[Copied, Pasted and tidied up from our Gametable Chatlog for the Bountiful Burrows of Braddenlock adventure — starring Karnoz "Raven Murder" Tellen and Keitha Ainsley — on October 13, 2010. My word. Has it really been over a decade since that adventure took place? :cry: ]
GoldenDrakon has joined the session.
Karnoz: Anybody here?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Yo!
Karnoz: Heya!
The_House_of_Ainsley: Just cleaning a little around the house. Welcome back! :)
Karnoz: Thank you... let me go rouse K and get her in here
The_House_of_Ainsley: Okiedokie. :)
Jazman has joined the session.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Hiya, K! :D
Keitha: Hi ya.....
The_House_of_Ainsley: So yay, I roped you two into one of my on-the-fly kind of mini-adventures! Hurrah! 8-D
The_House_of_Ainsley: And Karnoz has about as much Armor Class as the wolf does, so Keitha's taking point...right? ;-)
The_House_of_Ainsley: And exposition text to come, as usual, yadda yadda....
Keitha: I don't know how good I am going to be as I am pretty drugged and gd says I am not making much sense but I will try my best
The_House_of_Ainsley: Drugged on what, precisely? Nothing like horse steroids, I hope.... o.O
Karnoz: Ok I'm back...Took a bit, but we got here
Keitha: no just what they gave me after my surgery yesterday
The_House_of_Ainsley: Oh, I forgot to ask about that. Knee surgery, was it?
The_House_of_Ainsley: And how did everything go?
Keitha: gall bladder and a hernia and everything went well
The_House_of_Ainsley: Sounds painful enough. You do a lot of heavy lifting?
Keitha: only my kids
Keitha: brb
The_House_of_Ainsley: Kids are little sacks of kicking, thrashing weight, too. Well, this might give you a dash of cheer tonight!
The_House_of_Ainsley: I call it...The Bountiful Burrows of Braddenlock!
The_House_of_Ainsley: *pauses for gravitas, despite the not-very-ominous adventure name*
Karnoz: Sounds great, but we're notably rusty at this, so bear with us...
The_House_of_Ainsley: But of course. :-)
The_House_of_Ainsley: You two are looking right at those Karnoz and Keitha poggies right now, yes?
Karnoz: Yes
The_House_of_Ainsley: *nudges the Jaz*
Karnoz: She's smoking at the mo.
Karnoz: but she is too
The_House_of_Ainsley: I never knew she smoked, to be honest. Also, because I like to keep peeps on their toes whether there's a looming hidden danger or not...now is the time to decide on marching order and formation. >:-)
Keitha: ok back
Keitha: what do I
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Daggit...tried to lock a statue and buried the raven perched on top of it....)
Karnoz: Is that what that was?
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Eh, screw it. You're not going to move my statues anyway. ;-p )
Karnoz: How do I look around without rearranging your graphics?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Yep! See?
The_House_of_Ainsley: *cackles*
Karnoz: *eats bird*
The_House_of_Ainsley: Okay, to move the screen around, you just RIGHT-click and hold, then move the mouse. Easy. :-)
Keitha: do they taste like chicken
Karnoz: ok
The_House_of_Ainsley: Ravens? I imagine they taste like crap. ;-p
Karnoz: thanks
The_House_of_Ainsley: Okay, Quickie Expository Stuff:
The_House_of_Ainsley: Now that Lord Darrovan's off futzing around with getting everything ready for the House's big return to dominion, tax collection, mass intimidation and whatnot, the House's living allies--you guys--have a spot of free time.
The_House_of_Ainsley: And what better way to spend that free time than to pursue one of Karnoz's leads on a supposedly vast treasure interred somewhere beneath a church to Yondalla, right?
The_House_of_Ainsley: So it happened that those good and kindly halflings in their good and kindly village erected a temple to their good and kindly harvest goddess, Yondalla.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Overseeing the temple's erection and dedication was a high-ranking halfling priest, Braddenlock by name.
The_House_of_Ainsley: But something found during the hardworking halflings' excavation caught his eye. More digging was done, allegedly under cover of night, for what was said to be many years after the temple was finished.
The_House_of_Ainsley: And then, a tribe of wild elves returned to central Nellowswann where the halflings, their village and their temple lay. The elves found the village and the temple, but no halflings.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Soonafter, halfling priests in the villages and thorps all over Nellowswann and her neighbors--Bardosylvania included--began to experience fleeting visions of Braddenlock's ghost, pleading for release and cursing the "damnable treasures" which bound him to where he lay....
The_House_of_Ainsley: But surely not ALL of the treasures that Braddenlock gathered over his truncated lifetime can be all bad, right?
The_House_of_Ainsley: And so, welcome to Yondalla's forsaken temple at the edge of the abandoned halfling village of Pinegulley.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Any questions or interjections so far?
Keitha: do you have character for Keitha?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Yep, I have her character sheet right here. :-)
Keitha: gd says I will need it?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Bear in mind that this mini-quest takes place outside of the forum story and its official timeline. But players who show up for these Gametable Nights can still earn Experience for them.
Karnoz: She will need her skills, stats and everything else, she has no dice macros made.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Ah, okay. Let me check her sheet here. Ready?
Keitha: k
The_House_of_Ainsley: Strength 12 (+1), Dexterity 14 (+2), Constitution 14 (+2), Intelligence 13 (+1), Wisdom 14 (+2), Charisma 11 (+0)
The_House_of_Ainsley: Saving throws. Fortitude +6, Reflex +3, Will +3
The_House_of_Ainsley: Attack bonuses. Melee: +6 , Ranged: +7
The_House_of_Ainsley: Initiative: +2
The_House_of_Ainsley: Armor Class: 15 (+2 Dex, +2 Leather armor, +1 Bracers of Armor)
The_House_of_Ainsley: Hit Points: 54 (current Hit Points: 54)
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Clearly Keitha's the designated warrior here. ;-) )
The_House_of_Ainsley: Okay, Skills and their ranks.
Keitha: yeah
The_House_of_Ainsley: Animal Empathy 4, Craft: Bowyer/Fletcher 4, Gather Information 2, Heal 3, Hide 2, Listen 2, Move Silently 3, Profession: Herbalist 2, Ride: Horse 2, Search 2, Sense Motive 2, Spot 2, Tumble 2, Wilderness Lore 2
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Also, remember: As a half-elf, Keitha gets an additional +1 bonus to all Listen, Search and Spot checks.)
The_House_of_Ainsley: Keitha's Favored Enemies: Giants (+2), Dwarves (+1)
Karnoz: Favored enemies, is that to hit and damage?
The_House_of_Ainsley: And Feats: Track (ability to track subjects and follow their trails), Expertise (can reduce Attack by up to -5 in exchange for up to +5 in Armor Class), Quick Draw (drawing or swapping weapons is a free action)
The_House_of_Ainsley: Favored Enemy bonuses apply to Damage, but not to Attack rolls. However, those bonuses also apply to any Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot and Wilderness Lore checks regarding giants or dwarves.
The_House_of_Ainsley: You know their patterns, you know their tricks, you know their weaknesses and you know how to poke 'em where it hurts the most. ;-)
The_House_of_Ainsley: Feats related to Class and Race:
The_House_of_Ainsley: As long as Keitha is wearing studded leather armor or lighter (or no armor at all), she can dual-wield two weapons and attack as if she had both Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting as feats.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Elven Blood (Keitha may handle any magic or magic items pertaining to elves as if she were a full-blooded elf), Immunity to Sleep effects (including the Sleep spell), Low-Light Vision (requires far less light to see in dark areas; starlight and candleflames might as well be torches and lanterns. Total darkness will still blind her, however.)
The_House_of_Ainsley: And language fluencies: Common, Sylvan, Elven. Anything else? :-)
Karnoz: You ok up there K?
The_House_of_Ainsley: She's typing. :-)
Keitha: yeah still writing
Keitha: ok done
The_House_of_Ainsley: Okies. You have her equipment and gear already, don't you?
Keitha: i know she has a sword a dagger and a bow
The_House_of_Ainsley: Two scimitars, a dagger and a shortbow (with 20 arrows), actually. ;-)
Karnoz: Bracers+1
Karnoz: Leather armor
Karnoz: Chess pawn
Karnoz: Not much else
The_House_of_Ainsley: Yep...Bracers of Armor +1 and leather armor and one of Marbol's white pawns. Also, a mess of other stuff: Ainsley signet ring, belt pouch, waterskin, whetstone, flint and steel, bowyer's tools, a spare artisan's outfit and a backpack to keep a bunch of the stuff in....
The_House_of_Ainsley: I can probably scan the character sheet and PM it to you if you need.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Also, slightly misplaced pogs here. Get outside mah fenceyard! ;-p
The_House_of_Ainsley: Done. :-)
Keitha: i would think i have enough to play with ..... don't i?
The_House_of_Ainsley: So even though halflings aren't half the smiths that dwarves are, their outer iron fence has held up well enough over the years. The loose gates creek on rusted hinges, but that they're still ON their hinges is a sign of fairly good ironwork.
Karnoz: You're ok hon, just gotta work on macros as we go... I'll come up and show you...
The_House_of_Ainsley: (If any "rough spots" come up, we'll fill you in. No worries. ;-) )
The_House_of_Ainsley: If nothing else, just roll a d20 macro and we'll factor in the adjustments from there.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Except for damage dice, of course. Scimitars and shortbows do 1d6 Damage, daggers do 1d4 Damage. Simple enough.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (There we go. Friggin' grass eating my friggin' low walls....)
Karnoz: OK, I think we're ready...
Karnoz: (I hope)
The_House_of_Ainsley: Okies. So there before our two-and-a-half protagonists stands the iron fence, with its loose gate. The fence is amusingly short--no taller than waist height--in testament to its makers.
Karnoz: Question: How long has the vilage been abandoned and is it still standing?
The_House_of_Ainsley: The grass within the courtyard is badly overgrown, though patchy in some places. It may have once been charmingly groomed and tended, but those years are long gone.
The_House_of_Ainsley: The village of PInegulley has been the proverbial ghost town for close to a century now. Its underhill houses and wooden huts and cottages have been plundered bare by looters...what homes are still standing, that is. Some of the neglected houses have fallen to ruin, while the less sturdy underhill homes have long since collapsed under decades of earth and rain.
Karnoz I suggest that we walk around and search the perimiter of the building..There may be other doors, windows, clues, etc.
Keitha: Sounds good to me
The_House_of_Ainsley: Though the village once thrived with the songs and clamor of harvest time in past autumns like this one, the fields now lie neglected, and overgrown barley and tangled masses of pumpkin vines have returned to a more primal state.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Publishing walls, just a moment...)
The_House_of_Ainsley: (There we go.)
Karnoz: So the red box it the temple proper?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Yes, indeed. The temple walls appear to be strong and vigorous, almost as if the redwood used in their fabrication were somehow still alive. Whether that life is holy and benevolent or not, none can say.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (...if only because you didn't bring a cleric or a paladin, but anyway... ;-p )
The_House_of_Ainsley: (...or a druid, but anyway anyway...)
The_House_of_Ainsley: Instead of windows in the walls, the dome-shaped roof has a strip of broad skylights, their panes cut from green glass and etched with a sequence of religious icons. The skylights course across the southern face of the dome from east to west...as Keitha would notice, an ideal alignment for capturing the sun's light from dawn to dusk.
Keitha: Is there any writing or symbols
The_House_of_Ainsley: The entire circumference of the roof's edge sports a seemingly interminable passage, but of unknown significance...unless anyone in the party can comprehend the Halfling language.
The_House_of_Ainsley: And the statues in the courtyard feature the renditions of a number of halflings, perhaps saints or other significant figures. A single brass symbol graces the base of each statue...
Karnoz: MOve towards the gate, is it secured?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Karnoz? Make a Knowledge: Nature check, DC 15.
Karnoz rolls Knowledge: Nature: (d20+2+2) : [19 + 2 + 2] = 23
The_House_of_Ainsley: Nice. :-)
Karnoz: yay me!
The_House_of_Ainsley: Though some of the symbols remain vague, most of the symbols are commonly honored by druids, bards and similar wayfarers as being symbols representing various trees and plants: oak, maple, yew....
The_House_of_Ainsley: The four trees flanking the courtyard were clearly planted and nurtured in their early years. To the northwest, an apple tree. To the northeast, a pear tree. Southwest, a walnut tree. And southeast boasts a tall oak. The courtyard in this season is littered with a smattering of brilliance: red apples, green pears, brown walnuts and mottled acorns, each in a various degree of edibility.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Don't eat the acorns unless you're a deer, of course.)
Karnoz: (hafta gather some food before we leave here...)
The_House_of_Ainsley: The gate is not at all secured, though the doors to the temple itself seem quite steadfast by contrast. Around the courtyard, ravens circle and gather, alighting on the fences and statues to watch the approaching threesome with unusual interest.
The_House_of_Ainsley: One would begin to speculate if the looters who had picked the village clean might have done likewise to the temple. For surely why would they not?
Karnoz: Carefully move into the courtyard
The_House_of_Ainsley: And Keitha (and Killian)?
Keitha: I will take point and have killian hang back slightly
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Right about here-ish?)
Keitha: yep
Karnoz: Good to me..
The_House_of_Ainsley: The thick grass inside the courtyard brushes against thighs and bellies as Karnoz draws the gate open before the three, allowing it to clatter shut once they have passed.
The_House_of_Ainsley rolls d20: (d20) : [6] = 6
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Search checks from both of you, DC 12. Don't forget Keitha's elfy bonus....)
Karnoz rolls Search: (d20+3+8) : [18 + 3 + 8] = 29
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Dag, yo. That's huge!)
Karnoz: One of my better skills :)
The_House_of_Ainsley: It serves you well. :-)
Keitha rolls Search: (d20+2+1+1) : [10 + 2 + 1 + 1] = 14
Karnoz: The better to find nasty things before they do nasty things to me.
The_House_of_Ainsley: With an alarmed gesture, Keitha tries to lead Karnoz's eyes to a place against the western wall, where two ravens perch and chatter excitedly. Keitha can only identify flecks of rust and traces of a very light yellow bordering on white. But Karnoz's practiced eye perceives the spectacle for what it truly is: ruined and rust-pitted chainmail, a haphazard shroud for the bleached bones of its wearer.
Karnoz: Animated or no?
The_House_of_Ainsley: No. The skeleton is quite dead...or at least appears to be.
Karnoz: Halfling or other?
The_House_of_Ainsley: It's an elf. Possibly one of the wild elves said to be friends to Pinegulley, though wild elves--as Keitha knows well--are hardly civilized enough to sport chainmail except on rare, worldly individuals.
The_House_of_Ainsley: A furious beating of wings rips the air as the raven on the statue nearest Karnoz takes to flight, coasting a short distance before alighting on the low wall.
The_House_of_Ainsley: And it turns around to watch the interlopers once more.
Karnoz I don't think our friend there was a wild elf...probably someone looking to do what we're doing... There are probably more in this tall grass.
Keitha: are there any traps or anthing that look out of place or any other bodies around
Karnoz: *nods* Ravens are scavengers...why stay here unless they are planning on a meal...
Keitha: why indead
The_House_of_Ainsley: More flecks of bone color seem to dance among the waving blades of grass, particularly nearer the walls and nearer the temple. As you approach, more remains may become quite evident.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (But both of you give me another Search check at DC 25.)
Karnoz rolls Search: (d20+3+8) : [12 + 3 + 8] = 23
Karnoz: foo
Keitha rolls Search: (d20+2+1+1) : [18 + 2 + 1 + 1] = 22
Keitha: foo too
The_House_of_Ainsley: Little bunny foo-foo.... ;-p
Karnoz: kIlL dA buNNiE!!!
The_House_of_Ainsley: Aside from several more sets of remains--two humans, another elf and a dwarf--nothing else is to be seen here.
Keitha: does the bodies indicate that they were coming or going, and does it look as if they we battling each other or something else
The_House_of_Ainsley: An observant eye will indeed notice that scattered with the bodies are scattered an assortment of weapons as well, all neglected with age and ravaged with exposure to the elements. The rotted shaft of an old leaf spear lies broken against one of the statues, while a greatsword lies broken and badly corroded, as if struck against the adjacent wall with enough force to shatter the blade and subsequently left to decay.
The_House_of_Ainsley: The body nearest the temple doors is sprawled out in the grace and facing those selfsame doors, as if crawling or scrabbling to get inside before Death struck.
The_House_of_Ainsley: *in the grass
Keitha: so it is as if they were fight the wall and statues???
The_House_of_Ainsley: And a third body, its half-plate pitted enough to expose the ribcage beneath, lies with its back firmly pressed against another statue. Its torso is not free, but is bound to the statue by thick and withered briar vines, long dead.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Heh...I guess that first Search check was big enough....) The statues are remarkably pristine, with a minimum of damage or abuse. Whatever these intruders were swinging and chopping at, nary a scratch or a chip was taken from the white marble effigies.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Either the intruders were missing the statues quite terribly, the statues are amazingly resistant to damage or the intruders were contending with a different menace entirely.
The_House_of_Ainsley: The two ravens looming over one of the skeletons begin to chatter loudly and sidestep back and forth, left and right. Keitha notes their behavior as a primal symptom of growing impatience.
Karnoz grumbles Damn birds....
Karnoz: How high are the walls?
The_House_of_Ainsley: A little higher: 5' tall, and a good foot thick.
Karnoz: Well, might as well get it over with...
Keitha: other than being pristine is there anything else of note witht the statues/
The_House_of_Ainsley: The stone sconces along the walls were once used for nighttime services; they lie dry and empty now, of course.
Karnoz: Move towards the left wall, (the one with only 1 raven, draw my shortsword and slowly move forward, keeping one side close to the wall.
The_House_of_Ainsley: The Halfling script carved into the base of each statue include what appear to be years, perhaps dates. But the arrangement of the characters is the only clue; the characters themselves remain indeciperable.
Karnoz: If the raven is dumb enough to stay there, I'll take a swipe at it with my sword too
The_House_of_Ainsley: Okay. You get to move your own pog this time. 30 feet. ;-)
Karnoz Keitha, cover me
Karnoz says;Keitha, cover me
Keitha: I will follow draw both my swords keeping killian watching my back
The_House_of_Ainsley: (I still forget how to type blue text....)
Karnoz: (color box in the upper left corner
Keitha: I got you covered Karnoz
The_House_of_Ainsley: Ah, like this?
The_House_of_Ainsley: ...bah.
Karnoz: type, /me The_House_of_Ainsley does stuff.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Thanky. :-) )
Keitha: oh like this/ Karnoz: anytime
Karnoz: no like this.../me, then whatever
Keitha: how come it didn't work Karnoz does whatever!
Keitha like this
Karnoz: yep!
The_House_of_Ainsley: Okay...now you get to drag your pog 5 feet at a time. Diagonals are 7.5 feet, give or take. ;-)
Karnoz: 1 box= 5 feet?
Keitha will this be a different color
The_House_of_Ainsley: Yep. 5 feet to an axis, or 7.5 feet diagonal.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Keep going. If you step on something nasty, I'll tell you to stop. >:-)
The_House_of_Ainsley: The nearest raven beats its wings and coasts a short distance away.
Karnoz: either move behind me or in front of me..
Karnoz hopefully, if there is a trap, those fools would have sprung it already
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Unless the trap autoresets...or is reset by a caretaker....;-p )
Karnoz: (keep a sharp lookout in the grass before me...)
Karnoz: (and don't harsh my mellow dood)
The_House_of_Ainsley: The raven rises and flies away again, but again it does not go far.
Keitha: me too. I keep looking around to see if I can spot anything of note
Karnoz: (but it doesn't land on a stature, does it...)
The_House_of_Ainsley: (It did. The far upper right one.)
Karnoz: (no, it did..nevermind)
The_House_of_Ainsley: As the three draw nearer the remains, it becomes increasingly clear that none of them died in anything resembling a quick, clean demise. Skeletal limbs lie twisted from great struggles, and jaws hang open in silent howls and screams.
Karnoz: He, how lovely... forward and onward I suppose...
Karnoz: While I'm near, check the skele for anything of use of value..
The_House_of_Ainsley: With the walnut tree behind them, the crunching of walnut husks crushed under boot heels ceases, soon to be replaced with the wet mashing of trampled apples.
Karnoz: *or value
The_House_of_Ainsley: After a quick frisk of the dead swordsman's moss-ridden backpack, Karnoz's hand emerges with 12 Silver coins from the old Empire.
Karnoz Ta da!
Keitha: as he is searching the body... i will continue to search for some kind of trigger that brought about these poor soul's demise
The_House_of_Ainsley: Remnants of two torches also rest inside, their wicks now rotted into nothingness. Any food once in the backpack has since been picked away to naught by ants and similar scavenging insects.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Though Keitha narrows her eyes and stoops nearer the grass, she is no closer than before to perceiving the cause of these five hapless souls' star-crossed ends.
Karnoz Well, they weren't robbed..
Keitha until now
Karnoz smiles
The_House_of_Ainsley The silver's pretty thick with tarnish, but it'll buff out. ;-)
Keitha shall we continue?
Karnoz waste not and all that you know.
The_House_of_Ainsley: The next statue sports no armor at all, and it would appear to be quite naked except for the tin trim and buttons of a bygone robe. The leather bookcover nearby is cracked, rotted through and half-buried in earth, but no pages rest in between.
Karnoz: MOVING TREE!!
The_House_of_Ainsley: Bah. Y'all keep moving my grass. ;-p
The_House_of_Ainsley: The oak throws acorns at you...I kid.
Keitha: sorry
The_House_of_Ainsley: Another raven takes to the air as Karnoz draws too near for its tastes.
Karnoz: The skeles are highly corroded, yes?
The_House_of_Ainsley: As much as bone can decay, anyway. Anything that isn't bone or similar is rusted, pitted, rotten or otherwise decayed through time and weather.
Keitha: looking at the statues how do they differ from each other
Karnoz: Check the skele while I'm near
The_House_of_Ainsley: The statues are carved in the likeness of a variety of halfling individuals, likely the saints and paragons of years past. Without a translator (or a rogue with Decipher Script), determining the bygone halflings' identities becomes practically impossible. But their proximity to the temple--and the arrangement as the statues face each other across a once gorgeous lane--suggests that the figures would be ones regarded with respect, even veneration.
The_House_of_Ainsley: This skeleton has but 2 Gold coins from an earlier time in the Eternal Empire, but the crystal rod in one of its belt pouches suggests that its own worth is not easily measured in silver or gold.
The_House_of_Ainsley: The remaining belt pouches are lined with dust; whatever was once contained therein has also decayed its way out of existence.
Karnoz Be ready, if something's gonna happen, it'll probably happen here...
Keitha got it
The_House_of_Ainsley: (You snagged the 2 Gold and the crystal rod, correct?)
Karnoz: yes
The_House_of_Ainsley: Okie. The rod is common quartz, but surely someone of the right talent (or the right Class) would recognize its value.
The_House_of_Ainsley: As an interesting side note, the stone wall at the opposite side sports a large, circular spot where a form of powerful energy melted the stone on impact, fusing the bricks into one flurried mess.
The_House_of_Ainsley: The temple's outer wall is not far now. Surely safety from whatever unseen threat lurks here--if indeed it still exists--will soon be at hand.
The_House_of_Ainsley: O.O
Keitha: oops sorry
Karnoz: Earthquake!!
The_House_of_Ainsley: The raven near the temple's outer wall flaps its wings with vigor, rising sharply and circling to land on the overhanging eaves.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Clearly it was spooked by the grassquake.... o.O )
Karnoz: Check the skele again
The_House_of_Ainsley: The three press themselves into the corner, watchful for threats as Karnoz tugs at the burlap sack underneath the spread figure's back. The rotted sack rips into shreds, spilling the crumbled metal remnants of what Karnoz easily recognizes as old--and ruined--lockpicking tools.
Keitha we will split all profits found right
Karnoz Umm, yeah sure!
Karnoz: You can trust me!
Keitha I know better... and I am keeping track.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Only four Copper coins follow with the ruined thieves tools, with a yellowish gleam peeking from the soupy earth underneath the figure's pelvis. The dead rogue clearly died on her back, and the position of her tattered and decayed cloak suggests that something had dragged her by the legs a short distance.
Karnoz chuckles
Karnoz: Towards or away from the doors?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Dragged away from the doors.
Keitha: as in toward the wall at our back/
The_House_of_Ainsley: It looks like she might have been almost home free, then...something grabbed a hold of her. And the rest of her adventure was very brief after that.
Keitha: or toward the statues
The_House_of_Ainsley: Toward you guys and the walls. Perhaps it was chance, perhaps it was something trying to keep her outside.
Karnoz Well, here goes...
Karnoz: Step over the deceaced and move to the doors.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Quick Spot check at DC 10, Karnoz....)
Karnoz: spot or search?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Spot.
Karnoz rolls Straight d20: (d20) : [4] = 4
Karnoz: +2
Karnoz: = CRAP!
The_House_of_Ainsley: Nope...nothing more to be discerned about the remains, no sir. ;-)
The_House_of_Ainsley: Karnoz and Keitha now find themselves before the temple doors. Each door features a well-sculpted wooden bas relief of a halfling matron cradling a sheaf of wheat in her arms as one might hold an infant...quite likely Yondalla, the deity to whom the temple was consecrated.
The_House_of_Ainsley: The doors are arched in shape and 5 feet tall at the apex...quite tall by halfling standards, but not so tall in the eyes of humans or half-elves.
Karnoz: Check the doors for traps and locks
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Give me a Search check, DC ??)
Karnoz rolls Search: (d20+3+8) : [5 + 3 + 8] = 16
The_House_of_Ainsley: The threshold and the footplate beneath show no signs of triggers, nor do the jambs. The hinges are inside, so that the temple might be better defended from attack. Examining them is not as simple, but Karnoz's efforts yield naught all the same.
Karnoz: Locked?
The_House_of_Ainsley: There are no signs of locks or lock mounts. But the door could be barred from inside.
Karnoz: Try to open the doors
The_House_of_Ainsley: Karnoz's concerns melt away as the doors whisper open without the slightest resistance...and without the slightest squeak or creak from the hinges, despite the temple's age and apparent lack of caretakers.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Oh...did you two elect to enter by day or by night?)
Karnoz: If i had a choice, Id say day...
The_House_of_Ainsley: No arguments from Keitha?
Keitha: i will go with day too then
Karnoz: No 'living' guards to sneak past..
Karnoz: daylignts better
The_House_of_Ainsley: Okay. The late morning sun ripples through the skylights, casting all the wood and marble in a tranquil shimmer. And indeed the marble and the redwood appear polished and renewed, as if by entering the temple the three found themselves stepping a century into the past.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Karnoz and Keitha each get 500 Experience for entering the temple unchallenged.)
Karnoz: Yay us!
Keitha: we rock
The_House_of_Ainsley: ...if indeed there was anything to challenge them at all. Those previous adventurers could have taken care of the boogeymen or traps or whatever. And there may have been more than five in their party. ;-)
The_House_of_Ainsley: Or it could have been multiple smaller parties. You never know. ;-)
The_House_of_Ainsley harshes your mellow, dude.
Karnoz: I doubt the latter, they would have looted the bodies too..
The_House_of_Ainsley: ...or at least buried the bodies. Unless they were Chaotic Evil sorts with zero regard for their own comrades. ;-)
Karnoz flips the bird to the birds and goes inside
The_House_of_Ainsley: The disappointed ravens turn away from the temple doors and begin to stir, forced to wander elsewhere in search of a hearty meal of carrion.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Killian bristles with trepidation as he duly follows his master. Something here seems to unsettle him, though he never did fare well indoors....
Keitha: do a slow but good look around
The_House_of_Ainsley: Karnoz and Keitha take in their new surroundings, all cast in veridian radiance. The greatest feature in the nave is a great font, and from the whispering and bubbling water rises a statue of the halfling goddess. Suspended in the statue's hands over the pool is an empty basket, its purpose unknown.
The_House_of_Ainsley: The basket is cast in brass polished to a more golden state, though gold it is not. It was clearly crafted to endure for many, many years.
The_House_of_Ainsley: And the six statues at the northern side of the nave flank the font in a rough arch or crescent, each pair of lifeless eyes seeming to behold their matron in great reverence. Each statue stands atop a hexagonal pedestal of marbled granite, and each pedestal sports a number of prose-metered lines, though their words are not legible from this distance.
The_House_of_Ainsley: And behind Great Yondalla spans an altar of the reddest wood. Even across the nave, the glistening and shimmering of its many gifts and offerings catches the newcome wanderers' eyes.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (The floor gods are angered with your disruption! Each character is inflicted with 2d20 pustules. ;-p )
Keitha: sorry keep hitting the left instead of the right to move around
The_House_of_Ainsley: You will learn, Grasshopper. ;-)
Karnoz: Start a search of the temple
The_House_of_Ainsley: Okay. Move your pog. :-)
Karnoz: 5 again?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Yep, just in case. ;-)
The_House_of_Ainsley: And Keitha?
The_House_of_Ainsley: What does Keitha do at this point?
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Karnoz, Search check at DC 10)
Karnoz rolls Search: (d20+3+8) : [17 + 3 + 8] = 28
Karnoz: YaY!
The_House_of_Ainsley: As Karnoz passes near the great fountain, he spies a long inscription at Yondalla's base, half-submerged at the water's edge. The two lines of text are obviously in two different tongues, but Karnoz can discern neither.
The_House_of_Ainsley: One was previously seen gracing the statues and eaves in the courtyard. The other was not.
Karnoz Hey Keitha, can you make out any of this crap?
Karnoz points out the writing.
Keitha: i look over where he is pointing
The_House_of_Ainsley: Keitha follows Karnoz's gesture to the waterline...and indeed, though the topmost line is beyond her grasp, the line below is the entirely familiar Elven script, though written in a dialect more befitting the wild elves. Perhaps it is quite likely that the wild elves--masters of woodworking as they are oft-reputed--played a major role in the temple's construction.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Making out the Elven words at Yondalla's base, Keitha makes out the passage: "Number me as the months of Autumn harvests."
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Now named for your convenience of reference.)
Keitha The bottom line is in elevish and it says "Number me as the months of Autumn harvests"
Karnoz: Autumn Harvests? Like three months for Fall season?
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Is that IC or OOC?)
Karnoz: IC
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Ah. The lack of quotation marks or blue speech threw me off. ;-) )
Keitha maybe
Karnoz so i wonder if these little statues will have numbers or someting.
Keitha perhaps let us continue to look around
Karnoz Ok
The_House_of_Ainsley: Karnoz approaches the southwest statue. It too has twin passages written in languages similar to those at Yondalla's base. Keitha will be needed for this statue too, it seems.
Karnoz Looks like more elvish...Probably on all these statues.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Keitha draws near the southeastern statue, examining the pedestal's engraved words in Elven and Halfling alike:
The_House_of_Ainsley: "Skin as daylight come to dusk."
Keitha This one says Skin as daylight come to dusk
The_House_of_Ainsley: Keitha's voice echoes across the hardwood walls and ceiling of the nave, greeting Karnoz's ears with surprising clarity.
Karnoz might as well go round the room...
Keitha I shall just continue around from here and look at all of the statues to see what they say, ok
The_House_of_Ainsley: For the six statues, they themselves bear the images of a variety of halfling farmers...man or woman, each bearing a farm implement in the right hand and a sheaf of grain in the left. The significance of the statues' identities, poses or farmer tools remains unknown.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Keitha moves to the East statue and looks over its inscriptions. "Life you are given through my death."
Keitha this one says "Life you are given through my death"
The_House_of_Ainsley: Karnoz circles around to the altar, his perceptive gaze roving across the altar's scattered coins and gift items.
Karnoz: Look over the alters for traps in particular
The_House_of_Ainsley: The coins of copper, silver and gold are spread as if to form an imperfect layer of metal across the altar's crown. Atop the coins are arranged a closed book covered with orange broadcloth, a tiny red garnet with a crude lozenge cut, a smooth red ovular river stone, a loaf of coarse bread, a sheaf of bound barley stalks and a rolled gray rabbit skin. The items atop the altar are peculiarly well-preserved, as if either newly formed or untouched by the many years.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Karnoz, give me a Search check. DC unknown.)
Karnoz rolls Search: (d20+3+8) : [10 + 3 + 8] = 21
The_House_of_Ainsley: Keitha moves to the Northeast statue, crouching beneath the protruding scythe of marble to read what spans beneath: "As I perish, my children shall spring forth."
Karnoz: what is a 'lozenge cut'?
The_House_of_Ainsley: It's like an egg, only cut perfectly down the middle. And more oval-shaped than egg-shaped.
Karnoz: So like an oval, cut in half?
Keitha This one says" As I perish my children shall spring forth" and I don't think it is a good idea to touch anything on that alter just yet
The_House_of_Ainsley: Karnoz looms over the altar, peering beneath and behind every coin for signs of tripwires or leafplates or breakaways. But ultimately he finds no indication of any traps on, in or around the altar.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (And yes, it's like an oval cut in half. ;-) )
The_House_of_Ainsley: Killian gamely follows Keitha as she weaves her way around the temple, still whimpering slightly at some unseen source of disquiet.
Keitha: is there any direction inparticular that Killian is giving special attention to/
The_House_of_Ainsley: All over the temple. His attentions pan this way and that, as if hearing something--or feeling something--but seeing nothing.
Karnoz: Open the book on the alter
The_House_of_Ainsley: Keitha slips past Karnoz and leaves him to his intense scrutinies as she slinks to the Northwest statue, taking measure of its reliefed text: "Part the earth and I shall arise."
Keitha: can I also do a listen check?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Reaching gingerly with two fingers, Karnoz catches the edge of the book and flips it open with a jerk of his wrist. The first page is completely blank. And as his fingers skip and peel and flip from page to page, they reveal not a single word or blemish in the entire book.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Certainly. Keitha, Listen check at an unknown DC.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Don't forget the elfy bonus. ;-)
Karnoz: Check out the pool, is it flowing water or stagnant?
Karnoz: *standing
Keitha: so i have to do a dice roll right/
The_House_of_Ainsley: The water is flowing, spilling in four streams from the base of Yondalla's statue. The streams of water are quite languid, rising and falling back to the water in nearly perfect, burbling parabolic arcs.
Keitha rolls Listen: (d20+2+2+1) : [9 + 2 + 2 + 1] = 14
The_House_of_Ainsley: Yep. Even a simple d20 roll will do. We can add the bonuses after the roll if needs be.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Or that will do quite nicely. :-)
Karnoz: Then where is the water going?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Keitha perks her ears, panning her gaze and craning her neck to perceive all the sounds of the room. But nothing more than the water's murmuring and Karnoz's page-turning can be heard.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Beneath the ripples, Karnoz can make out the appearance of a long, thin slit in the fountain's floor, likely a drain returning the font water to its source.
Keitha: then I will continue to read the statues
Karnoz: Anythng in the water or the pool?
The_House_of_Ainsley: To the West statue, then?
Keitha This says " Part the earth and I shall arise"
The_House_of_Ainsley: The water is surprisingly clear, though a clumpy brown scum on the basin walls grows at and around the waterline, from an inch above to an inch below. The scum's origin is unknown, though perhaps it was from something floating on the water left to rot.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Keitha stoops at the base of the next statue, taking casual notice of the halfling woman with a grain flail before brushing away the dust from the inscription: "Princely, I hang from wooden towers."
Keitha "Princely, I hang from wooden towers."
Karnoz: Between Alchemy and poisons, can I determine what the scum is?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Make an Alchemy check at DC 20, Karnoz.
Karnoz rolls Alchemy: (d20+3+2) : [19 + 3 + 2] = 24
Karnoz: WooHoo!
The_House_of_Ainsley: Karnoz can discern just enough about the scum to determine that it is organic in origin, quite likely vegetative matter. An herbalist would be needed to lend a more precise analysis.
Karnoz Aren't you an herbalist?
Keitha yes why?
The_House_of_Ainsley: And Keitha drifts to the last statue in the Southwest of the upper nave, reading the engraved words with a fleeting satisfaction: "Even my blood bears sweet renewal."
Karnoz Can you tell what this gunk is?
Keitha This last one says"Even my blood bears sweet renewal"
The_House_of_Ainsley: From the odd phrasing and cryptic wording of the seven statues and their passages, it seems evident that these are pieces to an overarching riddle or puzzle. The crux of its solution, then, would weigh heavily on its interpretation.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Keitha? Profession (Herbalist) at DC 10.
Keitha: I will have a closer look at it.......
Keitha rolls Profession: Herbalist: (d20+2+2) : [11 + 2 + 2] = 15
Keitha: what is up with these dice.....karnoz is alway rolling in the 20s and I am 14s snd 15s.......I want better dice. ;P
The_House_of_Ainsley: Scraping a sample from the basin, then rolling it between her fingers and sniffing lightly at its sweet yet pungent odor, Keitha notes that the scum is quite likely the decayed matter left from a pulpy vegetable or a fleshy fruit left floating on the water for too long.
The_House_of_Ainsley: So steal Karnoz's dice. ;-p
Keitha: Hey karnoz swap me dice
The_House_of_Ainsley: Keitha's eyes follow Karnoz's curious stare up to the statue again. But no vegetation frows on or over Yondalla's statue or the pool, and the statue's thrust basket is empty.
Karnoz: *swaps dice*
The_House_of_Ainsley: *no vegetation grows
Keitha: I want to do a close look at the pool and the big statue to see if I can find anything else
Keitha: thanks
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Okay. Search check at DC 10, then.)
Keitha rolls Search: (d20+2+1+1) : [4 + 2 + 1 + 1] = 8
Keitha: f***K me..... you gave me loaded die didn't you
Karnoz They're apples....The riddle, and the gunk...Theyre apples!
The_House_of_Ainsley: Her eyes cross the statue and the pool this way and that, but nothing more becomes evident. But then, she is far more intimate with wood than with stone. And surely her more scandalous partner might harbor what expertise she lacks.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Who will finish typing first? ;-P )
Karnoz: How high up is the basket? Could I reach it?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Karnoz alone could not, but perhaps if he were to stand in the water with someone sitting on his shoulders, yes.
Keitha I would agree....it makes sense but so what..... do we need to give an offering of apple
The_House_of_Ainsley: The statue is a good 10 feet tall. The halflings wanted their goddess to look duly BIG.
Keitha: I want to do a good search of the alter and the book
Karnoz I think so, but how many months are Autumn harvest?
Karnoz: Could I climb up the statue? I'd really not get wet
The_House_of_Ainsley: What Karnoz found, Keitha finds. The coins (which Karnoz has thus far prudently left untouched) number 117 Copper, 18 Silver and 3 Gold. The etchings on the coins suggest that they too are quite old, though not too old to be legal tender...a century or so, by Karnoz's estimates (and a waived Appraise check).
The_House_of_Ainsley: As for climbing Yondalla, it shouldn't be too difficult: smooth marble, but with plenty of handholds and footholds. Climb check at DC 10.
Keitha: do I know about the seasons....... and are they different in different cultures..... ie 12 months 4 seasons 3 months a piece/
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Karnoz has no ranks in Climb, so it would be a d20 roll plus his Strength bonus.)
Karnoz: Yeah, but Autumn is only three months, so, I guess three
The_House_of_Ainsley: Each season lasts three months: 3 for Spring, 3 for Summer, 3 for Autumn and 3 for Winter. As far as anyone can see, there's no sign that the halflings would deviate from this; as a farming culture, they earn their livelihood by the same seasons as anyone else does.
Karnoz so then, lets get three ripe apples from the yard.
Keitha 3 months in Autumn harvest
Keitha I shall wait by the door here
The_House_of_Ainsley: Killian does not seem to be at any greater ease than before. Even as they discuss the matter laid before them, Karnoz and Sylvea cannot overlook his whimpered dismay.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Pardon...Karnoz and Keitha.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (I have elves on the brain now. Thanks, Keitha. ;-) )
Karnoz: which tree is the apple tree?
Keitha: I want to do another listen check please
The_House_of_Ainsley: With Killian at heel, Karnoz and Keitha return to the courtyard. The apple tree is the tree to the Northwest corner of the courtyard.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Numerous apples--green, ripe, overripe and rotten--bear the footprints from where Karnoz and Keitha passed before.
Karnoz: take 3 ripe apples
The_House_of_Ainsley: Karnoz plucks three lovely red apples from the lowest branches of the tree, cradling them in his cloak as he turns back to the temple doors.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Something snaps in the wind behind him as he trods back to the temple...a screeching, ominous snap.
Karnoz: RUN!!
The_House_of_Ainsley: As months that pass as seconds, green fleshy spires burst from the earth and rise, twisting and curling and sprouting briar thorns the size of small daggers.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Yes, Karnoz might want to get inside and bar the door now....
Karnoz: Tumble and dive in
Karnoz: (if required)
The_House_of_Ainsley: Keitha hears Karnoz's surprised yelp as he darts for the door. The stout oaken bar to secure the temple doors rests in its braces beside the doorway.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Go ahead and move or do whatever; Karnoz gets a free round while the briarjacks burst from the earth and take form.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Did Karnoz vanish again? o.O
Karnoz: Crap! I've been swallowed up!
Keitha: I grab the bar and whenever karnoz rea ppears.....back in the temple I will bar the doors
The_House_of_Ainsley: Strange. It takes a pog moved on top of Karnoz to swallow him. Maybe he got dragged off the board and deleted.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Okay, Karnoz is back. :-)
Karnoz: Wow! Karnoz bolted right off the world map!
Keitha: he is quiiiiiiick
The_House_of_Ainsley: As soon as Karnoz throws the doors inward and bursts into the temple, Keitha is ready. With unyielding palms she slams the doors shut behind him, and the bar thunders into place a half-second after.
Keitha you alright?
Karnoz Yeah, good thing they're slower than dirt.
The_House_of_Ainsley: And then, an unnatural screeching outside the door gathers, rising and falling...a primitive form of communication, as Keitha can tell. Thorns tap and scrape against the doors, and dark shapes twist and write through the light pealing through the threshold beneath. But the thorny creatures cannot enter.
The_House_of_Ainsley: *twist and writhe
Karnoz Stupid weeds....
The_House_of_Ainsley: Killian's whining escalates to a fearstruck howl, cresting and wavering before plunging into a staccato of desperate barks.
Karnoz: Look around
Keitha: where is he looking and can i do another listen check
The_House_of_Ainsley: Inside the temple, all is as it was before. Great Yondalla the Provider still rises over the babbling water, shining basket in her hands as the six farmers behold her looming over the expanse with awe.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Go ahead and give me another Listen check, Keitha.)
Keitha rolls Listen: (d20+2+2+1) : [18 + 2 + 2 + 1] = 23
The_House_of_Ainsley: Nice!
Keitha: bout time hehe
The_House_of_Ainsley: From what graces Keitha's ears, the briarjacks no sooner touch the doors than wail in anguish and jerk away from them. Whatever their duties to the temple--if indeed they honor any duties at all--the briarjacks seem to fear its touch.
The_House_of_Ainsley: The briarjacks, for several long moments, twitch and twine uselessly outside the door, uttering and screeching. "Rrrruh err rugg ruk rrr rrrr ruh ruuu...."
The_House_of_Ainsley: And then, the splitting of bark and pulpy wood crackle and resonate against autumn mists as they dig deeply into the topsoil with roots and creepers. The shadows dancing across the threshold spindle and shrink slowly, until nothing more remains.
The_House_of_Ainsley: For all of her woodland experience, Keitha is satisfied to have never confronted briarjacks in such numbers. They are uncommon wood-devils, which is a boon. But with far-reaching and lashing tendrils scored with ripping briar thorns and strong enough to yank a grown man from his feet, they have left more than one creature bloodily slain in the woodlands.
Karnoz so we know what happened to the rookies outside anyway.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Of course, they probably would have gotten pwned by you two working together. Then again, maybe not. ;-) )
The_House_of_Ainsley: The three apples roll in his cloak as he turns back to Keitha to speak. Karnoz's words ring sharply of truth, in light of these events.
Keitha yes but they seem to be barred from this temple for they were in anguish when they touch the temple
Keitha: has Killian calmed any
Karnoz so much the better, but we still may have to deal with them when we leave
The_House_of_Ainsley: Killian, by now, has returned to his prior level of trepidation now that the briarjacks have returned to the earth which spawned them.
Keitha perhaps but it would seem they have gone once again to ground
Karnoz Then let's go, I can hold you up to put the apples in the basket
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Aren't you two glad that Keitha stayed inside to watch the door while Karnoz went outside? ;-) )
The_House_of_Ainsley: (There. I added the drain slot.)
Keitha ok but don't you wander if the halfings really put their offering there?
Keitha: yep I rock hehehe
Karnoz: *shrugs*
Karnoz Makes sense. If not, then we can take them out and throw them in the water next.
Keitha perhaps we should stay off to the side of the drain in case it is a door of sorts that opens up
The_House_of_Ainsley: So...how do you two go about this, then?
Karnoz: If I lift up Keitha, can she put the apples in the basket from here?
Keitha: which side is the basket?
The_House_of_Ainsley: If she's willing, sure. And the basket is hanging in the statue's hands over the dead center of the pool.
The_House_of_Ainsley: So Karnoz is lifting Keitha, Keitha?
Keitha: ok I will climb on up
Keitha: do you want me to put my pog on top of his?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Okay. Karnoz, give me a Strength check. She's not too heavy, so...DC 12. Don't forget your Str bonus.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (There we go. :-D )
The_House_of_Ainsley: Heh...you don't need Killian's help for this, I'm sure.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (DC 10 seemed okay at first, but Karnoz IS standing in a couple feet of water. Try not to slip.)
Karnoz: Hmm, I might have a better chance just climbing it
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Then again, there's the statue to brace against. Okay, DC 10.)
Karnoz rolls Straight d20: (d20) : [8] = 8
Karnoz: or not..
Karnoz: What about just tossing them in?
The_House_of_Ainsley: 9 after the Str bonus. Just as Karnoz almost has Keitha up to the right height, his heel slips out from under him. Keitha, give me a Reflex save at DC 10. She has the water to break her fall, but she could hit her head on the stone on her way down....
Keitha: what if i lifted you up?
Karnoz: Same thing... 50/50
Keitha: how do i do reflex?
The_House_of_Ainsley: This is true. Keitha might succeed, or she might join Karnoz in the Whoops box. ;-)
The_House_of_Ainsley: Just roll a d20 and add your Reflex bonus.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Rangers do all right in that department, so for Keitha it's d20 +3.
Keitha: which is?
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Rogues do Reflex saving throws better, of course. Karnoz gets a +8 bonus. ;-p )
Keitha rolls reflex: (d20+3) : [12 + 3] = 15
The_House_of_Ainsley: Keitha feels Karnoz's support giving way well before she falls. As quickly as thought she kicks off the statue and rolls away, landing feetfirst in the water with a loud SPLASH...but not as loud as Karnoz's watery impact as he falls on his butt and gets drenched.
Karnoz: What about just tossing them in?
Keitha let me lift you this time
Karnoz: The basket's big enough and then some, and my dex would be far better chance than using strength
The_House_of_Ainsley: Fortunately, the two have weighed a few more options by this point: Keitha can try lifting Karnoz, Karnoz can try climbing the statue or whoever is better at throwing things can lob the apples into the basket from the dry safety outside the pool.
Keitha: *shrugs* go for it
Karnoz: Climbing still gives me 50/50
The_House_of_Ainsley: Each plan is not without its flaws; the trick lies in determining which flaws of which approach are the least pronounced.
Karnoz: so I'll shoot baskets
Keitha: what is your dex?
Karnoz: 18
The_House_of_Ainsley: Okay...the inside of the basket is close, and Karnoz can actually reduce that distance even further by standing in the water. Where will he stand?
Keitha: ok nevermind toss away
Karnoz: right where I am..already wet
The_House_of_Ainsley: Okay. The inside of the basket is about the size of a breadbox, and straight up it would be less than a 10' shot. Treat the inside of the basket as AC 9.
The_House_of_Ainsley: First lob. Give me a nice ranged attack. That should do it.
Karnoz: Ok, and be ready to move if the statue pivots or whatever
Karnoz rolls Attack, Ranged: (d20+7+4) : [4 + 7 + 4] = 15
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Wow. That means you'd have to roll a 2 or less to miss. o.o )
The_House_of_Ainsley: The first apple tumbles upwards, then rolls around the inside of the basket before coming to rest.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Apple #2. A second ranged attack against AC 9. Don't botch. o.o
Keitha nice toss
Karnoz rolls Attack, Ranged: (d20+7+4) : [2 + 7 + 4] = 13
The_House_of_Ainsley: The second apple rises and falls. It bounces off one rim, then its opposite, then skims the belly and rolls to a stop against the first tossed fruit.
Karnoz rolls Attack, Ranged: (d20+7+4) : [7 + 7 + 4] = 18
Keitha one more time
Karnoz: Ta da!
The_House_of_Ainsley: Nothing but net. The apple descends and thunders into the dead center of the brass basket, its impact ringing from the crystalline windows overhead.
The_House_of_Ainsley: And then, from inside the basket, the three apples explode into a shooting fountain of warm, green, magical sparks. The offering has been accepted.
The_House_of_Ainsley: And then...the slurping noise from the drain at Karnoz's toes slurps louder...VERY suddenly. Give me a Reflex save at DC 15, Karnoz.
The_House_of_Ainsley: No hyperspacing, cheaty cheat. ;-P
Karnoz rolls Straight d20: (d20) : [4] = 4
Karnoz: +8
The_House_of_Ainsley: o.o
Karnoz: nope
The_House_of_Ainsley: Okay...now give me a Tumble check at DC 15.
Karnoz rolls Tumble: (1d20+8+4) : [13 + 8 + 4] = 25
The_House_of_Ainsley: Ah, good. So that means that, even though the fountain floor directly underneath Karnoz drops down to form a rough, slick set of stone stairs--and even though the deluge sweeps Karnoz downstairs into the darkness below--he manages to roll with it and avoid all injury.
Karnoz: Yay for reflexes!
The_House_of_Ainsley: *BLOOOSH thumpa thumpa thumpa...*
Karnoz I'm OK, clean off the alter before you come down!
The_House_of_Ainsley: From the safety of their poolside perch, Keitha and Killian watch Karnoz get swept down the sudden pair of steps leading to somewhere below the temple.
Keitha on it
The_House_of_Ainsley: *sudden flight of steps
Keitha: I grab what I can off the alter of value
The_House_of_Ainsley: With a sweep of her arms, Keitha comes away from the altar with the entire sum of 117 Copper, 18 Silver, 3 Gold, the blank orange book, the tiny red garnet (ask Karnoz to appraise it), the red river stone, the loaf of bread, the sheaf of barley grain and the gray rabbit skin.
The_House_of_Ainsley: ...or did you want to leave any of that loot behind?
Karnoz: (take everything)
Keitha: no I take everything
Keitha: then follow done the stairs..... I want to do another listen check please
The_House_of_Ainsley: Karnoz's coaching murmurs up the stairs, but Keitha is already jogging back to the steps. The hidden barriers beneath the water have left the center of the fountain's basin without a trace of standing water. Yondalla's arms have visibly dipped ever since the stairs appeared, surely a good sign.
The_House_of_Ainsley: And Keitha follows Karnoz downstairs, then?
Keitha: yes
Karnoz: Is there any light below, or are there torches or anything to make light with in the temple?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Killian hops over the boundaries of the emptied pool, following his master. Keitha's half-elven eyes adjust to the fleeting rays of light thrusting into the hollow below; with any luck, she would find Karnoz well before anything else did....
The_House_of_Ainsley: ...and that looks like a good stopping point for now.
Karnoz and Keitha each get 1,000 Experience for finding the secret levels below Braddenlock Temple!
Karnoz: So how does any loot or XP add up in the campaign?
The_House_of_Ainsley: So...at what point did you deduce that the seven-piece riddle was referring to apples, GD? :-)
The_House_of_Ainsley: The XP gets added in now, but the loot waits until after Chapter Zero. I'll be keeping track of all the loot, of course. We can assume that Karnoz and Keitha did all this between Chapter Zero and Chapter One.
Karnoz: I was getting suspicious with the muck in the pool... Obviously, something had been left floating in there, and when I re-red the clues, it made sense
Karnoz: Either pears or apples, but only apples fit ALL the clues
Keitha: so what happens to the stuff we get here......is itnonlynforngametable or does it get transferred to the other side?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Ah. Did any part of that include taking note of which letters began the sentences? ;-)
Karnoz: Slappe?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Once the prologues are done and everyone moves to Chapter One and joins up, I'll kick off Chapter One with notes about what plunder was gathered during the in-game time between the two.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Unscramble that. ;-p
Karnoz: Ah, no, I never noticed that
The_House_of_Ainsley: Eh, the double provision type of clue. It was all I could think of off the top of my head. ;-)
The_House_of_Ainsley: *wanders back to the forums for a moment to add the 1,500 Experience for each*
Keitha: so when can we do this again?????
The_House_of_Ainsley: Wow. Keitha's only 800 Experience behind Karnoz now. O.O
The_House_of_Ainsley: Heh...soon, I hope. I like to keep the steam boiling. ;-)
Keitha: kewllllll
Karnoz: Did you already add the 50 for karnoz getting his room?
The_House_of_Ainsley: I'll have to be fair and give the other players a chance to keep up, of course...if possible. Sylvea and Corwin are both clerics; surely I can draw a connection from that alone.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Yep. I added that on as soon as I typed the post. ;-)
Karnoz: good deal :)
The_House_of_Ainsley: Of course, kicking ass on those duergar probably helped Keitha catch up like that.
Keitha: I keep tell ya i rock lol
The_House_of_Ainsley: On the other hand, if they had tripped the hidden tripwire and had to duke it out with the briarjacks, each briarjack being worth 750 to a Level 5 party...*crunch crunch*
Keitha: although that could change depending on what in the hell is coming through the bushes :o
The_House_of_Ainsley: Hmm...that would have been riskier, obviously, but if they had won? 1,875 for the two of them killing five briarjacks. And they'd probably lose some Hit Points too. ;-)
Karnoz: Better this way..and they're still out there if we come back around
The_House_of_Ainsley: So by getting around the courtyard without waking up the evil weeds, you got less Experience but you got to keep all your health and resources for whatever's waiting for you two down there...and seeing as healing is not readily available for you two, that was probably the better deal overall.
Karnoz: Is that what happened or do tey just attack apple pickers?
The_House_of_Ainsley: Basically, they're connected to whatever caused the temple's priest and his entire parish to vanish. I'm not saying exactly what, though; that's for you two to find out. ;-p
Keitha: hey do we have to go to file and save this map?
The_House_of_Ainsley: I saved it already. No worries. :-)
Keitha: if I were making macros for my attacks what would they be/
The_House_of_Ainsley: (And that DC 25 Search check? That was the tripwires in the courtyard. The tripwires were one of the briarjack's creepers, so it's easy to loose a natural-looking creeper in the tall grass...hence, DC 25.
The_House_of_Ainsley: (Step on a tripwire, wake up one critter, it wakes the rest of them...here they come. Of course, after the temple's breeched, they slowly start to wake up anyway....
The_House_of_Ainsley: Oh, yes...Keitha's attacks.
Karnoz: Well, I need to get to bed...Gotta be unin two hours...
Karnoz: *up in
Karnoz: G'night Higg and thanks for tonight
The_House_of_Ainsley: Her melee roll would be d20+6, and her ranged roll would be d20+7. If she's attacking with dual scimitars, her melee drops to d20+2, but she gets an extra attack each round.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Yeah, I need to get to bed myself. I may just catch you two tomorrow. And thanks for coming out for this. :-D
Karnoz: Anytime.
The_House_of_Ainsley: Is K still there too?
Karnoz: should be
The_House_of_Ainsley: She's probably doing those Attack macros, then. I'll wait till she's done. :-)
Keitha: yep and thanks a bunch..... it was fun
The_House_of_Ainsley: You're welcome. I enjoyed it, too. One night, the planets will align and we'll have everyone on here ready to resume the raid on the Tinstone Warrens. :-)
The_House_of_Ainsley: Until then, we have the Bountiful Burrows of Braddenlock. :-)
GoldenDrakon has left the session
Keitha: the raid on the Tinstone Warren......you have to tell me about that next time
Keitha: Well goodnight and hopefully see ya tomorrow
The_House_of_Ainsley: Sure thing. In brief, it's the Gametable adventure that I was running for GD, SEAMUS and Wraith whenever I was able to get all of them on together. That seems to have changed, but still I hope to return to that.
The_House_of_Ainsley: You have a good night, now. Catch you next time?
Keitha: sounds fun....would I be able to jump in ..... when the stars align
Keitha: my bad i me when the planets align
The_House_of_Ainsley: Yep! I was already talking with GD about that, and there are two or three places where Keitha (and Tal's character-in-progress, if applicable) could jump into the present battle.
The_House_of_Ainsley: It's okay. Stars align too. Just not as often. ;-)
Keitha: hehe this is what you get with a heavily medication tired person. lol
The_House_of_Ainsley: Yeah, I'm nodding off too. See you tomorrowdayish?
Keitha: later
The_House_of_Ainsley: G'night. THanks again. :-)
Disconnected
Subject: Gametable Adventures II: The Bountiful Burrows of Braddenlock 
Thu Feb 11, 2021 11:23 am
