Ongoing Games (In-Character)Play-by-post games are going on in this forum as we speak (well, read). All threads on this board are actual games, so please, only post on a thread if you are a player of that game.
Oscar clothes cling to his slender figure in the rain as small drops of water fall from his pointed beard. He hadn't heard all of what Gwen had said except check and goblin. He arrives just as the goblins body tears apart, a grimace crosses Oscar face at the bloody entrails, I don't care if it has 1000 platinum pieces, I am not touching that....
Oscar raises his voice, "WHAT *Thunderclap* SHELTER *THUNDERCLAP* COTTON!"
"YOU'RE A WHAT? LUCKY SKELTER?" Fimble tries to decipher Jarvis' words. "MULES! RIGHT!"
Fimble does his best, mucking around in the mud with the large animals, to tie them to the wagons.
__________________
Spoiler
"Players may blunder through dialog with shocking ineptitude, forget the name of the country they are in, or get confused about which side they are on, but once it comes time to roll for initiative they all turn into Sun Tzu." -Shamus Young
The mules are troopers about the whole awful experience and are easy enough to tie on to the wagons and the carts, while the merchants busy themselves trying to adjust the tarps to act as a makeshift tent for everyone to crawl under.
In the end, there's enough room in the carts and wagons for everyone to ride, though it's really cramped.
Feddin/Felix:
Spoiler
The bear roars and swings a massive paw at a goblin's spear, nearly ripping the spear out of the goblin's hands. He stumbles a bit and almost falls over. The other goblins poke at the bear to keep it at bay while the stumbling goblin steadies himself.
Once in the wagon Gwen wipes the water from her face and turns to her comrades, "I am so glad to get out of that, at least for a little while." She says literally wringing out her hair. "I wonder if the monks have had any luck finding a place to rest. I am worried I am going to freeze, or rust. I can't wait to get out of this armor."
Feddin, not recognizing the tribe, looks to Felix. He speaks loudly over the storm, but again pauses when the thunder sounds so as not to be interrupted. "I do not recognize *boom* those goblins. But if we can *boom* beat the bear, they might *boom* surrender to us. If not *boom* we should make short work of them *boom* in this weather." He meant that this rough terrain and the boulders strewn about thanks to the avalanche would certainly allow the monks to outmaneuver the goblins, should they prove ungrateful.
__________________
"But Iron - Cold Iron - Is Master Of Them All"
Felix looks at Feddin for a while looking very uneasy
"This is a brown Kodiak bear... If we want to have any chance to beat him it would be while working together with goblins, ...or after they weakened him." Felix didn't like any of the options...
"Anyway it probably comes to this - Are we looking for a different cave?
If no, then -Can we trust the goblins that they don't kill us after we help them?
If no... then- Would the bear be weakened enough after beating goblins, so we could beat him?" ...And is the last question even one that I should ask?...
Spoiler
DC 5 Sense Motive to find out that he proposed the last one only because he is really worried about the rest of the group.
__________________
“No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between the shoulder blades will seriously cramp his style.”
― Steven Brust
“Plan. Yes. Good idea. I should come up with a plan.”
― Steven Brust, Dzur
Fimble immediately starts fidgeting and writhing his fingers as soon as they get under the makeshift tent. "You think they're alright? Maybe we should go check. Should I go check? He pokes his head outside, not being able to see anything, before drawing back, nervous eyes dodging to his companions' faces.
"Maybe we shouldn't have parked right next to a place with a rockfall. What if there's a landslide? We should probably move the carts. Right?"
__________________
Spoiler
"Players may blunder through dialog with shocking ineptitude, forget the name of the country they are in, or get confused about which side they are on, but once it comes time to roll for initiative they all turn into Sun Tzu." -Shamus Young
Gwen sighs knowing that they should go help the monks now that the carts were safe to move. "Yeah we should go see if we can help, the extra eyes couldn't hurt, though we should leave someone with the wagons also. I'd hate for some monster to view this as an easy lunch." She says looking out at the heavy rain.
Feddin pauses and a thought comes to him. It'd involve waiting in the rain for a bit, but he never minded that if it meant less work for the two of them. "We should let them fight. The goblins *pause for thunder* probably cannot beat it unless they *pause* get lucky. Whichever side *another pause, glancing up at the storm annoyed* wins, it will be easier for the two of us to beat."
__________________
"But Iron - Cold Iron - Is Master Of Them All"
Oscar curls the tip of his beard causing a few drops of water to fall, "Would you be able to find them in the rain? What if they are actively concealing themselves from some possible enemies? Us stumbling into a situation with no prior knowledge could cause a situation to go quite south." He pauses for a moment, " I know it's from concern but they went for a specific reason, Mr.Feddin's knowledge of the land geographic features and Mr.Fimble's well...difficulty at being spotted. Have patience, for now."
Gwen, who really did not want to go back outside struggled for a minute between the points Fimble and Oscar had made. "We could go out perhaps if someone had some...No I just don't know what to do."
Fimble tries to steel himself against his fear.
"Alright, we'll give them five more minutes and then we go out and find them."
__________________
Spoiler
"Players may blunder through dialog with shocking ineptitude, forget the name of the country they are in, or get confused about which side they are on, but once it comes time to roll for initiative they all turn into Sun Tzu." -Shamus Young
The bear soon grows weary of the standoff and charges in, swiping away one spear to the face, but taking another one to the shoulder. It doesn't matter though. In a flash of fur and teeth the massive beast buries one of the goblins and begins tearing. The unlucky goblins cries of agony rip through the mountainside until it is muffled into a gurgle that is silenced forever.
The goblins scatter under the assault, but regroup behind the bear to stab at its haunches until the kill is completed. Then the bear turns hard and stands on its hind legs, roaring angrily. Blood and bits of goblin drip off of fangs and claw. The goblins pull back and begin chattering amongst themselves.
Now that the goblins have changed position, you can see that there are four of them left. One of the goblins discards his splintered spear and draws a morningstar mace. The bear roars again and the goblins trip over themselves trying to get away from the beast.
After a little more chattering, the goblins decide to find another shelter for the night and scamper off into the rain.
Having defended her territory, the drenched bear examines the cave... clearly uneasy about going near the fire, but unwilling to leave her happy home.
Fimble/Gwen/Oscar:
Spoiler
Jarvis looks to the group with a confused expression. Although the wagon provides some shelter, the rain is still pounding onto the wagon enough to resemble a team of drummers beating a snare drum. It's almost painfully loud in there and the frequent crash of thunder makes civilized conversation nearly impossible. "WHAT?! I CAN'T *thunderclap* YOU! IS EVERYBODY SEATED AND SECURED? RIGHT!"
With that, he turns about and snaps the reigns. The horses and mules tug on the harness and with a groaning sound, the overloaded wagons begin to move forward. The pace is awfully slow, but it is at least forward motion. Jarvis grimly focuses on the road ahead, trusting in his wide brimmed hat to keep the rain out of his eyes. The other merchants have also pulled their hoods low and grimly plod on.
Lightning crashes against the mountainside and splits a tree about 80 feet up. It leans hard to one side and the stump burns. The flash of light reveals very little about the surroundings, except that your group appears to be the only living things that have yet to successfully find cover from the storm. The Sea of Swords looks hostile however, and the waves pummel the coastline.
"Yes, we're much better equipped and more skilled than a band of five goblins. We get the others, inform them of the cave and the bear, then come back and drive the beast out. Killing it isn't necessary, but if it refuses to give us the shelter than so be it. There are not many caves of this size in the area."
__________________
"But Iron - Cold Iron - Is Master Of Them All"
Felix starts going back and when they reach the rest of their group he summarizes the situation.
"...no, not far away...
...a huge brown bear!...
... beat easily a bunch of goblins...
... yes, the cave is large enough...
...we can get there with wagons easily..."
__________________
“No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between the shoulder blades will seriously cramp his style.”
― Steven Brust
“Plan. Yes. Good idea. I should come up with a plan.”
― Steven Brust, Dzur
Fimble gives them both a big wet hug.
"Oh, it's good to see you! I thought something terrible had happened!"
After gathering the situation from Felix, he replies (still shouting):
"A huge bear? Maybe it's not such a good idea. But it would give us a chance to ride the storm off safely afterwards - it's just not very likely that the bear will give up it's cave willingly. Do you think this shelter will hold through?" He asks out in general.
__________________
Spoiler
"Players may blunder through dialog with shocking ineptitude, forget the name of the country they are in, or get confused about which side they are on, but once it comes time to roll for initiative they all turn into Sun Tzu." -Shamus Young
"A large brown bear...that is quite an obstacle." Oscar closes his eyes and gently strokes his beard for a moment. He says loud enough to ensure everyone can hear,
"You said the bear was hesitant about approaching the fire yes? I have a plan that could work. Even if it fails, the results won't be disastrous. I will require your assistance Mr.Fimble." He then begins to outline the plan for the group.
Jarvis listens to as much of the plan as he can while still keeping an eye on the road.
"GO ON AHEAD THEN! *thunderclap* WE HAVE TO KEEP THE WAGONS ROLLING OR THEY'LL GET STUCK IN THE MUD, BUT WE CAN SLOW OU-*thunderclap* -ITTLE. THAT SHOULD BUY YOU SOME TIME TO DEAL WITH THE BEAR! GOOD L- *thunderclap*"
The wagons and carts slow down to about half walking speed... just enough to not get stuck in the mud. The horses and mules are a bit frightened by the lightning and are not interested in going slow, so Jarvis has to put all his focus on them.
Oscar steels himself for a moment, and says "Let's begin." He follows the sure footed Feddin and Felix through the rain with the accompaniment of the others. He signals for others to hang back as he approaches with Feddin, Fimble and himself. He gazes at the opening of the cave to asses the situation before leaning uncomfortably close to say, "Are you ready Mr.Fimble"
Spoiler
Not meaning to railroad, just assuming that everyone would agree to come at least. I also want to try the plan!
First some rolls :
It's windy,rainy and dark but just to be sure: (1d20+1)[20] move silently (1d20+1)[7] hide (1d20)[8] Spot for the bear's position and the fire in the cave.
When he casts the spell he autosucceeds the concentration check.
Let's see some high numbers, no whammy no whammy no whammy STOP!
Fimble steels himself for the task ahead and when Oscar leans in, he feels nothing but a cold tug in his gut.
"I'm ready as ever."
Fimble moves closely to Oscar and waits for his signal so that he can cast his spell at exactly the same time as when he casts his.
The ghost sound Fimble creates to correspond with Oscar's spell, resembles a huge crackling bonfire, along with the sound of an unearthly creature howling and gibbering loudly.
__________________
Spoiler
"Players may blunder through dialog with shocking ineptitude, forget the name of the country they are in, or get confused about which side they are on, but once it comes time to roll for initiative they all turn into Sun Tzu." -Shamus Young
This is assuming we can see the bear and position the illusion inside the cave as to scare it out....if that isn't the case I'll edit the post.
"Alright." Oscar then takes a deep breath as his hands twist in the air to the cadence of his whimsical chant.
A small coal pops out of the fire, and rolls deeper into the cave. The small flames lick over the glowing red sphere, barely casting any illumination. A violent shiver shakes the coal, followed by a puff of flame and smoke. It then begins to violently quake as a pillar of flame erupts from within it's cherry red core. The flames reach the top of cave and fall back to earth. On the the dry earthen floor, the flames swirl and being to quickly form a hulking outline. As chunks of burning ash form a fiery exoskeleton that barely contains the swirling flame within. A bear like hulking figure stands to its full height, almost brushing the ceiling of the cave. It mouth opens and an unearthly shriek the sound of metal rubbing metal fills the cave. It steps toward the bear, opening its mouth as drops of liquid fire fall to the floor and smoke.
The bear roars back at the image of the fire elemental, but continues to retreat.
It takes several seconds, but eventually the bears natural fear of fire beats it's desire to return home. It flees, whimpering in fear and occasionally looking back.
The cave is now yours.
Spoiler
135 XP Each
The cave itself is massive, chilly, and dark. But compared to the raging storm outside, it's downright cozy. The goblins have left behind some supplies. A few feet from the fire, a pot of crayfish sits, ready to be set onto the fire. The goblins also left behind some packs that are filthy and worn. Somewhere in the depths of the cave you can hear some rats, or possibly bats, squeak.
From this vantage point, you can see the merchant team slowly trudge around the bend. First the mules... then the horses. They are several hundred feet away and out of earshot, and in the rain, they are small silhouettes, but the advantage of height (and not getting rain in your eyes) gives you a much better look at the road below and ahead.
The storm looks rough. The ocean is sending pounding waves against the shore, and a few minor landslides have clogged the roads ahead. You can tell that tomorrow's journey will be laborious.
"That went much better than I thought it would."
He says after seeing bear flee in fear.
When they can see the merchants approaching he turns to them on Alfie...
"I will go to lead them here!"
... he shouts to others as he rides towards merchants.
He reaches them and show them the way to the cave, wishing that monks in the monastery taught him a summon Umbrella power, instead of the armor one...
__________________
“No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between the shoulder blades will seriously cramp his style.”
― Steven Brust
“Plan. Yes. Good idea. I should come up with a plan.”
― Steven Brust, Dzur
A sly smile spreads across Oscar face as the bear runs into the night, he quickly exclaims "That worked splendidly!" before moving to the cave. As Felix goes to fetch the others, Oscar carefully looks through the goblins bags checking every nook and cranny.
I'll need to dry off before I catch a chill....some of the supplies may need drying also. I have just the spell.
Spoiler
Take 20 on a search check on the goblins packs for 24
"I am glad that worked so well Oscar. And I am glad Felix is leading the merchants here. I really do not want to set foot in to the rain again for at least a little while." Gwen says trying to warm herself by the fire. With a shrug she adds moves the pot of crayfish over the fire. "Wouldn't want to waste it."
Feddin simply nods, watching the bear flee until it is far out of sight. He goes to the fire and sits to at least dry his clothes, then after a few minutes helps Oscar search through the goblins bags.
Spoiler
Also taking 20 to Search the goblin packs
__________________
"But Iron - Cold Iron - Is Master Of Them All"
The merchants follow Felix back to the cave and begin to unload some of their packs to dry them off. There's much grumbling and fussing amongst the merchants about being sopping wet, but Jarvis is unusually quiet. He doesn't seem overly pleased about stopping for the day, but apparently has decided not to voice his grievance.
Instead, he helps the rest of the merchants with their duties and then snags a spare set of dry clothes from his wagon and changes under the privacy of its canopy.
In the depths of the cave, you can hear a faint whimpering.
"Umm... any idea what was that?" asks Felix, still shaking a bit after this whole running up and down in the rain.
Just after he asked that he quietly goes to check himself what was the source of whimpering.
__________________
“No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between the shoulder blades will seriously cramp his style.”
― Steven Brust
“Plan. Yes. Good idea. I should come up with a plan.”
― Steven Brust, Dzur
RSS Feeds: 
Re: Random Adventures IC (D&D 3.5)
))
