Jaroo follows along. He sniffs the air - sometimes deeply, taking in the world it seems - other times curious and questioning sniffs as something catches his attention.
Re: Session 1: Red Larch
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 6:27 pm
by dmw71
Q&A with Samdarag "Red Larch to Westbridge is roughly 36 miles, so a few days journey... or longer, as I see there are a few in your numbers with shorter legs,"Samdarag says jokingly. "It's a pretty straight shot, and a mostly safe route; I've made it myself, by myself, many times."
"As for Helmaer, he's what you'd expect from a cranky, retired mage. I will say, it's probably better to be on his good side; retired or not, he's quite accomplished."
Red Larch is... it's a town. You'll see soon enough, as we're not far, but it will have most of the essentials, and there are a few merchants that can get what you can't normally -- if you're on their good side, of course," he says without looking at Roderick, but it's apparent the remark was made for his ears.
When he does turn to the Avatar, he appears to be considering his next remark. "Does helping keep food on the plates of innocent children, dependent upon the ability of their hardworking father to provide, qualify as a just cause?"
"If not, I'll keep searching for a reason; until I can set up a new group of regular couriers I can trust, I'm really in a blind here."
---
You're still en route, but I'm fine to role-play this out as long as needed.
Actions?
---
Date: 19 Quintilis, Year 7102 Time: 08:28 (Sunrise: 06:58, Sunset: 18:43) Temp: 65 F Conditions:
1st: Burning Hands (V, S | Time: 1), Comprehend Languages (V, S, M | Time: 10), Detect Magic (V, S | Time: 1), Feather Fall (V | Time: 1), Hold Portal (V | Time: 1), Read Magic (V, S, M | Time: 10)
Shield: Small (-1) ("...protect against two frontal attacks of the user's choice...")
Dex: 16 (-2)
Other: None
Prepared Spells: None
Marching Orders Scout:
TBD
5-foot:
TBD
10-foot:
TBD
Rolls
None
Re: Session 1: Red Larch
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 7:08 pm
by GreyWolfVT
Delgrot"I'd have to admit while Red Larch is closer to my hometown Sundabar than I've been in a while, I've never been to Red Larch before." the dwarven priest of Marthammor Duin admits to the merchant.
Re: Session 1: Red Larch
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 7:42 pm
by shaidar
Alara scans the sky and looks to the terrain "Sundabar, that's far to the north is it not? If I remember my fathers maps, we must be only a few hundred miles from my home of Loudwater, just south of the High Forest" she turns and looks to the horizon to the south-east.
After a few moments she turns to Roderick "Why not see this as an opportunity to help out a man in need to obtain some money you can donate to charity?"
Re: Session 1: Red Larch
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 7:59 pm
by Rex
Unna
"I am from the mountains that border this area, but I have never been to any of the settlements around here before. I have a bit of wanderlust so it will be good to see them."
Re: Session 1: Red Larch
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 9:33 pm
by Zhym
dmw71 wrote:When he does turn to the Avatar, he appears to be considering his next remark. "Does helping keep food on the plates of innocent children, dependent upon the ability of their hardworking father to provide, qualify as a just cause?"
"That depends," answers Roderick. clearly enjoying the chance to debate the tenets of his ethos. "Suppose a man murders another man for his money. Is the murder a good deed if he uses the money to feed his innocent children?"
"That is not what you are asking of us, of course. But I hope you understand my point: the deed itself matters, not just the reward. If we delivered your cargo to Helmaer and he used it to raise a legion of the undead or poison a town's only water supply, we would share responsibility for his evil acts. That would not be a good deed, even if it does help you feed your children. But if Helmaer would use the components to feed the hungry, cure the sick, or house the homeless, then bringing him the materials may indeed be a noble cause. I cannot sign a contract until I have a good idea of which is the case."
Re: Session 1: Red Larch
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2018 3:07 pm
by dmw71
Q&A with Samdarag "Ah, great point!"Samdarag says to Roderick in a sincere tone. Despite the debate, and reluctance to jump on what he perceived to a simple and lucrative offer, the merchant appears to be gaining respect for the Avatar, whom he already held in high opinion, as proven by entrusting him to carry the notarized payment agreement.
"Great point, indeed." The portly man repeats. "But I can assure you, Helmaer is very well respected in Westbridge, and has a lot of support in that town from the locals. Good people they are. The locals, I mean. You won't be party to raising an undead army, or poisoning a water supply, or other such heinous acts... that I can assure you. In fact, old Helmaer has become a bit of an entertainer of late. It's not often -- during harvest celebrations or other festivals -- but his claim to fame these days is the ability to hurl fireballs, and conjure colored walls of fire. All safely, mind you. The kids love it!"
"You don't want to break the hearts of the many small town children, by denying the source of their entertainment the materials he needs, now do you? " he adds with a wink.
---
You're still en route, but I'm fine to role-play this out as long as needed.
Actions?
---
Date: 19 Quintilis, Year 7102 Time: 08:29 (Sunrise: 06:58, Sunset: 18:43) Temp: 65 F Conditions:
1st: Burning Hands (V, S | Time: 1), Comprehend Languages (V, S, M | Time: 10), Detect Magic (V, S | Time: 1), Feather Fall (V | Time: 1), Hold Portal (V | Time: 1), Read Magic (V, S, M | Time: 10)
Shield: Small (-1) ("...protect against two frontal attacks of the user's choice...")
Dex: 16 (-2)
Other: None
Prepared Spells: None
Marching Orders Scout:
TBD
5-foot:
TBD
10-foot:
TBD
Rolls
None
Re: Session 1: Red Larch
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2018 3:40 pm
by GreyWolfVT
Delgrot looks surprised at what this mage does he gives a little humming sound of approval before saying openly "Guess all wizards aren't all that bad. Sounds like quite the entertainer."
Re: Session 1: Red Larch
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2018 7:17 pm
by Zhym
Roderick visibly relaxes. "That's good to hear! I'm all in favor of good, wholesome, family-friendly entertainment. You're right—we wouldn't want to disappoint the children!"
Re: Session 1: Red Larch
Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2018 4:34 am
by ravenn4544
Jaroo follows along and wonders inwardly about all the debate. So many words to say so little. Do a thing or do not.
Re: Session 1: Red Larch
Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 4:34 am
by dmw71
Bandits "Red Larch is not far,"Samdarag says. "Maybe another hour," the portly and out of shape merchant adds, wiping sweat from his brow, even on a cool day.
The path you've been traveling cuts through a small outcropping of trees, and you notice an increase in foot and cart traffic on the path as you continue your approach.
As the path gradually curves to the left and straighten out, four commoners -- possibly farmers -- are spotted heading towards you in the distance. As they draw near, the foursome, traveling at a steady, weary pace, seem content to pass with a wary nod.
Farmers.jpg (218.82 KiB) Viewed 651 times
Suddenly, a pair of arrows come flying out from from the forested area to the left and sail errantly between Samdarag and Unna, and narrowly miss Ardiam!
"Bandits!" yell the farmers, pointing to the pair of archers to the left of the group; their weary pace increases as they begin rushing forward.
Bandits.jpg (161.36 KiB) Viewed 651 times
---
I will need you guys to discuss (in the OOC topic) how you want to handle your marching orders.
Actions?
---
Date: 19 Quintilis, Year 7102 Time: 09:53 (Sunrise: 06:58, Sunset: 18:43) Temp: 65 F Conditions:
1st: Burning Hands (V, S | Time: 1), Comprehend Languages (V, S, M | Time: 10), Detect Magic (V, S | Time: 1), Feather Fall (V | Time: 1), Hold Portal (V | Time: 1), Read Magic (V, S, M | Time: 10)
Shield: Small (-1) ("...protect against two frontal attacks of the user's choice...")
Dex: 16 (-2)
Other: None
Prepared Spells: None
Marching Orders Scout:
TBD
5-foot:
Delgrot
Jaroo
Unna
Alara
Nexus
Roderick
Ardiam
---
Samdarag
10-foot:
TBD
Rolls
None
Re: Session 1: Red Larch
Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 4:54 am
by Rex
Unna
Unna will rush the archers, drawing her sword and un-slinging her shield as she goes. "Beware the farmers in case they are really bandits!" she yells as she charges.
Not sure she is fast enough to reach the bandits and attack but just in case, she will attack the closest she can reach.
Nexus will take cover behind the cart, searching the tree line for anymore bandits this side of the contraption. He withdraws some fleece and some coloured sand, in case he gets the chance to work up a spell.
22 arrows left. also, in 2e, it says strength bonus can work on short or long bows if they are specially made. I assume the starting one wasnt, but not sure. That seems odd, as a specially made one would be similar to a magic one that could add a +1 without the specific note...
Re: Session 1: Red Larch
Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 12:44 pm
by GreyWolfVT
Delgrot warhammer in hand charges forward and swings at the bandit straight in front of him with a mighty dwarven roar. However the display proves to be without merit as his hammer touches nothing but air.
Jaroo ducks behind the cart with a frown. He keeps a steady eye on the farmers approaching down the read in case it's a trap.
Re: Session 1: Red Larch
Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 2:06 pm
by shaidar
Alara gets her sling ready, suspicious of the farmers she tries to move to a better position to use her sling if they turn out to be hostile
OOC: As most are up rushing 'up' the map to engage the bandits in the forest, this probably means moving 'down', perhaps between Jaroo and Ardium if there is room (without getting in Ardium's way)
Re: Session 1: Red Larch
Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2018 5:15 am
by dmw71
Initiative
5: Delgrot
6: Unna, Roderick, Nexus*, Farmers
7: Bandits
10: Jaroo*
13: Samdarag
16: Alara, Ardiam
Round 1
With a mighty dwarven roar, Delgrot charges up the slight embankment and attempts to bludgeon the nearest bandit with a crushing swing of his warhammer, but the head of his weapon gets caught up in some foliage on his downward swing and throws off his aim slightly.
Unna rushes up the incline behind her fellow dwarven companion, and with a perfect strike, slices the first bandit in its right arm as it was still switching from its longbow to its longsword. The blade of the fighting rogue nicks an artery of the bandit, who screams in pain and horror as blood begins to gush forth from his wound. The bleeding bandit drops his weapons and clasps at his cut in an attempt to stave off the bleeding... but fails, and collapses, bleeding out in mere moments.
Nexus creeps up behind the cart and, readying his material components, considers the situation and ponders the spell to cast.
"Into the fray, men—and women!" cries Roderick, whom rushes forward and, once at the base of the incline, realizes there's no room up on the plateau above. The farmers, sweating as hard as they're breathing after their long run, reach the same conclusion as does Roderick, and they halt their progress at the base of the incline as well, where they stop and appear to be assessing both sides of the fray.
As the color drains from the first bandit as it bleeds out, the second bandit lashes out at Delgrot with his longsword and sneaks the blade past the dwarf's defenses, delivering a minor cut to the cleric's off-hand (-4).
Jaroo joins Nexus in relative safety behind the cart and scans the border of the woods for signs of any other attackers -- and finds none.
Samdarag settles up alongside his paladin, and new best friend, gripping his staff tightly as he awaits an opportunity to present itself.
Alara creeps forward a bit, and readies a stone in her sling, but a non-friendly target never seems to manifest itself in the mix of melee combatants, and partial concealment in the foliage. Ardiam shifts to his side to gain a better angle with his longbow, then lets loose a pair of arrows. The rush to melee by his companions throws off his aim, and both arrows plunk harmlessly into one of the neighboring trees. The elf makes a mental note of their location so he can remember to retrieve them once the conflict is over.
R01.jpg (167.25 KiB) Viewed 626 times
Everyone readies for their next actions as the battle rages on!
---
I just threw everyone into an order on the map to start things off, and currently have everyone listed in the order below as they appear in my 'footer' section, but I will need you guys to begin discussing (in the OOC topic) how you want to set your marching orders.
Man, I wish I remembered I was going to use group initiative (then just apply individual modifiers) instead of rolling for each of you individually.
Actions?
---
Date: 19 Quintilis, Year 7102 Time: 09:54 (Sunrise: 06:58, Sunset: 18:43) Temp: 65 F Conditions:
1st: Burning Hands (V, S | Time: 1), Comprehend Languages (V, S, M | Time: 10), Detect Magic (V, S | Time: 1), Feather Fall (V | Time: 1), Hold Portal (V | Time: 1), Read Magic (V, S, M | Time: 10)