Chapter 1 - Amateur Style Mercenaries

[YamItheonly1]

Sorry minor family crisis, but I am back to my normal postings now

Lucas will go up the stairs while straining his ears for any noise not covered the bumbling dwarf down below. Pulling one of his many daggers out he balances it getting ready to throw it at anything that moves. As Lucas reaches the top of the stairs he crouches low and scans the area.

[MonkeyWrench]

Alright, fun times and delays all around!

Show of hands, who's still here?

[YamItheonly1]

Lucas has been waiting at the top of the stairs for an entire week. He's got a few leg cramps from crouching the entire time but other than that he feels fine

[MonkeyWrench]

Summary - Lucas and Stairs with Hamish and the Larder

The silent members of the party remain on guard at the base of the stairs, ready to provide backup to whoever is in need...

As Lucas quietly heads up the stairs, going slowly and making very little to no noise, he reaches the top of the stairs and has two directions he can go as the stairs branch off left and right, with each direction hitting a small section of stairs, 2-3 steps at most, and leading into hallways that have doors lining both hallways, most likely individual rooms for residents and guests. For the moment he does not see anything suspicious, a few doors along both ends of the hallways are opened but the majority are closed.

Make a Perception check!

Back on the first floor Hamish begins to open the door to the larder, the door creaking open slowly as stale air hits the dwarf's nose hairs. The room is pitch black except for the parts revealed from the lights in the kitchen, from what Hamish can tell the room is a nice and cool temperature, great for storage of liquids and foods. The walls seem to be made of stone or some form of cement to trap in the temperature, boxes and barrels line the walls.

Walking in Hamish's trained Dwarven eyes detect a sight so beautiful that he knew his quest was complete. Against the far wall was what could only be a wine rack, 10 feet long and 5 feet high with multitudes of bottles littering the many holders. However, as the dwarf nears his quarry he hears a slight noise, almost like claws scraping along the stone floor, off in the corner where several boxes and barrels lay in a haphazard manner...

[GreyWolfVT]

Hamish goes to grab the bottle of wine before he figures out what the beast is that is in the larder. Hoping and thinking it is likely a rat.

[YamItheonly1]

Lucas Cranes his head out as far as it will stretch, while turning his head like a confused dog, trying to get most amount of eyesight and ear hearing possible.

[3d6+1] = 4+1 = 5

I think its safe to say that Lucas just closes his eyes and shakes his head lol

[MonkeyWrench]

Summary Post - The Blind Rogue and Drunk Dwarf

Lucas cranes his ears and squints his eyes in all directions, attempting what anyone watching him would describe as an owl. Unfortunately his eyes and ears must not be with him because he hears and sees nothing, whether this is a failure on his part or the fact that there is nothing out of the ordinary to spot is unknown to him. The young, yet very bald, rogue remains at the top of the stairs for the moment, senses all tingly and alert.

Malzahel takes the first few steps up to watch his back, bow at the ready and arrow knocked but not drawn as he scans in any direction Lucas is not actively looking in. Aedilberct resumes the ancient art of nose picking, using his trusted wand to reach those *almost* impossible to reach spots.

Staying up there or heading back to Hamish to see what he found? If you decide to scout around some more I'll have the two NPC's follow you around like lovestruck puppies... I'm sure Hamish will be fine on his own

In the Larder the Dwarf on a mission, otherwise known as Hamish, delves into the wine rack with a vengeance. His keen nose and eyes scanning the cheaper wines and other unmentionables, not wasting time on inferior stocks, until he finds his treasured macguffin. His hands wrap lovingly around the aged bottle, just slightly chilled to the touch as he pulls the bottle from the rack; the almost black liquid inside sloshing in a slow circular motion. Most believe the wine to be black, hence the name of Blackscythe, but Hamish knew that to be untrue. As he gazed into the bottle he found that the contents were a deep blood red, the kind of drink that will often change color once it hits open air...

The bottle appears to be unopened, it would seem that the letter he found either never reached it's destination or something happened before they could retrieve the bottle, perhaps another clue to this whole places silent and abandoned feel. The bottle's worn label reads "Blackscythe, 8:24 Blessed" The bottle appears to be from the last age, somewhere around a few hundred years old, and as such would be worth a small fortune to the right buyer... Or he could drink it himself and savor the wondrous flavor.

Pocketing the bottle and anything else he found interesting Hamish turns to leave the larder, only to find a somewhat large and furred creature huddled in the door frame, upon closer inspection it looks to be a giant rat. The beast raises it's head, meeting your eyes, it's eyes glowing a soft red in the low light of the larder. It hunches down and starts making some kind of noise, sounding like a mix of a squeak and a hiss, as it looks to you in a threatening manner. As Hamish prepares himself he hears similar scratching noises from different directions of the room...

[Antman9]

(Aedilberct) [Defense: 11][AR: 0] (HP: 30/30)
Action: Checks on the Dwarf

Aedilberct gives Lucas a glance and then heads off to see how Hamish is faring in his search, mumbling under his breath, "This is taking far too long. We need to keep moving."

[YamItheonly1]

Lucas shrugs and takes a few tentative steps onto the second floor, keeping to the right side as much as possible, sliding with his back against the wall and a dagger at the ready

[GreyWolfVT]

Hamish "A fight is it then yah dirty rat." he takes the challenge seriously. Swinging his weapon at the beast.

Dual Battle Axe [1d6] = 2, [1d6] = 2, [1d6+2] = 2+2 = 4, Damage:[2d6] = 9 dmg1 [2d6] = 5 dmg2

[MonkeyWrench]

Finally! Someone got stunt points!

GW, you have 2 stunt points to use for that melee attack, what would you like to do?

Here's a list of them the ones you can do, based on the type of creature you're fighting, amount of stunt points gained, and weapons being used

skirmish: You can move yourself or the target of your attack 2 yards in any direction for each 1 SP you spend.
knock Prone: You knock your enemy prone. Any character making a melee attack against a prone foe gains +1 bonus on the attack roll.
defensive stance: Your attack sets you up for defense. You gain a +2 bonus to Defense until the beginning of your next turn.
mighty blow: You inflict an extra 1d6 damage on your attack.
Pierce armor: You find a chink in your enemy’s armor. His armor rating is halved (rounded down) vs. this attack.

[GreyWolfVT]

Finally! Someone got stunt points!

GW, you have 2 stunt points to use for that melee attack, what would you like to do?

Here's a list of them the ones you can do, based on the type of creature you're fighting, amount of stunt points gained, and weapons being used

skirmish: You can move yourself or the target of your attack 2 yards in any direction for each 1 SP you spend.
knock Prone: You knock your enemy prone. Any character making a melee attack against a prone foe gains +1 bonus on the attack roll.
defensive stance: Your attack sets you up for defense. You gain a +2 bonus to Defense until the beginning of your next turn.
mighty blow: You inflict an extra 1d6 damage on your attack.
Pierce armor: You find a chink in your enemy’s armor. His armor rating is halved (rounded down) vs. this attack.

I select option mighty blow: You inflict an extra 1d6 damage on your attack.

[MonkeyWrench]

Summary Post - Battle in the Larder and the Mysterious Second Floor!

As the Giant Rat raises its hackles and hisses, Hamish swings down his two axes with grim determination. The creature senses such killing intent and is able to just barely roll back to avoid the attacks, the axes landing against the stone floor hard enough to send sparks up in the air. The Giant Rat uses this reprieve to lunge for the dwarf, it's red eyes almost glowing in the darkened room.

Giant Rat Attack: [1d6] = 4, [1d6] = 6, [1d6+4] = 6+4 = 10, Damage: [1d6+1] = 2+1 = 3

The Giant Rat finds purchase with it's teeth but is unable to bite through the Dwarf's leather armor, jumping back before Hamish can end the creatures life, for now. As the creature begins to watch the dwarf warily, more of the same hissing sounds can be heard getting closer. As Hamish readies himself he see's the mage, Aedilberct, arriving into the kitchen area and walking towards Hamish, it is unknown to Hamish if the Mage knows he is walking into a battle or not.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Lucas ascends the last bit of stairs, his back to the wall and a dagger in his hand, Malzahel ascends after him. The dalish elf whispering in a cautious tone, "Should we be splitting up? We have yet to find those that... did what they did..." His bow is at the ready as he almost obsessively searches every dark corner, looking for a threat.

DM Roll Malzahel Perception: [1d6] = 1, [1d6] = 5, [1d6+2] = 6+2 = 8

With a quiet hiss Malzahel drops low, his bow pointed at a door down the hallway, near the end of the house. He speaks in a quiet but desperate whisper to Lucas, "There's something in there, I saw a shadow cross past the door..."

[GreyWolfVT]

Hamish "Giant Rats! Die yah vermin!" the dwarf cries out as he attacks again the same giant rat.
Dual Battle Axe [1d6] = 1, [1d6] = 2, [1d6+2] = 1+2 = 3, Damage:[2d6] = 2 dmg1 [2d6] = 6 dmg2

[YamItheonly1]

Hearing Hamish yell, Lucas charges down the stairs all thoughts of exploration cast to side in a moment of fear and teenage angst

"PLEASE DON'T DIE PLEASE DON'T DIE PLEASE DON'T DIE PLEASE DON'T DIEEEE!" Lucas yells as he basically tumbles down the stairs

If he gets close enough to the critter Lucas will throw the dagger he has nearly stabbed himself with at the best opportunity.

[1d6] = 2 [1d6] = 1 [1d6] = 2

The attack roll gets a +2 bonus but i don't think it matters with those low rolls

[MonkeyWrench]

Hahaha, that will certainly change some things.

Gonna see if Antman can follow up with a post today, if not then expect a summary (and consequences) later on.

[MonkeyWrench]

Alright, Sorry for the long delay, waited long enough for the ant of man. Only so long I can kick his ass before I just gotta go around.

Summary Post - Of Mice and Men... Oh and that Bald kid!

Hamish brings his axes down on the Giant Rat once again, his axes clipping nothing but air unfortunately. The creature makes a sound that is close to a hissing, possibly laughter?

Aedilberct, feeling that this vermin is putting up quite the struggle indeed, focuses his arcane sight inwards and draws upon his magical reserves to cast a spell. He points towards the Giant Rat as bolts of arcane might fire from him. The bolts hurl past the rat, just barely singing the hair on the creatures hind quarters but not hitting enough for anything meaningful.

DM Roll Aedilberct Arcane Bolt: [1d6] = 1, [1d6] = 5, [1d6+3] = 2+3 = 5

Lucas, forgetting all about what dangers may lurk on the second floor, sprints down the steps to aid his friends in their plight. Unsure of what he is running into he carelessly hits the corner and sprints down the hallway towards the kitchen entrance. Unable to stop his momentum he slams into the wall as he skids to turn, once he has a line of sight on his friends battle he hastily throws a dagger towards them, hoping to make a difference... The dagger flies within two inches of Aedilbercts face and instead lodges itself into the door, directly in the sign that reads "LARDER".

During the chaos the Rat, shocked by the magical tingling sensation and the now smell of burnt hair, lunges for the dwarven warrior...
Giant Rat Attack: [1d6] = 3, [1d6] = 3, [1d6+4] = 4+4 = 8, Damage: [1d6+1] = 3+1 = 4

The rat is able to sink it's teeth into the Hamish's boot once again, this time his teeth working through the previously gnawed on bit and cutting flesh!

1 point of damage to Hamish! Now kill this rat thing.

[GreyWolfVT]

Hamish continues the attack Dual Battle Axe [1d6] = 6, [1d6] = 2, [1d6+2] = 6+2 = 8, Damage:[2d6] = 7 dmg1 [2d6] = 10 dmg2

i miss a good old d20 roll at least then i know if i hit something.

[MonkeyWrench]

Hah, you actually get a better average by rolling 3d6 then you would by rolling 1d20, you've just been rolling really low.

Whenever a creature or thing is encountered and beaten I add some information to the "monsters encountered" thread. The more you as a character find out about something the more I put in, one of those things is it's defense points and can include how easy or hard it is to hit.

This Rat is just some kind of Ninja or something.

[YamItheonly1]

Due to Lucas' inexperience in combat (and general naivety) he has quickly given up the opportunity for a surprise attack (unless dear ol' GM Monkey says otherwise) and instead opts for a more direct approach, namely, punching something until it dies with his gauntlet. Standing over top of the beast Lucas slams his fist down onto the back of the rat.

[1d6] = 5 [1d6] = 2 [1d6] = 6+2=13 total Mr. Harraw's gauntlets deal [1d3] = 1