Re: Adventure #2 - The Shadow Man

[macksgarageusa]

O.o.C.: this is serious, too much trouble to post from phone. Will post as soon as I get home.

GM Edit: OOC: Np.

Maius spots the enemy too late to warn Elodie. He quickly begins alerting his allies to the creatures location, he uses his direction to assist them with their own attacks. He moves in closer and pulls the sap from his pack.

Standard: Start Bardic Performance- Inspire Courage +1
Move: To R18, and draw Sap

O.o.C.: ALL allies able to hear Maius are +1 to Attack AND Damage rolls (Competence bonus) while Bardic Performance is active, also +1 to Saving Throws against Charm and Fear (Morale bonus).

If necessary:
Next round:
Maius continues with his battlefield narrative aiding his allies with his clever words. He makes an attempt to attack the monster with the weapon in his hand.

Free: Continue Bardic Performance- Inspire Courage +1
Standard: Attack monster at Q19
Move: If necessary?

Attack: d20+5= 8 (pfft!)

[Glitz]

If the squid pulls Elodie free, Elodie will struggle to her feet and then wrap her hands around her wounded thigh, gritting her teeth as she attempts to heal some of her injuries.

Cast Cure Light Wounds, 8 + 3 = 11 hp.

If the squid doesn't manage to pry Elodie away from the underwater creature, Elodie will stay put and heal herself from within the grasp of the vicious beast, fearing that attempting to get away would be futile.

Cast Cure Light Wounds, 8 + 3 = 11 hp.

[Malazek]

R & R - ROUND 1

Init 22
Rushing forward, Jeremiah springs into action ...

Init 21
... burying both of his axes in the creature's neck. The monster's cold reptilian blood spills out into the murky water around it. The creature thrashes back and forth, clearly panicked and in pain.

- Readied action goes off. Jeremiah's Init is now 21.
- Miss Chance: 80 (Still hit)

Calling upon a tenuous pact with the ancient lord of the primordial sea, Talmut conjures an unearthly squid to do his bidding. Compelled to obey, the squid assaults the thrashing beast with its many tentacles and pulling Elodie free of the monster's grasp. With a brief jet of inky wash, it rushes her back to Maius's side.

Meanwhile, Maius steps forward to block the creature's advance, drawing his sap and offering words of guidance. His direction fills you with confidence and know-how.

Init 10
Elodie stands to see the bloody trail she left across the surface of the water, and then calls upon the spirits of nature to heal her. And they do.

Init 7
Gumphrey pulls his bow and sinks an arrow into the monster's maw. 

- Attack Roll = 14 (7 on the die +6 Attack +1 from Maius). Hit.
- Miss Chance = 60 (Hit)
- Damage = 6

Init 6
Wounded and frightened, the terrible beast snaps and twists in the water, slapping at Jeremiah with its powerful tail and following up with a vicious bite. The wily ranger manages to evade both of the creature's attacks.

- Tail Slap = 17 (17 on the die)
- Bite Attack = 8 (3 on the die)

OOC: Next round?

[Alpha Omega]

Free: "Your gonna make a nice belt..."

Full-round Action:
R. Hand:11 +5 = 16 (6dmg)
L. Hand: 14 + 3 = 17 (2dmg)

[Swifthand]

Talmut orders the squid-like servant of the sea lord, Ahu, to attack the croc, and then levels his staff, conjuring an Acid Dart to strike the wounded reptile.

Free: Command squid to attack
Move:  None
Standard:  Acid Dart

[Glitz]

Elodie takes a step forward, grabbing her spear and taking aim at the croc.

Move: to S18
Standard: throw spear, attack roll = 9

[Malazek]

R & R - ROUND 2

Init 21
Jeremiah jerks both axes free of the creature's neck, and then brings them down again with furious effort. One of them, at least, dug deep into the monster's skill; the other felt like it glanced off, but the murky water makes it difficult to tell how much damage it really did.

- Miss Chances: 93 and 3 (one hit, one miss).

Talmut commands the Servant of Lord Ahu to press the attack, while he himself conjures a dart of acid. 

- Acid dart attack = 18 (14 on the die).
- Miss chance = 49 (Hit)
- Damage = 6 damage

- Squid move to R 19.
- Bite Attack = 11 (4 on the die). Miss.

Continuing to narrate the battle, Maius swings his sap at the beast, slapping the water, but failing to make contact with his foe. 

Init 10
Elodie moves to a better position and hurls her spear at her assailant. The spear bounces off the water's surface and sails down the hallway behind it.

Init 7
Gumphrey fires another arrow. 

- Attack Roll = 16 (9 on the die).
- Miss Chance = 90 (Hit)
- Damage = 6 damage.

Init 6
The crocodile floats to the surface, belly up and un-moving.

[Glitz]

"Is it...dead?" Elodie squints her eyes as she looks at the pale belly of the crocodile. She kicks her foot under the water to splash the creature, attempting to solicit a response if it is just pretending.

If it doesn't move, Elodie will listen carefully to see if there are any more sounds coming from the hallway where the crocodile is. 

Perception check, +9.

If she thinks it is safe, she will move past the alligator to retrieve her spear.

[Alpha Omega]

If the coast seems clear, Jeremiah will do a quick field dressing on the watery beast. Taking enough pelt to make a nice strong belt...

[Malazek]

The crocodile does not react to Elodie's splashing. In fact, it doesn't stir, at all.

Elodie doesn't hear any other splashes from that direction; only the occasional DRIP of tiny drops striking the water's surface. So, as Jeremiah begins cutting into the magnificent beast, Elodie begins searching for her spear. But it won't take Jeremiah long to strip enough hide for a sturdy belt.

Elodie doesn't immediately see the spear on top of the water, nor feel it on the floor beneath ... but after a moment, she sees it floating maybe five or six yards past the gator. Moving through the exposed tree roots that line the walls further down, she reaches her spear in the dim light. Lifting it from the water, she heads back toward the group.

By the time she returns, Jeremiah has finishes coiling his crocodile hide. "Oh man, that is excellent," Gumphrey says. "You gotta teach me how to do that. I could have crocodile boots, crocodile gloves ... maybe even crocodile armor! How great would that be? Huh?"

[Glitz]

Elodie wrinkles her nose at the bloody scene, but has trouble feeling too much sympathy for the croc that almost had her for dinner. "Maybe he has friends, Gumphrey...if they're all as vicious as this one, maybe you'll be able to make a belt, too. Now, since we've already eliminated a threat down this hallway, maybe we should continue on in that direction, in the same order we were moving before?"

[Swifthand]

Talmut will command the squid to search the area underwater and splash if there are any more critters around. He also suggests we continue our course.

[macksgarageusa]

Maius helps Jeremiah by steadying the dead beast while he cuts away the hide pieces he will use later. "I'm good with continuing on, and ready to go too."

[Malazek]

Unable to proceed to left, the party continues straight ahead. The squid rushes off as fast as it can, in order to scout ahead with the limited time it has left. Fortunately, squids can move very fast, underwater.

Gumphrey follows. In his haste, he forgets to check the door way for traps, but fortunately enters the next room without incident. "Oh look, a side passage!" he exclaims, before following the squid to the right. The party follows, finding two moss covered statues in the next room and another hallway heading west. One of the statues seems to be pointing a sword at the westward passage and the other is pointing a mace in the opposite direction. The water in here is just as murky, with just as much floating debris. Just as much mildew and mold cling to the walls, and if anything the stench is worse.

As Jeremiah passes through the tiny room, he notices something odd about the two statues. Their eye sockets are empty, as if great gems once filled them, but have since been removed ... or maybe their heads are skeletal? Nah, definitely missing gems.

As Talmut enters the room, something peculiar strikes him about the two statues. What is that "other" statue pointing at?

The squid has not returned yet.

[Alpha Omega]

Jeremiah will investigate the statues more closely.

[macksgarageusa]

Intrigued by the statues pointing in opposite directions, Maius too takes a closer look.

Knowledge(History): +9

[Swifthand]

OOC: Engineering check on the pointed to wall, +11.

[Glitz]

Elodie continues to splash along until Jeremiah stops in front of her to investigate the statues. Seeing that everyone seems to be staring at the statues, Elodie begins to wonder if there's anything...special...about these statues. She runs her hands over the base of the statue in front of her, whispering quietly.

Cast Detect Magic.

[Malazek]

Jeremiah will investigate the statues more closely.

Jeremiah takes a closer look at the statues, even running his fingers over their moss-covered faces. The eye-sockets of the first statue definitely held gems at one time, because he can feel the faceted edges of the sockets. Its stone lips are closed and, though its stone nose has broken off, he can definitely feel the jagged edge where a nose once fit. The second statue, on the other hand, is a different matter. Its eye-sockets are round and smooth, implying no gems were ever held there. A hollow cavity exists where its nose should have been, but no jagged edge stands as proof that a nose ever did. And lastly, the second statue's teeth are bared, with no lips to cover them, definitely suggesting a skeletal visage ... but wait ...

... what's this? In its mouth? Before he can remove whatever is in there, he hears a loud splashing sound, coming from somewhere down the western hallway.

Intrigued by the statues pointing in opposite directions, Maius too takes a closer look.
Knowledge(History): +9

Assuming this place is indeed August in origin, Maius reflects on what he knows of Imperial sculpture. Statues held a special place in August culture and were used to represent everything from ancestors to patron gods (both of which were considered "housed" within their effigy). Neither seems to belong in a place like this, but Maius can't really be sure that this wasn't a home or chapel. It might have been.

The ancient people of the Realms also built many statues, but they would have been much more crude than these two. (Even beneath the moss, these statues are obviously durable and well-crafted). Maius has heard rumors, though, of ancient catacombs filled with deadly traps, as well as statues designed to guide "the worthy" safely through them. He'll need to scrape away some of that moss, if he wants to examine the clothes and symbols displayed on these two sculptures.

Before he can remove the vegetation, however, he hears a loud splashing sound, coming from somewhere down the westward hallway. 

OOC: Engineering check on the pointed to wall, +11.

Examining the wall near the corner, Talmut notices that one of the tiles is slightly askew. It may prove to be a small hidden panel, with a key-hole or door-latch cleverly hidden behind it. Whatever mold or fungus is growing in there, it must have forced the tile loose. Raising his glowing staff closer to the wall, he takes a closer look, trying to find a narrow gap between the wall and the secret door he expects to find ... and he does.

He finds the seam just a few inches from the crooked tile. Although the crack has been filled with mold and mildew, Talmut is able to trace the edge of an inset section of wall, roughly the size and shape of a door. The stonework hinges are flush with the wall, making them very difficult to find, proving that whoever built this place was highly skilled.

Before he can yank open the tiny hidden panel, however, he hears a loud splashing sound, coming from the direction of the squid.

Elodie ... runs her hands over the base of the statue in front of her, whispering quietly.
Cast Detect Magic.

Caressing the moss covered statues, Elodie whispers to the spirits, asking them if there is any magic in the area. Their first impression is that there is. Something in this room is indeed magical. (Elodie is aware that members of the party are already carrying magical items, so she'll need to more time to tell if there is anything magical about the statues).

Before she can finish her study, however, she hears a loud splash, coming from somewhere down the hall to her right.

[Glitz]

Elodie ignores the splashing, attempting to focus in on the statues.

Continue concentrating on Detect Magic.

[Alpha Omega]

Jeremiah will draw his bow and ready his action to fire at the first creature that emerges from the darkness or water...

L.Bow: 7 + 7 = 14 (+1 = 15)

GM Edit: Damage = 8

[Swifthand]

"Gumphries - there is a secret door here.  It may be trapped - something to do with this statue."

Talmut follows Jeremiah's lead and readies an Acid Dart against the first adversary to show itself.

GM Edit: Attack Rolls = 12 (8 one the die). Damage = 6

[macksgarageusa]

Maius hears the ruckus approaching and quickly alerts his allies. His warning aids their own actions.

Standard: Start Bardic Performance- Inspire Courage +1

O.o.C.: ALL allies are +1 to Attack and +1 to Damage (competence bonus). Also, +1 to saving throws vs. Charm and Fear (morale bonus) as long as Bardic Performance continues.

[Malazek]

Gumphrey makes his way over to the corner, while the party prepares for battle. Using his special tools, he begins cleaning out some of the flora around the "door" Talmut found. Meanwhile, Elodie's spell reveals that (in addition to the magical items the party is carrying) there are three other magical auras in the room. As soon as Maius begins his vocal performance, the splashing can be heard again, but it is much quieter now, than before.

A moment passes, but no adversary shows itself. By now, Gumphrey is beginning to clean out the space behind the hidden panel. "It looks like a keyhole," he says, continuing to work. Elodie's spell locates the auras: two are on the floor, under the water, in front of one statue, which is pointing a mace at Gumphrey. The third is the mace itself. By now, it is obvious that the splashing is getting closer.

After another moment, Gumphrey finishes and says "I'm going to try an open it." Just then, a shambling, lumbering creature rounds the corner and enters the light. Mold and fungus seem to be growing on its hideous and emaciated body. "He-elp!" it mutters, just as Jeremiah's arrow flies into its face and Talmut's acid strikes its chest. The creature, whatever it is, keels over, face down in the water.

An audible CLICK! is heard when Gumphrey exclaims "I got it!" A beam of green energy fires from the statue's mace, striking Gumphrey in the back. "ACK!" he shouts, "Get it off, get it off!" The smell of sizzling flesh fills the tiny room.

Gumphrey suffers 6 damage.

[Alpha Omega]

Jeremiah will knock another arrow and wait to see if something else emerges...

Standard: Ready Action
-L.Bow: 18 + 7 = 25
-Dmg: 6

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