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

[psionboy]

-1 days ration

Largo's eyes never leave the distant tower as he stuffs his now sodden possessions into his equally saturated sack.

Yeah, let's totally go to that suddenly convenient tower.

[Keehnelf]

oddly stereotypical scenario occurred completely at random: random check to see if you spotted it, and random chance of this kind of freak weather occurrence. Very odd!

[GTan_Baq]

Abi gathers her things, puts on her hat and wraps her cloak tightly around her, and begins trudging through the rain and mud towards the tower. "We better get moving before we drown out here." she says.

[Keehnelf]

March 23, 1 VC - 3:20am

Lost in the rain 32% [1d100] = 9

The party trudges off through the dark in the driving rain, headed as close as anyone can recall to the direction in which they had last spotted the tower before dark, some three miles distant.

Three miles is quite a distance with a visibility of less than 100 feet, however, and after two hours have passed with no sight of the tower, they are forced to admit that they are lost.

[sulldawga]

Quirin

Ugh. Well, forget about the tower. Let's just find some shelter and hole up until the morning.

[Mister-Kent]

Numen grunts, staring off into the night--even his infravision is no match for this storm. He pulls Mammon close so he won't get separated in the storm.

[GTan_Baq]

Abi says, "I can't see a bloody thing! Can anyone tell if we are going in the right direction? How long have we been walking in this?"
How long until dawn?

[Keehnelf]

Slightly more than 3 hours until dawn.

[KingOfCowards]

The group has little trouble convincing Bertram that they are lost. He shields his eyes from the merciless rain. "You're right. We have been walking for too long." Is there anything besides open moorland around? "We have to at least get to higher ground." Is there any telling if they are moving up hill or not? With the rains threatening to flood, it should be flowing one way or another.

[Keehnelf]

Yes, it's easy to find higher ground, that just doesn't improve visibility, but it would provide flood protection. Is that the plan?

[KingOfCowards]

Yes, it's easy to find higher ground, that just doesn't improve visibility, but it would provide flood protection. Is that the plan?

Unless someone has a better plan. It'll keep us from drowning anyway and it could lead us closer to the tower. If I remember it was on a knoll.

[Spartakos]

Let's just find some shelter and hole up until the morning.

"What shelter?" Rhodri says in a morose voice, water running down his long nose. "The only shelter for miles was the tower we couldn't find...that's why we were looking for it. I expect we should have looked for something else, mayhaps we'd have found the tower instead. That seems to be about our luck."

He makes no objection to the plan to seek higher ground. "Aye, no point in drowning when we can live to starve to death. A fine plan, that." As they trudge on, he says, "Bertram, were you perhaps born during an unfortunate conjunction of the planets? Someone in your family commit a great blasphemy against the gods? Some ancient curse that a wizard laid upon your father's line, maybe?" As they walk on, he occasionally offers other possible--if novel--explanations for the ill fortune of this (and their last) venture.

"It could be me that's cursed, of course...I've oft felt that way."

[Keehnelf]

March 23, 1 VC - 9:20am

The party slogs through the muddy ground uphill as well as they can, shielding themselves from the force of the wind and rain with one another's bodies and the sodden cloth of their upraised bedrolls. Finally, they make it to a point from which they can only descend, and though it reveals no new sights at least they no longer have a fear of drowning as they huddle together to share warmth.

There is no lightning, but thunder rumbles across the landscape as the icy rain penetrates deeper and deeper into every layer of the adventurers' clothing. Some time just after dawn, a huge crackling sound echoes across the hill and the rain turns to hail which pres the adventurers mercilessly for what feels like an eternity.

Every adventurer without a helmet takes 1 point of damage.

Soon after, the rain subsides to a normal but still heavy downpour and the adventurers are able to take a bit of exhausted breakfast.

In doing so, they discover that Largo did not have his rations adequately sealed away and all of his have been ruined by the rain.

Everyone deduct one day's rations, and loan one to Largo unless you want him to starve!

The adventurers also spot the tower through the rain, on a knoll about a mile to the northwest.

[Keehnelf]

Sorry forget the extra ration deduction, brain error on my part. Largo's are ruined, however.

[KingOfCowards]

I'll be realistic and say an elf spots the tower first.

Random Elf: [1d3] = 1
"Good eyes Quirin. We'll regroup in the tower, and count up our rations there."

[GTan_Baq]

Abi says, "Come on everybody. We're not getting any dryer standing here" and she starts walking toward the tower.

1 days rations deducted

[Keehnelf]

March 23, 1 VC - 9:50am

The group marches off toward the tower, and as they approach they see it's roughly twenty-five feet tall and made of closely-fitted stone. There appear to be no windows on the ground floor, and the upper floor comprises a low stone wall topped by a conical wooden roof over a gap of several feet, through which sentries could monitor the tower's surroundings.

The only feature near the base of the tower is a solid-looking metal door which appears to be closed. As the party approaches, the elves spot some movement in the upper portion of the tower, but by the time they reach hailing distance nothing is visible.

[KingOfCowards]

Bertram addresses the group, "Whatever is in there, likely they already know we're here. Keep your eyes on the windows and your bows at hand, and I'll see if there is any chance for parley. This might be those dwarves we were looking for."

If there is no answer, I am thinking we break our way in. So ideas for that contingency are welcome.

[GTan_Baq]

Abi has Sleep prepared just in case...

[KingOfCowards]

Abi has Sleep prepared just in case...

Probably a more reliable choice than missile weapons in this case...