Chapter 1: Into the Wilderness

[Spearmint]

Stigandr Yngvarsen

"Expletives!" he curses, whacking out with his Battleaxe again at the beast.

He seems to hit with great effect and if using his Draugr Slayer trait can move to the next beastie, he will.

Stigandr: Raging trait: 'Blizzard' Battleaxe in melee [1d20+4]=20+4=24 battleaxe damage [1d8+6]=4+6=10

Stigandr: Raging trait: 'Blizzard' Battleaxe in melee [1d20+4]=4+4=8 battleaxe damage [1d8+6]=4+6=10

Stigandr Yngvarsen: mystery roll [1d20]=2

Stigandr: Shield Bash: [1d20+4]=11+4=15[1d4]=4

He understands Ralfwin's justification to entreat the undead vargrs' master but I think time for talking is over.

"Ralf bring it down. Valdis to me." he gestures around the encounter figuring while the fourth is trapped, Vakar can skewer it before it breaks free.

[Rex]

Skirfir

Death Save with inspiration [1d20]=9 [1d20]=20

Mystery rolls [1d20]=2 [1d20]=6

I think the 20 puts her conscious at 1 hp.

[Stirling]

Ralfwin Edwinsen

Ralfwin Edwinsen: Casts Guiding Bolt [1d20+6]=3+6=9 [4d6]=14

Ralfwin Edwinsen: Casts Guiding Bolt [1d20+6]=9+6=15 [4d6]=19

By your description I am at disadvantage but I will try to use Inspiration to guide the bolt effectively towards the undead vargr.

Concentrating upon the silhouette of the beast, having previously seared its fur with a brand of Odin, I sense that holy rune and feel its presence so as to enable me to laser in my radiant infused bolt to pierce the creature on the glowing mark.

[sastaz]

sorry for the brief hiatus guys, work was killing me the last few days. (actually, my work situation hit dangerously close to the Office Space move, but that's a story for another day...)

you were right to NPC Vakar!

Vakar is feeling the panic growing, breathing heavily although he's not moving. He tries to focus one last time before being overcome by emotion.

He will fire at the entangled wolf from his hidden location.

Bow attack (unseen): [1d20+4]=14+4=18 / [1d20+4]=15+4=19, damage: [1d10+2]=8+2=10 (piercing) + sneak attack [1d6]=1

(actually, why the +2 damage bonus for this roll?)

Mystery roll: [1d20]=20, [1d20]=9

[Unsungknot]

Doshea Ulfgar Running HP: 1

"Curse you beast," Doshea growls with a bloody grin that was more a baring of teeth than anything humorous, and attempts to bash its skull in with her shield once more. While curious as to what Ralfwin was yelling at Valdis, she is more concerned with the beasts before them. Once that beast is down, she uses her divine sense to identify where the others are in the darkness and readies a javelin.

If the beast is not felled by the shield bash then she will also do a battle axe attack. For the divine sense: I can't really make out the squares on the map but the divine sense works out to 60 ft.

Shield Bash: [1d20]=13+4=17
Damage: [1d4]=2

Quick question regarding this:

"Stig is rolling 1d8 for damage which means he is using his axe one-handed. That means he could also try a shield bash with his remaining bonus action. (If he's doing two-handed axe swings, he should roll the 1d10 damage.)

Other DMs I have played with have stated that if I have a shield I can't do two handed. Are these shields strapped to our forearms, thereby leaving our other hand open to use for a two handed strike?

Mystery Roll: [1d20]=13

Just in case:
Battle Axe Attack: [1d20]=8+5=13
Damage:
[1d8+3]=4+3=7
Or depending on the answer to the above question
[1d10]=9

[Marullus]

Music and Ambiance: Blood on Wolf's Teeth

---

Adjudication:

Or depending on the answer to the above question
[1d10]=9

Just as a note, Divine Sense takes an action. So, you wouldn't be able to also throw the javellin. You can drop your axe and ready your javellin for next round as a free object interaction, though.

(actually, why the +2 damage bonus for this roll?)

In 5e, you add your attribute bonus to both Hit and Damage for ranged as well as melee. So, in melee, Stig adds his +2 STR to his attack roll, then also +2 to his damage roll. You add your +2 DEX to your attack roll, then also +2 to your damage roll when shooting.

Ralfwin Edwinsen: Casts Guiding Bolt [1d20+6]=3+6=9 [4d6]=14
Ralfwin Edwinsen: Casts Guiding Bolt [1d20+6]=9+6=15 [4d6]=19
By your description I am at disadvantage but I will try to use Inspiration to guide the bolt effectively towards the undead vargr.

So, Disadvantage requires that you roll twice and take the worse roll. That would be the 9 and 15 above, keeping the 9.
Spending your inspiration would give you Advantage, which allows you to roll twice and take the better roll. In this case, keeping they 15.
When those two abilities interact, they cancel out. Appling Advantage to a situation where you have disadvantage means you don't have to take the WORST roll, you instead keep the FIRST roll.
At a table, you wouldn't have rolled the second die. With the House Rules for PbP here, I allow you to act with knowledge of what both rolls are. So, having rolled both d20s the way I asked, you know that spending the Inspiration won't help, so I will allow you to keep it unspent.

THAT said, you are trying to target the same beast you hit last round, but that beast was killed by you, Vakar, and Valdis. Your attack needs to be directed at a different creature. The creature fighting Stigandr is the only one you can see, as it is visible in the dim light of Vakar's lantern, or you can strike out at a creature in the darkness' last known location. (You need sight for a spell and don't know the entangled creature's location having never seen it.)

He seems to hit with great effect and if using his Draugr Slayer trait can move to the next beastie, he will.

Just to be clear - the Draugr Slayer lets you use your Reaction for another attack (which IS powerful) but that means the creature must already be adjacent as you can't move as part of it. If you position yourself by more than one opponent, you cleave one and then cleave the next. (It's also why the ability allows you can't be Flanked. You're used to being surrounded.)

Moving through the initiative count:
Being blinded by darkness is impacting a lot of things, so I will move through this explicitly and in order.

20 - Doshea
Doshea does the shield bash as a Bonus Action first. She needs to account for the Disadvantage and take the worst of two rolls. We will apply your mystery roll here - both rolls were 13, so the total is still 17, and she hits. Her two damage is enough.
Her Divine Sense then takes her Action. She senses everything within 60 feet.
She drops her axe in the snow and her free object interaction draws her javellin, just in case.
(I had to redo this twice. At first, I thought it went from 17 to 13, which was a miss, because I didn't apply her bonus. She missed both her attacks, died, and it snowballed from there... I'm really, really greatful that I had that wrong... it is horrifying to see how one bad turn leads towards a TPK...)
For dramatic effect, I'm switching the order to allow her divine sense to aid in bashing the wolf. I actually did some research on this because it is an interesting question. You cannot target a creature that is invisible or obscured until you know its location. (either Divine Sense or "it just bit me" is fine for this IMHO). You can then attack it with Disadvantage. The description for Invisibility says "or a special sense." It applies the effect of Heavily Obscured which acts like the Blinded condition (which is all very circular). So, the question is... is Divinse Sense a "special sense" that can allow targeting a Heavily Obscured/Invisible/Darkness foe? Thus the research. Prevailing wisdom is no. It allows you to target them at disadvantage, but doesn't negate their obscurement. Personally, I kind of like ruling that it does - if this comes up again, I'm inclined to allow it... if you spend an action, expend an ability, and activate a Divine Sense to find your foes, it is cool to then be able to hit it using that as a "special sense."

18 - Wolves
The wolves are unhindered by darkness. Thankfully, they're half downed.
Vargr on Stig: Bite [1d20+5]=11+5=16 [1d8]=5 necrotic [1d4]=2 Claw [1d20+5]=10+5=15 [1d6]=5
...misses Stig.
Entangled Vargr (STR) [1d20+3]=6+3=9
...fails to break free.

18 - Ralfwin
As above, the target Stirling chose is already dead and the only foe he can see is fighting Stig. We'll target the guiding bolt there, but it still misses.

17 - Vakar
Vakar can hear the the creature and fire on it with disadvantage. With an 18 and 19, taking the lower is a hit.

17 - Valdis
...I appreciate the authenticity of Valdis hurling the fire and stumbling backwards to get away from it at the risk of an opportunity attack last round. Now that Valdis is personally safe, I am going to assume she re-lights the witchlight to illuminate her companions.

13 - Stigandr
Stigandr is the only one still in Dim Light; he has no disadvantage. He has Advantage from Draugr Slayer, and takes the better of his two rolls. That's a Natural 20 for a Critical Hit, which under House Rules adds the max value of another damage die to it. So, He smites that thing. [1d8+6]=4+6=10 +8 = 18.

3 - Skirfir

I think the 20 puts her conscious at 1 hp.

You are correct!

As the eerie green witchlight burns out, burning the head and shoulders of the Hel-wolf, Doshea is plunged into darkness, aware of nothing but the blowing snow and the presence of the wolf just beyond her shield, no longer visible. "Curse you beast," Doshea growls with a bloody grin that was more a baring of teeth than anything humorous. She closes her eyes in the darkness for a moment, inhaling slowly through her nostrils. The fetid rot of Hel's touch fills her nose, unfolding in her mind as clearly as torch illuminates the ground. The foulness of the fiend-wolf in front of her blazes in her mind. She wheels around with her outstretched arm and clubs the beast square in the head just as it hunches to lunge at her, and it collapses to the ground in the snow and darkness. Inhaling slowly she identifies the breathing of the wolf at her feet and of the one unconscious besides Skirfir. The monster that fights Skirfir, and the largest one, bound in the forest. She smells the rot of the ravens in the surrounding trees, a dozen of them, a small murder, unmoving from their branches. Nothing beyond but the forest... but the entire forest smells sick, a faint unplaceable and inescapable odor under it all. This place is not blessed by Freya. Not anymore.

In the dim light of Vakar's lantern, all can see the Hel-beast and Stig circling each other, locked in battle. The wolf lunges with teeth and claw, but Stig turns out of the way, evading it, for now. Ralfwin calls aloud from the darkness, calling upon Odin's name. There is a blinding flash as a bolt of lightning crackles, searing the ground near where Stig and the beast circle each other, the divine wrath missing its mark.

Deep in the forest, you hear the snarls of frustration as the largest wolf still struggles futilely against the entwining vines which have trapped it, the ghostly spirits of the ancestors pulling them tight. Vakar stills himself, aiming into the darkness beyond the lantern light, guessing the location by the sound of the creature's thrashing. He looses the arrow and it flies true - a yelp of pain comes from the trapped beast. (-11)

"Ralf bring it down. Valdis to me." Stig calls out.

Valdis focuses, calling upon the spirits as she cups her hands. The pale greenish witchlight forms over her palm once more, casting its thin light over the companions.

Taking advantage of the wolf's distraction as it dodges the crackling lightning, Stigandr channels his anger into an overhead blow, bringing his axe down with a primal yell. (-18) The axe cleaves clean through the wolf's neck, through its clavicle, and into its torso, driving the corpse to the ground. The wolf-head bounces and rolls, the ice-blue glow fading slowly from its still-open eyes.

At Valdis' feet and illuminated at her hand, Skirfir groans the dwarf awakening and rolling to her side, gazing upon the rising and falling chest of the wolf beside her.

Actions!

Chap 1_scene2_05.JPG (62.24 KiB) Viewed 684 times

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Lights: Vakar's hooded lantern is unshuttered, on the ground (15' bright, 15' dim) (radius 30' bright, 30' more dim), lasting 2 more hours. Valdis holds her ghost-flame. (10', then 10' dim).

Environment	Initiative Order	Effects in Play
Time: 9:03pm Date: The First Day of Winter (Nov. 1st) Temperature is currently -1c; feels much colder with the high winds and snow. Clouds are 100%, with evening wind and snowstorm.	20 - Doshea 18 - Wolves 18 - Ralfwin 17 - Vakar 17 - Valdis 13 - Stigandr 3 - Skirfir	Night at 5:35pm (darkness) Pre-dawn at 5:56am (dim light) Almost Dawn at 6:51am (normal light) Sunrise at 7:43am

---

> Enoch as Valdís | Female | Kuning | Seiꝺr (1) | HD (1d8): 1 | HP: 11/11 | AC: 15 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +2 | Darkvision: No | Spells - 1st: 0/2 |
> Unsungknot as Doshea Ulfgar | Female | Mithal | Alle [Paladin] (1) | HD (1d10): 1 | HP: 11, 5, 0, 9, 2, 6,11 1/11 | AC: 17 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +3 | Darkvision: No |
> sastaz as Vakar the Disowned | Male | Vestri | Rogue (1) | HD (1d8): 1 | HP: 11/11 | AC: 13 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +2 | Darkvision: No | [Inspiration]
> Spearmint as 'Stig' Stigandr | Male | Mithal | Barbarian (1) | HD (1d12): 1 | HP: 15 11/15 | AC: 18 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +3 | Darkvision: No | [Inspiration]
> Rex as Skirfir Uvaldi | Female | Dvergr (Stoneborn)| Gothi (Smidr) (1) | HD (1d8): 1 | HP: 10, 1, 0 1/10 | AC: 18 | Current Speed: 25' | Initiative: +1 | Darkvision: Yes | Spells - 1st: 2/2 | [Inspiration]
> Stirling as Ralfwin Edwinsen | Male | Mithal | Gothi | HD (1d8): 1 | HP: 11/11 | AC: 16 | Current Speed: 20 | Initiative: +2 | Darkvision: No | Spells - (C) 1st: 0/2 (B) 1st: 1/1 | Gjof: 1 | [Inspiration]

[Spearmint]

Stigandr Yngvarsen

Understanding more of the dynamics to his Draugr focused feat, he chops one vargr in half then moves around the area of entanglement a little to his left and powerfully launches a javelin at the last howling beast.

Stigandr: throws Svillander Javelin [1d20+5]=16+5=21 damage [1d10+5]=1+5=6
disadvantage:
Stigandr: throws Svillander Javelin [1d20+5]=5+5=10 damage [1d10+5]=4+5=9
mystery:
Stigandr Yngvarsen: mystery roll [1d20]=10

[Stirling]

Ralfwin Edwinsen

Missing with his most devastating invocation, he decides to call more of the Sacred Flame of Odin down upon the still breathing vargr.

Ralfwin: casts Sacred Flame cantrip. [1d8]=2


Ralfwin: Perception check [1d20+4]=19+4=23 Mystery roll [1d20]=1

He will walk towards the last snarling beast, holding his symbol high.

[Rex]

Skirfir

Skirfir takes her war hammer and tries to finish the still breathing beast before it can rise again.

War Hammer [1d20+4]=20+4=24 to hit [1d8+2]=8+2=10 damage

Natural 20 with max damage.

Mystery rolls [1d20]=2 [1d20]=3

[Unsungknot]

Doshea Ulfgar Running HP: 1

Doshea, hearing the wolf at her feet still drawing breath she attempts to to bash in its skull with her shield, hoping to finally put an end to it. "Just die already," she growls at it. Missing with her shield, she instead thrusts her javelin into the downed wolf's eye instead of throwing it.

Shield Bash: [1d20]=3+2+5=10
Damage:[1d4]=1

That probably doesn't hit. If it's still breathing, can she use her javelin on it instead of throwing it at the other that's entangled? Still rolling damage just in case.

Javelin: [1d20]=11+2+5=17
Damage: [1d10]=9+5=14

Mystery: [1d20]=4; [1d20]=8;

[sastaz]

Vakar

As the others seem to make short work of the remaining wolves, Vakar will freeze in place, heart pounding, crouching and looking about wildly, now totally convinced that this was just a mere taste of what's about to come in just a few seconds. Bow and silver arrow ready.

[Stirling]

sorry, edited my last post to reflect casting the appropriate spell. I had bless written in my macro as a cantrip so cast that but it is a spell so already used that slot.

[Enoch]

Sorry for the delay; I started a post earlier in the week and then work deadlines got the better of me!

A look of confusion crosses Valdís' face as she steps up behind Stig, but she calls out in Kun nonetheless as she summons and hurls another ball of sickly fire stamped with the face of an ancestor.

"Your beasts are no match for us! Face us yourself, unless the shame you bring your ancestors means nothing to you!"

Produce Flame: [1d20+6]=3+6=9 [1d20+6]=3+6=9 damage: [1d8]=7 fire
Aimed at whichever wolf-thing is closest and still standing.
Mystery roll: [1d20]=8

[Marullus]

Music and Ambiance: Blood on Wolf's Teeth

---

Adjudication:

Hitting an unconscious foe is done first by rolling Advantage, and then upon a hit it is automatically a Crit. Doshea didn't roll enough dice for two attacks with advantage, but I'm not going to belabor it. She is successful and ends its life.

Vargr Strength Save [1d20+3]=5+3=8
...those vines are doing an EXCELLENT job.

Ralfwin casts Sacred Flame. The Entangle spell has it Restrained, which means it makes its Dex save at Disadvantage.
Vargr Dex Save against Sacred Flame [1d20+3]=13+3=16[1d20+3]=20+3=23
...it still succeeds.
Ralfwin walks towards the creature, which means into the Entangled zone. In 5e there is no danger of getting snared, but it does count as "difficult terrain" so it costs 10' for every 5 feet of movement. He has enough movement to reach and enter the zone, but not move further this turn.

Valdis brought her light so she doesn't suffer disadvantage, but nonetheless still misses.
Stig has has advantage from the foe being restrained but disadvantage from Valdis' light going out, so ends up with a normal roll that succeeds.

Skirfir naturally crits, then because it is unconscious also crits that way for good measure. Narrating her squishing along with Doshea.

...

I'm going to just roll into the next round with currently declared actions and see if we can speed this up.

Doshea planned to throw her javellin, and used her senses to know where it is in the dark, and being bound it hasn't moved from that spot. She can throw at Disadvantage (since the senses ended with her last turn).
Doshea Javellin [1d20+5]=8+5=13[1d20+5]=15+5=20 Damage [1d10+3]=2+3=5
...alas. But she only missed by 1, so that's impressive in its almost-hitting.

Vargr Str Save [1d20+3]=19+3=22
The vargr breaks free! Stig is right there - he ended his turn 10' away (one empty square).
Vargr: Bite [1d20+5]=7+5=12 [1d8]=6 necrotic [1d4]=1 Claw [1d20+5]=15+5=20 [1d6]=6
The claws hit, but do half damage due to his Rage, so only 3hp instead of the max 6.

Assuming Ralfwin tries again as the situation grows dire.
Vargr Dex Save against Sacred Flame [1d20+3]=16+3=19[1d20+3]=18+3=21
...Dang. No luck at all. Even spending inspiration won't help. (Roleplaying the crisis of faith over such failures is a good source of Inspiration, though!)

Valdis can see the wolf in the dim light, and throws another flame without disadvantage. The mystery roll of 8 is exactly enough for a successful hit and the rolled 7hp damage are enough to kill the beast.

Doshea looks down on the unconscious wolf at her feet, still smelling the overpowering reek of Hel wafting off it. She grips her javellin with both hands and brings it down, thrusting it through the beast's skull with a dull crunch. Likewise, Skirfir pulls herself to her feet and, taking up her warhammer, brings it down with a sickening crunch upon the skull of her own canine foe. The ice-blue glow of the runes upon them fade away and the two warrior women know the beasts have breathed their last breath.

Ralfwin walk towards the last snarling beast. He enters the overgrown area of forest, the thick vines and roots still twining and climbing, vapors that look like pale green hands appearing upon the vines like wisps at the corners of his vision. He slows, picking his footing carefully as he moves through the witchcraft. He lifts his symbol high, invoking the wrath of Odin upon this creature of Hel. A bolt of radiance falls again from the heavens, but dissipates upon the hide of the bound vargr, the Hel-runes glowing more brightly as the power of Odin himself is turned away.

Near the boulder, Vakar freezes in place, heart pounding, crouching and looking about wildly, now totally convinced that this was just a mere taste of what's about to come in just a few seconds. He has his bow and silver arrow ready, scanning the darkness beyond his lantern's light, waiting for a target to present itself.

Stigandr circles the area of twining vines, Valdis quick upon his heels, bringing her handful of witchlight with her. "Chan eil na beathaichean agad coltach rinn!" Valdis calls out into the night. "Cuir aghaidh oirnn fhèin, mura h-eil an nàire a bheir thu le do shinnsirean a’ ciallachadh dad dhut!" The forest, however is silent in response. Faced with the massive Hel-vargr just on the other side of Stig, she hurls the witchlight flames at it, but the writhing vines climbing the underbrush interfere, the flames snuffing out amongs the vegetation. Just as the flame snuffs out, the wolf's bound visage remaining upon his retinas in the darkness, Stigandr hurls his javellin with the power of his anger. The javellin strikes home (-6) as the beast still rages against its bindings, unable to dislodge either the javellin or Vakar's last arrow.

...

Again finding herself in pitch darkness, Doshea pulls her javellin from the deceased vargr and turns, inhaling slowly, remembering where in the forest the last wolf was bound. Trusting her intuition, she hurls the javellin - it crashes through the boughs and plunges into the earth, mere inches from the beast.

In the darkness of the thicket there is a sickening sound of splintering wood. The wolf suddenly bursts into view, leaping bodily at Stig as the warrior stands illuminated by the dim light of Vakar's lantern. The furred monster snaps its jaws on air as Stigandr deflects it with his shield, but the warrior is not quick enough to avoid the beast's claws raking down his chest with a direct, and what should be agonizing, wound. In his own rage, Stig barely feels it. (-3)

With the beast now free, Ralfwin calls upon Odin again, but the summoned holy radiance remains utterly ineffective against the rune-marked beast of Hel. The glowing Hel runes mock the priest, pulsing in response. The monster continues heedless, trying to claw and bite the tall warrior as its prey.

Valdis, just a step behind Stigandr and next closest to the beast, stumbles back a step as the beast emerges and calls upon her ancestors once more. A whispy green face coallesces in her hands and she hurls it at the beast as it snaps and snarls, paws on Stig's chest. The flames explode on the creature's muzzle (-7) and the beast goes over backwards, collapsing on the forest floor, the runes fading from its side as well.

...

Vakar continues to scan the sky, the surrounding clearing, the far tree line, waiting for the next assault with a silver arrow ready. Valdis whispers into her hands and the sickly green flames light once more. With no foes left in sight, Stigandr's anger fades, his breath calming as looks down on the corpse of the last vargr. The twining roots and vines begin to recede, pulling back into the earth and below the blanket of snow as if they had never come forth like an untimely spring. The storm has lessened, the blowing snow no longer obscuring as it has been. There is just silence and darkness, Ralfwin, Skirfir, and Doshea not visible to the others with the lights having moved. The wolves lie dead, as do the bodies of the other aspiring hopefuls for tonight's trials. The man in robes groans, slowly beginning to wake.

Actions?

Chap 1_scene2_06.JPG (61.34 KiB) Viewed 645 times

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Lights: Vakar's hooded lantern is unshuttered, on the ground (15' bright, 15' dim) (radius 30' bright, 30' more dim), lasting 2 more hours. Valdis holds her ghost-flame. (10', then 10' dim).

Environment	Initiative Order	Effects in Play
Time: 9:03pm Date: The First Day of Winter (Nov. 1st) Temperature is currently -1c; feels much colder with the high winds and snow. Clouds are 100%, with evening wind and snowstorm.	20 - Doshea 18 - Wolves 18 - Ralfwin 17 - Vakar 17 - Valdis 13 - Stigandr 3 - Skirfir	Night at 5:35pm (darkness) Pre-dawn at 5:56am (dim light) Almost Dawn at 6:51am (normal light) Sunrise at 7:43am

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> Enoch as Valdís | Female | Kuning | Seiꝺr (1) | HD (1d8): 1 | HP: 11/11 | AC: 15 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +2 | Darkvision: No | Spells - 1st: 0/2 |
> Unsungknot as Doshea Ulfgar | Female | Mithal | Alle [Paladin] (1) | HD (1d10): 1 | HP: 11, 5, 0, 9, 2, 6,11 1/11 | AC: 17 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +3 | Darkvision: No |
> sastaz as Vakar the Disowned | Male | Vestri | Rogue (1) | HD (1d8): 1 | HP: 11/11 | AC: 13 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +2 | Darkvision: No | [Inspiration]
> Spearmint as 'Stig' Stigandr | Male | Mithal | Barbarian (1) | HD (1d12): 1 | HP: 15, 11 8/15 | AC: 18 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +3 | Darkvision: No | [Inspiration]
> Rex as Skirfir Uvaldi | Female | Dvergr (Stoneborn)| Gothi (Smidr) (1) | HD (1d8): 1 | HP: 10, 1, 0 1/10 | AC: 18 | Current Speed: 25' | Initiative: +1 | Darkvision: Yes | Spells - 1st: 2/2 | [Inspiration]
> Stirling as Ralfwin Edwinsen | Male | Mithal | Gothi | HD (1d8): 1 | HP: 11/11 | AC: 16 | Current Speed: 20 | Initiative: +2 | Darkvision: No | Spells - (C) 1st: 0/2 (B) 1st: 1/1 | Gjof: 1 | [Inspiration]

[Unsungknot]

Doshea Ulfgar Running HP: 1

Doshea hears the man behind her rousing and calls to the others, "Ralfwin, this poor soul you were aiding before the attack is rousing! Valdis, come closer with that light please. Be wary, there eyes in the trees. More of the kind like that bird in the village."

Doshea picks up her axe and moves slowly toward the light of her friends, careful of her footing when they bring the light closer. She is keenly listening to the surrounding darkness, should she hear anything other the man behind her and her comrades coming closer she will use her divine sense again to determine what and where it is before she would call out a warning to her friends.

Mystery Rolls: [1d20]=15; [1d20]=20

Jeez, why can't I roll like that in the fight?

[Stirling]

Ralfwin Edwinsen

"I will attend the man. Stigandr calm yourself and attend to one of the injured."

He is concerned regarding our vulnerability lin the open. "Take what supplies we can from these. Torches, lanterns. Too many times we disadvantage ourselves."

I will suggest a few practical after battle actions to collect usable gear, assist the wounded. We need a place to rest, cannot do so here to recover any health.

"Brother of Odin you live. You friends are dead." he says to the man.

[sastaz]

Vakar snaps out of his panicked state and moves towards the others, lantern in hand as to be fully visible. Down by the carcasses, he pulls the arrows out of them to see if they can be salvaged.

"Hey, you did good here. What hellfiends roam this forest?! This is no place for aspiring warriors, they're like lambs to the slaughter. We should go back and warn the villagers not to send more groups, traditions be damned."

He looks around nervously.

"There are two more bodies over there." He points in the direction from which he came.

He sits down to catch his breath.

"What do we do now?"

[Rex]

Skirfir

Skirfir casts Cure Wounds on herself.

Cure Wounds [1d8+3]=6+3=9

"Who else is injured badly?"

[Unsungknot]

Doshea raises her hand and grins at Skirfir.

“It seems I’m prone to getting bit.”

[Marullus]

Music and Ambiance: Blood on Wolf's Teeth

---

Adjudication:

Down by the carcasses, he pulls the arrows out of them to see if they can be salvaged.

See the Expended Missiles section in house rules; you can track this yourself and just post an OOC note about current totals. Arrows that deal damage are lost, missed arrows can be found by searching around and re-used.

(Please add the silver arrows to your inventory, too, and account for them separately.)

Also, note the Death Saving Throws rules - anyone who begins death saves and is revived adds a level of Exhaustion. Right now, exhaustion levels are:
Doshea 1
Skirfir 1
Valdis 1 (from the earlier cold save, but she's immune)

Level 1 Exhaustion gives disadvantage on skill checks.

Vakar continues to scan the sky, the surrounding clearing, the far tree line, waiting for the next assault with a silver arrow ready. Valdis whispers into her hands and the sickly green flames light once more. With no foes left in sight, Stigandr's anger fades, his breath calming as looks down on the corpse of the last vargr. The twining roots and vines begin to recede, pulling back into the earth and below the blanket of snow as if they had never come forth like an untimely spring. The storm has lessened, the blowing snow no longer obscuring as it has been. There is just silence and darkness, Ralfwin, Skirfir, and Doshea not visible to the others with the lights having moved. The wolves lie dead, as do the bodies of the other aspiring hopefuls for tonight's trials. The man in robes groans, slowly beginning to wake.

Doshea gathers up her axe and moves back to the others, in the light. She shares a warning about tainted ravens sitting silently in the trees, keeping the wariest eye on the dark forest around you. With the blowing snow tapering off, you can see to the end of your torchlight easily, the darkness almost physical beyond. The forest is utterly, eerily silent - there is no sound except your own boots crunching snow, the rasp of your weapons on leather sheaths, your own breathing and voices.

Collecting lost arrows, Vakar lets the others know about the two dead saex-fighting women on the other side of the clearing, opining about the folly of the night's ambitions. "What do we do now?" he asks the others. Ralfwin recommends stripping gear from the dead and finding safer ground.

The unconscious hel-vargr now dispatched, Skirfir examines her own grievous wounds. Closing her eyes with a focus of her will, her wounds visibly mend and seal, clean blue flesh visible through the rent in her armor. (+9) Exhaling and opening her eyes, she asks about the injuries of others. Doshea is rent and bloodied, her face pale even though her spirit is undimmed. The rune-embroidered man on the ground is waking, also near death. Stigandr has some moderate wounds, where he should have been much worse off from what you saw in the fight. The night's events have weighed on Valdis, Doshea, and Skirfir as well... they all are visibly exhausted.

The corpses of the young hopefuls are already cold, the fallen snow leaving a glaze of ice on eyebrows and clothes. Ralfwin now has time to look at the wolf that was already slain by the others - brushing the fur aside, he sees the same unknown runes branded upon its side.

Doshea calls attention to the waking man, Ralfwin coming to his aid. "Brother of Odin you live. You friends are dead," the Gothi tells him. Shock than grief register in turn on the man's face at the words. Composing himself, he gets propped into a seated position. He introduces himself as Carr, a scholar of Odin's runes. "Gods... they're all dead? All of them? I hadn't known them long, but we faced Hel together. What horrors were these?" He looks around at the multiple head wolves, then back to your bleeding party. "I was... incapacitated by the visions of Hel, early in the fight, when the wolves came upon us," he confides aprehensively. "I regret having been unable to do more... The wolves were hunting us, not the other way around. They laid obvious tracks to lead us here, into their ambush." His wounds are not visible, but he is nonetheless pale and shaken, exhausted by his own brush with death. "Please, let's get out of here."


Actions?

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Lights: Vakar's hooded lantern (radius 30' bright, 30' more dim), lasting 2 more hours. Valdis holds her ghost-flame. (10', then 10' dim).

Environment	Initiative Order	Effects in Play
Time: 9:10pm Date: The First Day of Winter (Nov. 1st) Temperature is currently -1c; feels much colder with the high winds and snow. Clouds are 100%, with evening wind and snowstorm.	None.	Night at 5:35pm (darkness) Pre-dawn at 5:56am (dim light) Almost Dawn at 6:51am (normal light) Sunrise at 7:43am

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> Enoch as Valdís | Female | Kuning | Seiꝺr (1) | HD (1d8): 1 | HP: 11/11 | AC: 15 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +2 | Darkvision: No | Spells - 1st: 0/2 | [Exhaustion 1]
> Unsungknot as Doshea Ulfgar | Female | Mithal | Alle [Paladin] (1) | HD (1d10): 1 | HP: 11, 5, 0, 9, 2, 6,11 1/11 | AC: 17 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +3 | Darkvision: No | [Exhaustion 1]
> sastaz as Vakar the Disowned | Male | Vestri | Rogue (1) | HD (1d8): 1 | HP: 11/11 | AC: 13 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +2 | Darkvision: No | [Inspiration]
> Spearmint as 'Stig' Stigandr | Male | Mithal | Barbarian (1) | HD (1d12): 1 | HP: 15, 11 8/15 | AC: 18 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +3 | Darkvision: No | [Inspiration]
> Rex as Skirfir Uvaldi | Female | Dvergr (Stoneborn)| Gothi (Smidr) (1) | HD (1d8): 1 | HP: 10, 1, 0, 1 10/10 | AC: 18 | Current Speed: 25' | Initiative: +1 | Darkvision: Yes | Spells - 1st: 0/2 | [Inspiration] [Exhaustion 1]
> Stirling as Ralfwin Edwinsen | Male | Mithal | Gothi | HD (1d8): 1 | HP: 11/11 | AC: 16 | Current Speed: 20 | Initiative: +2 | Darkvision: No | Spells - (C) 1st: 0/2 (B) 1st: 1/1 | Gjof: 1 | Hel: 1 | [Inspiration]