The Mysterious Evil

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

"Ah, good, then let's get on with it. I believe that Shia has finished browsing through what passes for the local shops. Shall we proceed, then?" The Friar heads for the door, hoping that the others follow.

[Slartibartfast]

Note to Heradoth:

Remember that Doc did burn Ronald's corpse. Also, that whole no-contact-with-the-outside-world thing kinda gets in the way of importations of any kind.

[Firesong]

I was assuming that there might be other corpses... not everyone dies neatly in front of the Doc. But perhaps we could borrow some fire from him. It would be fun...

Incidentally, Heradoth was considering sending a shipment of kittens to sell after they got out of here. It would be perfect. Rats cause plague, cats it rats, ergo cats will prevent the town from becoming plagued again.

[Slartibartfast]

Ah, I see. Simple misunderstanding. I'm gonna shut up now before I screw up and give something away.

[Tola]

Shia speaks on hearing Heradoth's suggestion on cats.

"That's assuming the cats don't end up getting affected BY killing the rats. Then we have feral cats, instead of rats. And cats are....disturbingly dangerous. Most ridiculous thing I ever saw one time....a whole group of guys get effectively mauled to death by a kitten they made the mistake of pissing off. No, I don't know what they did to it, only the results. Not only horrible, but embarrassing to boot. It's scary and funny at he same time. I'm STILL not sure how to feel on it, and it's been a year or so since I saw it."

Shia shakes his head.

"Let's get this done quickly."

And Shia shoves off to try to speak to some of the townsfolk, to get them moving...

((OOC it's a old D+D thing from what I understand-Commoners and the D4 classes die to cats. The imagery alone....))

[Slartibartfast]

((Not really sure how that works. A cat has 1/2d8 HP and has 3 attack that do a net of 1 damage, being 1d2 and 1d3 but -4 for strength. Even a commoners unarmed strike could at least knock out a cat, let alone a kitten.))

[BurntOfferings]

(( He would have to hit it first. A commoner, with his impressive +0 BAB and +0 Strength bonus, will have trouble hitting the cat's 14 AC. Conversely the cat, with its +2 size bonus and +2 Dex bonus, would have little trouble hitting the commoner's 10 AC. Plus, cats get three attacks per round (two claws at +4, and a bite at -1). A commoner against one cat is in trouble. A commoner against two cats is meow mix. ))

[Slartibartfast]

((I thought you got 2 Unarmed Strikes? Oh, but I guess that counts as Dual Wielding granting a favorable -4 penalty. What Shia describes though was four or five commoners against one cat. So 4 vs. 3 attacks, but still I think the cat does have an advantage. The last commoner might survive and take out the cat, or with a streak of luck more.))

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

Walking towards the town hall, the Friar calls back, "Shia, let's make sure the town hall is acceptable before we start herding the townsfolk. If it's half windows, the doors don't lock, and the cellar connects to an ancient sewer system, it would hardly make a suitable redoubt."

Hurrying along, he looks up to the sun to gauge how much time they have until nightfall.

(( Re kittens: Yep, the primary attack would suffer a -4 penalty, and the offhand attack would suffer a -8 penalty. From the cat's point of view, panicking the humans into swinging both fists is a winner (panicking them into trying to deal lethal damage is also a clear winner). Another thing relevant to fighting a group: since a cat has 0 reach, it must enter its opponent's space to attack. This gives it a +4 cover bonus to AC against other foes (but not the one it shares a space with). So most of the humans have to hit AC 18 with a +0 attack bonus. ))

[Slartibartfast]

The sun appears to tell you that you have approximately two hours left before nightfall. Dun dun DUNNNNNN!

((Re: Kitten: Now to prove this theory, I will start an ongoing sub-plot that is COMPLETELY unrelated to the game! At the end of each of my updates, I will add a new episode of Cat Wars, where I have a cat take on a group of commoners! If the cat wins and the adventure is entertaining enough, I may begin to judge the cat against tougher opponents.))

Cat Wars: Battle 1, Episode 1

A cat faces four commoners. One of them pissed off the cat, so it attacked him. THE BATTLE BEGINS, WITH AN INITIATIVE ROLL! The cat gets a 9, and the commoners get a 5, 19, 12, and 19. Three commoners attack. One commoner rolls for critical miss and hits nothing, the other hits the cat.
The cat takes 6 damage. The cat is knocked unconscious. Theory disproved, three commoners can take out one cat. CR 3 (the commoners) vs. CR 1/4 (the cat) is actually a good measure of strength. Anyone wanna try a rematch in Episode 2 or should I just end this and spare the cat?

[BurntOfferings]

(( I think the cat should've gotten to act in the suprise round. ))

[Slartibartfast]

((Probably, but I had wanted a pure stats fight so I made no surprise round. I see now that cats really do suck.))

[Slartibartfast]

Krispen

Walking towards the town hall, the Friar calls back, "Shia, let's make sure the town hall is acceptable before we start herding the townsfolk. If it's half windows, the doors don't lock, and the cellar connects to an ancient sewer system, it would hardly make a suitable redoubt."

Hurrying along, he looks up to the sun to gauge how much time they have until nightfall.

Whoops. Never finished that one. The answer is:
{table]Item|Status
Ancient Sewer System|Does not Connect
Windows|Few and Far Between
Doors|Sturdy and Lockable, but Wooden
Suitability as Town Sanctuary|High[/table]

Your survey went successfully. You think the town could indeed take refuge within this building, and in fact cannot see why they have not done so already. Many people would have to fit in the basement level, which according to descriptions is sizable enough, although the guard on duty would not unlock it for you because there was "official stuff" down there. Someone was obviously inside during you conversation, as you hear a thump from within. Oddly, the soldier shudders at the sound before returning to his post.

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

(( Is there any way into the basement other than the interior stairway (I assume it's interior), e.g. a basement window or exterior door? ))

The good Friar raises himself up to his full impressive height of 34 inches, and settles his sternest, most disapproving gaze upon the guard. "You think to bar me from the basement because of 'official stuff'? I am here by order of the King himself, and it does not get more official than that! I have traveled far, and have already lost a companion to this foul plague. I am in no mood for foolishness. Now unlock that door and stand aside, or I swear by the awesome might of the Lady of Flames, there will be consequences."

Intimidate check (1d20+3=15)

[Slartibartfast]

The basement seems like the perfect place, with no windows or connection to the outside except a sturdy stone door that could easily be barred from the inside. The door leads to a stairway with a second door of equal or greater merit blocking the way to the basement itself. There are also runes on the door, supposedly holding ancient protective spells back from the founding of the village. The door is exteriorly barred with some sort of makeshift rig of bars and chains with three padlocks upon it. This odd contraption stands out from the natural build of the building, which was made sturdily with almost, or maybe even, dwarven precision. All the walls surrounding the basement are made of the same runic stone as the door. In fact, the basement seems almost too perfect.The rest of the building is made varyingly of stone and wood.

================================================== =====================================

The soldier looks incredibly nervous, and his eyes dart back and forth.
"Well, um, but sir, I, uh, um, duh, have no proof! Yes! I have no proof that you have, uh, any connection to the king at all! So, uh, you should go, uh, talk to the mayor or something. Yes, talk to the mayor! If you can get him to, um, grant you permisson to enter the basement, then I'll gladly open the door for you, yessir!"
Picking up momentum, he threads this pale story for you. It's obvious he just made it up, but he now seems to think better of you, although his honor prevents him from going back on what he said. Or something similar, you can't be sure. Anyways, it seems better not to press him yet and see what the mayor has to say.

((Is the Good Friar the only one here? It's been a long time since anyone else posted besides me and him...))

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

The Friar seethes with displeasure. "And where can I find the mayor?"

[Slartibartfast]

"You're in the town hall. Where do you think? Head up those stairs at the end of this passageway. Follow the signs."

[Tola]

Shia simply shakes his head watching/hearing this.

I thought most holy men were wise?

"....Alright, who have you got in there, how long have they been there, is there rat access to in there, and were they definitely infected before you locked them up?"

Very to-the-point, for the most part.

"The last thing anyone needs, given that this building may be used for the protection of the people, is for zombies to be bursting from the floor because you felt like keeping secrets. If nothing else, we can slay the beasts now and end the problem. Is this acceptable? Or do you insist we see the Mayor first?"

Shia is also foolish-intolerant....sadly for the guard.

[Firesong]

Heradoth grins eerily as he steps forwards, his red eyes flickering as he motions his companion to follow. "This, my friend, may not be contagious, but he also cannot be infected. He doesn't have any soft spots, so to speak, either. The king's business won't wait for you, so I suggest you state either what's in there or why we should see the mayor. Both would be better." The black-clad elf stands there, motionlessly, his eyes locked with the guard. "Otherwise, we may have to go in anyway. What shall it be?"

[Slartibartfast]

"Bbbbecause I was told nottolet aanyone in there without directordersfrom the mayor!!!!!! Don't hurt meeeeeee!!!!!!!"

The guard bubbles in hysteria and hurdles himself into a nearby corner where he cowers and sobs pitifully. You notice the heads of other guards mumbling from behind corners.

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

The halfling's eyes narrow at the guard's disrespectful tone, but his continence clears somewhat when his companions send the guard scurrying into the corner.

"Renaud, Shia, this 'guard' seems to be a bit confused about the the order of precedence and the chain of command. Perhaps it's best if exemplars of law such as yourselves dealt with his shortcomings."

(( Yay, the good Friar's not alone!

I suppose killing talking to the mayor would be the quickest way in. But panicking the guard is kinda fun. We'll need them later to guard survivors while we save the day, though, so we shouldn't just kill them all. ))

[BurntOfferings]

*poke* *poke poke*

[Slartibartfast]

I'm here. As soon as you guys do something worthy of a response, I'll post something.

[Slartibartfast]

Friar, you still here? Anyone still here should move about and do something productive. The others might come back if their sticky list mentions activity.

[BurntOfferings]

Yeah, I'm still here.

[Slartibartfast]

Okay then, try making a few actions. See if your plan works. Talk to the mayor. Move on the plot. Etc, etc, etc.

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

Sensing from their lack of action that his taller companions aren't interested in disciplining the guard, the Friar stomps off in a bit of a huff. "I'l be back young man, mark my words. And you will regret crossing me."

Krispen heads up the stairs in search of the mayor, intent on asking what exactly is going on (and why the basement is full of plague zombies).

[Slartibartfast]

Following the signs, the most active party member - well, more like "the most NON-SLUGGISH party member" - finds the mayors office. The door is well labeled and closed. Now what Friar?

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

Not bothering with the social niceties (e.g. knocking), the good Friar throws the door open and walks in. "I am Krispen Tealeaf, Friar of the goddess Vulkoria, here on the King's business. He is most distressed about the goings-on in this town. So tell me, what is in the basement of this building, and why isn't it full of civilians instead? Krispen strikes a pose of authority as he waits for an answer.

[Slartibartfast]

The mayor almost drops his tea in surprise, although he composes himself rather quickly. He places his tea to the side and folds his hands across a neat and well-organized desk. You glance across a stack of papers, the topmost being a detailed report on recent zombie activity. "Well then, just anybody can walk in here and say they're on the king's business, but do you have evidence to back up thy words?"