor. Evidently it knew something the rest didn't, because it flew straight for where the rickety frame closed off the passage and disappeared behind the banner.
For its part, the hovering tatterdemalion didn't seem particularly perturbed by the death of its master. In fact, over the next few moments, it didn't seem to do particularly anything at all.
(If anyone wants to AoO the familiar on its way out, heads up, it has mobility and natural armour and probably more AC than anyone else in this room. Those curious about the floating bits of equipment can examine it further but the pieces do not move other than to float on the spot.)
Posted on 2013-12-27 at 04:20:37.
Edited on 2013-12-27 at 10:00:57 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: This battle is turning out much more entertaining than I'd expected at first.
8 Desnus
Kobold Caverns – Tartuk's Quarters
Kamelands
Krii, now properly protected with his own magic, followed the rest into the room, stopping next to Zeran (without getting too close to whatever situation he was having with that bird there...). Krii charged his fingers with sorcererous energy and fired an arc of electricity at Tartuk, but his aim was still suffering from the effects of the poison—his aim was unsteady and the effort of not accidentally shooting Frodrick was throwing him off. The bolt struck the banner, blackening a small burnt patch on it.
Meanwhile, Kyrie kept the pressure on. The shaman's attacks were beginning to wear her down, but she could handle more than that. She channeled energy into her body with a thought as she lunged at Tartuk (+3dmg Kyrie). Instead of attacking him, she tried to disarm him of his magical tools. While she was focused on one hand, though, Tartuk took advantage with his other—he cut with his sickle, this time a more serious, bloody wound across her abdomen (-7dmg Kyrie 5/21), while Kyrie felt the sensation of nails being dragged across a chalkboad echoed in mind.
Forcing herself to push through the pain, Kyrie did not waver as she struck down the wand out of Tartuk's other hand, then quickly stooped to pick it up before he could retrieve it. (Kyrie technically unarmed at the moment)
Miguel looked to the floating bits of rubbish next to him (well, okay, that shield was pretty high-quality, but the rest was broken). He didn't know what it was on sight, but if it was some kind of magical creation or summoning by Tartuk, he did know one easy way to be rid of it—he stepped up next to Kyrie and Frodrick and threw his sword into the matter. Miguel cut a clean sweep at Tartuk as his wand—and shield—arm was indisposed, forcing the shaman to stumble back, suffering a mild cut across his purple chest (-9dmg Tartuk Battered).
With the bird harassing him and being a general nuissance, Zeran was forced to retreat some ground so he could reload his weapon in peace, quickly stuffing another charge of powder into the barrel of his pistol.
Then while Kyrie disarmed Tartuk's magic and Miguel lunged at him, Frodrick loosened the shield on his arm, throwing it over his shoulder. Keeping his axe in his other hand, just in case, Frodrick threw himself into Tartuk's personal space, grabbing the shaman by the shoulder.
“What's the matter old man?” Tartuk spat in surprise, “did your wife kick you out last night? Or do you just have a thing for scales?”
Frodrick 19/22 – Ability Damage: -1Str, -1Con (no damage), Grappler
Krii 15/16 – Ability Damage: -5Dex (-2 AC, ranged, init, Ref, CMD), Mage Armour
Kyrie 5/21 – Ability Damage -2Dex (-1 AC, ranged, init, Ref, CMD), Bastion of Good
Miguel 15/17 – Bastion
Zeran 19/19 (1) – (loaded) 26 bullets
Tartuk: Battered, Shield (3?), Bastion Target, Grappled
Tickbiter: Uninjured
Tatterdemalion?: ???
The shaman wriggled in Frodrick's grip, his free arm clawing at the dirt behind him. “You look like a dwarf who's seen a lot,” he grunted. “Let me show you fear in a handful of dust.” Tartuk threw the dust at Frodrick's face, squawking out a spell.
... Suddenly Frodrick's mind blanked. He was no longer in the kobold warren, but on the battlefield, goblin and dwarf bodies laying all around him, those ungodly rats the gobbos called 'dogs' running amok. In his hands was a young dwarf, far too young to be in all this fighting, he thought. It was his son (did he really have a son? He couldn't remember, it didn't matter), except before his eyes the body's skin turned green and warped, until it was a grinning, bearded goblin in his hands...
Terror filled Frodrick's mind, clinging to Tartuk, shaking (Frodrick Frightened).
Meanwhile toward the entrance, Tartuk's infernal raven continued to harry Zeran, chasing after him with that wicked beak of its (-1sub Zeran), with a congregation of awestruck kobolds, too scared to come closer but too fascinated to stay away, watched from further down the tunnel.
Almost entirely forgotten, the construct of floating detritus moved to stand between Tartuk (and Frodrick) and the only exit to the room, making for an annoying barrier to Zeran and Krii's ranged attacks.
(On Frodrick's turn, unless something changes by then, he will have no choice but to escape Tartuk as best he can, by fleeing to the opposite side of the room.)
Posted on 2013-12-26 at 22:34:25.
Edited on 2013-12-26 at 22:35:03 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Tartuk steps up to the plate
8 Desnus
Kobold Caverns – Tartuk's Quarters
Kamelands
Tartuk reacted almost immediately. He threw his raven at the party in the door. The scruffy black bird flew at Kyrie's face, pecking her and flapping around her head (-1sub Kyrie). While he had them distracted, he called up his magic and cast a spell at Miguel. The bard was filled with an intense fear for a moment, before throwing it off, nerves still on edge from the attack (Miguel Shaken).
The strange purple kobold drew a sickle from his belt and stepped back, reaching his free arm out to the right. A wand flew from the table in the corner to his outstretched arm, where he plucked it from the air. “It's about time. Do your worst.”
Kyrie took this sentiment to heart. She did not need her sight to make her judgement. The paladin called upon her power, marking Tartuk against her protection.
She ignored the raven flapping around her head, trying to duck as she ran past. It pecked her once more for her troubles, drawing some blood (-1sub Kyrie). She ignored the pain and drew the kobold's attention to her as she strafed around him.
Tartuk took the bait perhaps too well. He slashed at Kyrie's exposed flank as she ran past. She twisted to avoid most of the attack, but when the sickle blade scraped her flesh, the pain set her teeth on edge unlike any normal strike (-5dmg Kyrie).
She grit her teeth and swung her shovel in repayment. Tartuk brought up his wand-hand to block the blow, catching the shovel against a semi-visible disk of force. Spell-shield or no, Tartuk could not block the whole force of the strike, and Kyrie drove him into the wall, pinning him between his own shield for a second.
While he was distracted, Miguel took the opportunity to move into a flanking position across from Kyrie. He slashed at the shaman, but Tartuk blocked the blow with the shield of force and a contemptuous look for the far taller creatures closing in on it. “Come on, gods damn it, I've eaten calves with more fight in them!”
|Zeran saw this as the perfect opportunity. “Eat this, then!” He pulled the trigger on his pistol and sent a lead ball just over Tartuk's head, putting a small hole in the painted covering behind him. Curses. That one-liner would have sounded a lot more dramatic if he'd hit.
With Miguel and Kyrie on either side, Tartuk was pressured to avoid attacks from two directions at once. Only Zeran's direction held no threat as the gunslinger worked quickly to reload—but even from that angle, Tartuk was faced by an aged dwarf barrelling toward him.
Frodrick 19/22 – Ability Damage: -1Str, -1Con (no damage)
Krii 15/16 – Ability Damage: -5Dex (-2 AC, ranged, init, Ref, CMD), Mage Armour
Kyrie 13/21 (2) – Ability Damage -2Dex (-1 AC, ranged, init, Ref, CMD), Bastion of Good
Miguel 17/17 – Shaken (1), Bastion
Zeran 19/19 – () 26 bullets
Tartuk: Barely Injured, Shield (2?), Bastion Target,
Tickbiter: Uninjured
With an imperious scowl at those surrounding him, Tartuk held his wand up and commanded a pair of shimmering bolts of energy, one at Kyrie the other at Miguel, striking with sudden and unerring force (-4dmg Kyrie (9/13)) (-2dmg Miguel).
The bolt struck Miguel at a fraction of the force it should have had. The shaman turned to Kyrie, to the almost imperceptible protective nimbus radiating from the paladin. “Your magic protects those around you, but not you. Clever. Foolish.”
Tartuk stepped past Kyrie and Frodrick, away from Miguel, toward the heap of junk in the right alcove of the cavern. “Fortunately, I am not without my own minions.” From the mismatched pile of 'treasures' behind Tartuk rose a shield, a tattered leather cuirass, and most of a broken sword. With ethereal ease it floated around to hover, flanking Frodrick with the shaman.
Meanwhile the hideous raven moved on from Kyrie to harass Zeran, unable to fight back while he reloaded. The gunslinger ducked as best he could, but couldn't avoid the flapping featherbrain (-1sub Zeran)
(I swear, my word processing program is going to have a fit sooner or later with how often the combination 'Miguel and Kyrie' comes up in sentence.)
Posted on 2013-12-26 at 09:32:38.
Edited on 2013-12-26 at 20:39:45 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: In case anyone was wondering, a purple kobold is not considered standard colouration.
8 Desnus
Kobold Caverns - Common Room/Tartuk's Quarters
Kamelands
Chief Sootscale barely tore his eyes from the bloodstained ivory statuette to listen to Frodrick's terms.
“I'm afraid I cannot do that for you. As much as it pains me to admit, the curse over my tribe has deprived me of many things—including the wealth of the tribe. I do not know the ring you speak of, but if it is among my tribe's treasures, it is most certainly in the possession of our shaman, Tartuk. If I could, I would most certainly accept your bargain.”
Frodrick nodded. "It is good to see some folks are willing to be civilized in these here wild parts. Now onto other business. We heard that there is a certain individual who has seemingly usurped your role. Also heard he is threatening all 'o you with some death curse if you dont serve a deity. We be willing to help you with this case, but again: we ain't in a giving mood - we will expect some compenation." (etc...)
The kobold chieftan seemed to bristle slightly at the suggestion that his people might be labeled an inconvenience to be dealt with. Nevertheless, he knew the value of the deal he was making, and perhaps more importantly, was realistic about the weakened state of his tribe.
“Tartuk has driven my tribe into the ground in supplication to his god.” Sootscale threw a baleful look at the statue in Kyrie's hands. “It is under his direction my people attack all outsiders coming to the hills, and at his command that we have been fighting a losing war with the mites to the north.”
Sootscale's eyes flicked between Frodrick, the party, and his subjects gathered. Frodrick detected at least a measure of calculated cunning in those eyes. Even more, he saw the kobold chieftan's desperation.
“I care for nothing more than to see my people survive to prosper, free from Tartuk's curse. Give me the statue of the god and I will personally lead you to my shaman's quarters. If this ring you desire is among his loot, you may consider it yours.”
Kyrie looked to Frodrick. The dwarf approved of this deal—it was not quite the same shape as they had planned, but it involved nothing they didn't expect to come of it anyway.
Kyrie approached Sootscale's pile of furs with the statue, and the chief descended to meet her. As she handed Old Sharptooth to him, she informed him what they had found about the statue's special properties—or lack thereof.
Sootscale looked at the carved lump of ivory, bewildered. “How... I... I've seen the bodies of the cursed myself! That damned purple shaman... he told us of the power of the statue... he showed us what happened when his god was displeased. It was all a trick.” The kobold's voice was dangerously soft. His claws trembled in anger, tightening around the statuette.
The strength seemed to go from the chieftan's body. “Then there is nothing to fear.”
This melancholy did not last long. Just as quickly the kobold suddenly lifted the statue above his head, shrieking in triumph, and then smashed it against the ground.
“My brothers and sisters, we have been tricked!” He repeated this sentence in Draconic, with further yapping that the party did not comprehend. When he was finished, he marched out beyond the ring of skulls around his throne to a chorus of nearly a dozen cheers.
“Come, we go to kill the usurper.”
Striding purposefully with new vigour and confidence, Chief Sootscale led the party out a passage connecting with the tunnel they'd avoided earlier. He followed the curve around to another room at the end of the hall.
Inside the cavern the walls were decorated with a rickety wooden frame strewn with banners covered in dozens of sloppily primitive icons and mystic symbols, clearly intending to project an air of power and mystery. At a cauldron in the centre of the room, with his back to the door, claws folded behind him was a purple kobold, with a massive raven, wings spread wide, perched on his back.
As he heard them approach, the kobold spoke, all smugness and contempt as he turned to face the door. “My dear Sootscale, I thought we had put an end to your little—”
Tartuk turned to face the door, raven's wings framing his head in an impressive display of power and prestige. The moment he saw the tallfolk flanking the chieftan, he dropped all-knowing act like a particularly poisonous insect.
“What the f—”
“Death to the usurper!” Chief Sootscale cheered.
Frodrick 19/22 – Ability Damage: -1Str, -1Con (no damage)
Krii 15/16 – Ability Damage: -5Dex (-2 AC, ranged attack, init, Ref, CMD)
Kyrie 18/21 – Ability Damage -2Dex (-1 AC, ranged, init, Ref, CMD)
Miguel 17/17 –
Zeran 19/19 – () 27 bullets
(It's cramped as hell in this room, by the way, but see below for a map of Tartuk's Quarters. Tartuk is first initiative, followed by Krii, Kyrie, Miguel, Zeran, and then Frodrick.)
Map of Tartuk's Quarters ~here~
Posted on 2013-12-24 at 08:23:04.
Edited on 2013-12-24 at 08:23:51 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Krii's got a back up plan, just in case. You may begin interactions/negotiations
8 Desnus
Kobold Caverns; Hex F6
Kamelands
Mikmek led the party purposefully down river to a hillock, standing isolated from the other hills not far from the river's edge. Before proceeding further, the small kobold insisted on keeping the statuette hidden until they were in Sootscale's presense. He also insisted on entering unarmed, to avoid alarming or provoking anybody.
Mikmek took the party to an outcropping where the weather had worn away the face of the hill to bedrock. Several large boulders stood at the base of the hill, obscuring but not completely hiding a narrow opening in the rock. As the party grew closer to the entrance, somebody spotted a ancient sign laying fallen against the rock, a few faded words still visible: “Oaktop Silver Mine.”
With a sharp yelp, a kobold guard leaped out from behind one of the large boulders by the entance. He looked surprised from Mikmek to the tallfolk to Mikmek, then the two began a rapid exchange of yapping sounds in their language. There was much gesturing and glancing back at the tallfolk, followed by a moment of intense, hushed whispering, before Mikmek invited the party to approach.
Just beside the entrance, resting on a small, flat rock, there was a cage of sticks and branches, and contained within a single, sobbing mite, whimpering and squinting its large eyes against the sunlight. The other kobold disappeared into the black opening in the hill and Mikmek bid the party follow him. (Those wishing to pause/comment on the mite may use the tag (Caged Mite))
Inside, Mikmek stopped the tallfolk while the other kobold disappeared into a small alcove just to the right, taking the key hanging around his neck. “Nakpik disarm traps. Wait moment.” The party noticed that, while the roof was lower than some of the members might have liked, the tunnel was much more spacious than in the mite warren, and with far better construction.
After just a second, Nakpik returned and Mikmek continued to lead further down the dimly lit tunnel, with Nakpik joining the party from behind. As they passed from the entrance Frodrick recognised at least one carefully disguised spot on the cavern floor obviously designed to collapse under pressure—and would have, if not for whatever finagling Nakpik had done before. Miguel himself noticed another such spot.
Further down, as the tunnel started to curve to the left it narrowed down, with two tunnel openings. Though the one of the left was slightly wider, even the kobolds could only walk single-file, while the tallfolk were forced to squeeze through the tight area. While crossing through the narrow straits, two spear-wielding kobolds appeared as if from nowhere, one in front and one behind.
Mikmek quickly and quietly filled them in with, again, several glances back at the party. Finally, after several seconds of chatter, the guards formed up in the front and back as if creating an honour-guard for the party.
The tunnel curved to the left some thirty feet before a passage opened on the left, with the main passage continuing on. The lead guard listened ahead by the main passage, then stopped Mikmek. She said something to him in Draconic, and pointed to the left passage.
“Must go through temple. Not risk noise,” Mikmek translated for the party's benefit.
The 'temple', if it could be called that, was a fair-sized room in the cave. The walls were covered in charcoal-and-blood depictions of a red and black reptilian devil with prominent teeth. In the middle of the room were two low stone tables, one of which was coverend in dried blood.
As they passed through, Nakpik stared guiltily at the bloodied table, but none of the kobolds dared even open their beaks in the profaned space. The opposite side of the room, though, opened into a larger room, well-lit by a couple small firepits.
The room was warm and the air thick with a reptilian smell mixed with smoke and burnt meat. The sudden warmth made the party realize the chill that had crept into their spines crossing through the temple.
The floor of the room was strewn with many beds of furs, with a larger pile of furs stacked in one side of the room, framed by dozens of sticks topped with ash-smeared bird and other small animal skulls. Atop the pile of furs sat a single kobold, while another half dozen kobolds sat around the cookfires in the room.
The kobold seated on the pile of furs, evidently Chief Sootscale, rested his head on his chin, obviously worried. The entrance of the tallfolk into their midst, led by Mikmek, drew every eye in the room. Sootscale leaped to his feet, mouth gaping open.
Mikmek ran for the base of the fur pile, squawking something. Sootscale said nothing as he listened to Mikmek's speech, only furrowing his brow with concentration and concern. After he had heard the full story, the kobold chieftan turned to the party, fixing them with an intense stare.
“Do you truly have it, then? You have brought it with you? Show me.” His Taldane was almost flawless, if slightly accented.
Kyrie went into her backpack and drew out the small statuette. Sootscale's eyes lit up with a mixture of apprehension and excitement. He reached out one clawed hand. “Give it to me. Give me the statue.”
Frodrick 19/22 – Ability Damage: -1Str, -1Con (no damage)
Jargon 19/19 –
Krii 15/16 – Ability Damage: -5Dex (-2 AC, ranged attack, init, Ref, CMD)
Kyrie 18/21 – Ability Damage -2Dex (-1 AC, ranged, init, Ref, CMD)
Miguel 17/17 –
Zeran 19/19 – () 27 bullets
Mikmek: 4/4 –
()
Posted on 2013-12-23 at 22:33:45.
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