The Hills of Morokha (IC)

[LightWraith]

Daveak Pegason

Daveak prepares his bedroll, then addresses the party, "Agreed. I'll take the second watch. Be sure to call out if anything comes up Tan."

He settles down, but stays fully dressed and keeps his weapons in easy reach. Can't be too careful out in the wilderness.

[BooNL]

Tan

Tan was pleased Daveak took up the second watch, the other two probably didn't know what to do in the wilderness.

"Good, that's settled then, Eg, Risch, you had better get some sleep, tomorrow we be a long day."

[Icewalker]

"Sounds good" says Risch, setting up a small camp from his piles of supplies.

[NoDot]

Eg del Wonk

Sitting down, Eg recalls something. "I've heard stories from the locals about people being tracked down in the wilderness. Have any of you heard things like this?" Eg looks slightly nervous. "Earlier, I think I heard something that sounded like what the was supposed to have sounded like. What of you? What have you heard today?"

Waiting for the others' response, Eg ponders over his vast knowledge and the tales he's heard.

Spoiler

Show

((What all does Eg know?))

Knowledge Checks
Arcana - (1d20+5)[11]
Arch. and Eng. - (1d20+3)[4]
Bardic - (1d20+3)[6]
Dungeoneering - (1d20+3)[5]
Geography - (1d20+3)[11]
History - (1d20+3)[18]
Local - (1d20+3)[13]
Nature - (1d20+5)[12]
Nobility and Royalty - (1d20+3)[15]
Planes - (1d20+5)[15]
Religion - (1d20+5)[6]

[Zincorium]

As the sun sets and the night begins to grow bitterly cold, Allara begins snarling and pacing the ground, conflicted between an odd smell and her duty to guard.

From the shadows emerge two figures, taller than humans but very slender. As they have muzzles and matted fur, gnolls would be a likely guess, but their fur is matted and clumped together with mud, needles, and other plant matter. Their eyes gleam yellow in the light from the campfire, and they stop at the edge of the light.

Both carry axes openly but held loosely, and if they're wearing clothing or armor it's not evident under the muck.

(roll initiative, begin talking, or do whatever it is you do, Tan. The rest are sleeping at the moment, but wouldn't be hard to wake up.)

[BooNL]

Tan

Seeing the gnolls approach Tan shouts out to his party. "Wake up! We are under attack!"

He starts chanting strange words, his hands drawing unknown patterns into the sky. With each stroke a dark green flash of light follows his hand. He grips his divine focus and points his hand towards a spot nearby the gnolls. Out of thin air, a wolf appears who attacks the enemies on sight.

"Allara, attack our enemies!", Tan shoutes as he readies his club against the uncoming beasts.

(( OOC: Initiative - (1d20-1)[19]

Spontaneous Casting: Summon Nature's Ally I (replaces Shillelagh), duration 1 round.

Using free action to command Allara to attack.

Knowledge check to identify the creatures properly.

[ROLLV]=Knowledge Nature]1d20+8[/ROLLV] ))

[BooNL]

((OOC:

Strike 2:

Knowledge Nature - (1d20+8)[27]

))

[LightWraith]

Daveak Pegason

Daveak snaps awake at Tan's call, then rolls out of his bedroll and grabs his longsword in both hands.

He yells to the others, To arms! We're under attack!

Daveak moves towards the first creature, trying to identify it as he gets close enough to attack.

(( Initiative - (1d20+2)[7]

Knowledge Nature - (1d20+2)[17]

On my turn, I'll move to the nearest creature and attack.

Attack - (1d20+3)[7]
Damage Two Handed - (1d8+3)[10] ))

[NoDot]

Eg del Wonk

Eg also awakens, displeased with the events. He draws his weapon and begins... telling a story? "Perhaps I shall tell you the story of..."

Initiative - (1d20+1)[19]
Knowledge Checks

Spoiler

Show

Arcana - (1d20+5)[14]
Arch. and Eng. - (1d20+3)[4]
Bardic - (1d20+3)[6]
Dungeoneering - (1d20+3)[19]
Geography - (1d20+3)[7]
History - (1d20+3)[16]
Local - (1d20+3)[18]
Nature - (1d20+5)[23]
Nobility and Royalty - (1d20+3)[15]
Planes - (1d20+5)[11]
Religion - (1d20+5)[7]

Beginning Bardic Music (+1 vs Charm and Fear; +1 on Attack and Damage)

[Zincorium]

Tan begins waving his arms and bringing in the blessing of the earth as his faithful hound lunges towards the scent that was bugging her. She snaps at the nearest one, which brings up his axe to defend and waves off his companion, who begins running at a breakneck pace away from the camp.

The rest of you wake up to an odd cacophony of sounds.

[BooNL]

Tan

Seeing the other gnoll run away, Tan is afraid it'll get reinforcements.

He orders Allara to attack the fleeing gnoll and moves towards the other gnoll himself. Striking him with his club.

The summoned wolf attacks the remaining gnoll as well.

attack roll - (1d20+2)[11]

damage roll - (1d4+1)[3]

[Zincorium]

The surreal sound of a story being told somehow stands out clearly against the sounds of combat. It's oddly comforting.

Bolstered by the sound, Tan's club swings true, knocking the gnoll solidly in the chest, and the summoned wolf latches onto an ankle brings the gnoll to the ground before dissappearing into the mists from whence it came. Swinging it's axe from the ground, the gnoll attempts to retaliate against Tan but comes up short.

Daveak's longsword whizzes over the gnoll's head as it drops roughly to the ground.



The fleeing gnoll continues running, Allara breaking off from combat to go after her new target. She's a bit faster but unable to get in position to really attack. They're both out in the darkness beyond the range of anyone's vision.

[Icewalker]

Risch bolts out of his tent at the yell, and seeing the combat, whips out his hand crossbow.

[BooNL]

Tan

Feeling the rush of battle through his veins, Tan raises his club to pummel the gnoll once more.

Attack roll - (1d20+2)[13]

Damage roll - (1d4+1)[4]

[NoDot]

Eg del Wonk

Eg continues his tale.

[LightWraith]

Daveak Pegason

Daveak moves towards the fallen creature, raising his longsword for a fierce slash.

Attack - (1d20+3)[19]
Damage - (1d8+3)[4]

[Icewalker]

Risch walks calmly up to the prone gnoll and fires his hand crossbow into its face.

Spoiler

Show

That'd be a sneak attack, +1d6. There is a -4 for ranged weapons vs. a prone target, but what happens if you are just standing over them and shoot down?

[Zincorium]

Battered by his opponents from all sides, the gnoll on the ground finally slumps back and his eyes roll up in his head.

Risch puts a bolt through his forehead, ending it with finality (coup-de-grace).


A few seconds later, as those of you fighting catch your breath, and Eg finally gets around to telling you the end of the incredibly short story, Allara comes limping into the firelight, an arrow through her side and blood on her muzzle.

[BooNL]

Tan

Seeing Allara limping into view, Tan drops his club and shield and runs over to her. "Allara! Oh girl, you look terrible. We have to get this arrow out. It will hurt, but don't worry, it'll be over soon.

Tan grabs a stick from the ground and puts it in Allara's mouth, he then checks the wound. After concluding it safe to remove, he pulls the arrow out.

Immediately he channels his energies and lays his hands on Allara's side. A green glow surrounds the wound as it slowly closes.

"There there, rest now."

((

Cure Light Wounds - (1d8+1)[8]

Out of 1st lvl spells btw. ))

[NoDot]

Eg del Wonk

Eg finishes his tale and spends a moment calming himself.

Those creatures...

Spoiler

Show

Knowledge Checks
Arcana - (1d20+5)[20]
Arch. and Eng. - (1d20+3)[10]
Bardic - (1d20+3)[23]
Dungeoneering - (1d20+3)[22]
Geography - (1d20+3)[6]
History - (1d20+3)[21]
Local - (1d20+3)[12]
Nature - (1d20+5)[10]
Nobility and Royalty - (1d20+3)[12]
Planes - (1d20+5)[8]
Religion - (1d20+5)[9]

[LightWraith]

Daveak Pegason

"Everyone alright? We need to be more careful, that could have ended badly."


Daveak returns his sword to it's sheath, then straps his swordbelt back on. "Go ahead and get some sleep Tan, I'll take over watch for the rest of the night."

Picking up his bow, he walks a quick patrol around the campsite then returns to the center. Taking a seat, on the grass, he calmly looks at the direction the gnolls came from. He mutters under his breath, "That was very odd wasn't it..."

[Icewalker]

Risch's eyes seem to glaze over as he walks back to his tent, lost in thought.

[Zincorium]

Although the watches seem to drag on forever, the threat of imminent attack from the darkness all around keeping the watchmen on edge, dawn eventually breaks.

The body of the gnoll has grown stiff, it's blood coagulated, and the smell is a bit rank once the sun touches it.

[BooNL]

Tan

Tan wakes up and pushes Allara to the side. He yawns and tries to get his head clear.

When he sees the body of the gnoll the memories come flooding back, immediately he gets up.

He gets out his waterskin and a ceramic bowl, upon muttering a few words, both objects fill with water. He places the bowl near his bed for Allara.

Drinking from the waterskin, he walks over to the gnoll's corpse and checks it.

[Zincorium]

The gnoll's corpse is in pretty bad shape from the battle, but you can tell with a quick glance that it was a male, a bit taller and somewhat skinnier than a human, and it has several pouches hidden under a jerkin that was ripped and frayed and then covered with mud, leaves, and twigs much like the gnoll's fur.

The pouches contain an assortment of both basic supplies (jerky, fishing hooks, sharpening stones) and trinkets that my be either religious or sentimental value, including three worn copper and a silver piece with a hole through the top and a loop of rough thread.

A ways to the side, the gnoll's axe is in surprisingly good condition compared to the rest of it's gear and is of obviously better quality. There is a line of inscribed script, and although you can't read it, you note an obvious relationship between the style of writing and gnomish, especially older volumes of gnomish.

[BooNL]

Tan

Inspecting the axe, Tan notices the resemblance between the writing and the gnomish language. Though he can't make out the inscription. Could it be dwarven?

He gets up and wakes Eg.

"Eg, wake up." Tan gives him a light kick with his boot. "This inscription, it looks like gnomish but I can't read it. Can you help decipher it?"

[NoDot]

Eg del Wonk

"I can speak with elementals, creatures of pure Good, and creatures of pure Evil all in their native tongue. I don't speak this tongue, but I think it's gnoll."

[LightWraith]

Daveak Pegason

Daveak stands and stretches, loosening muscles that cramped during the long watch.

Seeing the other party members examining the axe, he walks over "Find anything of note? If not, we should probably break camp and be on our way, we still have some distance left to cover."

With that, Pegason gathers his supplies and breaks fast while he waits for the others.

[Icewalker]

Hearing the comments about the writing on the axe, Risch turns back and bends down over the inscription.

[Zincorium]

(Because this has been sitting dead for a few days, and that appears to be because everyone is waiting. Without telling me they're waiting. So gonna move on.)

The memory of the battle of the previous night lingering in everyone's minds, the band journeys onwards into the hills.

In contrast to the bright sunlight and bright predictions of the locals, the sky grows dark and cloudy over the course of the second day, and eventually a cold rain begins to fall in long, tumbling sheets. Off in the distance you can see breaks in the clouds, but around you it continues to be damp and frigid. While unlike the first day there are no signs of being trailed, a sense of foreboding hangs heavy over the second and third day.

At long last, however, you come to the approximate spot on the map where the temple was said to be. The gorge before you is narrow, but deep, and stretches a good distance in both directions from where you stand. For the most part, the walls of the gorge are sheer rock faces, but there's a narrow switchback trail in front of you that leads down to the bottom.

(any actions you want to make in the midst of this, go ahead and post them. Shouldn't require too much ret-conning)