[Completed] - Bertram/Eastward - 21 March, 1 VC

[GTan_Baq]

1 days rations deducted

[Mister-Kent]

Numen eats a portion of his rations, and Mammon eagerly licks Numen's fingers afterward.

1 day's ration removed

[KingOfCowards]

Bertram is happy to see Rhodri and Numen return. At least one of their growing list of problems has been solved. In the morning when they awaken, he is irritable at their situation, yesterday's successes outweighed by their bleak situation.

"We're running low on rations, and game has been scarce. We won't last long like this, and we'll have one more mouth to feed when Largo awakens. I can see two plans, set a group off to the dwarves tower to try and find some food or clean out the cave below and see if stirges can be cooked up."

He looks to Quirin and Abi who have done a great job of taking care of the halfling, "How is the lad doing today?"

1 day of rations deducted. Depending on how fast Largo heals we could still be another four days out before we can even move as a group. And I would hazard a guess that we are still about two days away from Vaul. From my quick count, we have 9 days worth of rations for five people. The situation is dire. Keehnelf, I would say its time to start thinking about starvation rules, because we are going to need to properly assessed the situation.

[GTan_Baq]

Could we make a litter out of some of the wood we've gathered and a bed roll? We could carry Largo on that. I would think we could get him back to Vaul safely that way. what are his current hp?

[Keehnelf]

Largo is at -5 and has not started healing from his coma yet.

I'm going to alter the existing rules about transporting the critically wounded, check the rules thread later today for changes.

[Spartakos]

1 days rations deducted; I'll wait to see what the rules change looks like before I post IC, but this attempt to get Largo back on his feet has been a complete bust that just wasted 2 days of rations...we've gotten no food from hunting, and he's recovered ZERO hp, presumably because the environment has not been good enough to promote healing. One way or another, we're going to have to move.

Largo, would you care to chime in on the matter of your own survival?

[psionboy]

I think you all should head back to town, immediately (and hope I can survive the trip).

[Mister-Kent]

Strap him to the dogs and let them carry him back

But no, seriously, we should probably head home, albeit very carefully.

[Keehnelf]

I apologize--the lack of any healing is actually me losing track of in-game time. He recovered 1 HP overnight from the 27th to the 28th.

[psionboy]

1 HP added.

(I still think you should head back.)

[sulldawga]

Quirin will tell the group on the morn, Pack up. We're heading home. No point in sitting here when those storms are as likely to kill Largo as the walk.

Quirin will take enough time to find two sturdy tree branches about six feet long. He'll head back to camp with them and take one of the ruined bedrolls from Numen or Rhodri, wring it out as best he can, and make a stretcher out of it. He'll wrap the bedroll around the sticks, cut some holes along the edges, run some rope through the holes and around the branches, then tie it off.

Put Largo on this and someone pick up the other side. Let's move. Bertram, pack up the loot you got from the dwarf. We'll sort it out when we get home. No, wear the mail shirt for now. We might as well get some use out of it. Anyone who wants can borrow the dagger for now.

[Spartakos]

Rhodri nods in agreement with Quirin, chewing some of his dwindling supply of trail rations. "Not enough game around here to feed a fox, let alone the bunch of us. If we're going to die--and that seems as likely as anything else--I'd just as soon have it happen on the move, then sitting here getting rained on."

Rhodri will take the other end of the stretcher, leaving Bertram free to fight, Abi to cast and Numen to do either, as needed. He demurs on taking the knife. "I'd rather not get that close in, and if it does happen, I'm more comfortable with my sword. You may as well hang onto it for now, Quirin."

Ready to head back...due west?
Recommend we continue to forage on the move. It can't hurt.

[Keehnelf]

The group will be moving slowly enough while carrying Largo in this manner that folks not tasked with the hauling can forage while keeping up.

[KingOfCowards]

Bertram nods solemnly in agreement with Quirin's plan. The dwarf tower might have offered some provisions and much needed shelter, but there are still many miles to go and still a monstrous wolf to dodge as well.

[Keehnelf]

March 28, 1 VC - 4:10pm

The party spends a bit of the morning fashioning a stretcher for Largo and heads west across the moor at the best speed it can manage. Some members of the party spend the day foraging on and off as the terrain allows, managing to find some berries but not enough to make a real reduction in the amount of other food they require.

Around mid afternoon, the party spots what they believe to be the dwarf tower off to the north a few miles. As they are considering whether to swerve that way for the night, a line of shapes crest the hill upon which the tower stands, and they resolve into a trio of wolf-mounted goblins trailed by a fourth on foot. They turn in the party's direction and head south to intercept, in no obvious hurry as their party is much faster-moving.

Actions?

[Spartakos]

"No point in running...they'd chase us down, even if we didn't have Largo." Rhodri says in a monotone. Asking Quirin to halt, he lays down his end of the stretcher and flexes his fingers. "Parley or fight?"

I think we can take 'em, I say fight. 2 Sleep spells (just to be sure), some arrows, and sic the dogs on 'em.
Sleep has a range of 240', out of bowshot. Unless somebody says something pretty convincing, Rhodri is going to cast Sleep when they're all within range

To change the subject a bit...we probably need to bear further south, if the dwarf tower is only a few miles north.

[Mister-Kent]

"Kill," Numen responds.

Okay--should we wait to see what Rhodri's Sleep does against them before Numen tries, or fire off two sleeps at once?

[GTan_Baq]

Abi says, "We should cast sleep on them then put them to the blade. Wolves and all."

[KingOfCowards]

No sense in risking a parley, we can ill afford another injury.
Bertram readies his bow and prepares to fire when they are in range.
"Looks like we're eating wolf tonight."
Attack with Longbow: [1d20+1] = 20+1 = 21 Damage: [1d8] = 2
Initiative: [1d6] = 1

[Spartakos]

Your call, Numen...it'd be safer, but I think we have time if you want to wait. If Rhodri's Sleep doesn't get them all, they'll still need to close with us, which should give you time to get off a second Sleep. Initiative would be important.
EDIT: Since it looks like everybody favors a fight, Rhodri will cast when they're within range.
[2d8] = 10 Sleep spell