Barrowmoor: Exploration and Ecdysis.

[Marullus]

Raust watches stoicly, lips thin with determination. She flicks the string of her bow with her thumb, considering.

The druid turns and whispers to Isvand. "We cannot go back. Not until we know this Mistress... or take her head." She indicates the throat of the tunnel to the right, leading to the inner sanctum. "Do we go together? Or do you wish to peek?"

[Spearmint]

Let me if I may just bring some clarity to the group and get a decision. You can all attempt to take in the Mistress and her Snake-men cohort now, having discovered her lair.

You have a secret passage, underwater from the rock pool to the passage dead end with follows a mile or so back to the Hurtloam Cave.

It is after midnight and these hours are when the Snake-men are most active. Resting back in the Hurtloam Cave gives you a chance to renew spells and advance a raid as a team in the morning.

If Raust and Isvand press on now without the others, I can action that though for Gerdal in theory she waits back in the cave hoping you might be successful. In real life time though, with a couple of updates a week, the raid might take up until Christmas and I would rather not have Sastaz on hold with Gerdal until then.

So, discuss some strategy and I will update accordingly.

A) With knowledge of the whereabouts of the lair you can retreat back to Helix now and inform Lord Krothos.

B) A raid, with the aim of gaining specific intelligence regarding to who Mistress is and gather details of the Snake-men strength, cult activity.

C) A raid, to kill Mistress now and as many Snake-men as possible.

[redwarrior]

C is for me!

[Marullus]

C sounds good.

...but can we get Gerdal and the others through with low Con scores? How about the wolves and lizard?

I was pushing forward only because I thought getting everyone was not feasible.

I will use Pass Without Trace to hide our tracks here on our way back to the pond and we can resume with a raid where everyoneis together?

[Spearmint]

The wolf companions would not be able to swim the passage. The chameleon could be stuffed in a sack and pulled through quickly. Lizards do swim, iguanas can underwater, chameleons not so much but he might be better at holding his breath longer than Gerdal.

I have suggested a couple of things which could improve the swim, using an empty wineskin as an extra breath of air. Getting some way to light the passage to remove the 50/50% risk of taking a wrong channel.

Waiting overnight so that you can renew spells is also a very strategic thing to consider.

As two of the three have voted for continuing the raid, I will press on with actioning that as the group action. (5.30 am now. Must sleep but I will roll some variables and then resume later today with you all in the rock-pool if you make it to the other side).

Can I assume Raust & Isvand swim back, report their findings, rest overnight and everyone is good to go in the morning?

[Marullus]

Waiting overnight so that you can renew spells is also a very strategic thing to consider.

May 30th 1066.
Taking a full nine hours to rest and give time for the healing mud to dry and be adsorbed, ...

Sounds like a horrible assumption was made on my part. I thought when we slept 9 hours and advanced from the 29th to the 30th we did renew our spells (hence my private posts). Yikes!

We absolutely need to renew our spells.

Can I assume Raust & Isvand swim back, report their findings, rest overnight and everyone is good to go in the morning?

Yep! I'm good with that.

Raust considers, then whispers to Isvand. "...No. Wiser, perhaps, to come back with everyone. Wiser, perhaps to come in day when they rest or at night when half are out of the cave? To find the Priestess at rest or leading worship with them clustered?" She ponders. "If your quiet feet wish, sneak ahead and I will wait here. Otherwise, we swim."

When Isvand is ready, Raust whispers to the dust of the floor, causing small dust whirls which erase their footprints. She masks their trail as they go back to the underwater access to find the rope ends.

[redwarrior]

Isvand is ready to go back. He doesn't fancy his low chance of success sneaking without backup nearby!

[Spearmint]

You know what, my apologies not yours. For some reason, despite updating an overnight in the cave I was still using notes that had Isvand follow the stream after the Darkmantle encounter rather than the next morning.

Sorry to you all. Would love to blame a Covid bout, hang over or early onset of dementia but instead just a balls up.

actions. GM rolls for swimming and navigating the underwater passage. There are only two ways to go; a dead-end, literally if you swim there and run out of breath or following the flow of the main current and emerging into the rock pool. Taking some time to anchor a 100'ft length of rope along the stream bed and laying a few intermittent glowing pebbles, the party can navigate correctly and reduce the risk of harm.

I will use your roll Isvand to repeat a casting of Light spell upon a pile of pebbles, so a few can be laid in the underwater passage and each person can take one as a minimal light.

Settled then, it is mid morning and not after midnight, and you are spelled up and refreshed rather than exhausted, albeit wet and cold after a short swim.

Emerging into the rock-pool on the other side, Gerdal unpacks the half-drowned Harkazz, pulsating a frantic orange but not quite as bad as the cobra bite. Eventually the lizard calms fades into the rocky background, Gerdal camouflages too.

The wolves are unable to swim the passage. Raust communicates she will return and they settle back in the Hurtloam Cave. at the very best you will swim back after 'a successful hunt' and reunite; at the very worst they will go hungry a few days then eat the body of Marcel. They guard any of your gear and books you leave behind.

Traeliorn, Dale, Ricardo, Pasquel, Venwynn follow.

Actions for Gerdal, Isvand & Raust please.

[redwarrior]

Isvand with trusty allies at his side, will now attempt to move hidden and silently to get as much a layout of the terrain and count of potential opponents as he can. Having been able to rest has him feeling much better and more ready to face what comes.

[Marullus]

"Down the tunnel... we must find this priestess."

Raust crouches in the mouth of the tunnel, thumbing the string of her bow as she waits pensively for Isvand's report... If her new small friend beckons her forward, she follows cautiously to provide him cover.

[sastaz]

Gerdal tries to look high and low without beig seen by the enemy. Does anything stand out as unusual, or just a lot of nests?

"We need to think about how to find this queen. We'd be chanceless if the snake men attack us in numbers. What's our plan on how to find her?"

[Marullus]

Raust considers, then frowns, wrinkling her nose. "We smell her out. But, that we do with the pack." She looks around, a little lost without her canine companions.

[Spearmint]

The Orphidian Caves.

Emerging into a rock pool after swimming the underwater passage, the group peek over the ledge to view the cavern interior. Opposite, about a bowshot away, numerous outcroppings of flat rock are used by changeling humanoids to camp.

They slither rather than walk, serpentine from the waist downwards, mostly grotesque hybrids now transformed with slit eyes and forked tongues, scales for skin with just a vague reminiscence of humanity. Even amongst this feral tribe a hierarchy exists for you see a smaller, leaner Orphidian, a torso covered in coarse hair and a canine-esque snout get slapped out of the way as some larger creatures slither by. They shoulder a large deer and a baboon strung up on poles after a successful nocturnal hunt. The former kobold is tossed a bone to gnaw upon and the lesser bushmeat of baboon is roughly deposited for the humanoid Snake-men to fight over while the larger delicacy is taken further into the caves. With backs turned to focus on skinning their prize, you have an opportune moment to progress to the inner caves.

Chancing your luck, the group sneak in single file, Raust leading the way with Isvand just behind. Dale takes the role to bodyguard Gerdal and a quartet of archers bring up the rear.

Spot route through cave vs Wisdom. Ra, Is, Ge [4d6]=15[4d6]=15[4d6]=16 Raust spots sneak pathway.
Orphidian menace vs 1 [1d6]=5 movement not detected.

Keeping to shadows you follow the sidewinding trail left in the dirt by the slithering creatures. They are unaware of your presence and don't look behind, you keep your distance. After a short while the passage rounds a bend and goes through a mouth in the rock, well travelled through judging by the tracks. To your left us a chasm that drops beyond sight. A single rock stack of granite sticks up like a finger from the chasm and upon its pinnacle is a totem pole. Tied to that pole is what appears to be a sacrificial offering, a woman unmoving, head bowed and bound with ropes. The chasm is bridged by a rickety wooden walkway (or slitherway?).

Four Orphidians lounge about the mouth of the next cave entrance. They swap greetings with the hunters who go further in. It looks like you will have to deal with them to progress further.

actions please.


you will have to excuse my map and representative figures. My mobile can only upload or edit in a certain way. Anyway, here is a nap with you three hidden among creeper covered rocks and mounds of cave lichen, looking towards the cave mouth and a wooden bridge over a deep chasm.

[sastaz]

Gerdal waits for the hunters to disappear down the corridor before whispering

"If you take aim or ready a charge, I can bind them so that none of them can escape to get help?"

[redwarrior]

Isvand whispers I think that is a good plan. With our archers and surprise, I think we stand a good chance. Assuming Gerdal agrees, Isvand will signal to the archers, and will fire with them (poorly, as it turns out!) after Gerdal has started the spell.


OOC assumption: We were able to bring a fair portion of our gear with us in sacks, and get it mostly dried as we rested. leaving really heavy stuff/treasure. Otherwise this doesn't work. and we have to do something else.

Surprise [1d6]=1 if relevant
initiative [1d10]=4
Short Bow THAC019 [1d20+1]=9+1=10 Damage [1d6]=2
Short Bow THAC019 [1d20+1]=10+1=11 Damage [1d6]=2

[Marullus]

Raust remains silent, listening with a solemn expression. She finally nods in concurrence, and knocks her bow next to Isvand, ready to launch together the surprise volley.

Surprise round:
Shortbow: [1d20]=4 [1d6]=4 [1d20]=1 [1d6]=1
First round:
Shortbow: [1d20]=1 [1d6]=3 [1d20]=12 [1d6]=3

[sastaz]

good thinking, saving all your nat 20s for the boss fight, ha ha

Gerdal invokes the powers of the wyld and has the subterranian roots crawl all over the snakemen.

Retain lv 1 spell vs 15 [4d6+1]=17+1=18

Then, if there's a bonus turn, she will throw her two daggers, avoiding melee.

Thrown dagger, to hit: [1d20]=15 dmg: [1d4]=1
Thrown dagger, to hit: [1d20]=20 dmg: [1d4]=3 wasting my own nat 20 here alas

[Spearmint]

Assault on the Orphidian Caves

yes you have whatever gear is feasible to take underwater with you.

Sneaking past the minion humanoid Orphidians, the team follow a narrow pass that traverses around sudden chasms and falls, shadowing the slithering hunting party until they pass through a guarded portal. Feeling little option but to take out the guards in a surprise attack, Traeliorn launches an arrow. As before his barbed shaft ignites with flame and pierces the darkness before impaling itself it a scaly spine. It is the signal for more arrows from the darkness. Several find a target and pin cushion the closest Orphidians. The furthest two, alerted by their comrades gasps spring up from their coiled stances to grab at weapons themselves. The ground shakes under their tails and the creeper vines emerge grasp to coil and constrict around them, a large clump of moss flows like a floral ooze and envelopes one. They fight against their bonds but more arrows still their futility.

A dagger to the throat silences any last words, just a lisping sigh and gurgle as the figure chokes in his own spurting blood.

You can move up to the entrance and once the Entangle spell is dismissed or the duration ends, you can deal with the bodies.

Listening at the threshold to the inner caverns, you hear a rhythmic chanting from deep inside. The tracks continue in the dirt but split at an intersection. Venwynn can assess these when you enter that far.

Across from you, separated by a short chasm is the rock spire topped by the totem and tied up figure. The wooden bridge looks a dangerous crossing with several loose or even missing planks.

next actions please

Ricardo [1d20]=16[1d6]=5 [1d20]=7[1d6]=3 Pasquel [1d20]=15[1d6]=2[1d20]=17[1d6]=4Venwynn looses arrows: [1d20]=19 [1d6]=2[1d20]=17[1d6]=1Dale looses arrows: [1d20+2]=7+2=9[1d6]=1 [1d20+2]=1+2=3[1d6]=1Traeliorn looses arrows: [1d20+2]=15+2=17 [1d6]=3[1d20+2]=1+2=3[1d6]=1Ricardo [1d20]=18[1d6]=6 [1d20]=15[1d6]=4 Pasquel [1d20]=8[1d6]=1[1d20]=14[1d6]=6Venwynn looses arrows: [1d20]=14 [1d6]=1[1d20]=4[1d6]=3Dale looses arrows: [1d20+2]=12+2=14[1d6]=6 [1d20+2]=3+2=5[1d6]=4Traeliorn looses arrows: [1d20+2]=1+2=3 [1d6]=4[1d20+2]=3+2=5[1d6]=1

I am also going to be quite strict with arrows. Each archer starts with a quiver full, so twenty each. The NPC's are already -4 each.

[redwarrior]

Isvand whispers I think we need to get to that figure cross the .... I guess that's a bridge. Do we want to try now, before it's expected, or do we want to to try to think out more of these creatures first? I vote for moving before they know we're here.


Please don't be a trap, please don't be a trap.

[sastaz]

Okay, so I'm a bit confused now. When you write that there's a chasm "to our left", you mean to our right? Looking at the map you posted, and given that we faced the four reptilians, the chasm was to the right? Also, where's the tied up woman on your map? To the "south"? So there's three ways: the bridge to the left in the image (ie to our right), the opening to the right in the image (ie to our left) and then the tied up woman straight ahead, not depicted on the map posted? And Isvand what do you mean we have to get that across? You mean "we have to check if she's alive, and if that's the case we should flee over the bridge and get out of here"?