Starfall [IC]

[slurpz]

Loath

Annoyed that he didn't sense the creatures before it was too late, Loath grips the staff of his quarterstaff with both hands and charges towards the shadow that emerged out of the monolith of the 8th month (reaper). He soundly trounces the creature using both ends of his staff.

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attack 1 - (1d20-1)[9], damage 1 - (1d6)[1]
attack 2 - (1d20-1)[16], damage 2 - (1d6)[5]

[lostsole31]

Loath misses the spectral goblin. He only gets one attack since he is charging, and he is now off-balance.

The creature drops its javelin, draws its morningstar, and swings at Loath as the latter attempts to retract from his swing. (1d20+1)[12] for (1d6)[3] damage.

As with Zephram, being off-balance on the charge is what hurts Loath here. The morningstar makes a skidding, ripping hit on Loath's belly; but Loath is the toughest hombre here, and as bad as it hurts, he can take a lot more.

[Zephram, douglas annihilated the one you both were fighting.]

The Reaper-goblin shouts in its language (which, by the way, no one understands).

[lostsole31]

R2T18.9: The Spinner-goblin, not having yet drawn another javelin, moves over to his Reaper friend (drawing a morningstar as he does so) via the outside of the circle (only 2 megaliths away). He swings at Loath with a battle cry: "Bree-Yark!" (1d20+1)[14] for (1d6)[4] damage. The small morningstar smashes down on Loath's left forearm, and drawing blood. Now Loath, facing two of these things alone and now under half his health (5:12 hp) is beginning to feel the pressure.

[Sheet updated.]

R2T18: Zephram, having already articulated his taunt to his opponent before he could stop himself (remember, actions often "overlap" in these 6 short seconds) is free and sees Loath being pressed. He just barely has the straight line to cut a chord across this circle with his reach weapon to charge one of the goblins at reach (but not adjacent, just by positioning since these cretins are on the outside of the circle). But if he charges at reach, he at least will force one to move up to attack him while that tough animalistic human fellow with the staff takes the frontline ...

[UserClone]

R2T18, Zephram

Summoning up the best battle-cry he can, Zephram charges once again into the fray to protect his fellow.

"Feel Aranu's burning wrath, creature of shadow!"

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Attack - (1d20+6)[9]Damage - (1d8+6)[10]

[lostsole31]

Sadly, Zephram is now 0 for 2. His charge fails to find a mark as the head of the lance whizzes by the goblin.

R2T17: Ezekiul, still in the center of the circle, makes a charge to the spectral goblin that is standing diagonally from Loath (which means Ezekiul is now shoulder-to-shoulder with him, and Zephram is directly behind Loath). Ezekiul makes an incredibly powerful swing, and digs up a lot of ground in the process of missing. He pulls his sword out of the ground, and is off balance.

R2T14: Kael's turn ...

[Douglas]

Kael, seeing two of the creatures in a group just one megalith over, joins the group trying to relieve the pressure on Loath. He looks all set for another mighty blow on the second goblin to join that attack, when he stumbles over a rock and has to desperately plant his spear in the ground to avoid falling over.

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Stone Bones
Attack:(1d20+5)[6]
Damage:(1d8+6)[13]

[lostsole31]

Because of the bottleneck 'tween megaliths, Kael had to come outside the circle and come in from the back, but created a flanking opportunity for Ezekiul in doing so.

R2T13.9: Jaime's turn ... he would also be able to come around the outside of the circle behind (sneak attack!) the "other" goblin that is faced by Loath, diagonal from Ezekiul ... and putting you shoulder-to-shoulder with Kael. Only one attack, but you can make it count.

[Gorgondantess]

Why, I do believe I'll do that. Yeah. Oh, and lostsole: might I advise trying some kind of map system? google docs spreadsheets work really well, making a great map, easy to use, and the anyone who can acess it can update it, so the players caould move their characters where they're going to go and such.

EDIT: nvm, I do believe you just answered that in the OOC.

[lostsole31]

Jaime swoops in from the other side just after Kael comes around the outside of the circle, and ... [roll attack roll and damage ... +2 for flanking, +1d6 damage for SA]

[Gorgondantess]

Alright, alright, I'll roll it for you. Feh. It's not like it matters, the guy's dead...
attack (1d20+7)[24]
dmg: (1d4+2)[5]
SA (1d6)[5]

[lostsole31]

Jaime practically flies around the other side, stabbing the Reaper goblin in the lower spinal column and it puffs into smoke, leaving only the Spinner goblin standing there, surrounded by angry Starborn.

The remaining Unicorn-spectre goblin draws and throws its last javelin at Annie in the center: (1d20+3)[12] for (1d4)[2] damage.

If he is still standing, Annie fires back with a heat ray: (1d20+1)[9] for (1d6+1)[3] fire damage.

The goblin throws its javelin practically at the same time as Annie fires at him ... the javelin lands solidly into Annie's left shoulder, while Annie's aim is slightly off and instead of blowing a hole through the centre of the goblin's head, he blasts out part of its cheek ... but it is still standing.

[slurpz]

Rolls weren't bad at all.

[lostsole31]

Loath's turn ...

[slurpz]

Loath

One miss a battle was excusable. Two? The animalistic druid wouldn't even cherish that though. He takes his quarterstaff and gets up in the grill of the last specter.

(1d20+1)[17]
[roll]1d6+1][/roll]

EDIT: Bah.

[slurpz]

Epic fail. Let's try that damage roll again.

(1d6+1)[7]

[lostsole31]

Loath sends out a thrust of his quarterstaff through the teeth of the spectral goblin and into the back of the throat, lifting it off the ground, and then slamming his quarterstaff against a megalith and breaking the creature's head open like an overripe melon before it disappears.

R3T18: Zephram's turn ...

He has the LOS-straight-line to charge the last spectral goblin 30' away on the other side of the circle (and only because he has reach and is on the "inside" of the circle already, else it would be a double-move charge).

[UserClone]

R3T18, Zephram
All pretense of bravado aside, Zephram deftly swings the tip of his lance to face the final foe. Setting his foot into the ground he charges yet again, and his concentration pays off, as this time he strikes true, lifting the spectral goblin cleanly off its feet, its small corpse sliding down his lance before dissipating into dark mist.

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sorry if I took too many liberties with that one; I just got excited to finally hit one of the bastards!

Attack - (1d20+6)[19]Damage - (1d8+6)[8]

[Douglas]

Kael regains his balance and returns to a guard position, looking around for more enemies. On seeing the last spectral creature dissipate on the end of Zephram's spear, he relaxes his guard slightly and thinks back to what the mysterious voice said before the attack.

Huh, so according to that voice we are stars, we are returning, and we are its children. I'm not sure what to make of that, but it was obviously right about a force gathering against us - that was no ordinary attack, however weak it might have been - so I'm willing to trust it about this sword of, what was it, something John? This island seems pretty bare, so I expect we should be seeking it on the mainland over there.

If there is no disagreement, Kael waits for any post-battle healing to be done and then sets off across the stone causeway.

[lostsole31]

[I will take some liberty to move things on a bit ...]

The only two wounded post-battle are Loath and Anaximander. Ezekiul goes to diagnose/ triage their condition. [OOC: That being said, I expect what I tell you, and not your knowledge of numbers, to guide you here ...]

Anaximander took a solid hit in the shoulder and lost some blood, but is at 70% of total health. The solid hit Loath took in his forearm and intestines (others would call it the stomach, but that organ is actually higher than most think) have him down to 42% of total health. Any post-battle healing [Ezekiul/ Loath] should be conducted with that in mind.

[UserClone]

"Starkweather John, the voice said," retorts Zephram, reminding Kael. "We are to seek the sword of Starkweather John. More astonishing to me is the notion that a man may be resurrected simply by bearing his body to these stones. I think I should not like to test that promise. Aranu looks unkindly upon the bringing back of the dead."

[DJDeMiko]

Ezekiul

Ezekiul scans the area and then laughs. "That was easy!" he says happily. He then turns to exam the wounded. "I still don't know why we are here, or if I can trust you, but by Brith I will do my best to help those who have stood by me in combat."

(ooc - quick and dirty post)

Ezekiul walks over to Loath, lays a hand on his injuries and murmurs "Brith, help this man who bravely fought beside me." (1d8+1)[9] healing.

{If we rest I will make heal checks to help the injured heal in their sleep}
(1d20+8)[23] to help loath heal
(1d20+8)[12] to help Anax heal

[lostsole31]

"Really? Could it be?" Anaximander asks, as much as to himself as out loud. "Think, Annie ... think! The name is so familiar; damn, I'm a good historian but I need to think!"

The party gives him several seconds as they are bewildered by the sorcerer's sudden delirium.

"I have it!" Anaximander at last cries, then looking at the rest of you.

"I remember a story about a hero named Starkweather John, a fighter of legend from a time when the drow rose from their dark caverns to challenge the surface world. He was one of a group of heroes who come to earth when their time is right, to protect the world from evil forces. The war was all but won, though victory had come at a terrible cost. John was the last man standing. All of his fellow heroes, with whom he had fought for so long, had fallen, never to rise again.

"John pursued his foe, the drow wizard Zomelach, across the island of Chillhame to a village called Bronce. Both of them were intent upon reaching the stone circle at the Tump; John to defend it and Zomelach in a last-ditch attempt to corrupt its power. John and Zomelach finally met and clashed, while frightened villagers watched and recorded what they saw. The air burned with drow magic and screamed with the sound of pitched battle. Zomelach's poisoned weapons bit deep into John's flesh, but not deep enough. With a single decisive sword-blow, the wizard's body fell one way and his head the other. John soon died from the poison.

"Now, assuming that the villagers buried Starkweather John and his sword near the sight of his death ... instead of the sword being spirited away a long distance ... and the fact that a 'tump' is an ancient common word for a small island or patch of stones found just off a shore - just like this one ... that leads me to believe the following: a) Starkweather John might have been like us, one of our forbears; b) we are at the site of that historic last battle of our forbear and his nemesis [Annie gets more and more excited as he speaks]; c) that is not the mainland, per se, but an island called Chillhame - well named with this biting cold wind; d) Bronce must be the village where the sword is buried either within or nearby.

"Only because of historical information am I aware that Blediwesse, a goddess of waters and healing of the Avillon pantheon, is the patron goddess of the region with a famous well that is dressed with flowers on her holy day."

Anaxamander's intellectual contribution spent, he actuallly looks exhausted (especially with his current wound).

[Douglas]

Kael stares at Anaximander for a few seconds.

That... sounds like quite an interesting story. Starkweather John must have been a very accomplished swordsman. I'd be interested to hear more about him later, particularly if you can remember any details of his fighting techniques. For now, though, the important bit of information in that torrent is that we should be looking for the village of Bronce.

Let's be off now, I feel like a sitting target on this 'tump' after those creatures attacked us, we're not significantly hurt, and the only clue we seem to have to finding out what's going on directed us to find that sword. Plus, it sounds useful.

[lostsole31]

The ragtag group of adventurers cross the causeway towards the mainland.

The country is hilly and barren, with crumbling flint walls dividing up fields where starved-looking sheep graze. From the shore, the party can clearly see the small town of Bronce along the coast to the west. Among the hills to the south, there are some rotten-looking wooden structures, the above-ground remains of and old mining complex. Alone on a hill to the east is a windmill, with its sails motionless in the air; it is impossible to tell if it is still in use. You travel along a coastal road (more a dirt trail) before finally entering town.

This little settlement has clearly seen better days. Many of the wooden buildings seem to have partly collapsed. The town square is little more than an open muddy space, cut with the ruts of wagon wheels, with a squat stone well in the middle. Off to one side is an inn, the largest building in the vicinity, whose sign proclaims it to be the Golden Nugget. Opposite the inn is an open shop with baskets of dry goods set out front. An aged woman seated by the basket is mending a net and narrows her eyes at you.

[UserClone]

"Greetings, good madam. I am Zephram, spirit warrior of Aranu, blessed be his name, and these are my comrades. Would I be correct in assuming that yours is the fair village Bronce?"

[lostsole31]

She sits outside an open dingy store that you feel you would hardly be able to move in were you inside, with much of her wares spilling out into this open-air portion. Barrels and crates threaten to trip the unwary and fishing nets dangle from the ceiling. There is a strong smell of preserving vinegar and tarry hemp. Judging by the dust, some of these goods appear to have been here for decades. Trade is obviously far from brisk.

"Mother Bailey's is open to gold, and closed to chatterboxes. Figure out what you want, I name the price and you take it or leave it, and be on your way," growls the old woman. "Bronce is not a place for the likes of you."

[UserClone]

"Very well madam. Information then, we seek, and a warm bed besides. What's that worth to you?"

[lostsole31]

"I have information for ya," she says. "It'll be a silver."

[DJDeMiko]

Ezekiul

Ezekiul reaches for his purse and hefts it. He murmurs quietly to the others "However we were put here, I seem to have been left without coin."

[Gorgondantess]

Jaime slides out of the shadows, over near the woman. He glares at Ezekiul when he hefts the purse, and then at the woman. In a harsh, calm voice: "We will not pay the likes of you for what should be freely given. Tell us what you know. It is of no harm to you."

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charisma check, if needed: (1d20+1)[16]