Adam loses his smile and answers Angel frankly.

"The news was 'Sunshine Villa is experiencing some very slight climate problems," he says, "'Nothing to worry about.  Their regional lord is handling the situation, but he asks that citizens avoid traveling in the area if at all possible to lighten the burden on the region.'  The rumor was that things were far worse than the news claimed.  Something about the urgency of the rumor convinced me to come see for myself."

Once at the tree, he looks for any obvious clues about what might be inside.  (Active perc. check at +6.  Roll for me if there's anything worth finding, please.)

"We should wait here for Bruno to return.  How 'bout you three?  What's your story?"

(( OOC: Lucky's perception skill is a whopping 2.  Mav's take-10 stealth is 25 while moving no more than 2 squares at a time, or 20 while moving up to 12 squares.  Common sense aside, I doubt Lucky would notice Mav as readily as the rest of the team.  For the sake of RP I'll just say that when Adam succeeds a perc. check it'd be because Lucky pointed something out to him. ))

  "Well, it would suck if everyone who lived here died.  I may be biased because I fall under that category.  That and I'm slightly too stupid to just leave before disaster happens considering where I am now."

  Of course there was also the fact Angel was going along.  He didn't doubt she could take care of herself, but he'd feel kinda bad if he just ditched her.

Gaston proudly puffs up his chest and says, "When danger calls, a hero must step in. I happen to be the local hero and am more than happy to teach whoever is behind this some manners. I, like Jack and Angel here, happen to live in Sunshine Villa. So naturally, I would protect my home. And I would have come here sooner, but the mayor wanted me to take reinforcements when the time came. I just hope all this lallygagging hasn't cost the village too much."

Angel nods. "What he said. And, in fact, I've lived here since I was a child. To let my home die would be to let a piece of my heart die." she glances at Lucky. "And life can feel like it isn't even worth living if you lose something or someone most precious to you." she looks back to Adam.

Bruno is seen returning with a shovel. It's a pretty big shovel that had been custom made for Bruno due to he himself being so big and thus, able to do much more work if given the tools to do so. The thing looks like it could be used to dig a grave in just 10 or so powerful scoops. Bruno says, "This is the best tool for the job that I could find at my house." he's trying not to smile.

Angel says, "Well as Gaston was saying, let's not dilly dally. Bruno's here. Let's get this over with." she starts towards the large gaping entrance in the giant tree.

Maverick continues following Bruno. Bruno is as seemingly flawless as the rest, having only gone to his house, grabbed his shovel and headed back to the others. Maverick was expecting the guy to at LEAST abandon the others, but he hasn't. Maverick smiles a little, happy to see someone keeping their word. There is little he would have learned from spying on the others that he doesn't already know. But even so, Maverick doesn't know this. He finds a nice hiding spot to watch for when the others enter the tree before following them in.

Adam grin's at Bruno's choice of weapons.  He also nods in agreement what to Angel, Jack, and Gaston say.

"Good we're all in agreement!" he says, following the locals' lead, "By axe or by shovel, the villains behind this will learn the p's and q's of Sunshine Villa before long!"

Lucky follows Adam reluctantly, head tucked and tail lowered.

~A shovel,~ he thinks, ~This can't end well.~

  "I'm sure Bruno will be causing others to go to their grave more than the other way around with that thing...  Wait, what about crossbows, swords, and claws Adam?"  Jack considers Lucky as he enters the tree and takes hold of his axe.

  "Well, okay.  I can see why you didn't mention claws."

As they all enter, the inside is dark and dingey. It seems like the tree is entirely hollow through the center with stairs winding along the walls and leading higher and higher up the trunk, various doors decorating the walls. There is an eerie feeling that none of you should be here, but it can be excused away as being in a strange and potentially lethal place. There are webs in various places throughout. No sign of spiders, but the webs indicate whatever spiders made them are quite big.

Angel says, "Cheery." with a smile.

Maverick follows behind the others carefully. Once they are all in there, he peers around the doorway to peek in.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:27, Sun 19 Apr 2009.

Adam's posture looks just as relaxed as it was in town, but Lucky is looking even more nervous.  His eyes dart about and he frequently glances at the exit.  When Lucky catches a glimpse of Maverick's spying eyes, he yelps and jumps into Adam's arms like he just saw something terrifying!

~The EYES!~ Lucky thinks as he whimpers, ~They're GLARING into my very SOUL!~

Adam looks around for what might have startled Lucky, and finds nothing.

"Relax, Lucky," Adam says stifling a chuckle as he gently sets the tiger on it's feet again, "It was just your imagination.  If there's any danger in this place, it's in front of us, not behind."

Heedless of Adam's reassurance, Lucky backs up to the nearest wall so he can keep an eye on both the stairway and the entrance.

((OOC: Maverick and I talked about this ahead of time.  Mav slinked out of sight the moment Lucky reacted to him.))

  Seeing all the webs, Jack makes a note to actually get some normal torches if they make it through this.  This of course reminds him of a potential problem if it gets any darker as they travel along.

  Angel used a crossbow.  Adam if they followed certain trends like Gaston would either be using a bow or two weapons.  Bruno was using a shovel, and lucky... Well they didn't have hands.  Maverick couldn't exactly sneak and hold a torch at the same time, but Jack didn't know about them yet.

  It occurs to Jack the popularity of two handed or twin weapons has a certain simplistic flaw when adventuring around.  You can't fight and hold a light source at the same time.  Good thing Jack preferred to fight one handed.

  "Remind me to stand in front of you in case you're wrong about that"  Of course, Jack was standing to the front in general as much as space would allow as they continued on.  Armor and slightly better knack at surviving injury tended to mean it was polite to be the first likely to run into it anyways.

---

  Jack will make with the Sunrod in his left hand if things get too dark for us to reasonably see.  Also, Bruno got the fastest level ups I have ever seen.

Narrator:

Bruno is still just a farmer, but he's a farmer with a skinny frame. He isn't much to look at and seems too stubborn to leave the others for the time being.

Angel:

Bruno is seen returning with a shovel. It's a pretty big shovel that had been custom made for Bruno due to he himself being so big and thus, able to do much more work if given the tools to do so. The thing looks like it could be used to dig a grave in just 10 or so powerful scoops.

Angel says, "Jack here has a good point. Just because the enemy made this place ominous, scary and supernatural doesn't mean they won't employ simple ambush tactics. We should keep our eyes out for anyone surrounding us."

That's exactly what Maverick is watching. Of course, he won't complain that his unwilling allies are going to be cautious also. Just that he'll need to be extra sneaky. And with that, he slips in quite quickly while everyone is distracted by Lucky and melds with one of the very many shadows inside.

(Stealth check: roll d20 with a result of 11. +15 = 26. Penalty for moving more than 2 squares: -5. Result: 21.)

"True enough," Adam answers, "but there is a difference between vigilance and panic."

He pets Lucky reassuringly.

~And there's a difference between courage and stupidity,~ Lucky sulks.

  Jack comments as he continues to lead the way (fortunately there being only one direction to lead so far), "It's surprisingly hard to panic effectively if you're too panicked to do so."

[Perc 27 (whee roll of 20), Init 11]
This message was last edited by the player at 00:18, Thu 02 July 2009.

(OOC: Roll innitiatives and Perception, folks)

Angel
Initiative: 13 + 5 = 18
Perception: 8 + 6 = 14

Maverick
Initiative: 13 + 5 = 18
Perception: 13 + 6 = 19

....13 musta been my magic number today. O.o That and I notice now that Mav and Angel both have +5 initiative and +6 perception. :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:27, Thu 02 July 2009.

Adam initiative
1d20 +3
3 + 3 = 6

Adam percep
1d20 +6
14 + 6 = 20

No sooner does Jack speak of panic than a dire rat jumps down! The thing looks rather mean, hungry, angry and vicious. Even has boney spines jutting out of its extremities. Otherwise a very friendly chap willing to share a spot of tea.

Jack notices the Dire Rat, ruining it's evil plot for surprise round vs Jack. Jack also knows he's being followed somehow, but who by and what is unknown since Jack would need a crystal ball and dark vision to know that.

Sadly, however, the Dire Rat is just plain too quick for perception to matter. Well... at least it didn't get a surprise round AND a high initiative, or else it would have gotten two turns in a row.

The Dire Rat bites at Jack! More bright sideishness! The Dire Rat TOTALLY misses.

Dire Rat initiative
1d20
20 = 20. + 2 = 22
Dire Rat bite attack: rolled a 3. Ha! +4 vs AC = FAIL

Giant rat initiative
1d20
7 = 7. + 3 = 10

POST ORDER: Dire Rat, Angel/Maverick, Jack, Giant Rats, Adam
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:45, Thu 02 July 2009.

Angel raises her superior crossbow with a smile and says, "Nice reflexes there, Jack! Now let's try out this beast you built me!" and with that, she fires twice at the Dire Rat! TWICE! The first shot hits in squarely in the side and even flies out the other side! The second one is shot just as the Giant Rats come out of the shadows and startle Angel, making her miss.

Angel attack rolls
16 and 4. The 16 easily hit. The 4 almost barely woulda hit, but misses.
Angel damage roll
1d10 -> rolled a 4. +5= 9 dmg to Dire Rat!

Dire Rat HP:
29 (of 38)

Giant Rat HP:
1, heh. Minions.

Maverick doesn't know he's been spotted, but it doesn't matter anymore. He can see these people will need his help sooner than later.

Bruno charges in, "I'll teach you to bite at Jack! He ain't on the menu, you filthy rat!" but as he swings at the rat, it ducks aside, the weapon clanging off of one of it's spines.

Maverick erfs and rushes at the Dire Rat, unsheathing his dagger on the way. With excellent precision, he slashes the Dire Rat just above the eye, causing blood to drip into the Dire Rat's eye. It shrieks, partially blinded!

The child says nothing as his eyes narrow in malice and he looks ready to wage war.

Mav attack roll:
10 + 9 = 19 vs AC of 15. Hit.

Mav dmg roll:
4 + 5 = 9 damage. Dire Rat takes -2 to its next attack.

Bruno attack roll:
7 + 7 = 14 vs AC of 15. Miss.

MAP:
http://spreadsheets.google.com...WVsaHFZNnc&hl=en

Purple A is Angel. Yellow A is Adam. J=Jack, B=Bruno, M=Maverick, D=Dire Rat, G=Giant Rat
This message was last edited by the player at 05:48, Thu 02 July 2009.

  Jack is so very glad their mystery stalker from the other direction decided to go all stab happy on something in front of him.  "Your convenient application of violence is appreciated."

  Jack is lacking sharp teeth.  But then biting a large rat wouldn’t be very sanitary (nor would a large rat biting him be sanitary).  Of course, this is why they make wonderful things like sharp objects!

  Hi Dire rat, meet Mr. Waraxe.  Mr. Waraxe would like to meet your face. But alas, it will have to settle for their side.

---

[Standard: Sure strike to Dire Rat, 13 DMG. 20 (after Mav's hit)-13= 7 HP
Dire Rat Marked. Another -2 (=-4) to hit against anyone but Jack
http://rollr.appspot.com/view/...IIRGljZVJvbGwYoMgEDA ]

Adam casually jogs to the far side of the dire rat.  "This can't be what all the fuss is over," he says, marking the rat with his hunter's quarry, "This must just be the welcoming committee.  And hello there, young man.  What might your name be?"

He swings his greatsword and thwacks it a good one on it's head with the flat of the blade, knocking the creature unconscious.

Lucky winces at the sudden onset of violence, and just stays where he was.

Adam Basic Melee Attack vs. Dire rat + combat advantage
1d20 +9 >= 15
7 + 9 = 16 ... success

1d10 +5
10 + 5 = 15 damage before figuring in quarry... yeah.  dead rat.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:06, Thu 02 July 2009.

Angel looks worried for a moment. "Oh my... thanks for the help, sweetheart, but are you sure you need to be so close to that big rat?" At least she is following her own advice as she used a ranged attack. "And heads up, Adam. We got more rats around."

This said as the other rats are preparing to close in. Angel decides it best not to give them the chance to close in.

(Standard: Twin Strike vs G Rat 1 and 2.)
(Hit and slay G Rat 2. Happy minions.)



Giant Rat Level 1 Minion
Small natural beast XP 25
Initiative +3 Senses Perception +5; low-light vision
HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.
AC 15; Fortitude 13, Refl ex 15, Will 12
Speed 6, climb 3
mBite (standard; at-will)
+6 vs. AC; 3 damage.
Alignment Unaligned Languages —
Str 12 (+1) Dex 17 (+3) Wis 10 (+0)
Con 12 (+1) Int 2 (–4) Cha 6 (–2)
This message was last edited by the player at 13:12, Mon 13 July 2009.

Maverick wonders what manner of adults these are, but is glad they are at least of the sort that are grateful. For once. "The name's Maverick." he says, keeping his eye on the giant rats rather than Adam, Joe or Angel.

He pulls a sling from his belt and puts a rock in it, twirling the sling and throwing the rock at one of the Giant Rats. Preferably one of the rats Angel is shooting.

To his amazement, the rock happens to hit the rat in such a fashion that the thing drops unconscious.

(Standard: Slingshot! Hit and kill G Rat 1)
This message was last edited by the player at 13:14, Mon 13 July 2009.

The Giant Rats charge at the group, going for whatever targets are nearest.

The G Rat "3" as we call it for now, charges at Adam and bites him. Yes. Dramatic.

The other G Rat is even MORE dramatic as it charges at Bruno and learns how to spell FAIL with his teeth.

(Rat 3: rolled 13. +6 vs AC = hit Adam. A whole 3 damage. Woot.)
(Rat 4: FAIL! Rolled a 1. Yay. If I can keep this up, I'll NEVER have to know Bruno's defenses.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:21, Mon 13 July 2009.

"Ow!" Adam exclaims as the rat in front of him draws blood, "Thanks for the remin

Lucky's fur is bristling as he races around the south rat then savagely attacks the rat that hurt Adam, eyes burning with rage, teeth and claws bared.  Fortunately for the rat, it scrambled away from the tiger's claws just in the nick of time.

"...der.  Well, Lucky, thanks for the assist!  Together this time!"

Adam raises his greatsword to thwack the rat with the flat of the blade, but Lucky beats him to the punch.  The tiger pins the rat's neck and hind legs to the ground, grabs hold if it's spine with his teeth, and literally tears the vermin apart.

"Um... thanks again."

(( Move, Charge, FAIL.  Sucks my pet has a +5 to his attack.  Action Point!  Encounter power!  Yummeh bone-snapping gore!  How's that for dramatic? ^.^))


lucky charge attack with C.A. vs. rat 3

1d20 +8 >= 15
6 + 8 = 14 ... failure

Lucky Synchronized Strike vs. Rat's AC. (C.A. and Lucky's str bonus)
1d20 +9 >= 15
18 + 9 = 27 ... success
This message was last edited by the player at 23:27, Mon 13 July 2009.

  Jack stepped towards the oversized rodent trying to gnaw Bruno's ankles off, and lined up a careful over arm swing.

  Understandably, Jack's train of violent thought was thrown off by the loud roar in an enclosed area behind them, and Lucky's berserk butting being pressed with a sledgehammer.  It was less the 'Cat Vs. Rat on larger scale' situation, more the suddenness of it after... uh.

  "Why does a Tiger flipping out and brutalizing a rat surprise me more than a kid running up and stabbing one in the face?"  At least Jack shaved off half the rat's whiskers.

---

Move: Shift.  Standard: Miss.
G Rat 4 marked.