[Game Thread] Chapter I: Fires Over Brinestump

[PIG]

Combat Round 1 Free: Drop torch Move: Draw Weapon (BAB is 0) [Loaded Crossbow] Free w/Move: 5-foot step, 1 square WEST Standard: Ranged Attack VS Rat on the far right Note: He should have cover from AoO from the left rat, but I'm not sure so I'll leave it to the DM to decide.

Wesh sucks in his breath tightly. No doubt, the biggest rats he's ever seen. Dropping the torch and going for his crossbow was just a natural reflex, not a thought went into it, because these are pests. And pests have to be squashed.

The torch hits the ground, sends sparks in the air as he draws up his weapon. He steps outside into the humid heat as he squeezes the trigger at the rat in front of his dwarven friend. THUNK the bolt is much too high and lodges into the wall.

 

Right Hand: Vial of Expeditious Retreat
Left Hand: Crossbow, unloaded
Put Down: Lit Torch

[Blackfyre]

Rats Ghosteye followed the phantom with her eye, not at all happy about what she saw. She didn’t have too much experience with buildings in general, having mostly lived in a tent so far, but this shed did not look inviting at all. "Not sure if it’s worth it to risk having the shed come down around our ears." The young woman cast a glance down the side of the building. "Might be better to see if there isn’t a window that we can force open. If we want a look in the other rooms that is." An alarming hissing from the other building made the point moot for the moment. Ghosteye turned around and while she was still trying to make out what exactly was going on, Black Moon was already on the move, having needed no prompt to follow his curiosity. The Shoanti entreated the valiant bull to lend his strength ot the cat to deal with whatever was in the hut. With all the agility a cat could muster the tiger stalked through the rubble, body low to the ground, tail tip swishing back and forth, a low growl reverberating through him. Finally he could see what had the bipeds all in an uproar. Normally rats were far beneath his notice, too small to be of interest. These however were a different caliber. His eyes fixed on the closes rodent and without a moment’s hesitation he lunged forward. Not even bothering to secure the creature with his paws, his jaws descended on the rat’s neck. Larger prey would make it necessary to choke it, the spine being too strong to bite through, but this creature had no such luxury. With a sickening crunch the spine broke beneath the tiger’s jaws and he shook the dead rat once, twice before he let go so the rodent flew back into the dark room where it remained lifeless on the ground. The cat turned its eyes onto the next rat, growling menacingly, white fangs dripping red onto the floor. Even though Ghosteye herself was still not sure what exactly was happening, there clearly was some kind of danger and the time taken to have the question if Wesh and Praeta needed help answered might mean the difference between live and death. The hut and it’s odd contents were not running away. The huntress made her way over to the shed, ducking past Wesh into the building, finally beholding the far too large rodents facing them. Not to be outdone by her companion, she thrust at the rat in front of her with her spear, nearly pinning it to the floor. Contrary to the other rat, this one still wriggled, though.

 

Ghosteye
Swift: change aspect for Black Moon to Bull
(assuming Ghosteye carrying her spear in her hand)
Move to the spot Wesh vacated
Attack the leftmost rat, hit for 4 damage

Black Moon
Move: next to the closest rat
Standard: attack the rat
7 damage to the rightmost rat

Rolls

[Jarl11]

As the wood splintered away and the rats revealed themselves, Praeta twirled her axe once and grinned. "HA! Me big nose smelled yer rubbish!"

She closed in on the rat in front of her when suddenly a larger animal, Black Moon, lunged in from virtually no where and crushed the thing. Bits of blood speckled her leggings and she growled at the tiger, more out of surprise than anything.

Wesh darted out and something flew by her head. Ducking instinctively, she bit back a curse that Abadar may not have been fond of, then shuffled over quickly to aid the little fellow in keeping out of harm's way. Suddenly Ghosteye was in front of her, spearing the rat and blocking the path. Praeta slammed her heavy feet to a quick stop.

"Blasted fleet-foots. Yer not takin' all me rats!" Grumbling loudly to herself, the dwarf twisted and squared off with the rat that not been touched, now situated in front of her. The axe twirled once more, spinning around her squat figure that it was designed for. As the creature looked at the axe, Praeta stepped down on the rat legs to pin it in place while the axe flew in a looping curve from her legs out and up. It's legs stayed on the ground while the head was split in two, bouncing around the little shack off the rickety walls.

 

OOC 5' step to the middle rat thing Standard: Hit with nat 20 and confirm with 15. Dwarven waraxe is a 3x wpn so dmg = 29 hp. Rolls. Anyone wanna make a knowledge nature check? I'm not trained in it yet. Only local and religion. Me name HP AC TAC Flat CBD Move Fort Ref Will Abilities Status Praeta 10/10 20 11 19 14 20' +3 +1 +5 1 Judge, 1 Zeal, 2-1st -   Lvl Me spells Uses 0 Detect Magic, Brand, Guidance, Virtue - 1 Prot fr Evil, Divine Favor 2

[PopCultureBard]

Rats and Dagnabit! There was hissing and squeaking. Then a clatter of feet and shouts of both fear and excitement. A glance to Aldwulf, then the shack. Proper behavior would be to stay right here and let the lessers exert themselves but, given that she'd spent the better part of the morning stalking about a muddy bog, Katrina didn't feel particularly proper today. A hand lifted and opened between her and the viking. "Wait here." And he does exactly that, ever loyal. The jadwiga moves with a fast step along the porch and onto the dirt, moving around the shack to the exposed section of wall. Yup, there were rats alright. Rats aplenty. The lot hacks and bites and stabs at them until one remains, and that one wasn't long for this life regardless of her interference. Still, one rat could spread all sorts of horrid disease and she isn't otherwise occupied so why not put the crossbow to work. Lift, aim, squeeze. Just like Aldwulf instructed. The bolt doesn't go where she wants but just firing the weapon is somewhat exciting.

Action Move: Head 6 spaces up to get a line of sight on the living rat. Standard: Miss horribly with the crossbow. Also, I don't have precise shot like I thought I did so that needs to go on the To Do List.

[Sassafrass]

~Round I~

The shot goes wide, missing the rat, as Wesh steps back. It is a cursed luck, but it is what it is. Seeing him move out, Praeta, proud that she is, prepares to cleave a rat in twine. The largest of the bunch bares its teeth at her, growing and preparing to sink them into the Dwarf. Not if Praeta can help it. With the luck of the Golden Glove, the axe swings and sends the head flying. The creature's body scratches at Praeta, half-heartedly, before spurting out one last livelihood of fully-cognizant burst of blood before collapsing, creating a pool of it at her feet. Somehow, it seems to pool away from Praeta.

As the other two rats begin to move in on her, Ghosteye and her companion move into the two now-opened spaces in the shed. Creatures that they are, they react but all too slowly. Black Moon enters with a roar and crunching down about the neck, there is a shake, another, and the rat moves no more. Ghosteye, appearing out of nowhere, stabs her spear down almost at the same time, jamming it into the rat's shoulder. It squeaks, hisses, and demands a recompense in blood: it bites at her heels. But Ghosteye is too fleet for that, and skillfully dodges the bite. A bolt goes flying in, bangs against the wall, and passes through the wall still at a different angle. The shot came from behind, like Wesh's own failed shot, from Katrina.

At the Shack, Aldwulf stands wistfully, the home groaning at his weight; and when did a ghost ever weigh so much? There is another skittering of feet, and he can but wonder: what is he left behind with?

 

Out of Character Jade Regent Maps Party Stats Ghosteye (and Black Moon) Praeta Katrina (and Aldwulf) Wesh Enemies: Dire Rat 3-1/5, 14 T, 11 FF14 AC Begin Round II! Well that was quick. I do so hate this encounter. At any rate, it won't be hard to kill one rat who has horrible luck with dice (it rolled an 8). And poor Ghosty McVikingpants. Left alone with the great horror of Old Megus' Shrieking Shack

[Blackfyre]

One rat was down, then another, but the last one was still wriggling. Gleefully Black Moon turned his attention to the remaining vermin. The tiger jumped towards the rat trying to pin it down with one claw and sink his fangs into another rodent’s neck. However, by avoiding to bowl over Praeta his jump did not exactly land where he wanted it to - or maybe the rat was just twitching in an unexpected direction. His claws only found debris and the teeth came together with an empty clacking.

An annoyed hiss was uttered toward the rat and a moment later the beast learned that cats have more sharp edges than one might guess: the second claw raked across the vermin’s side, leaving several long, bloody streaks as the creature finally collapsed. "Well done, Moon!" Ghosteye praised him together with a quick scratch behind the ears. Black Moon growled contentedly and after a quick look around to make sure there were no further nasty beasties he took one of the rats he had brought down into his jaws and stalked back outside - not without a look towards the dwarf who had growled at him earlier, as if to dare her to contest this prey was his.

Avoiding the rat’s bite had not been too difficult for Ghosteye, though she was still relieved about it. No matter the size, rat bite’s were nasty. Before she could get around to finishing her work, her furred companion had already taken care of things. A wry grin followed him outside. "Dire rats. Nasty critters. If they live here, there might be more in the house, too." With the tip of her spear she poked around in the broken remains of barrels and crates to see if a nest could be found there.

"Nice work with that one, Praeta." She nodded to the dwarf, while the crunching of bones drifted in from the outside.

 

5ft step to reach final rat
Full Attack
Final claw attack hits for 2 points

Assuming combat is done with that. Please let me know if we’re still in turn mode, so I can correct my post accordingly.

[Jarl11]

Another bolt smashed in above her head and Praeta hunched down quickly. "Dammittall, tha rats be on tha floor!" In that length of time, Black Moon had already killed the remaining rat and collected his dinner. "Bah," she waved the beautiful feline away to eat in peace. She wasn't complaining or being ornery, just being vocal as only a dwarf can do. A dwarf that loves order and is with a group that she can't predict what they will do.

She grinned at Ghosteye and nodded as she stepped past where the rats had been and began poking around. "Aye. Great ta see we gotta cat that'll keep tha rodent problem down - Ha!" She appeared quite happy that they were dead. It didn't bother her at all that she only killed one. At least because she did get one.

Flipping a broken crate with her long-handled axe, Praeta looked around to see what had attracted the rats or to determine if there was anything of note in the place before leaving.

 

OOC Full-Round Action: search the shack with perception = Dice Roll: 1d20+8 (18)+8 Total = 26 (26) Me name HP AC TAC Flat CBD Move Fort Ref Will Abilities Status Praeta 10/10 20 11 19 14 20' +3 +1 +5 1 Judge, 1 Zeal, 2-1st -   Lvl Me spells Uses 0 Detect Magic, Brand, Guidance, Virtue - 1 Prot fr Evil, Divine Favor 2

[PIG]

"Aye. Great ta see we gotta cat that'll keep the rodent problem down - Ha!" The dwarf and tiger made short work of the whole episode. Picking up the torch and putting away the vial, Wesh wiggles the bolt out ofa the wall, hoping Praeta does not notice. It squeaks out with a start and he finds that it is still intact. He loads it back into the crossbow and winds it back up.

He goes with Praeta to search more of the shed, holding the torch up on high.

"But where is the witch?" he asks "They wouldn't have sent us here if she wasn't here... right? Unless the witch is more evasive than we thought."

 

Right Hand: Lit Torch
Left Hand: Crossbow, loaded
Put Down: Nothing

[PopCultureBard]

Shacking Up And so it was done, the fashion many things end. Claws and teeth, the spatter of blood. Rats, vermin...nothing to shed a tear over. Katrina slaps another bolt into her crossbow, the motion from bolt case to weapon a quick thing. Practiced, clearly, and practiced well. She turns on a heel, her boots picking up smears of mud with each step. "Be a dear and grab that bolt for me, won't you?" Not only unclear as to the target, but assured that the request would be followed. So much a summary of her personality. As she returns to the shack, crossbow up and ready, her footfalls slow before she reaches the porch. The whole building was a trap, one set by time and entropy to snare anything foolish enough to wander in. She stops at the corner of the building, where the walls have given way, and peers inside as far as the sunlight will allow. "Perhaps she is off doing witchy things. Or dead? I didn't get the impression that she kept others apprised of her doings." Inside, Aldwulf stands. He doesn't like to stand. Moving, that is reminiscent of life. He has an axe, he'd like to swing it. But the darkness makes a poor target. A groan to his left, some board settling, and he lifts the circular shield in front of himself.

Actions Free: Reload Crossbow Move: To the broken corner of the shack. Standard: Ready to attack anything that jumps out, horror style.

[Sassafrass]

~Round II~

The rat dies as it lived: in squalor and explosively.

The big cat tosses the rat like a toy, and it does not stand when it lands. And with that, the threat of the rats is extinguished. The tension of the brief battle wears off, and they begin to explore the now-safe room, as safe as it can be in such a short, stuffy space that threatens to collapse at any moment can be. But right now, it is safe enough, and Praeta begins exploring accordingly. She finds nothing of note, the rat's nest full of strands of cloth and roots and small plants, but nothing worth taking. If there is anything, it is with the Shack itself, not the exterior shack.

The Shack is explored thoroughly, with Katrina taking the broken end on the top. Nothing jumps out, nothing of note at least, and as Praeta picks through the boxes, nothing is left behind. The only thing left to do here is to explore the house itself, or leave. The choice is theirs.

Inside, Aldwulf hears more scuttering, in the ceiling. It is getting closer.

 

Out of Character Jade Regent Maps Party Stats Ghosteye (and Black Moon) Praeta Katrina (and Aldwulf) Wesh Begin Round III! Naught. Good work folks. 102 XP for everyone! What now? This post was not fantastic, but it'll do.

[PIG]

After the dwarf has searched the shack, cursing a bit as she knocks over things, the little halfling signals for the women to follow. "C'mon. Let's not let the ghost get lonely in there." He gingerly walks up to the home of the witch, the clattering of bones swaying with the wind. The torch in his hand is hot but it keeps the mosquitos at bay, which is a nice thing.

Acrobatics DC12 (Take 10): 14He has to be careful as he walks, using his innate nimbleness to step in all the right places so as not to collapse the floor. He was watching his feet and nearly jumps out of his furry feet when he looks up to see the towering viking ghost silently before him. "Cost of Abadar, you scared me!"

Perception Check: Rolled 20Regathering his wits, he raises the flickering and crackling flame and looks around inside.

 

Right Hand: Lit Torch
Left Hand: Crossbow, loaded
Put Down: Nothing

[Jarl11]

"Hmm. Ah dinna think they'd mislead us on purpose. They did be suggestin' we seek out tha halflin'." Praeta answered Welsh's redundant question then nodded as he urged them all to leave the shed alone. "Ha HA! Kinna ghost be lonely? Me brain had been thinkin' they haunt folks fer morbid fun, nay outta loneliness." The dwarf instantly took a liking to the little alchemist and plodded after him. Despite his terrible aim. Perhaps it was just a cross-wind.

Trundling up to the doorway, Praeta saw the ghost on the sagging floor and gave the situation a stern look. She took a deep breath and touched the symbol at her neck, which sparkled briefly, feeling cast virue for +1 temp hp for 1 mina bit of vigor and energy flood her veins in response.

Stomping in with her heavy boots then, the dwarf smashed right through the rotten floorboards to the soft ground beneath. It seemed subtly wasn't this one's method.

 

OOC Will take 10 on acrobatics for a result of 2. Are there any negatives to purposefully smashing through? Me name HP AC TAC Flat CBD Move Fort Ref Will Abilities Buffs Conds Praeta 10+1/10 20 11 19 14 20' +3 +1 +5 1 Judge, 1 Zeal, 2-1st virtue   Lvl Me spells Uses 0 Detect Magic, Brand, Guidance, Virtue - 1 Prot fr Evil, Divine Favor 2

[PIG]

At the mention of seeking out the halfling ex-slave, Wesh's cheeks grow ruddy with embarrassment underneath his long sideburns. It was his suggestion, remember, that they seek out the witch first before hunting for goblins. Because of his past has Wesh led his little group to harm?

But the rolling laughter from the dwarf at his little stab at humor erased the embarrassment. Praeta has a powerful aura about her of good intentions and stubbornness that quenched even his own self doubts. She was dwarven in all the right ways but nonetheless, less brisk and inspecting common to others of her race. He managed a grin as they head for the witches' home.

His light feet barely register on the floor boards as he investigates with the torch. He hears Praeta whisper a small prayer and there is a brief shine from behind him from her holy symbol. "Careful with the floor, it-"

CRASH!!!!

The halfling turns to help the squat cleric along by tugging on her arm, holding the crossbow under his armpit for just a moment. "Maybe you should have skipped breakfast, no?"

 

Right Hand: Lit Torch
Left Hand: Crossbow, loaded
Put Down: Nothing

[Blackfyre]

Satisfied that there were no other rats hiding out in the dilapidated building Ghosteye made her way out of it again, too. She threw an amused look at Black Moon’s attempts to properly get past the various bony protrusions on the dire rats body. "Just don’t overeat. One’s enough." His ears twitched in her direction, but he gave no other indication that he had heard or understood.

"Maybe it’s been a while since anyone has actually seen the witch. Anything might have happened in the meantime." She shrugged as she caught up to the others and winced as Praeta crashed through the floor. Wesh’s comment changed her expression to a grin, however. "Annoying wooden architecture, eh?" As graceful as her cat she joined the others in delving deeper into the ramshackle building.

 

Taking 10 on Acrobatics for 16

[Jarl11]

"Maybe you should have skipped breakfast, no?"

Praeta turned her piercing gaze to the halfling with a half-angry twist to her mouth. "Ye callin' me fat, 'squeak?" It was never the bum that made the hose look big on a young woman, dwarf or no.

The dwarven axe twirled once around her shoulder before she stopped its momentum and deliberately smashed through another section of floor to get farther in and stand by the ghost. His expression matched her souring mood as she felt self-conscious in her armor. Plus, she wanted to see if he would fall in too. Misery loves company.

The sooner this was over, the sooner she could burn this shoddy place down.