This is not your grave

[sageaqua]

How many hit points does everyone have?

[at]

Oct 11, 2012 14:48:28 GMT -5 sageaqua said:

How many hit points does everyone have?

Character status is kept up to date in this thread:
kmansadventures.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=char&action=display&thread=8730

[sageaqua]

Ka'lion is currently in favor of a few days to heal - and then heading in at dawn when it's coldest and most of the lizard men would be a sleep.

[masterfrog]

Darrian memorizes these spells for the day, unless somebody has better suggestions. You can see his spell list on the Characters thread.

o Acid Splash
o Light
o Mage Hand
o Ray of Frost
o Read Magic
o Grease
o Mage Armor
oo Summon Monster I

While preparing for the day the next morning, Darrian decides to start a dialogue with Vadania and Aelos.

"I say, elf, Vadania is it, we were never properly introduced. And neither were we, cleric. How improper of me. My name is Darrian, master dwarf of a clan far from here. It is good I happened to run into you, as I had been given a string of misfortune during my travels. Might you catch me up on what it is you are aiming to do here in the valley? I am happy to help you, should you need aid. Perhaps once your goals are tended to, I might get a bit of help in return, if you are willing and interested, of course..."

Darrian intentionally leaves our the name of his clan, ashamed of his past there, but he is sincere in his words, hoping to gain allies and to learn of their plight.

[namklim]

I'm going to keep the same spell choices as on my character page, though I believe I had 1 first level spell still avaliable to cast before resting, which I would like to spontaneous CLW on Ka'lion [dice=08]+4 (BUT only if it is both safe to do so).

"Well met dwarf. My name is Aelos, cleric of Pelor. I am searching for what I had hoped to be caged, but I fear may have been freed. In the meantime however, we have come across something else, a wizard engaged in some rather unsavory practices. We desire to stop him."[rand=70021444837898054713199778628215498414065813889767516760401421089]

[sageaqua]

Ka'lion saddles his mule and returns to the rest of the group at first light. "Well we should figure out how we are going to get in and when we are going to try. Vadania as our parties leader you do need to keep our straights and weaknesses in mind. We Haman's can't see in the dark, and from what I've seen neither can you. Darrian can see in the dark but I don't know how far but he's very slow. Darrian you may ride Gray Horse, my mule. It should help you keep up with us. But what that tells me is we need to use the lizard folks weakness against them as will. Lizards are sluggish in the cold. But they can swim better then we can and they are stronger then any of us. That tells me at just before first light is when we need to try to cross the valley or we need to enter at the shortest side to the crypt also at first light.
Now, are we here to check on the demon's seals or are we looking for the wizard that tried to kill the village. We where hired to check on the seals but what are we going to do if they are broken? I don't know the first thing about fighting demons. Do any of you? Now my current weakness is I'm hurt, but we should use my weakness to our advantage and take the day to circle the valley to get as close to the crypt as we can. But we should also have a plain for getting out and if we get separated a plain for regrouping.

[at]

Madaline moves to speak but is interrupted as a crack of thunder echoes across the sky, accompanied once again by an Earthquake. The cracked walls of the hold firm but the place seems less inviting that it did only moments before.

[sageaqua]

"The sky and earth are upset again. I'm just glade they are not mad at us. Madaline, I know you want to go after the wizard and so do I. But that is only because I know how to fight men. I hope demons burn because I don't have anything else that I know will work." says Ka'lion

[harknail]

Vadania also kept the same spells as the day before, it was a good mix of spells. She'll cast Goodberry as soon as she can find some berries.

After vacating the old dwarven tower, Vadania introduces herself. "I'm Vadania, and this is my friend Ylva <pats the wolf>. I've lived in the wilds all my life, so I don't have much experience with people or towns."

She goes on to explain their mission, "A terrible demon now known as Ansitif was sealed into one of the many crypts build to house its victims. We were hired to escort a wizard to check the crypts to see if the old seals had been disturbed. On our way to the first of the crypts, we found a wizard, who had slain everyone in town, except for Madaline. He escaped, and was heading towards another of the crypts on the list to check. So Belomme sent us off to check to see if that crypt had been opened, the one in the valley we just left."

She continues, "As for what to do next, trying to enter by day would be folly." She looks a Ka'lion as she adds, "Especially now that they know someone is nearby. We can use the day to heal and move into position. As for the idea of circling the valley, let me think about that."

Vadania thinks back to when she was studying the opposite side of the valley. She tried to decide if the far side was climbable (assuming they left the mule behind). That could avoid having to cross the valley floor itself.

[at]

Oct 14, 2012 20:05:35 GMT -5 harknail said:

Vadania thinks back to when she was studying the opposite side of the valley. She tried to decide if the far side was climbable (assuming they left the mule behind). That could avoid having to cross the valley floor itself.

Without the mule the group has enough rope to climb down anywhere, even above the entrance itself.

[sageaqua]

"They where already looking for someone and you know it. All I did was choose where they where looking. You do remember the lizard folk tracking us don't you. But no matter, if you leave your wolf to guard Gray horse I can leave the mule at the top of the valley tied to her saddle and she can pull us back up if we need a fast get away. Besides we'd need to tie a rope to your wolf to get him down or back up so his howling wont give us away either." said Ka'lion

Point of fact wolves are never completely silent they hunt by circling the pray and howl to manipulate a wolves game into an ambush. As a child - when I lived in the mountains - I was hunted twice by wolves. I survived because I climb trees and I would wait until new game would draw them off after it. I latter worked at the Folsom zoo building the 1/2 wolves new habit. I know a lot more about wolves then you do. No amount of orders would have any effect on that. Where the GM has so fare let the wolf be silent your wolf is a wild animal and if your character was killed your wolf will be a danger to the rest of us.

Wolves are not dogs or anything like them. They just look like them but they are always hunters first and loyal to their mates for life. I bet you didn't even know that much about wolves and I've known that since I was 5.)

[at]

(OK - so decision time, what does the party want to do ?)

[harknail]

Vadania, "Distraction can be a fine thing, when it's needed. But it puts the lizard men on high alert, which makes them more likely to notice us after that initial moment of distraction. Calling their attention to where we are is just idiotic."

Vadania prepares to criticize Ka'lion's suggested plan, but stops when she doesn't see any obvious faults with it. She pauses and considers carefully before concluding that Ka'lion actually has a good idea. Or at least close enough to work with.

"I agree that we need to circle the valley and come down from the other side. They did have scouts there, so we'll need to be careful. I'm not so sure about tying the rope to your mule and leaving it free to wander. It might wander off and take the rope with it. But you're right, we'll need to leave Ylva at the top as well. Though not because she howls."

Vadania is Ylva's pack leader. Ylva has been raised from a pup to use tactics a bit different than normal. Not that she never howls, but unlike most wolves she knows when to stay quiet. And this is fiction, not reality.

[sageaqua]

Do you know how a wolves pack leader is chosen?They kill the pack leader when they want to assume leadership. If they fell they are driven from the pack forever. Which is why lone wolves exist. I hate it but it's true - I have always wished for a raccoon as a personal pet - even mixed blood wolves are still wild and the rest of us are not your wolves master and he will either leave or turn on us if your character dies.

[harknail]

Not being a nature buff myself, I'm mostly going with how the PHB describes the relationship between Druid and animal companion. And yes, if Vadania falls, Ylva will no longer help you.

[at]

"Everyone hush, it's tha pygmies!" Madalines words draw everyones attention as she peers out to the north.

The pygmies, often called by a number of less pleasant names, were the descendants of short-statured tribals brought by sea from a distant land several centuries ago. They escaped shortly afterwards - scholars have since noted that aggressive, irrational cannibals rarely make good slaves.

As with the lizardmen it is odd to see them this far east, perhaps the lizardmen were hunting them, perhaps the reverse. Whatever the case a dozen pointy-toothed pygmies are slowly jogging straight towards you - perhaps seeking shelter in the tower.

[sageaqua]

"Time to run I think. Darrian, would you like a little help getting on Gray Horse? I don't want to be someones breakfast." said Ka'lion

[at]

Oct 17, 2012 3:12:12 GMT -5 sageaqua said:

"Time to run I think. Darrian, would you like a little help getting on Gray Horse? I don't want to be someones breakfast." said Ka'lion

Darrian peers up over the crumbling tower wall to see these 'pygmies'. Barely 4 feet tall, if that, carrying primitive weapons and scraps that might pass for armour.

He wondered what they might have done to have such a fearsome reputation that a well armoured group in a fortified location would flee at the sight of them.

[sageaqua]

Ka'lion doesn't wear armor, when he does it slows him down.

[harknail]

Are we still in the remains of the tower? I thought we left after the earthquake. That changes what Vadania does.