Ale, Fortune and Math

[Leomor]

4 massive missiles appear from the treeline and pound the Hippogriff with massive force! The Hippogriff shrieks in terror loudly, turning it's attention towards Mathwin's direction. The archer looks towards you and yells, "Bart, we've got company!"

Spoiler: Initiative

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Roll for initiative:

Hippogriff: (1d20+2)[6]
Man 1: (1d20+2)[9]
Man 2 (Bart): (1d20+1)[19]

[AlphaLuke]

Spoiler

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Initiative:(1d20+2)[15]

[Leomor]

The man clutching is arm moves further away from the battle, around the large rock. He yells, "Briggs where the hell are you?!" He grabs a small vial as he hobbles around the rock.

Spoiler: action

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Mathwin's turn.

[AlphaLuke]

"Great, now they're going to attack me too." Mat runs West, following the sightline of "Bart" and fires off one of the charges from his held wand. The telltale silvery bolt of Sleep streaks towards Bart.

Spoiler

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Move 30ft West and use the wand of sleep in my hand to attack Bart. Will save DC11.

[Leomor]

Spoiler: Will save

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Will save (1d20+1)[2]

[Leomor]

Mathwin whips his wand quickly towards as silvery wisps instantly fly towards the struggling man. Looking towards you, the wisps make a direct line with his head. and he falls directly towards the ground, knocked asleep.

The archer looks at Mathwin whipping spells from a distance, and while upset, must attack the larger creature in front of him. He steps back and fires 2 arrows, hoping to defend against the angry creature.

Spoiler: Attack

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(1d20+4)[21]
(1d20+2)[19]

[Leomor]

Spoiler: Damage

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Damage:

Attack 1 against Hippogriff: (1d8)[6]

Attack 2 against Hippogriff: (1d8)[3]

[Leomor]

With 2 arrows piercing it's wings, the Hippogriff shrieks angrily with so much happening, and bites furiously against the archer in front of him.

Spoiler: Attack

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(1d20+4)[14] Damage (1d6+2)[3]

The wingspan of the creature expands quickly, and with a gust of wings, the creature begins lifting off the ground, taking flight.

Spoiler: Action

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The Hippogriff is now 30 feet in the air.

[Leomor]

Missing with his bite, the flying Hippogriff glares towards Mathwin.

Spoiler: Action

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Mathwins turn.

[AlphaLuke]

Raising his left hand toward the Hippogriff, Mat unleashes another barrage of Magic Missiles at the beast. Calling into the woods, loudly, he says, "Briggs, if you're out there, I'm on your damnable team! I'm just trying to help you lads! Bart is asleep, not dead!"

Spoiler

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Cast Magic Missile at the Hippogriff again.
Damage:(4d4+5)[18]

[Leomor]

With precision aim, Mathwin flings the missiles towards the airborne Hippogriff. Ripping a hole in it's left wing, and knocking it balance off with each missile, the Hippogriff shriek pierces Mat's ears, almost to the point of pain. It attempts to catch itself, but Mathwins last missile hits the creature directly in it's heads, and it falls straight to the ground, still as a rock.

The archer holds his arrow towards you so and yells, "Put your hands to the sky magician!"

Spoiler: Action

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For this battle, initiative is over. But Mathwin's hands are still primed and ready for spellcasting. If he so desires, he may cast a spell, hoping to do so faster than the archer. This would require a initiative check against the archer. If Mat chooses not to attack instantly, battle will completely be over and he forfeits his element of surprise. He may then act accordingly.

[AlphaLuke]

Mathwin doesn't attack immediately, but keeps his upraised wand leveled with the archer. "I just felled a Hippogriff with two spells. I made Bart take a nap using a stick the width of my pinky." While Mat is talking he keep cautiously checking his flanks and his back, keeping an eye and ear out for "Briggs".

"If I wanted to kill you, good lad, I'd have done it already. Or, better yet, I'd have let the Hippogriff do it and then polished it off after you'd weakened it more. I came to help you. Now why don't you lower your bow and I'll lower my wand and we'll all be civilized about this."

Mat waits, aware of his surroundings and expecting ambush from "Briggs".

[Leomor]

The archer looks at you very calmly. Holding his arrow towards your head, he yells out, "Briggs, come on out! we got a friend in these parts of the forest!" The emphasis on "friend" doesn't sooth Mat's nerves.

A small man, with bow held at his side slowly enters from around the rock. Calmly, he says, "Bart is fine, Don. That's some hell of a spell 'chap." The quiet fields blow silent wind through the trees, while the men stand at their points. The stand firmly holding their ground, waiting for a move to be made.

[AlphaLuke]

Mat makes the first gesture, lowering his wands. "We're all alive lads. Coulda gone a whole different way."

[Leomor]

Both men look at each other with worry in their eyes. After a few seconds, the archer pulls his arrow out of the bow, and holds them to the air. "You're right Magi, no need to fight anymore." Briggs stands from around the corner of the large rock, hands in the air. He shouts "Bart's fine brother, this guy knocked him out real good."

The archer places his bow on his back and bends at the waist, giving a short bow. "We have gotten off on the wrong foot. Forgive me, these roads really suck sometime. I'm Joe. We know you're here to collect the bounty on the Hippogriff, but dammit we were here first! We could have taken it!"

From behind the rock you hear a voice sleepily say, "What the heck happen?"

[AlphaLuke]

Mat chuckles softly while walking towards the men. "You, Bart, we at the business end of a rather powerful Sleep spell. Don't worry. There shouldn't be any lasting damage." Mat pulls off his hat and bows with a flourish. "I am Mathwin Lora. Evoker of the Varisian Orders. Pleasure to meet you, Joe, Bart, and Briggs. And I dare say that if I hadn't shown up when I did you would've needed to take a cut of the bounty for one of your funerals. If this is the kind of thanks that I am to receive then I promise never to save your lives again." Mat casually lights his pipe while speaking to the men, hoping to glean a little more information. Bounty? On the Hippogriff? Do they mean the beast or the eggs? Might need to kill them after all. Pity.

[Adovan]

The men look at each other, as Mathwin speaks in a well educated and polite manner. From their somewhat "slow" response, Mat can tell that these men are not use to talking to "city folk". They attempt to return a bow, which amuses Mathwin.

Joe looks towards the others, then back towards Mat. "Well, I guess you did do a lot of the work. We were having a little trouble." Bart exasperates, "We were here first!" Briggs proceeds to smack his arm, as not to egg on the magician who just saved them.

Joe looks towards Mat, and tries to reason. "Look, thanks for saving our butts. But we were fighting it for a while before you arrived. And this could go a long way for feeding our children!" The man before you looks a little ashamed, "I don't know why rich people want the head of a wild creature on their wall, but if they're willing to pay 30 gold to get it done, then that's their business! But he promised us we were the only ones who had this contract!"

Briggs joins Joe and pleads, "Can we at least share bounty? Please?"

[AlphaLuke]

30 gold!? That's barely worth getting out of bed! My father's servants can swing 30 gold. . . Mat looks genuinely sympathetic towards the men. "I suppose I could be convinced to abdicate my share of the bounty for this contract, but only if you gentlemen agree to help me with another one. In fact, I'll forgo my usual spellcasting fee and allow you three to take the whole 30 gold for this kill if you lend your services to me for a bit. If all goes well, you shan't even need to see combat. Hell, if any of you die, I'll pay the families their share. With my brains and power, and the three of yours' . . . gumption, I think we can make some real money together. What do you say?"

[Leomor]

The men look worried about the "spellcasting fee", and agree to help, pending you specific needs.

[AlphaLuke]

Mat shakes their hands, smiling. That went quite well, actually. He then begins to investigate the Hippogriff. Specifically, he's looking for signs of a nest and eggs. Then, after searching the area, he'll question his new business partners about the surrounding area, looking for the Hippogriff nests. He explains that he plans on using the men as a far-away distraction to draw the majority of the adults away while he can pilfer the nests. The men should be far enough away that they won't be seen, but close enough that they can be heard, hopefully within close range of a good hiding spot.

[Leomor]

Mathwin begins to inspect the area surrounding the battlefield. Briggs decides to stay near the dead Hippogriff, in case any other people come to claim the bounty.

Behind the hill were the battle took place, Mathwin can see the ground is rough and patchy, most likely from fighting. Some blood and arrows lie on the ground. Mathwin gets the sense that these men are not great fighters, but common folk trained in basic combat.

As Mathwin follows the hills, looking for signs of where a nest would lay. His wand ever at his side, he waits patiently in case the other Hippogriff appears. After about half a mile of slow walking, Mathwin sees a small cave, with the same rough patches of ground and blood before. He attempts to rally the 2 men, but they begin to look a little embarrassed when given orders. Mathwin inquires.

Bart shyly says, "Umm, we were hoping no one saw this, but...we kinda found the other Hippogriff." Mathwin is stunned at the simplicity of the statement. Bart walks them towards the entrance of the cave, where a dead Hippogriff lies an arrow straight in it's forehead. Mathwin is confused, and Joe regretfully explain, "Well, it was sleeping, so I figured I would get the sneaks on him. I was going to aim for it's heart, but I missed. Well, I guess I didn't. But we couldn't use this one, since the head got damaged, so we went searching for the other one." The men seem indifferent towards the dead Hippogirff and their actions.

[AlphaLuke]

"Well, damn. That's a waste. You men know what kind of money these things fetch alive? You could feed your families for a year. Anyway . . ." Mat searches the nest area for eggs.

[Leomor]

Mathwin orders the men to be on the lookout, while Mat begins to explore the cavern. Being very cautious, Mat first inspects the dead Hippogirff. Nothing would be worst than more undead creatures barreling towards him. Getting quite close, Mat is assured that the creature is dead, and begins to peer around the rocks, hoping to find it's nest nearby.

Not having to go too far inside the cavern, Mat finds a section of the wall covered with a heavy amount of dried leaves. Peeling away a few leaves, he can see that the creatures hid the egg away, hoping to detour most unintelligent creatures. Pushing all the leaves away, Mat finds a egg, about the size of a mid-sized toddler, safe and un-broken.

[AlphaLuke]

Mat carefully packs the egg in his prepared bag, making sure that the batting surrounds his precious cargo. Then, with a final scan of the area, he leaves the cave, having fulfilled his mission.

Mat has the men escort him back to Bill and bids them farewell.

[Leomor]

With the egg safely wrapped, Mathwin releases the men from any financial gains he may be entitled to. The men seems bewildered, but don't look a gift mule in the mouth. They bow and thank Mat profusely as they attempt to get the deceased Hippogriff onto their cart.

Mathwin finds Bill quite ambivalent to anything that might have happened. He pats his friends neck, makes sure he is fed, and turns his journey around.

....

That night Mat makes camp on the side of the road. He's been able to make it a little ways back through the quiet night. Grabbing his pipe, he reflects on his journey as he thinks of the tournament. Mathwin thinks about how he would fair in the tournament, wondering if he can learn anything or what might happen. He ponders ways to surprise his foes and take the grand prize for his class..

As the night turns dark, Mathwin falls asleep, quiet tired from his journey. He dream vividly of bar fights, maidens and gold beyond his dreams! Every scenario he is faced with, he is stronger than all of his foes, deflecting each move with precision and grace. Usually in a bar fight, Mathwin is calculated and focused, but in his dream he feels calm and collected. When he wakes, the morning sun seems a bit brighter than normal. His muscles feel stronger and his mind sharper. As the next 2 days pass, Mathwin feels invigorated with power and determination. He approaches the Westgate of Absalom, ready to take retrieve his bounty and face any challenge that approaches him.

Spoiler: Event

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Mathwin has leveled up.

[AlphaLuke]

Mat leads Bill into the outskirts of town, padded egg safely in tow. He makes his way to The Brave Badger in Shoreline. Once there, he finds suitable stabling for Bill and makes his way into the tavern. Midnight on the sixth day. What day is today? Fifth? I know I'm not too late. And just early enough to practice and rest before the tournament.

Spoiler

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Sheet updated. Mat is now at level 4 and learned the spells Arcane Disruption, Mute, and Detect Thoughts. Spells are prepared for the day. He has also increased his Charisma score and put ranks in Bluff, Spellcraft, and Knowledge Arcana.

[Leomor]

As Mat enters the Brave Badger, he is greeted with the aroma of spilled ale, pipeweed and wine. A smile escapes his face as the tavern reminds him of good times. Days filled with adventure and peril always get the blood flowing, but he does it so he can end his nights in places like this.

Mat tries to look around the room, looking for "The Innkeeper", hoping he is there early. He walks up to the bar and waits for a drink while he continues to look around the room.

A voice from behind the bar somberly says, "You lookin' for someone kid?" Mat turns around to see a young lady with pale blond hair and freckles sitting next to Mat. "You look like you're looking for a drink and a girl!" She chugs the rest of rest drink quite gracefully, "I'm looking for a drink too." She sets the drink down and looks into Mat eyes, waiting for a response.

[AlphaLuke]

Mat gives the plump Landlady a charming smile. "Well I think it's a powerful crime for a lady as pretty as yourself to go without a drink. How about you pour me some mead and pour one for yourself as well." As soon as the woman turns her back, Mat's eyes flare amber and he mutters the incantation for Detect Thoughts under his breath. He spends the next few moments adjusting to his surrounding and reading the surface thoughts of those in the room. Before sipping his mead, he also casts Detect Poison on the glass, just to be sure.

[Leomor]

Mathwin casts his spell under the loud overcast of the bar, looking for any thoughts that stick out. Many of the gentleman are thinking quite filthy thoughts about the women in the bar, a few jealous women and men, but nothing that peaks his attention. His ale seems safe of any poison.

The inebriated young lady smiles at Mat and says "You're going to be a lot of fun tonight!" She proceeds to chug the entirety of the drink put in front of her and says, "I'm celebrating being single for the first time in years! My husband decided to find a younger girl! YOUNGER?!" She knock the chair down in anger, then after a few seconds, laughs loudly. Her laugh is contagious and the whole bar explodes with a cheer. "And I kicked him to the curb. Who needs him!" She laughs and looks at you. Mathwin looks deep into her eyes, and attempts to use his magic to detect her intentions. Mathwin peers into her mind and and there is a somber silence. Mathwin pauses, and towards the back of her mind, all he hears is...crying? Looking deeper, all he hears inside her mind is a girl crying.

Mat realizes that he's been staring into this girls eyes for a long time, when Mat snaps out of it, she softly says, "I like you, why don't you meet me upstairs?" She begins to walk upstairs when she comes back, "First door on the right!" She excitedly jumps up the stairs and exits behind the staircase.

The bar is loud with excitement, and there seems to be no sign that The Innkeeper is here.

[AlphaLuke]

Well, whatever I can do to help a poor soul in pain. It's my moral duty to comfort her in her hour of need! Mat thinks, while a devilish grin creeps across his face. He downs the rest of his drink and follows upstairs.