Rubicon [IC]

[loser0ll]

Apparantly not wanting to disturb the chain of command that was slowly being established, Jonnathan stays silent through most of the conversation. He does interrupt when Sage asks about lodgings. "Perhaps, since we've already come here tonight, we should visit this 'Tommy' they've mentioned - so that we will have the night to think over all available information. It's generally best to find all sources of information available, after all."

[Mangy Mathan]

"You can talk to him if you want, he's probably home by now. It's getting dark." Preston replies.

Maria points out the door towards the south. "If you would like, we have a town hall of sorts right over there. It's not much, but it's yours if you would like private accommodations. But please, finish your stew first." She motions towards your bowl before continuing her meal.

[Ezeze]

Sage

"That would work perfectly." Sagae nods her thanks, and finishes her stew in quiet thoughtfullness.

[gigz]

Pyro

"Please, yes. Finish your stew before we head out, it's magnificent." Pyro pushes the empty bowl in front of him back before relaxing a bit in the chair. "I have to say though, if we do decide to go with plan A, doing it at night would be much nicer to watch than in the morning. I still have a couple hours in me before I'll be ready to bed down for the evening anyway."

[Wizard of the Coat]

Conner

Conner finishes his stew and thanks their hostess. Getting up from his seat he walks towards the window.

"Could you point us in the direction of that old mill by night, I don't think we should go in just yet, but like Pyro I too have a few hours left in me and it would help us to have seen the place before talking to Tommy or others."

[Mangy Mathan]

Lily tosses Preston a look of deep thought, and then explains, "By night, the best way to find the mill is to just head upstream, right?" Her husky husband nods in agreement.

"The mill was powered by a waterwheel." Maria says. "The mill should be right on the bank of the river."

"This side." Grunts Preston.

[Ezeze]

Sage

Once everyone is finished, they will head up to the mill! Yay moving the plot forward!

[Mangy Mathan]

Location: Pinegrove Mill, Barestinia
Time: Night, 8th day of Harvest, 1282
Weather: Warm, breezy, and partly cloudy.

Night falls as you follow the old, dusty trail upstream. Through the broken clouds, you catch the occasional glimmer of a star. Light breezes dance with your hair before going on their way, carrying the sounds of crickets and the faint scent of rain. If you weren't monster hunting, this would be a near-perfect night.

Your group chats a bit about their training, their expectations, and Pinegrove, but mostly just enjoys the atmosphere.

Until you see it.

The mill sits nestled between the woods and the road, its mammoth, black silhouette looming ominously at the horizon. It appears to somewhat step shaped, with a single story base. The right half appears to be two stories tall, and the far right looks to be three, as if it sports some kind of tower.

As you approach, you hear what sounds like a muffled scream! And again! And again. And again... You quickly realize that it's not a scream at all, but the creak of what is probably the wooden waterwheel.

You stop to take in your surroundings and make a plan, the quiet babble of the stream seeming to offer its own advice.

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[MAP]

The mill itself obscures your vision beyond it, hence the black section.

Somewhat darker splotches of ground are light undergrowth. The dark spots in those are areas of heavy undergrowth. The brown circles are small trees. You can find the associated game benefits and penalties here.

Your icons are the same color as your text. Pets are black with the border color of their master.

Finally, if you would like to dictate an exact path of movement, instead of trying to spell it out you can just give a string of numbers using this as a guide. Put it with your rolls in a spoiler or something.

[gigz]

With a glint in his eye, Pyro turns to the rest and says "So, Plan A then? I mean, we can just fire the place up now and be done with it. Not to mention have a great place to roast some mutton or an apple or two. No fuss, no muss. Right?"

[Ezeze]

Sage

"It may yet come to burning it down, after all the villagers obviously don't use it anymore. But for the moment, lets look around inside. We can't be sure what the child saw wasn't a trick of light, and it wouldn't help anyone to destroy it without knowing." If no one objects, Sage leads the group into the mill.

[gigz]

Looking a little crestfallen, Pyro nods his head in ascent. "Oh. OK, if you think that's best then. I still think we'd save time for everyone if we just erradicated the issue now by fire. Bright fire." Pyro begins to get a slightly lost look in his face as his voice starts to trail off a bit.

[Kaiser Omnik]

Danak

The woodsman frowned at Pyro's idea and nodded at Sage's wise words. He walked towards the mill, then stopped and put a knee on the ground. He looked for tracks around the trail.

"Looks like this place has had visitors lately. Can't really tell anything else from these."

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Survival (3d6+6)[13]

[Mangy Mathan]

Sage pushes the old, battered door open carefully, but it still emits an ominous creak. The mill's main room is massive, filled with silhouettes of crates that cause shadows to dance around the walls. The dirt floor is soft, but not wet, and the stench of rot hangs thick in the air. A sudden whistle of wind alerts you to the fact that half of the ceiling is missing, allowing a few stars to watch your adventure.

One lone table stands haphazardly arranged with the crates, the shattered remains of what must have been the chairs scattered on the ground.

[MAP]
Crates are big enough to provide cover. Areas with rocks count as light rubble.

[Ezeze]

Sage

To Danak, Sage replies "well, if what the little girl said is true, the children play here." Once inside she moves forward and to the right, applying pressure gently to the door there until it opens and she can see inside.

[gigz]

With a sullen look, Pyro looks around the interior and says "Sheesh, everythings too damp. Should we light one of these crates on fire for light?"

[Ezeze]

Sage

"No."

[gigz]

"Oh. Well, it's pretty dark you know. May be a torch then?" Somewhat crestfallen, Pyro begins to pull out a torch and light it.

[Mangy Mathan]

The door is stuck, swollen with rot and mildew. Sage manages to gently muscle it open enough to see inside. The room is bare save for what appears to be some kind of grinder, slowly rotating with the trickle of the stream outside.

Pytor / Danak

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As Sage sticks her head into the door, you hear a gentle scratching on the ceiling. Your first instinct is that the sound is simply that of a branch brushing the stone, but you quickly dismiss that thought when you note that the sound is a localized area that is moving in a direct path across the roof. You turn your head just in time to watch a dark shape emerge from the hole in the ceiling and drop silently to the floor!

Theo

Spoiler

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As Sage sticks her head into the door, you hear a gentle scratching on the ceiling. Your first instinct is that the sound is simply that of a branch brushing the stone, but you quickly dismiss that thought when you note that the sound is a localized area that is moving in a direct path across the roof. You turn your head just in time to watch what appears to be a massive spider emerge from the hole in the ceiling and drop silently to the floor!

Danak / Theo / Pytor

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Initiative - Surprise Round
Danak
Conner - Surprised!
Theo
Pytor
Sage - Surprised!
John - Surprised!

Enemies
Unidentified Creature [ ]

[MAP]

[Kaiser Omnik]

Danak

Danak shouted to Sage:

"Watch out, something's coming for us!"

Danak then ran behind a crate next to her and took out a javelin, ready for anything.

Spoiler

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Move: Move 3 hexes up. Facing NW.

I would have thrown my javelin this round but the creatures is a bit too far.

[Ezeze]

Sage

At Danaks shout, Sage whirls from the open doorway to put her back to the wall facing the light and with the 'shink' sound of metal on leather draws both her swords - one from the strap at her hip, the other from the pack on her back. Despite the massiveness of each blade, she wields them easily one in each hand.

[gigz]

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Been a couple of days, so I'm going to assume Theo is gone. :(

Pyro lets loose a little yelp as the the creature drops and almost instinctively waves his hands in a curt gesture. Arcane fire pulses from his outstretched fingers, striking the creature in the face with a flare of light. Then he quickly takes a step back, looking around for possible cover.

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Casting Flare (Fortitude save vs DC 15 or be dazzled) if I can see the creature before taking a 5 foot step away from the creature, otherwise Pyro will just move north and east to seek a bit of cover from the stacked boxes along the east wall.

[Mangy Mathan]

Initiative - Round One
Danak [♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥]
Conner [♥♥♥♥♥♥][Concealed]
Deathweaver ×1 [][Concealed]
Theo [♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥]
Pytor [♥♥♥♥♥♥]
Sage[♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥]
John [♥♥♥♥♥♥] [Concealed]

MAP:

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Danak: Moves swiftly, readying his javelin against the creature.

Conner: Surprised!

Deathweaver: The creature moves, staying just on the edge of the light, measuring up its opponents. From its movements and the occasional glimpses of its appendages, you realize that it is some sort of massive spider.

Theo: Theodore identifies the creature as a deathweaver, a nocturnal hunting spider of heroic proportions. He moves towards the crates for cover, fumbling to draw his scimitar. Yale, the wolf, snarls at the beast, interposing itself between the spider and his master.

Pytor: The pyromancer, seeing that the creature refuses to approach within range of his magic, decides to instead rush at a blinding speed towards the boxes and ducks behind them, carrying the torch with him. The creature is now partially illuminated!

Sage: Surprised!

John: Surprised!

[Ezeze]

Sage calls "Pyro! We need light!" and darts around the others, drawing one of her huge swords as she moves towards the creature. Two hands wrapped around the hilt, she swings with a hard downward stroke at the creature's head.

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Two-handed attack with one sword.
Attack - (1d20+4)[10]
Damage - (1d8+4)[12]

[gigz]

With a sheepish look on his face, Pyro says "Er... umm... sorry. I don't actually have any spells that make Light. I have several that make fire though." Holding the torch aloft, Pyro will move behind the sword wielding leader and invoke a Flare of light hoping to dazzle the creature's senses.

[Mangy Mathan]

Initiative - Round Two
Conner [♥♥♥♥♥♥] [Invisible]
Deathweaver ×1 [✖✖✖✖✖✖✖]
Danak [♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥]
Theo [♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥]
Pytor [♥♥♥♥♥♥]
Sage[♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥]
John [♥♥♥♥♥♥] [Invisible]

Last Round Actions:
Danak: Delays until he can get a better shot.

Conner: Backs out the door, taking shelter around the corner and drawing his crossbow.

Deathweaver: The creature scurries forward, angered by the light Pytor holds. Its barbed, hairy legs propel it across the room at surprising speed towards the mage, but is blocked by the improvised blockade his companions bodies provide. Danak throws his javelin immediately, landing it squarely between two of the beast's chitinous plates, dealing 7 points of damage. It chitters madly. The deathweaver continues on, biting at Danak ferociously with its dripping mandibles, but he manages to dodge and swivel out of its path.

Theo: Theo, surprised by the sudden approach of the massive spider, swings at it with his scimitar, hoping to strike a deadly blow, but failing. His faithful companion, Yale, bites the creature's leg, snarling and barking, but it does not appear to deal any serious damage.

Pytor: The pyromancer sheepishly steps forward, hoping to aid his companions in the desperate, close-quarters battle. With a quick word and a wave of his hand, a blast of light flashes before the creature's eyes. It chitters and reflexively ducks, but does not appear to suffer any lasting damage.

Sage: Sage spins around, drawing a single one of her blades, and clutches it in her hands. She steps forward with a hefty swing, but her sword fails to deal damage, instead cracking the chitinous plate in the creature's head.

John: The enchanter draws his crossbow, and takes cover with Conner around the doorway.

MAP:

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[Ezeze]

Growling with frustration, Sage flies into a rage. She swings at the creature again, plunging her sword through its abdomen with both hands. Then she swings her left hand around to pull her second sword from its sheath.

Spoiler

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Free Action: Rage
Standard Action: Attack Attack - (3d6+6)[16] Damage - (1d10+7)[10]
Move Action: Draw second sword

[gigz]

Gathering himself a bit, Pyro moves around the northern crate using the NW corner of it as half cover. Holding his hand out in front of him, his eyes seem to literally light up as he draws his arm back in a throwing motion. Whispering words of arcane power, a small flaming stone appears in his open palm and with a near ecstatic smile, he finishes the throwing motion. As the flaming stone leaves his hand, it flares into a bolt of magic fire that strikes the beast.

Spoiler

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Casting Kelgore’s Fire Bolt at the beast, Reflex DC 16 for half damage. [roll0]

[Mangy Mathan]

Last Round Actions:

Conner: Fires his crossbow at the Deathweaver, but only manages to chip the beast's plates. He shakes his head in frustration and reloads.

Deathweaver: Angry and wounded, the massive spider bites at Danak, but again he manages to wiggle away from it.

Danak: As he weaves, the scout grabs the greataxe from his back and swings it around, attacking the creature with an upward assault, slicing straight into the soft underside of its chin, dealing a critical 42 points of damage. The creature spasms, sputters, and falls limp within seconds.

Danak has slain the Deathweaver!

[gigz]

Pyro exclaims "Wow! That was really GREAT Danak. I get to save the pointy burning rock spell for later. Er... wait... Was this the thing the kids were seeing? It doesn't seem that dangerous."

Turning to Sage he says "Um... now what chief?"