The Lands of Sanetch - Alpha

[iop]

The lizard wiggles its head and emits another burst of clicks. It keeps looking at you, but it doesn't advance any further. The other lizards, some of which had briefly stopped eating, continue devouring the horse's innards.



[ooc]
Here's a sketch of the situation. You are standing around the blue x, the lizard looking at you is L1. L5 is partly hidden behind the carcass of the horse, but it is clear that it is larger than the others. The grey rectangle represents the wagon that has fallen over.

Spoiler

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Kai-Palin: Apologies for second-guessing you. I am too used to players forgetting details, that I didn't even give you the benefit of doubt. I changed my previous post.

Edit: If you ready an action, you indeed use up whatever doing this action would cost you in terms of move/standard/full-round action. On top of that, if you actually get to execute that action, you change your place in the initiative queue to the place where you execute the action.

Also: Kai-Palin, I will already grant you your first two maneuvers, in case there is going to be combat after all.
rolling 1d5=3: Tactical Strike
rolling 1d4=4: Crusader's Strike
[/ooc]

[Kai-Palin]

Raël
((What do you all want to do? I'm fine trying to go by or to fight. On a side note Job, what class(es) has Hector taken levels in?))

"They don't seem to be intent on attacking us. Marius, would you be able to save the horse? I wouldn't mind trying."
((Side note, Raël has on his armor and a buckler on his right upper arm.
AC: 19 HP: 29))
If Marius thinks he can save it:
Raël says "Lady guide my strike!" and releases his arrow at the foremost lizard (L1)

Spoiler

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Initiative: (1d20+3)[15]
Attack Roll: (1d20+7)[24]
Damage Roll: (1d8+2)[5] (1 standard action)

He then drops his bow to the ground and draws his blade. (1 move action)

If Marius says he cannot:
Raël moves off the path to the right and attempts to walk past the lizards, keeping his bow out and an arrow nocked, all the while keeping himself between Marius and the lizards.

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

Marius looks at the lizards, trying to study them momentarily, before responding to the question asked. "I could, but I doubt the lizards would like that. The best thing to do would be to chase the lizards away, but I doubt they will just go away without a fight like that. And to take their lives for that of a horse.." Marius sounds hesitant, but then seems to come up with a thought. "I could try to calm them though, but then we must not do anything aggressive, and it will only give us a small time frame as I have to concentrate on the spell."

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Knowledge (nature) to recognise the lizards and abilities: (1d20+15)[27]
Does the horse seem like it will die in the coming rounds?

[iop]

That the lizards are starting to tear into the inner organs means that they're done feasting on the muscles. It's a matter of minutes till the lizards will rupture a major artery, and from then on, it'll be seconds before the horse finally bleeds to death. Marius is theoretically able to save the horse's life, although it is going to take a lot of work to do so, and only the gods know whether the horse is going to overcome the trauma of being eaten alive.

[ooc]
Marius' knowledge check. I don't know why they come out to be so long all the time. I hope they're at least entertaining :)

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One of the first things that Gunthar told Marius about becoming a traveling medic (and not just a "fat city doctor", as Gunthar used to say) was: "If you forget everything I told you but one thing, remember this: The first goal of a healer is to stay alive, because you're not going to be any help when your limbs are strewn all over the place. Therefore, learn everything you can about the dangers of the world around you."
Thus, Marius has kept an open ear whenever he heard stories about dangerous creatures, places, and, of course, diseases. One day, as he was traveling with a caravan, they stumbled upon a dog-sized lizard not unlike the ones Marius is facing now. Marius, who had been walking at the head of the caravan, was hesitant to advance. A weathered guard who was missing two fingers on his left hand (he didn't let Marius heal him, because the missing fingers reminded him to be careful, he claimed) put his arm on Marius shoulder and told him: "You're a good lad for a healer, you know. You're not rushing to every creature thinking it looks so pretty. That's good, you know. But you don't need to be afraid of this lizard. All scaled creatures are cowards. They won't do anything to you when they're alone. But they can be dangerous when they're in groups, remember that. This kind will try to claw out your guts. The kind with the blue stripes gives off electric shocks. One will just stun you, but a group of about three will easily kill a horse and all the people who are too close to them. Some say you have to be 50 feet away from them, but I have seen people take them out from just 25 feet away without being harmed. When you face a group, you have to kill most of them at once, otherwise just don't annoy them and look scary enough so they leave you alone. Looking at you, I'd say you should just run away from them. There is also the kind with the red blotches all over. When they attack, it will look like they're peeing oil all over. But when they cough fire on it, this oil is going to burn like alchemist's fire. You have to light the oil while they're still peeing, or you have to shoot fire arrows into their bladder, so that they explode, otherwise you're toast. Literally!" The guard had still been laughing when suddenly, a swarm of lizards attacked the middle of the caravan. Marius had a lot of deep gashes to heal that night, earning the gratitude of many of the guards.

The lizard in front of you and the others all have blue stripes.

[/ooc]

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

"On second thought, I think I remember something about these creatures.. they are dangerous. In a group of at least three, they can kill a horse and the people around it with an electric shock.. If we were to face them, we would have to keep our distance and take most of them out at once.. But I suggest we avoid them. Then do not annoy them and look scary enough for them to leave us alone." Speaks Marius, not very hushed and instead audible enough for the other two to hear.

[Job]

Hector

“Good thing it is indeed to have you with us Marius, bet to avoid such a risk when escorting a child.” Hector relaxes his poster and takes several steps back. “Shall we wait for them to be done a return later to survey the wreckage? Or simply find a way around?”

Hector seems in contemplation for a good bit after he speaks. Maybe I should have a look

~~

Before his companions can respond to his inquiry, the expression on Hector’s face changes from contemplation to resolve, “Wait” He states plainly. Lowering his weapon Hector adopts a narrow stance and begins breathing slowly and heavily, rather similar to when he meditates.

[iop]

You have only been walking for about three hours. However, the last village you saw was Naregal, which would mean retracing all of your way if you wanted to spend a night to wait for the lizards to finish eating before trying again. It does look like it may be possible to go around the lizards by walking through the swamp, though it will be risky.

As Hector calls out to Raël and Marius, the lizard takes a step backwards. It doesn't click, but it keeps eying you. The other lizards don't seem to bother.

When Hector starts his meditative stance, Raël notices motion around his companion, although he seems to remain completely still. Marius, meanwhile, recognizes that Hector is not meditating, but that he is instead making a serious effort - but there are not clear signs for a spell. Except that there is something different about Hector. It is as if he is cast in much brighter light than the surroundings.
Then it strikes both Raël and Marius: Hector's shadow is gone! He doesn't even cast a shadow on himself anymore. Instead, there is a flicker of darkness rushing toward the horse and melting into the shadow it casts.

[ooc]
My dice like you, Kai-Palin and Zweanslord!

Job

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Hector enters into the twilight world of the shadow.
The bright rays of the sun stab uncomfortably. Fortunately, there is the shadow of the horse nearby. The horse is almost dead. It has given up on life. It waits for safe passage. Beyond the horse is a smaller object. It is a corpse. Human. Mostly eaten by the large lizard. There is a whiff of unhappiness around the corpse. It didn't die peacefully. There is also a cart. Wood. The tree died long ago.

Kai-Palin: Hector has levels in Paladin.
[/ooc]

[Kai-Palin]

Raël
((If this isn't necessary, sorry, just wanted to show continued interest))

Raël carefully watches the shadow as it flies along the ground. He moves a step or two forward so that he is level with Hector, and lowers his weight slightly, as though prepared for action.

[Job]

Hector

Satisfied with what he has seen, Hector relinquishes is concentration letting his shadow return to him. A sharp inhale signals the return of Hectors consciousness.

“Not all the members of the caravan escaped, one was killed by the lizards and his body lay half eaten. I will want to bury what the lizards have left and ensure his passage.”

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

The stir of surprise does not remain long as Marius noticed what happened to Hector. After all, in a world of magic, what is not possible?

"Then we will have to wait until they leave." Says Marius, sighing afterwards. He would have liked to safe the horse, but this was the way nature worked. Predators and prey. Ofcourse, saving the horse while keeping the predators unharmed would be ideal, but that was no possibility. So now, Marius looks around and moves away from the lizards. He can not bear to see the horse like that.

[Kai-Palin]

Raël

"If we are to wait for the creatures to leave, let us at least ensure that we are not their next meal." Provided nothing interesting happens, Raël urges the rest of the party around the wagon until it is between them and the road to Mugdal, so that they are about forty feet away from the ruin of the wagon, and the horse is out of sight (and possibly earshot).

((I'm still trying to figure out what you (iop) consider metagaming, but I thought that healers are able to cast sanctuary. You know, the one that makes one target immune to attack as long as he/she doesn't try to attack. The one that could let a character, say, walk into a group of hostile shocker lizards and bury a corpse, and then walk back out.))

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

Nodding, Marius Thanador follows Raël.

[iop]

Carefully, you move on, keeping to the very right edge of the way, as far from the lizards as possible. The lizard keeps watching you, shooting you a burst of clicks as you start moving, but then remaining silent. It seems to realize that you aren't intending to steal their food.
The corpse is a human male. Most of his legs are gone, and a lizard that's larger than the others feeds on his organs. The man's clothing hangs largely in shreds, though you notice a wound in his throat. It appears that it is from a knife rather than from claws.
The wagon is strikingly empty. Whoever was here when the car broke its wheel must have been able to carry off anything that the wagon had been carrying.

~~~

It is not long before the watchful lizard joins the others with the horse. Little later, the large lizard is done feasting on the human. Leaving the man's arms and legs alone, he joins the others with the horse.
Raël carefully approaches the corpse. The lizards only raise their heads as he reaches the human. They make their clicking sound again, but don't seem to mind as he touches the corpse. Pulling the dead man by the arms, Raël moves away from the lizards, slowly, step by step, while the lizards occupy themselves with the horse, which doesn't move anymore.

[Job]

Hector

When Raël approaches, and it is clear the lizards will not be disturbed, Hector will move out to assist with moving the corpse to a safer location. Once a comfortable distance from the wreck Hector stoops over the body inspecting the wounds, and searching for any obvious identification. He will then remove a small lock of hair from the man and bind it with some twine.

OOC:

Spoiler

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Search check:(1d20+3)[13]

[iop]

While Raël keeps an eye out for the lizards, Hector and Marcus kneel down next to the body.
The legs of the man are gone below the knees, and most of the femurs have been cleaned of flesh. Furthermore, there is a bloody hole where the intestines and the other organs have been. The ribcage is intact, however, and hardly carries a scratch, while arms, and face do not seem to have been touched by the lizard. However, there is a deep cut across the throat, and there is a trauma to the skull.
As Hector and Marius carefully inspect the wounds of the man [taking 20 on their heal checks], they come to the conclusion that he died from the throat wound that must have occurred before the wagon had its accident, during which the man was violently thrown to the ground. They estimate that the man must have died 15-20 hours ago, in the afternoon or evening of the previous day.
They are not as successful at identifying the body. All they find is a purse with 160 gold pieces, 25 silver pieces and 12 copper pieces, and a dagger that looks vaguely familiar.
Finally, they remember: The dagger bears the same sigil that had been on the dagger carried by the man who died at the inn the day before. The sigil of the thieves' guild of Malager.

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

"Such an unfortunate fate this man had. Killed and partly eaten. A sad fate indeed. Let us give back the body to the earth and pray that he may find rest." And with that, Marius suggests that they bring the corpse a distance from the road and cover him with earth and/or branches or the like, to then say a prayer together for this man's soul. "The dagger may hint that this man was affiliated with the thieves' guild, but that is no reason we should not respect the rest for his soul." Marius states in addition.

[Job]

Hector

Hector nods in agreement and assist Marius with moving the body off the side of the road. Once there, Hector will remove a large spade from his pack and dig a shallow grave. Placing the body in the grave, Hector join Marius in a prayer, and take a moment to sprinkle what he describes as “holy salt” on the body before covering the crave and marking it with a stone.

~~

Gathered together again, Hector addresses his companions: “Lets get underway; that mans killers may still be about given that they are laden with the soils from the cart. I’ll hold onto the dagger in case it’s poisoned like the last one, can’t have any harm come to the child.”

OOC:

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As I foresee this happening often, when Hector performs the burial ritual above, I will simply say “Hector tends to the dead”

[iop]

The fact that you are in the middle of a swamp makes burying the man a bit more difficult - or easier. As you try to move the body off the road, Marius steps on what looks like a strong patch of grass. However, he immediately sinks into the treacherous ground. He quickly pulls back, though his shoe remains stuck.
Fortunately, Hector knows well how to dig, and so the shoe is soon back on Marius' foot. You end up laying the body onto the patch of grass, and Hector performs the ritual as the body sinks beneath the surface. Since it is hard to mark the grave with a stone, you take a plank from the wagon and stick it into the base of the road next to the unknown man's grave.

[Kai-Palin]

Raël

Raël bows his head as the corpse is placed in the ground, and murmurs, "Lady guard you 'ere you find your rest. You are in her hand, though her mortal servants can help you no longer."

Exchanging saddened looks with Marius, Why can we never find someone to save? They all die before we can help! Raël again moves in front of the healer and proceeds down the road, with his sword again stowed but his bow out, wary of any further waylay.

((When we get wherever we are going to stop for the evening, Raël will have a conversation with Hector))

[iop]

The atmosphere remains somber as you continue through the swamp, even though the weather is splendid. The fog banks become rarer as they are burnt away by the sun. Soon, you begin to miss them, as the sun now seems to concentrate all its energy on you. It is getting more and more humid, and the faint smell of decay emanating from the swamp keeps reminding you of the dead you left behind. Not even the baby can cheer you up when it coos in Marius' arms, curiously looking at the scenery surrounding you.

Slowly, the islands of trees and bushes in the even sea of swamp grass become more frequent as the road starts to slope upwards, and before you realize it, you are climbing the gentle hills that mark the official border of the kingdom of Mugdal. Nothing reminds you of that, however. There is no garrison guarding the pass over the hills to control the entrance to the swamp, but maybe the Eye of Mugdal is watching.

You push back lunch to reach the top of the hills, as you feel that seeing the other side will help you leave behind the memories of disemboweled bodies. It turns out that you are right. Arriving at the pass, an enormous forest unfolds in front of you, and with some imagination, you may even be able to make out the sea in the distance. There is a river coming from the north (your left) that makes a sharp turn and flows ahead almost exactly east (ahead of you). It is the river Orbain which you will be following the day after. To the left of the river, there is a dark coniferous forest that extends to the mountains, while to the right, mixed deciduous forests cover the rolling hills. There are several small columns of smoke rising from the forest to the south, some near, some very far, that indicate gatherings of intelligent creatures. However, the road that is just barely visible among the trees follows the north bank of the river, next to the dark and forbidding forest of Orbain, from which no smoke rises. Except from a small house that you can just make out at the river's knee, where the road crosses the waters. This is the Inn of the West Tower, where you plan on spending the night.

You have lunch, taking in the splendid view, and your spirits raise. The boy seems to like the food Dravia has prepared for him, and he starts crawling on the soft grass as Marius sets him down for a bit.

It is already early afternoon, and you know that the way is going to be long, so you pack up again, and make your way down from the hills toward the river.

There is a weak breeze on this side of the hills, which fortunately takes the edge off the heat, and you make good progress. Yet it is only shortly before sunset when you finally cross the bridge, an impressive construction that does not fit at all the narrow road you traveled, indicating that there must have been more contact between Mugdal and Malager decades, or maybe centuries ago.

The inn is built into ruins of what may have been a fortified outpost once. It is not big, but it can certainly house a decent group of travelers, and as you have not met anyone along the way, you are sure that they will have space for you.

As you walk up to the door, you find it to be slightly ajar, so you enter the room when no one answers your knocks. You find yourself in a comfortable common room with three long tables that must have been polished by the hands and plates of uncountable travelers. There is a stairway that leads upstairs, a door to the kitchen that is closed, and there is a large pot of soup on the table in front of you and a stack of plates. Leaning against the pot is a note that reads:
"Welcome, traveler! My wife and I have to absent ourselves for a short moment. Please make yourselves at home, have some soup and get some well-deserved rest until we return.
Mordran, the Innkeeper"

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

After having read the note, Marius' brow perks up. "Well, that is unusual." Nodding still though, Marius once more looks around. His brow moves back to its usual position and his shoulders slightly rise and decline. He moves to a seat and puts himself down in it, albeit slowly. He looks at the note and the soup again. "Well, I am not one for being suspicious, but it seems odd that this happened. Anyway, if we want something else than soup, I can conjure it up for us. Allow me some time." And with that, Marius starts to meditate for ten minutes. After those ten minutes, one of the tables is filled with simple fare, though very nourishing if rather bland. The food seems to be more than plenty for the three of them and is in fact enough to feed a lot more. Marius makes sure that they pack some of it for the next day, though warns that it will become inedible after a full day. Then, Marius starts eating of the food he just conjured up.

[Kai-Palin]

Raël

Reading the note, Raël looks about, as though hoping the innkeeper and his wife would suddenly walk in a door. "Surely at least one of them would stay here." He moves into the room and looks around through it, to check for any obvious danger. He sits at a table.
"I'll repast with you, unless you go through that soup first I mistrust its healthfulness," he says to Marius. If/When Hector joins him, he makes small talk until they are finished eating. After supper, he suggests that they go outside and practice a bout. Raël brings his sword, and, at Hector's signal, advances into a straight lunge.

Spoiler

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Initiative: (1d20+3)[22]
Attack: (1d20+3)[18] -4 modifier for nonlethal damage already added
Damage: (1d10+2)[8] He pulls the attack in case of a critical, to do only normal damage.

[Job]

Hector

Hector entering last removes his helm; the muggy conditions have matted his hair and given him a damp, unpleasant look. Having seen his companions inspect the note he walks past without scrutiny of his own.

He gladly chats with Raël as they wait for Marius to craft the meal, and thanks Marius when the task is done noting “I certainly hope our hosts won’t take offense to us not indulging in their soup” Hector looks over his shoulder to eye the pot suspiciously.

~~

“Ah’ bout you say” Hector responds as his mood lightens visibly. “It would be my pleasure.”

~~

Standing then, not more then a few yards from Raël Hector makes ready for the duel with a few stretches; one appears to cause an old injury to flair forcing him to stop for a moment. Commenting with a smile “sorry about that, our lot does not age as well as yours” then readjusting his posture and tightening his grip on his flail he shouts “Ready!”

Why, why do I always underestimate the speed of my opponents? He thinks as Raël lunge carries the courtblade into contact with exposed mail. Gritting his teeth Hector centers his thoughts to the battle once more, seeing what his hopes is a slight overextension in the trust he moves to exploit it.

Using the momentum from his back-peddle in response to the blow Hector carries the head of the flail in a high arc and then across entangling the chain and the blade. With luck the tension should loose the sword form Raël’s grip; regardless Hector continues the swing, bringing the flail head around again over Raël’s shoulder.

OOC:

Spoiler

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HP(nonlethal) 36/44
AC:18

Full-Round Action: Full Attack
1st attack: disarm attempt (1d20+20)[27] (no AOO)
(+10 base +4 2-handed wep +4 feat +2 wep. quality)
2nd attack: (1d20+5)[21]
Damage: (1d10+4)[7]+(1d6)[3]*
*all damage nonlethal

[iop]

Marius stays inside while his companions go for the bout. He feeds the child with some of the mashed potatoes he has conjured up. The boy seems happy, which should remove the last of Marius' worry - somehow, he got the ever-growing impression that the food smelled slightly burnt. This is a mishap that often happens to inexperienced casters, which would make it rather embarrassing to veterans like Marius. Still, both Hector and Raël appeared to enjoy the food.
Marius has almost decided that his mind must be playing tricks on him, when he thinks he sees a little bit of smoke passing under the door to the kitchen. Either his mind is really starting to crack, or something is going on in there.

[ooc]
Kai-Palin: At the beginning of the second round of the bout, Raël has the following maneuvers granted to him
Battle Leader's Charge
Tactical Strike
Mountain Hammer

Good luck resisting that disarm!
[/ooc]

[Kai-Palin]

Raël

His eyes narrowed at the glint of light off the chain and spikes of the flail, Raël shows no pain as it hits him on the shoulder and pulls his sword sharply up and toward him, attempting to free it from the flail.

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Resist Disarm: (1d20+13)[16] (+8 attack, +4 size, +1 Furious Counterstrike)
If he keeps hold of the sword, he continues the motion, attempting to rip the flail from Hector's grasp. (1d20+13)[29]

Halting for a moment, Raël begins chanting, "Block, parry, riposte, guard, deflect, shield, counterparry."
((Using Bolstering Voice stance, and the Motivate Care and Master of Tactics Auras))

Regardless whether or not he has his sword, he strikes out with a straight punching strike (a thrust if he has his sword, an open-handed straight blow if not). Mountain Hammer strike

Spoiler

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AC: 19
Attack Roll: (1d20+3)[11] (actually the same for unarmed or armed when penalty for nonlethal is added to armed)
Damage Roll: [roll]1d10+2d6+2[/roll] (sword) or [roll]1d3+2d6+2[/roll]

[Job]

Hector

Hector gives a small nod of satisfaction as the courtblade sticks with a dull thud into the ground. Expecting at this point for Raël to yield he is surprised to see the elf lunging at him a moment later empty handed. Fortunately Hector is able to lean into the blow before it can gain any speed, and responds with his own volley of swings.

Spoiler

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HP 36/44
AC: 18

Power attack set to -1

Full round action: full attack
1st attack:(1d20+9)[29]
Damage:(1d10+6)[14]+(1d6)[5]
1st attack:(1d20+4)[24]
Damage:(1d10+6)[11]+(1d6)[4]

[Kai-Palin]

Raël

Literally spinning from the force of the blow, Raël halts his motion, once again facing Hector. He gives him a bow, and says, "Very well, I concede the bout. Please get Marius so that I may walk under my own power." He then keels backwards and lands, unconscious, with a thump, a small grin still on his face.

[Job]

Hector

Hector grins at his success and walks forward, stopping to retrieve the courtblade and admiring its craftsmanship. “Good fight, I was surprised by your tenacity.” he says, as he flips the blade to an underhand position. Kneeling down Hector presses the sword hilt gently to Raël chest encouraging him to take it. However the exchange will carry more with it then just the weapon.

“Marius…may have something for you” Hector bellows to his companion, who should still be in easy earshot.

OOC:

Spoiler

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lay on hands: 10 hp recovery to Raël

[iop]

[ooc]
Since the damage to Raël is non-lethal, Hector heals 20 damage (I think it's weird that you should be able to heal X lethal plus X nonlethal, but only X nonlethal when there is no lethal damage to heal).
Also, Marius can easily hear Hector.
[/ooc]

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

"Hmm, what?" Says Marius as he steps outside of the door post to see what is going on out there. His expression betrays that he did not exactly hear what Hector was saying because he was in thought. In fact, he had been thinking that it would be time to take a nap, because his mind might be spooking him.

Quickly enough, Marius spotted the effects of what happened. They had said they would train and now they needed their bruises healed. Marius quickly darts over the figures of both to see where the bruises may be and how serious it is, after which he will make a decision about what to do about it.