Bel's Age of Worms [IC]

[BelGareth]

Chapter One: New friends

It was a cool autumn day at Diamond lake, and you found the chilly breeze biting as you traveled to the meeting place, a pre-designated spot, chosen by your patron, to meet your new colleagues. They were apparently chosen for their special talents, just like you were. Or at least, thats what old Allustan had said. He had hired you, sending a letter in a fancy envelope to you, requesting a meeting, where he, apparently, had judged your character. whatever that meant.

All you know, is Allustan was a wizard, and if he thought your character good enough, well that was that.

A pocket full of money, that you had promptly spent on gear, food, and beer, and another letter, indicating the meeting point, and you were to meet up with these other people, and head onto the small shack he had acquired for you all.

The meeting point was a fork in the road on the way out of Diamond lake. One road heading out of town, the other headed towards the surrounding low hills.

[Rizban]

Wisym Jordye

Wisym stood leaning against a gnarled tree just off the path, one foot resting up against the trunk as he whittled on his fingernails with his knife. He glances up as the others approach, sniffs once, then goes back to tending his nails.

[Deophaun]

Rose hadn't been in Diamond Lake long when the letter came. A wizard watching her, judging her, was cause for concern, and also more than she had hoped. Almost too good of a lead to be true. Certainly one she couldn't ignore.

A voice inside told her it was likely a trap, and as she traveled the path it screamed that she was a fool to be so trusting. The weight of Helm upon her chest said otherwise. It pulled her forward. She had a duty to see this through.

Arriving at the spot, she waited, her hand occasionally glancing over the hilt of her dagger, eyes on the lookout for danger.

[redzimmer]

Seramal Three-Curses

From the bushes crashes a tall, well-muscled half-orc woman. She wears as little as possible to avoid violating decency laws, and only that.

Her hair is dyed a garish red, and is shaved into a mohawk. It serves as a stark contrast to her gray-green skin.

She merrily sings an Orc drinking song, oblivious to who or what may be listening.

"How many Elves must an Orc cut down/
Before Gruumsh will call her an Orc?
The answer my friend/
Is never enough!
The answer is never enough!!"

She grins a very toothy grin, pleased to have found the right place.

She is Seramal. Those who know the underside of Daggerford know her, but how much is truth and how much hyperbole is known only to her.

[5ColouredWalker]

Morris Fullquiver

When Morris first got the letter, he laughed for quite a while... That said, with a wizard's magic, it'd be easy to copy a letter a few time while changing a few words. Right? Yea, must be, probably the only reason he wasn't told in person... That and the next few days he was supposed to be on patrol, but now.
Well, it looked like his call for fun was answered.


As it was, Morris had made his way down early, and was brushing down his horse while humming a common tavern song when Thee-Curses comes through the bushes, singing a song that'd at best get her cold looks in town.
"Seramal, I thought you'd been asked to stop singing that."
With that, Morris goes back to tending to brave... He always though Seramal was nice if rather mis-guided... A good brawl in any case. Burping shortly after arrival hadn't exactly ingratiated him to Wisym, but why drink more water than you had to when beer tasted better? Rose however he didn't know, but already thought she must be a sneak of some description given how fidgety the girl was, and he trying his very best not to appear on his guard to her.

[rypt]

Elira Hartwell

Elira's thoughts, as they tend to be, are elsewhere as she nears the crossroads. She isn't sure what she's been hired to do, but if she succeeds, she wonders, might she claim one of the wizard's books as her reward? She smiles absentmindedly as she stares across the hills. It is an exciting prospect, but the thought of rare arcana is quickly stifled by the sound of a rather rustic song carrying round the bend.

Hastening her palomino to a trot over the last two-hundred-or-so yards, Elira realizes soon enough that there is no cause for concern. She can only roll her eyes and chuckle lightly at the sight of a familiar red-haired and green-skinned half-orc. "Hello, Sera," she says with a sigh as she lifts herself out of the saddle. She nods to Wisym, who always seemed to keep to himself, and gives the unfamiliar human woman a quick once-over.

"Morris, is that you?" she says lastly to the back of the young guardsman. "You out here on duty, or did you get one of these as well?" She pulls Allustan's envelope from beneath her cloak, smirking at the thought of the wizard mailing an offer of employment to one of his own apprentices. "Any idea what we're out here for?"

[redzimmer]

Seramal

"Sera? Bwahahahahaha! In my father tongue you just called we 'beloved'! Now, I'm not sayin' I'm not flattered..."

Seramal looks at the assembled group, giving the males present the ol' elevator eyes.

"So, we all here? Any idea what the bearded old lech wanted us to do?"

[BelGareth]

As you all meet at the designated spot, you all hear a small bell ringing, as if dozens of children at the musical festival each fall, had followed you here. A voice emanates from the crossroads, it sounds like a warm grandfather, of autumn evenings by the fire, and freshly baked goods at the window.

"Yes, thank you for all coming, I was wondering if we were going to be one short for a moment." "Please follow the path up the hill, follow the map that is hidden under the rock in the crook of the v, and clear out that building, hurry now, time is of the essence"

After a few moments of searching, you find a rock with another note on it, and open it, finding a simple map of the road, a trail marked in dashes going off the road, leading to an abandoned mining shack.

After several hours, you find the spot where you need to leave the road, and then, through some thick briars and bushes, you manage to find a dilapidated shack, which was obviously, at one point in time, a miners headquarters. No longer used, it fell into ruin, but would serve as a good spot to rest, and go about your business, once you found out what that was.

Approaching the door, you can hear movement inside.

[Deophaun]

Rose

She recognized some of these faces from Diamond Lake; the half-orc in particular was hard to have missed. That put her a little at ease, and now she had names to attach to them.

"Rose Collart," she said, introducing herself. "So, none of us know..." Her words were cut off by a disembodied voice. The wizard?

She listened, and following the map arrived at the building. They were supposed to clear it out, which meant it was occupied by something. Rose snuck ahead of the group to scope out the building, looking for windows or cracks in the run-down shack's walls to get a view inside.

Spoiler

Show

Take 10 on Search: 15

Edit for also useful stuff:
Take 10 Hide and Move Silently: 17 for each
Take 10 Listen: 17
Take 10 Spot: 14

[redzimmer]

Seramal

Seramal is impressed by the magical prompting. It was good when people were forthright with what they wanted.

***

Following the mage's directions, she sees an abandoned house. During her unpleasant time in the wild she had passed the house once or twice. She'd always assumed it was haunted and kept her distance.

As she approaches the run-down cabin, she thinks she hears something within.

Spoiler: Listen n' Spot

Show

[roll]1d20+3[/roll[/roll] listen ??? Re-roll in OOC
(1d20+3)[18] spot

[Debatra]

"Tobul, or 'Captain Amshem' if you prefer." I suppose "Commander" might be a tad excessive here.

As they approach the shack, presumably the building they were to "clear out", the Dwarf woman moves to the front of the group.

"Poke around if you want," she whispers, "then get behind me when you're ready." That said, she stands in front of the door with her shield and blade ready.

[5ColouredWalker]

"Sorry Elira, not a clue what he wants. For some reason Alustun sent me a letter too instead of mentioning it when I saw him last, so I'm off duty too and just as clueless... Almost got a handle on that fire-strike thing though."

---

On one hand, Morris is off duty, and knows about sneaking up on a house. Occasionally he did it with the town guard to catch a criminal... On the other, there were 6 of them, and almost all of them were warriors... Maybe not seasoned ones, but what threat could the house really hold? He's also not that inclined to listen to a dwarf he didn't know... That said, Elira was definitely at least as smart as he was, and probably a little better at this sort of thing having trained for it, and she hadn't said no to anything yet...

Yea, he'll wait just a bit. They can talk about it later.

Without a word after his hesitation, Morris stacks up behind the stocky dwarf, standing behind her with long sword out but not appearing tense.

[Rizban]

Wisym Jordye

Spitting out the small wad of pipe weed on which he'd been chewing, Wisym wipes his mouth with the back of a hand before finally speaking.

"Do what'cha want. I'm gonna check round back, make sure there's no other doors, open windows, or whatever."

He draws his weapons and walks around the building without waiting for anyone to respond.

Spoiler

Show

Listen - (1d20+8)[22]
Spot - (1d20+4)[20]

[rypt]

Elira Hartwell

Elira appears positively delighted by the wizard's magical message, though she composes herself quickly at the apparent urgency of their task. Her excitement is still apparent through the first hour of their journey, but by the second, she is beginning to wish that Alustan had hired Nieven as well.

As they finally near their destination, it becomes clear to Elira that this is a group with some experience. And some strong personalities as well. Wisym and Rose head off on their own, while the dwarf, Captain Amshem, seems every bit her title. Fortunately, Elira is accustomed to following orders, and for the time being, is content to follow the diminutive warrior's lead.

As she draws her sword and shield, she offers some cautionary words. "Remember, our task is simply to secure the cabin. That doesn't necessarily mean killing whatever's inside. Let's be sure what we're facing before we cut it to pieces--" she glances to Morris, adding "--or light it on fire."

[redzimmer]

Seramal

Seramal rankles at the dwarf's bossy tone, but decides a waist-high wall of steel would be a welcome barrier betwixt her and a belly full of stab.

"Lead on, O Captain my Captain!"

[Debatra]

Tobul glances back at the Half-Orc's comment, giving her a sharp grin. "Well, what can I say? You never really quit the military."

[BelGareth]

As you all approach and then continue to have a conversation, you start to hear growling coming from the inside of the hut. Those who creeping around to peek in, can confirm this.

INITIATIVE!

MAP

Spoiler

Show

Please place yourselves on the map.

[BelGareth]

Initiative:

1. Elira 21 ✓
2. Seramal 14 ✓
3. Wisym 11 ✓
4. Rose 9 ✓
5. Tobul 8 ✓
6. Wolves 4
7. Morris 3 ✓

The door splinters outwards covering Tobul and anyone near by in dust and grime, as the first wolf snaps at her with vicious fangs and teeth before moving back into the shack.

Spoiler

Show

No one is flat footed

Attack vs Tobul!
Bite - (1d20+3)[15]
Damage - (1d6+1)[6]
If hit, then free trip attempt Trip - (1d20+1)[15]

Tobul receives +4 to her check, ontop of her str bonus. (for being a dwarf)

Party is up!

Map

[redzimmer]

Seramal

"Bold beasties," Seramal mutters. She does not want to be caught in or cause a bottleneck, so she moves away from the door and readies her sling.

[Deophaun]

Rose

It's too late to call out a warning before the wolf burst through the rotted door and bites at the pillar of steel standing behind it. No matter. She draws a dagger and launches it at the animal closest to her.

Spoiler

Show

Attack @ Wolf 3:(1d20+4)[9]
Damage:(1d4+5)[7]

[rypt]

Elira

After raising her shield to block the shower of debris, Elira steps through the doorway to strike at the wolf to her right.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Free action: 5-foot step to T15.
Standard action: Attack W3.
Attack: (d20+4)[7]
Damage: (d8+3)[8]
Crit confirm: (d20+4)[17]
Crit damage: (d8+3)[9]

[5ColouredWalker]

Instinctively, Morris does nothing. He has a person between him and the snapping wolf after all.

What he does do though is release a hand from his blade and fling it out, the tiniest of spark shooting forward before blossoming into a fireball among the rabid wolves in the house.

Spoiler: Action

Show

Move: Nada
Standard: Fiery Burst catching the 4 wolves in the middle of the house.
(2d6)[8], DC 14 Reflex Save halves.

[Rizban]

Wisym Jordye

Wisym dives through the window, darkness surrounding him, and thrusts his rapier at the nearest wolf, his blade slashing through the air with a frigid afterimage.

Spoiler

Show

Move: Q13 to S13. Take 10 on Jump to hop up through the window [12] vs DC 10.
Standard: Rapier - (1d20+5)[10] – (1d6+4)[5]
Shadow Blade Technique - (1d20+5)[9] – cold - (1d6)[3]

Spoiler: Swordsage Maneuvers

Show

Active Stance

• Child of Shadow: Gain concealment when move 10 ft.

Readied Maneuvers

• Mighty Throw (Set): Grab foe, throw him up to 10 ft.
• Wolf Fang Strike (Tig): Attack with two weapons.
• Burning Blade (Des): + 1d6 + 1/IL fire

Expended Maneuvers

• Shadow Blade Technique (Sha): Roll 2; lower for + 1d6 cold

[Debatra]

Keeping an eye on W3, Tobul moves over to V-13 and attacks.

Spoiler

Show

Declaring Dodge vs W3, moving.
AC 24 vs AoOs, 25 vs W3's AoO.

(1d20+6)[15]
(1d8+2)[3]

[BelGareth]

Morris reacts, releasing a blast of fire upon the wolves who squeal and howl as the fire burns them!

Elira moves forward and engages, but her swing misses the first wolf!

Seramel hangs back, while Wisym dives through the window, attempting to hit another wolf, while impressive, his rapier fails to hit anything.

Rose throws a dagger, missing her mark as Tobul jumps through the other window to strike the wolf she is now flanking with Elira!

Spoiler

Show

Vs DC 14 for 4 or 8 on fail.
Ref1 - (1d20+5)[23]
Ref2 - (1d20+5)[14]
Ref3 - (1d20+5)[9]

Damage:

Wolf 1: 4
Wolf 2: 4
Wolf 3: 11
Elira: 0/12
Seramal: 0/11
Wisym: 0/10
Rose: 0/8
Tobul: 0/16
Morris: 0/11

[BelGareth]

Initiative:

1. Elira 21 ✓
2. Seramal 14 ✓
3. Wisym 11 ✓
4. Rose 9 ✓
5. Tobul 8 ✓
6. Wolves 4
7. Morris 3 ✓

One of the Wolves is severely injured and lunges out at the closest target, Tobul.

The others move about, snapping at heels trying to trip their usurpers.

Spoiler

Show

Wolf 3 attacks vs Tobul!
Bite - (1d20+3)[9]
Damage - (1d6+1)[6]
If hit, then free trip attempt Trip - (1d20+1)[18]

Wolf 1 attacks vs Elira!
Bite - (1d20+3)[14]
Damage - (1d6+1)[4]
If hit, then free trip attempt Trip - (1d20+1)[18]

Wolf 2 attacks vs Wisym!
Bite - (1d20+5)[13]
Damage - (1d6+1)[4]
If hit, then free trip attempt Trip - (1d20+1)[6]

Party is up!

Map

[redzimmer]

Seramal

Seramal sees the alternative entryway through the windows, so she moves around the side of the house, he sling at the ready.

Spoiler: Move action

Show

Moves to window at Q13.

"Wisym, I might move aside were I you.."

[Rizban]

Wisym Jordye

Wisym takes a 5-ft. step to maneuver a bit out of the middle of the wolf pack before thrusting at Wolf 2, tongues of flame dancing across his blade.

Spoiler

Show

5-ft Step: to T12
Standard: Burning Blade - Rapier - (1d20+5)[13] – (1d6+4)[8] + fire - (1d6+1)[3]

Spoiler: Swordsage Maneuvers

Show

Active Stance

• Child of Shadow: Gain concealment when move 10 ft.

Readied Maneuvers

• Mighty Throw (Set): Grab foe, throw him up to 10 ft.
• Wolf Fang Strike (Tig): Attack with two weapons.

Expended Maneuvers

• Burning Blade (Des): + 1d6 + 1/IL fire
• Shadow Blade Technique (Sha): Roll 2; lower for + 1d6 cold

[rypt]

Elira Hartwell

Elira can feel the impact of a lunging wolf on the other side of her shield, but she holds ground, a she returns the attack in kind, striking at the beast to her right.

Spoiler

Show

Wolf 1 misses Elira.

Standard action: Attack W3.

Attack (including +2 for flanking): (d20+6)[12]
Damage: (d8+3)[6]
Crit confirm: (d20+6)[17]
Crit Damage: (d8+3)[5]

[Debatra]

Tobul attempts to slash at the animal's neck. If she manages to kill it, she'll step to U-13.

(1d20+6)[19]
(1d8+2)[4]