Expedition - Amistad: Down the Morlock Hole - 06 July 2021

[Marullus]

Amistad has recruited a small band willing to venture into the forest near the Cyclops lair to find the Morlock Tunnels, descending them to explore whatever they find beneath.

PCs:
- 'Blackjack' Amistad
- Earc Orctongue
- Olaf Olafsonson

NPCs:
- Achaedany, level 3 thief, a caustic but effective mercenary

- Akkara, 1st Level Thief, Guards-woman scholar who is fluent in Morlock

Stabled:
- Pony the Mule (Olaf)

NPC rolls: (+1 bonus for offering full shares, +2 for Akkara for pursuing Morlock knowledge)
Achaedany [2d6] = 7
Achaedany [2d6] = 9
Achaedany [2d6] = 9
Achaedany [2d6] = 5
Achaedany agrees.

Akkara [2d6] = 7
Akkara [2d6] = 4
Akkara agrees with very good spirit, +1 morale for expedition.

[Marullus]

With arrangements made and agreed to, Achaedany and Akkara both arrive before at the Lion and Axe Lumberyard, ready to depart on 06 June 2021. Akkara carries a lantern to light their way down the pre-dawn road, her guardswoman's heavy crossbow and longsword near at hand, a small pack of food and personal supplies on her back. Achaedany watches the gloaming shadows with her crossbow in hand, less trusting than Akkara even in guard-patrolled lands. Her shortsword and brace of throwing knives hang from her hips. Both wear studded leather armor to protect them from what comes ahead.

Akkara greets Earc as they find their companions, Achaedany spits a wad of phlem at the ground through the cold morning air, then nods curtly. "How far is it, do you expect, to the entrances of the Morlock tunnels?" asks Akkara. Having studied the Morlock prisoner for almost two months, she seems excited to venture further. "They are most active at night, and due to the sensitivity of their eyes, avoid daylight. I'd advise entering in mid-morning. If given a comforting darkness, I found that Gill, or so he agreed I call him, would toil for much of the day. I found him to be most curious. He was a creature of insuppressible habit, of industry without explainable meaning. Deprived of tools, he'd spend half the day pantomiming... which I later discovered was his desire to tend animals. He would just sit and pretend to feed imaginary beasts. As I became more capable in his tongue, I found only frustration as to his motives. He simply said he is a 'tender' because his father was a tender, and so on. When he encountered rats in his confinement, he carefully fed, cared for... and milked them." She shakes her head. "I tried to discern all I could of their society, but find it quite perplexing without more study. It wasn't that I couldn't understand, but that he didn't have a concept for the question, 'why.' They have a complex and stratified society, it seems, but I can find no reasoning, no reasoning in him at all."

[Spearmint]

'Blackjack' Amistad

Does his morning ablutions and devotions in front of his ancestral totem. He has learned a few new flowing rhythmic movements and feels fine now that the yard is progressing. Short of financial funds he desires to explore and also root out these Morlock nests. He has equipped his backpack with extra rope and grapnel and supplies but feels that the forest may offer plenty for foraging and hunting. Not sure what to expect, he packs his 'Earcs' everlit light stick', covered under a thick hessian bag and a few flasks of oil. Real fire has proved more valuable then his axe in recent encounters. He checks his pouches, full of mundane fire lighting stuff and camp tools one hip, his carved lion the others and nestled with soft linings and protective of breaking glass, five potions in his rear pouch.

Saying goodbyes to the Frogmortons' and Captain Uthred, he follows a well known familiar trail up by the river bank and then further inland, as the young mage has mapped out the trail through the forest towards the cave entrance and strangely mined holes.

[Alethan]

Earc of Toll's Tower

Earc packs his backpack for the trip, taking an extra stick of driftwood with Continual Light cast on it for their new party companion, Olaf.

He meets up with the others at the Frogmortons and buys 5 days worth of perishable foods for himself and Akkara from the halflings before they head out. He recommends everyone else do the same, considering how difficult foraging has been in the past.

OOC: I believe the markup for buying food from the halflings is 2x book price? Deducting 20sp for 10 days of unpreserved rations

[Marullus]

The group of five sets out in early morning after getting some fresh baked goods from Mrs. Frogmorton (yes, 2x is fine.) Missing Pingu, Amistad downsizes his gear to ensure the group moves at a fair but encumbered pace (Olaf and Amistad set pace at 1/2). It is pouring buckets as you set out that morning, a deluge of rain that soaks everything.

Travel Plan:

For transparency: with your encumbrance at 1/2 speed (60-80lbs carried each), your base rate is 1mph instead of 2mph.

You're following the river up to where you encountered the Morlock holes along it, just north of the Cyclops eel traps. That's ~32 miles. The first 12 miles are where the river runs through the plains, so have a movement modifier of 1 and an encounter rate of 1-in-8 You then have 20 miles after you enter the forest. This is at a movement modifier of .66 and an encounter rate of 2-in-8. If you cross into the swamps, you have a movement modifier of .5 and an encounter rate of 3-in-8.

So, your expectation is:
12 miles at 1mph *1 = 12 hours to reach the woods.
20 miles at 1mph *.66 = 30.3 hours in the woods to reach the morlock holes

You are setting out on 06 July. You plan at least three days travel to reach your destination.

With Earc providing fireless torches (continual light on a piece of driftwood) to himself, Olaf, and Amistad, the group seems well covered. Achaedany and Akkara both pack their lanterns and oil away for future occasions. They both munch on muffins from Mrs. Frogmorton and seem content as the morning passes.

The group covers distance along the river, walking upstream from their settlements, the morning sodden and uneventful. Around mid-day, the deluge has lessened to a steady light rain, oddly pleasant only by comparison and allowing some visibility to the horizon. It is early afternoon when you pass beyond the furthest reach patrolled by the ArchDuke's men and see the forest's edge rising a few miles ahead of you.

It is in this mid-afternoon slacking of the rainfall that you look ahead and realize you've come across a settlement of some kind which was not here the last time you passed, squatting in the mud about 110' ahead of you. Long sharpened poles form a palisade pointing outwards around a collection of hide tents erected on bowed frames. You hear a bellowing call announcing that you've been spotted just as you've spotted them - the tall form of an ogre looking your direction from a high-ground lookout spot. Another ogre climbs up and joins him, the pair seeming to discuss you.

(Neither side surprised. Actions?)

Date/Time: 3:37pm, 06 July 2021
Weather: 100% cloudcover, rain downpour (worsening in hours ahead), no wind (2-4mph S)
Light: Overcast skies (daytime)
Distance Travelled: ~8 miles today
Injuries: None

[Alethan]

Earc of Toll's Tower

He whispers to the others, "Let's see if we can't start this off on the right foot..."

Stepping forward, he raises his hand in a hail to the ogres, hiding the incantation for his charming spell within his greeting. He targets the second ogre, the one that was called up to the observation point.

OOC: Cast Charm Person on ogre.

Then, in Chaotic, he indicates to the one he just attempted to charm, "You are new to this area. How many of there are you?"

[Marullus]

Earc approaches, calling out to the ogres. The second ogre smiles broadly at him, showing a mouth full of gruesome teeth. He says something to assuage the first ogre, then waves Earc to come forward. He holds up both hands, displaying 10 fingers, then thumping his chest proudly with one fist.

Date/Time: 3:50pm, 06 July 2021
Weather: 100% cloudcover, rain downpour (worsening in hours ahead), no wind (2-4mph S)
Light: Overcast skies (daytime)
Distance Travelled: ~8 miles today
Injuries: None

Rolls:

Ogre save [1d20] = 2
CHA (hiding spell) [3d6] = 11

[Alethan]

Earc of Toll's Tower

Earc nods and smiles and continues, "Ten ogres? And you lead them all? That is good! You are strong! We go this way..." he points west. "Heard many orc that way..." he points north, "who want your land. You go after them."

[Marullus]

The ogre descends and closes to a more conversational distance at the palisade's edge. He nods, seeming to understand the gist of your pantomime. As you finish he says, "I am Aagrok, thank you for the warning," in accented Common. He then turns and heads back into the camp shouting directions in their own tongue. Several other ogres emerge, gesturing to you as he gestures north. They are all absorbed for the time being in a heated discussion. Only the original ogre still watches you from the high-ground, looking bored.

(Actions?)

Date/Time: 4:00pm, 06 July 2021
Weather: 100% cloudcover, rain downpour (worsening in hours ahead), no wind (2-4mph S)
Light: Overcast skies (daytime)
Distance Travelled: ~8 miles today
Injuries: None

Rolls:

[3d6] = 11 ogre convincing

[Alethan]

Earc of Toll's Tower

Earc turns to the others and speaks quietly, "Sometimes it is best to minimize our interactions with others. We have a fine opportunity to continue on our way now. I'll not deny, however," he continues, "the feeling of power that comes with controlling the mind of such a large creature as an ogre is... intoxicating."

If the others are happy to move on, Earc suggests they continue west.

He waves to Aagrok and communicates, "Hunt well. Destroy the orcs! Protect your lands!"

[Marullus]

.... You were going North, right? Are you leaving the river westward?

[Alethan]

oops. I thought we'd already turned west. Well, we can go west just enough to get out of sight of the ogre complex and then turn north again.

[Spearmint]

'Blackjack' Amistad

Puts away his axe and one of the potions. "It's all cool, no need to engage them yet. Don't trust them too much though even though numbskull submits to your charms. Lets make haste to the tunnels."

[Alethan]

Earc of Toll's Tower

Earc nods, "Yes, just because I have temporary control of the leader, do not assume we have any control over the others. But I've been concerned with the quality of gear and level of organization we saw in those orcs since we first saw them. Maybe these ogres can disrupt that a bit, without shining any blame on us. Let's head west a bit, until we're out of sight of the ogre complex, and then cut north again."

[Marullus]

You spend some time going west out of sight, then cutting back northeast until you again can follow the river. You don't see more ogres on this northward journey, which you count lucky. You follow the river another four hours until you reach the edge of the thick forest. The rain picked back up, pouring heavily on you for most of the walk - Achaedany complains bitterly about the chafing of wet leathers, not one to hold in her thoughts. The rain tapered off and stopped over the last hour, the clouds blowing off (down to 33% cover) to allow you to get the most of the blood-red dusk. While the rain has stopped for the moment, the sky above and the sodden ground below gives little reassurance that you'll have a dry night ahead.

(Actions?)

Date/Time: 9:00pm, 06 July 2021
Weather: 33% cloudcover, 8-11mph winds SSE
Light: Dusk(sunset 9:58pm)
Distance Travelled: ~13 miles today
Injuries: None

[Zhym]

Olaf squints at the muddy ground and scowls. "Don't guess there be a nice hole around to sleep in, eh?"

Sorry I've been absent from the thread—I rely overmuch on "View your posts" and missed that action had started here.

Marullus, could you remind me what Olaf needs to pay for stabling and housing? Assume he goes for full bonuses.

[Alethan]

Earc of Toll's Tower

"Let's settle in quickly and get some rest. Unless you want to use it for warmth, we can forgo the fire. Our night watches can use the glowing sticks for light - keeping them hidden unless the need for light arises. Hopefully it will reduce any attention an open fire might draw and we can rest undisturbed through the night."

Earc looks for a tightly clustered bunch of trees or an overhang in nearby rocks that they might use to stay out of the worst of any rain that comes in the night.

[Spearmint]

Amistad

will set to work chopping a few large branches with lots of thick foliage to create a roofed shelter. He remembers the encounter with the faeries and wonders how far in the forest they roam. And other creatures, several hybrids have been noted and he thinks about the wandering Morlocks creeping up on them.

"Akaara, what have you learned regarding the Morlocks habits, are they mostly nocturnal, always in a hunting pack? Do they make specific calls to signify where they are to other raiding groups?"

Amistad will encourage Akaara to listen more closely to the strange sounds of the forest and see if she can note anything which would resemble some of the whistles and catcalls she has learned.

[Alethan]

Spearmint, if we've been following the river, then I believe we are heading north from the Frogmorton camp and Toll's Tower and then cutting over to that second hole we found in the ruins by the river, not going past the old logging camp like our first adventure started. So we may be far from the faeries.

[Marullus]

Olaf's stabling: June 1 to July 6 is 36 days in the inn (with stabling) plus two weeks paid ahead stabling (until 20 July) is 36 good food/lodging and 50 stabling. 50 days stabling * 1sp = 5gp. Good food/lodging is 6sp/day, * 36 days, 216sp. Total: 26gp, 6sp.

The group finds some semblance of shelter against the rains, forgoing the fire and keeping their light-sticks handy. The rain begins in the late-night hours, resuming and continuing through the overcast dawn. Here along the river, at the edge of the forest but not yet in it, you have some security due to being in the open. You hear movement, prowling, in the nearby forest through most of the night, but nothing emerges to challenge you. (Gave credit for camping on plains instead of forest)

In the morning, you pack up your camp and continue into the forest proper. You continue your way, following the river as a steady guide. You get underway around 6:00am, the weather above the tree canopy kept at bay. You've gone a few hours, keeping the river on your right hand, when you see something ahead of you. A human woman crouching along the riverbank sees you as you see her. She turns to retreat up into a grove of weeping willows that overhang the water.


Date/Time: 9:37am, 07 July 2021
Light: Sunlight
Distance Travelled: ~2.5 miles today
Injuries: None