Quest #1 "Loggers Run"

[Urson]

Luther

If it's as bad as I suspect, we'll needfire- and a lot of it.

[OGRE MAGE]

Following The Trail Of Zombies
Mid-Afternoon
Hot, Sticky, Muggy, Miserable

The party takes one more step towards the logging trail as the marksmen (and boy) get set up to shoot their missiles off all at the same time. Krystal preps an improvised firebomb with one of her oil flasks but does not light it yet. She wonders if her flint will even cast a spark in these moist and sweaty conditions. The shooters don't all target the same lumps, but Luther does shoot at one of the growths that his little friend "dead-eye" goes for. The gnarly overgrowth prevents all but the most accurate shots from finding their marks.

Fortunately for the group, Monocars stone falls dreadfully short of hitting his target, bouncing off of a random tree and ricocheting harmlessly to the ground, his sling having a far shorter range than the bowmen. Luther has about the same luck when his single arrow gets completely lost in the thick leaves and branches. You don't even see where that one ends up.

Just when you start to think it will be impossible to hit anything through this thick foliage at such a distance, little Jack plunks both of his arrows directly into 2 separate leafy lumps. The first lump lets out an audible squeal so loud that you can hear it from this distance. The second growth just falls from the tree, crashing through the branches and hitting the ground with an audible thud.

The squealer slides down the trunk of its tree with amazing speed and gets lost in the underbrush below. It was definitely something alive, but you aren't sure if it was sleeping, hibernating, or if these things are actually living parts of the trees that can somehow separate themselves from their hosts. You could have sworn that the creature was actually some type of humanoid, with green and brown gourd-like appendages and a small leafy bulbous head. You suddenly see two tiny eyes looking in your direction through the branches. The thing never stops squealing and making a very loud clicking noise, presumably trying to communicate with the other lumps.

In only a matter of a few seconds, several dozen of these growths come to life, all of them either jumping or sliding out of their trees and shrubs to the ground. If Luther wouldn't have had you all back up, you would be surrounded by them right now. If Krystal would have poked at one, you'd likely all be in a much worse predicament. It seems that Franny actually did know what she was talking about when she said that this area is too dangerous for such a fresh group.

The cacophony of squealing and clicking begins to grow into a deafening roar as more and more of them drop to the jungle floor. These strange creatures that seem to be made up of only vegetative materials are beginning to spread out towards you. They appear to be armed with crude weapons and shields. They also appear to be looking for something. The closest one to you is only a mere one hundred feet away, and he already appears to have many, many friends nearby.

Actions!

IMG_0859.PNG (117.92 KiB) Viewed 505 times

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FYI: You saw literally hundreds of these growths hanging from the trees in this area.

[Bluehorse]

Monocar

Wide eyed he stows his sling away and pulls out his mace. Wack a mole it is! He tries to keep his head and watches the movements of the little creatures. "I guess it's too late to say sorry? Maybe we should make an organized retreat?" He will begin backing up but if one of the little critters comes within reach, he'll take a wack at it!

(If needed)
Initiative [1d6] = 6

To Hit [1d20+2] = 3+2 = 5 Dmg +mods [1d6+5] = 6+5 = 11

[Spearmint]

Miss Tal'

"I bet they are the loggers! Turned into living plants, perhaps some form of arborealisation.",Krystal hands the flasks of oil to the sturdy ranger."Maybe you can 'turn them' or get them to 'take root'? gosh where's a cleric when you need one!" Figuring that we are about to be overwhelmed by the tribe of 'jungle bunnies', Krystal will head up the trail after Franny and Raythan.

[Nuke66]

Franny keeps going down the trail...Raythan, at least you haven't lost all yur marbles yet. They're all too thick-skulled to understand the dangers that lay and wait, deep within that there jungle. Come now, we have to hurry, we don't have much sun left .

"Agreed, I guess it's you and I against the world. I hope they come to their senses." Raythan replies.

[Inferno]

Jack, lost boy:

The timeless orphan watches with gleeful terror at what his arrows have wrought.

"Uh oh. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all, Mister. ...Let's go!" he says as he scampers back to the logging camp as fast as his little feet will carry him.
"Franny! Raythan! Wait for us!"

[Urson]

Luther

RUN LIKE HELL! Luther shouts, as good as his word. He takes off at his best speed, lumbering along. Don't wait for me- just run!

[Bluehorse]

Monocar

Hearing everyone beat it, he turns and follows along pushing himself for all he is worth.

[OGRE MAGE]

Starday, 20th of Reaping, 1389
Late Afternoon
RUN!!!


Jack looks up at Luther with saucers for eyes and shrugs his little shoulders, right before he takes off running back down the trail. He begins shouting for the dwarf and half-elf, trying to warn them as well. Though neither can actually hear his calls, Raythan notices that Franny has really picked up her pace. She leads the way back to the loggers camp as if she can sense the danger still far behind the pair.

Krystal hypothesizes some more and then she too takes off running after the nimble elf boy. The sheer weight from the massive 100 pounds of gear she carries slows her down considerably, but her light armor allows her to nearly keep up with Jack.

All of the talking and shouting most assuredly gets the attention of the culprit seeking veggie-people. Several of them begin rushing in your direction in hot pursuit of the group.

Luther also yells out, directing the others to run and don't look back. Monocar takes the time to switch weapons, but then sees everyone else take off, so he lumbers behind as best he can. The immense size of the two humans is an obvious disadvantage in a desperate race through the jungle, as is the massive amount of gear that they carry.

The fear train trudges through the bush at top speed with Jack gaining a big lead. He is followed by Krystal, who has already pulled some distance away from the slow moving, heavily armored fighters. Luther and Monocar struggle along and can hear these creatures quickly advancing on them from behind. They run and run, trying to catch up to the others already far ahead. Hot on your heels, the race goes on and on through the impossible terrain, but for some reason the creatures remain just behind you.

Can Luther and Monocar give me a hard wisdom check please.

[Bluehorse]

Monocar is not a wise man...

Hard Wis (9) [4d6] = 14

[Urson]

Wis: 14 ,ability check H [4d6] = 8

[Spearmint]

"This time we better get the fire pit stoked up not matter what Ernie and Burt say." says Krystal

[Urson]

Luther

I think.. *gasp* They're jackin' with us. *pant* They could have *gasp* caught me by now, but...

Despite his suspicions, Luther isn't slowing down. He keeps pounding along at best speed.

How far did we get from the logger's clearing?

[OGRE MAGE]

The panicked adventurers continue to........(in my best Creedence voice) run through the jungle.

The elf boy has disappeared up the trail, as has Krystal who is currently bringing up a distant second. They are followed by the heavily panting Luther with the huge fighter Monocar trailing them all from behind. The ranger wonders why the creatures haven't just overtaken them yet, until he soon realizes that their group is just being toyed with. He begins to notice that the ones following them have slowed and are really only keeping them moving until their friends can catch up with the others. In his peripheral vision, he can see some of these creatures rushing along side his position, swinging ahead of him from tree to bush with amazing speed and agility.

Luther estimates that he is still a good several hundred yards away from the loggers clearing as he pushes himself to continue the retreat, not stoppin for nothin.

I will get something written up for this situation asap and get it posted. Please stand by for the fun.

[OGRE MAGE]

Starday, 20th of Reaping, 1389
Late Afternoon
KEEP RUNNING!!!

The race explodes onward as the groups leaders continue plowing through the gnarled and spiky foliage. The big boys follow as best they can but are already hundreds of yards behind the others before long. Luckily, the trail is much easier to follow now that it has ben trampled back and forth so much.

Jacks size gives him a huge advantage while fleeing and he quickly outdistances the heavily encumbered Krystal. She in turn has put a huge distance between herself and the pair of fighters lagging sluggishly behind. Both of the fleeing elves get a strong suspicion that they are being flanked by some hard to see, rapid moving creatures off to their sides as they blaze forward through the bush.

Franny and Raythan, still a good distance in front of the rapidly following lost boy, begin to spot the edge of the loggers clearing up ahead at the very end of their field of vision. They have nearly made it back to the camp, but still have no idea about the possible massacre that is about to happen behind them. They can hear the chopping noises up ahead again from the loggers axes whacking on the hard trees.

Suddenly, all nine layers of hell erupts! Jack, Krystal, Luther, and Monocar are all set upon by numerous little jungle monsters.


Actions!

Here is how I would like to do this..... feel free to complain if you need to.

These creatures move through the jungle nearly twice as fast as your fastest members. Everyone except for Raythan and Franny, who fled before any of this happened, are going to be caught. However, the further away you have already ran, the less of them you will need to contend with.

To give you all a chance to actually survive this, only about one quarter of their total numbers are the hunters that got involved with the chase, so you won't need to worry about all 220 of them attacking at once. (only around 50 or so)
They are small sized, no bigger than a kobold really, and pretty weak, but their superior numbers are going to be a tough challenge. Since you know they are coming eventually, there will be no surprise. Since you are fleeing, and they move faster than you, I can't allow a missile attack before they are on you. They basically jump out at you from the sides and behind as you are running along.

Since Jack is the furthest away. He will only attract between 2-6 of them on him that he will have to deal with alone. (2d3)

Krystal is a ways behind him so she will have between 3-9 of them to deal with on her own. (3d3)

Luther is far behind her and gets 5-15 of them on him. (5d3)

And poor bumbling Monocar is last in line. He draws the attention of the remaining 6-18 of the hungry little buggers. (6d3)

Luther and Monocar can't currently see each other, but they are close enough to hear that the other is in combat. (so, they could help each other if one fares better) The others are all out of earshot from one another.

Since I don't post my rolls, and this could get pretty ugly, I will allow you each to "cut your own throats" (as we say at the poker table). You can make your own d3 "number appearing" rolls to see how many are on you, and then post your action. They are all about to attack simultaneously. You don't have to stop and fight them if you think you can continue running away. You will just need to survive several of their attacks on you as you do so. Excessive noise or yelling may draw more of them to you as well.

Good luck! I hope at least some of you survive to tell the tale.

[Spearmint]

Krystal

Sometimes flight has to turn reluctantly to fight. With nowhere to run and hide and with these 'jungle bunnies' as she names them converging on her from all sides, Krystal stops running. She draws her blade with a swish taking up a balanced fencing position and then like a ballerina deftly makes a pirouette in the dirt, tracing a circle on the floor with the tip of the blade.

gourd creatures surrounding Krystal [3d3] = 5

She assesses their size, their relative strengths and weaknesses, weapons they carry.

Longsword melee [1d20+1] = 15+1 = 16 damage [1d8] = 4

and she chooses to attack the most likely leader type, the biggest or one carrying the most vicious looking weapon.

[Inferno]

Jack in the Green, lost boy:

Lost in the green, Jack hollers, "Franny! Raythan!" with all his might.

Realizing three plant hobbits are upon him, he stops on a silver piece, slides two elven blades out of their sheathes and slashes them at the nearest man-eating plant.
"Go away! We didn't know!" he yells.


seedlings: [2d3] = 3

Jack: Right hand: Long Sword: to hit: [1d20] = 12, damage: small/medium: [1d8] = 1, large: [1d12] = 1
Jack: Left hand: Dagger: to hit: [1d20] = 6, damage: small/medium: [1d4] = 4, large: [1d3] = 2

[Urson]

[5d3] = 9

As soon as Luther senses they're attacking, he dumps his pack, cutting the straps if need be to get rid of it FAST.

Dex 11 ability check N [3d6] = 9

You think so, huh? You FUCKIN think so? Come on! and begins laying about himself with his broadsword.
attack [1d20] = 16
broadsword [2d4] = 3

Luther's intent is to fight toward the clearing.

[Bluehorse]

Monocar

Seeing 9 of the scary little tree people he makes a paniced swing at the nearest one as he continues trying to keep moving, but realizes he needs to switch to a fighting position rather than exhaust himself running for no good reason. He knows he cannot outrun them now.

To Hit [1d20+2] = 4+2 = 6 Dmg +mods [1d6+5] = 1+5 = 6

[OGRE MAGE]

Oh Shit!!!

All hell erupts as these lumpy, gourd-like monsters jump into action. They are small, quick, and agile in their own environment, but their makeshift weapons of tree branch clubs and sharpened sticks would only scare a hardened fighter if there were a lot of them around. Which.....there are.

9 of them jump out onto both Luther and Monocar, giving the burly fighters far more trouble than they bargained for. Luther drops his shoulder pack to try to help lighten his load as Monocar just turns and starts whacking. The biggest fighter spins and dodges the first few buggers, catching a pointy stick in his neck as one of them gets a good shot in on him. 2 dam The rest of them poke and slash at the giant, but their blows do not penetrate his sweat soaked armor. His attack also proves fruitless, but he stands his ground none the less.

Luther shouts loudly as they attack, cursing them out and egging them on at the same time. The creatures don't seem to understand his words, but he does manage to draw one more of them out of the high branches due to his loud yelling. The ranger now has a circle of 10 of these tiny monsters trying to stick and club at him as they jump all around. The brave human grits his teeth and starts swinging his big sword around wildly. He cuts one of the creatures stringy appendages badly, but it remains on its feet. He is able to defend himself against all of their attacks but one. A hard club hits him from behind as he continues to try to finagle his way towards the clearing while still striking out at them. 3 dam

Krystal sees 5 of these jungle bunnies dive in on her tiny frame. She starts to wonder just why she came out here in the first place, but now is not the time for such thoughts. One by one these things attack at her as she uses her sword to the best of her ability. She slashes one of the creatures arms completely off, both the veggie arm and the club it was holding falls to the jungle floor. The monster doesn't get a chance to return the blow, it simply bends down to pick up the club in its other, still intact hand. The she elf also takes but one blow from a sharp, pointy stick spear. 1 dam Though she cant see the little rascal, she hears the voice of Jack far ahead screaming at the top of his little lungs for Franny and Raythan to return. One of the tree lumps also hears this, so it leaves its friends to go ahead in the trees to see where the screaming is coming from. That leaves Krystal with only 4 of them left to deal with, one of them already very badly injured.

At the very front of the pack, the elf boy Jack also stands his ground against these ugly things. He draws dagger and sword, screaming out for the others to come back and help. They do not. Unbeknownst to him, he does manage to draw the interest of one of the creatures fighting with Krystal though, even know it wont arrive for a minute. His blows prove ineffective against the three tree beings. Their return attacks also miss the mark and the boy smirks, just barely being able to avoid damage......for now.

Actions!

Monocar 10/12 with 9 of them left on him
Luther 10/13 with 10 of them on him (one injured)
Krystal 4/5 with 4 left on her (one near death)
Jack 10/10 with (soon to be) 4 of them left on him

26 attacks with only 3 hits so far and not one Nat 20? That was fortunate for the good guys. (so far)
These are 1 HD monsters with AC:7 that do 1-3 damage per their one attack each round.