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Archive: Prologue Two - The Zealot of Zoran - (Zeeny-Deedle)

Posted by The UsherFor group archive 1
Zeeny-Deedle
player, 2 posts
Mon 23 Dec 2013
at 20:30
  • msg #4

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

In reply to The Usher (msg # 3):

OOC:  Rolled 4 vs WIS=10 (second roll was computer of the fritz)

Bandits so close to the monastery.  That seemed strange to Zeeny but it was beside the point.  Allowing his eyes to lose focus, he started the mental exercises of preparation he had learned in his stay at the monastery.  His staff was beside him but he was unsure of how useful it would be as he could feel the awkward rocking and bobbing of the raft.  He understood how things floated but there is a lot to moving on a floating object that mere knowledge does not cover.  He concentrated on tuning his senses and balance to be one with the raft and the river beneath.
The Usher
GM, 127 posts
Recovering Heroes
Lost in the Forge
Fri 27 Dec 2013
at 08:08
  • msg #5

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

The experience was a new one, but not difficult for Zeeny-Deedle to adapt to. Zeeny, through the sensory abilities of Deedle felt the gentleness of the river and and the subtle bobbing of the loaded raft. When the first missile came from the forest, it was almost as if the monk had seen it happen at some point in his past, however, this was not his past, it was his now and the important thing was that the arrow had flown wide to the right.

Another attack came but also missed. The old-timer at the rudder perked up and kept the vessel in the middle of the channel where the current was strongest. As they passed under a large tree branch, a figure dressed in forest-colored rags appeared and hurled a grappling hook towards the raft. It found purchase on a tie-down rope and almost immediately the raft started to veer towards the shore!

OOC: You may try to cut or dislodge the hook, but that means no attack can be taken this round. If you choose to attack the bandit on the tree branch, the raft will move closer to the bank and the tree the bandit is in.
Zeeny-Deedle
player, 3 posts
HP: 9/9, AC 13
Init +0,To hit +1,1d8+1
Sat 28 Dec 2013
at 14:28
  • msg #6

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

In reply to The Usher (msg # 5):

Zeeny looked at the taught rope then at the bandit balanced on the limb.  He wondered if the bandit was really that stupid or if there was a catch.  The loaded raft was fairly heavy, especially with Zeeny-Deedle on board.  Zeeny wasn't sure, but the bandit looked a fair site smaller than his Deedle.  After a moment's contemplation, Zeeny grabbed the rope with one of Deedle's hands leaving the other hand on the staff and gave two jerks.  A light one to unbalance the fellow on the branch followed a moment later by a swift jerk about as hard as the Deedle could jerk with one hand and in a sitting position.  Zeeny was hoping the fellow might fall off the branch, but if not, perhaps he would lose his tight grasp on the rope and Zeeny could dislodge the hook without giving up the channel.

Yea, don't know what you want to do with my rolls....  I hope I don't fall off the friggin raft with that fumble.
07:26, Today: Zeeny-Deedle rolled 17 using 1d20+1 with rolls of 16. STR vs Grapple Bandit.
07:25, Today: Zeeny-Deedle rolled 20 using 1d20 with rolls of 20. DEX vs. Grapple Bandit.

The Usher
GM, 131 posts
Recovering Heroes
Lost in the Forge
Sat 28 Dec 2013
at 20:08
  • msg #7

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

The Usher attempts to suppress a chuckle: Sometimes the best performances come from those with the least 'experience'...

OOC: Heh. It's taken myself some time to re-wire my brain from thinking in terms of other systems I've played in the past. With this system, higher is better on your rolls with the rare exception of certain Attribute checks in which you want to roll under (usually an unopposed WIS check).

In the current circumstance, your check has a target number associated with it, in this case it's a 17. Meet it or beat it, higher is better. As you gain levels and increase your attributes, this target number goes down, meaning the roll gets easier. A 'natural 20' is always a crit and a roll of '1' is a fumble... So here, you would add a +1 to your STR roll as you have a +1 modifier (see your char sheet, I updated it last night with some missing info) Your DEX has no bonus or penalty so you don't add anything, besides, it was a crit! Nicely done new-guy! ;-)


From his spot on the heavily laden raft, Zeeny-Deedle applied his great strength and excellent timing to the rope which was now tethering the raft to the branch of a tree, upon which was perched one of the bandits. As yet another arrow whizzed harmlessly by him and into the river, the monk pulled on the rope and then waited for just an instant for the raft to slip a little more to one side of the channel and pulled again. The bandit was obviously not expecting this tactic and fell backwards into the river, arms flailing at his sides but insufficient to allow him to take flight. There was a great splash and floundering as the bandit sputtered. Someone had neglected to teach the poor man to swim...

The monk then pulled the grappling hook free as the old river-man hauled on the rudder to steer back into the center of the channel. His eyes were wide and his neck seemed to have pulled in, somewhat like a turtle, between his hunched shoulders as a few more arrows zinged around them. The old man was muttering under his breath...

They passed under the branch the bandit had been on and came closer to the bend in the river. Two more bandits sprang from the brush in terrific leaps towards the raft. The taller of the two made it, just barely, his hands grasping the tie down ropes as his body was pulled along the side of the raft through the water. The shorter bandit was not so lucky and wound up several feet short. His forest colored rags weighed him down as he paddled for his life back toward the riverbank.

On the opposite bank three more archers appeared, this time taking aim as the raft drew closer...

OOC: So you've got one bandit hanging from the side of the raft, attempting to pull himself aboard and three archers on the wide side of the river bend you're approaching.
Zeeny-Deedle
player, 4 posts
HP: 9/9, AC 13
Init +0,To hit +1,1d8+1
Mon 30 Dec 2013
at 16:20
  • msg #8

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

In reply to The Usher (msg # 7):

Using one of he heavy metal ends of his staff, Zeeny-Deedle rapped the man trying to climb onto the raft on the temple (probably harder than necessary since as he did so, he used the motion of the blow to accelerate his body into the prone position in an attempt to make a smaller target by tucking in behind some of the goods the old man had strapped to both sides of the raft).

OOC:

Rolls:
09:18, Today: Zeeny-Deedle rolled 16 using 1d20 with rolls of 16. vs STR for damage from whacking raft clinger.
09:18, Today: Zeeny-Deedle rolled 2 using 1d20 with rolls of 2. vs Dex for whacking raft clinger while going prone.

Well since the last one wasn't the fumble I was looking for, maybe this one is.  Ha!  Even electronic dice can do it to me apparently.

The Usher
GM, 137 posts
Recovering Heroes
Lost in the Forge
Mon 30 Dec 2013
at 23:16
  • msg #9

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

The weighted staff cracked solidly on the bandit's head and he almost let go of the raft, but amazingly did not. Before the monk could deliver the second blow that would have surely dislodged the bandit and sent his soul to someplace beyond, Zeeny heard the twang of three bowstrings. He instantly dropped behind some of the cargo and hugged the deck as the arrows sailed overhead. The raft was getting closer now to the archers and their next shot would not allow him any reaction time to duck out of the way.

The old boatman yarded heavily on the rudder, head pulled down and still mumbling under his breath.

OOC: Ok, so attacks (which this was) are versus the adversary's armor class, which happens to be 14. So your first roll was a successful hit and you'd need to roll damage. Normally for the sake of PbP you would roll your attack roll and damage together in the Dice-roller just to speed things along. So on the top right of the dice roller where it says 'Manual', you'd put in "d20+1,d8+1". The results would be your attack roll and your damage. So go ahead and roll your damage to this fellow and then take your next turn. The archers are reloading... BTW, your second roll wasn't needed... luckily enough!
Zeeny-Deedle
player, 5 posts
HP: 9/9, AC 13
Init +0,To hit +1,1d8+1
Tue 31 Dec 2013
at 13:20
  • msg #10

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

In reply to The Usher (msg # 9):

OOC:  Is armor class always 1d8?
Damage:  06:00, Today: Zeeny-Deedle rolled 8 using 1d8+1 with rolls of 7. rolling damage for the klingon on the starboard bow.
I'm sure I should be rolling for something, so here are some rolls....

06:19, Today: Zeeny-Deedle rolled 8 using 1d8 with rolls of 8.  cause maybe someone hits someone errr something.
06:18, Today: Zeeny-Deedle rolled 20 using 1d20 with rolls of 20. probably DEX, maybe STR, using a body as a shield.


Zeeny knew in his mind what it took to swim but he had never tried it and he wasn't even sure the Deedle would float.  This didn't seem like the time to figure that out.  Maybe later.  So rolling off the raft would have to stay as a last ditch option.

Glancing around for anything else, his gaze fell on the poor smashed up fellow still clinging to the side of the raft.  Smiling grimly, Zeeny-Deedle decided the fellow would start down the road of penance today.  Grasping the man by the throat and arm, Zeeny-Deedle rolled and heaved the guy up on top of him as cover from the archers.  The fellow struggled a little but as Zeeny-Deedle tightened the massive hand gripping the man's throat, the struggling died down.  He left the guy tilted toward the shore and struggled backward toward the rudderman to try and offer him some of the protection of the jumper's body.
The Usher
GM, 141 posts
Recovering Heroes
Lost in the Forge
Fri 3 Jan 2014
at 08:37
  • msg #11

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

Armor class is a number which is a function of your armor; 11 for no armor and goes up from there. That's the target number you must beat (or a monster must beat) for a successful attack. Hence, when fighting a critter with AC 19 you'd better hope to have a really good bonus to your d20 roll! If a strong critter is attacking you, you'd better hope to have really good armor (or magic defense)!


The bandit's eyes were glassy. He died from the strike with the unusual weighted staff that Zeeny-Deedle carried. The stunning blow must have cause his nerves to lock up instantly and his grip on the side of the raft to be locked as well. What Zeeny thought might be an easy thing to pull a limp human body out of the water, turned out to be much more difficult for Deedle to perform. After a bit of struggling on the side of the raft, which was increasing now in velocity, he was able to bring the body up and try to use it for a shield just as the next volley of arrows came at them!

The Usher rolled 13,4 using 1d20+1,1d6+1 ((12,3)). Archer attack Zeeny-Deedle, Hit!, 4 Damage!
The Usher rolled 11,5 using 1d20+1,1d6+1 ((10,4)). Archer attack Z-D, Miss!
The Usher rolled 3,3 using 1d20+1,1d6+1 ((2,2)). Archer attack Boatman, Miss!


The struggle had taken a bit too long, and the first arrow sliced into the monk's robes before he got his human shield into place. The barbed tip was sharp and it embedded itself between the bones of his left forearm!

The oldster, who had been muttering to himself turtle-head-down at the rudder, suddenly stood tall and pointed to the far shore where stood the three archers. From his gnarled old hand, permanently formed from decades at the rudder, pulsed a bright light. It went forth and then split into three individual lights before hitting the archers each in the chest.

The Usher rolled 7,7,6 using 1d6+1,1d6+1,1d6+1 ((6,6,5)). Kapowwww! Don't mess with the old boatman!

The force of the arcane missile pushed against the old man as much as it did against the archers. Luckily the monk was right there to catch the old bugger before he fell off into the river. He seemed weakened, but was grinning a toothless smile from ear to ear.

"Ha HA! I told ye I weren't helpless! Hoo!" He cackled.

The blast of magical energy had been tremendous, killing two of the archers immediately and leaving the third moaning on the ground, forest rag armor smoking...

The raft rounded the bend and began to pick up speed as it approached the rapids.

"Throw'em off Sonny!" The old man shouted, pointing at the two dead bodies on the raft. "We need ta stay light as we'can!

Zeeny-Deedle may have thought that with the onset of the rapids that their bandit worries were past, but was surprised as another bandit made an impressive leap when the raft drifted too close to the bank. He was large and determined, and armed with a longsword. As the raft plunged forward, the bandit plunged at Zeeny-Deedle and the boatman!

At this early stage of the rapids, your (and the bandit's) rolls will be at -2 to succeed. The next stage will be at -4 and then -6 near the end!
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:05, Fri 03 Jan 2014.
Zeeny-Deedle
player, 6 posts
HP: 9/9, AC 13
Init +0,To hit +1,1d8+1
Fri 3 Jan 2014
at 22:10
  • msg #12

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

Zeeny was standing with his feet wide spread and bracing with one hand holding his staff while he pushed the first bandit off the raft as the new bandit came running out of the woods to leap onto the raft.  Zeeny used the advantage of the moment in his attack on the leaping bandit.  Staff still in hand and feet braced, he used his second hand just freed from the bandit to whip the end of his weighted staff upward into the oncoming bandit's centerline.  The bandit was in mid-leap at this point and the blow was designed to connect with either the bandit's sternum or under his jaw.

OOC:  15:04, Today: Zeeny-Deedle rolled 17,6 using 1d20-1,1d8+1 with rolls of 18,5.

Assuming that put the new bandit in the water if it didn't send him to the next realm, Zeeny could hear the roar of the rapids approaching and a quick glance sent a shiver up his spine.  Completing his movement pivoting to face forward and bringing the staff down and backwards along his side with all his strength, he smashed the clinging wrist of the bandit with the locked hand. Attempting to damage the hand enough it could no longer remain locked on the rope.

OOC:  15:08, Today: Zeeny-Deedle rolled 17,8 using 1d20-1,1d8+1 with rolls of 18,7. Whack the cling-on.
The Usher
GM, 143 posts
Recovering Heroes
Lost in the Forge
Fri 3 Jan 2014
at 23:36
  • msg #13

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

OOC: I think you accidentally goofed on your attack roll... it should be 1d20+1, not -1... I put your crucial info just under your username in your 'biography' section. Makes it easy to find the stuff you use a lot. Also, until Z-D advances, he only gets one 'attack' per round, equating to one attack roll. Feel free to narrate multiple strikes, misses, etc. to spice things up, but for now, the mechanic is one roll. As he advances, he'll gain the ability to strike multiple times. ;-) (I personally prefer more abstract systems myself...) BTW, those are some sweet rolls so far! Hang in there, I realize you're learning three totally different systems at the same time...

The bandit leader's cry of fury quickly changed to a squeal of surprise and pain as the monk's deft staff maneuver caught him in the throat. He dropped the sword he was swinging and clutched at the end of the staff, hitting the deck of the raft hard. He choked, struggling to get up when the monk's second swing knocked him overboard. Zeeny-Deedle didn't have a chance to bask in his victory for just then they plunged over the first of three small waterfalls in the river! The monk scrambled to hold on and not lose his weapon...

For the sake of getting you down river and hooking up with the rest of the characters (I'm struggling to keep up with three threads) let's have you roll only for the biggest of the falls. Dex check - roll under your Dex +4 [10+4] (there's lots of stuff to hang onto) not to get thrown over...
Zeeny-Deedle
player, 7 posts
HP: 9/9, AC 13
Init +0,To hit +1,1d8+1
Sat 4 Jan 2014
at 00:37
  • msg #14

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

OOC:  17:30, Today: Zeeny-Deedle rolled 20 using 1d20 with rolls of 20. vs Dex+4 (14).
Under?  Over?


The fall was a twelve foot drop with boulders scattered on all sides and in front of him.  To Zeeny it looked as if the river were a large monster that had risen up to smash him and smash it did.

The man Zeeny-Deedle had not managed to remove was still fastened to the rope and the other man was on that side of the raft as well.  The weight was all wrong going into the falls and the old man at the rudder was still not recovered from his magical display so he had not steered the raft correctly.  The boulder rose under the side of the raft opposite the two bandits and launched the raft upside down.  Zeeny drove the Deedle to lock it's hands in the ropes on the side opposite the bandits and the other hand tightly clasped his staff.  He was swung through the air and then under the water.  Zeeny wondered again...  Did the Deedle float?
The Usher
GM, 146 posts
Recovering Heroes
Lost in the Forge
Mon 6 Jan 2014
at 07:20
  • msg #15

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

The raft tipped sideways and then went under. When it came back up, the clinging bandits had been washed away as had the strange monk. Only the old-man had retained his grip on the rudder for this was not his first trip down the river, nor his dozenth. As the heavy laden raft was propelled swiftly away by the current, the old boatman did his best to search the waters whenever he could spare the concentration from the rapids. With the falls behind him, it was simply a matter of avoiding rocks for a ways. He figured to find the monk washed up on the rocks at some point up ahead.  The old man never found him, and floated right past the village of Gilgamar to the Northwest wondering how such a powerful physical specimen as the monk could have been so easily claimed by the river. The old man sighed, it wasn't the first time a greenhorn had gone overboard...

~~~~

It took but a heartbeat for Zeeny to get his answer... No, no the Deedle did not float, in fact the seven-foot tall, heavily muscled Deedle sank in the churning river. Also noteworthy to Zeeny, was that the Deedle did not breath water.

The river was cold, colder than Zeeny had expected it to be, which made it difficult for the Deedle's arms and legs to kick efficiently. It became dark and Zeeny panicked, the Deedle panicked and soon the cold and dark overcame them both.

~~~~

Zeeny awoke to the sensation of being dripped upon. The Deedle opened its eyes to find it was laying on a riverbed in a cave illuminated by faintly glowing clumps of moss and fungi. The monk pushed himself up, head swimming and body aching and looked upward to locate the source of the dripping. He was in a cavern, cold and dark, with water rushing in from high up on his left, down to the cavern floor where he sat shivering, and then lazily away into the gloom to his right. Besides bumps and bruises and an aching head and sputtering lungs which would not seem to quit coughing, Zeeny-Deedle seemed to be in one piece.

He stood and looked around. By some miracle of Zoran himself, his double weighted staff lay washed up just opposite of him on the far side of the underground stream. He waded across and scooped it up, trying to remember how he'd gotten here. The only thing he could recall is a water monster opening its huge frothing mouth to swallow the raft he'd been riding.  Now he found himself in a very dark and dreary place. Perhaps powerful Zoran had another lesson in penance in mind for Zeeny-Deedle. Thinking it best not to keep him waiting, the monk wrung some of the water from his soaked robes and prepared to get moving.


OOC: You are in a cavern, brought here by an undertow in the river which feeds this underground stream. There is a fairly forceful waterfall coming from above and the cavern goes off to the west, although Z-D has no idea which direction is which here underground. I hope you didn't forget anything on the raft! I don't have a map ready for this, I'll work something up if need be.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:45, Mon 06 Jan 2014.
Zeeny-Deedle
player, 9 posts
HP: 9/9, AC 13
Init +0,To hit +1,1d8+1
Mon 6 Jan 2014
at 23:27
  • msg #16

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

After pulling the arrow out of the Deedle's arm, Zeeny looked up at what must have been his entry to the cavern.  It was a gushing torrent and Zeeny was pretty sure that would not be a viable exit.  Turning, he inspected the cavern.  There was not a lot of vegetation and really only a few scraps of debris.

He found a couple scraps of wood and a knot of wet grass which he tucked into a fold in his robe for a potential fire if he ever dried out and started walking.  As he moved further from the waterfall, curiously, his eyes seemed to continue adjusting to the gloom and he was able to see still.  Not really well, but well enough to not trip.  He seemed to be alone as he squished along in his wet clothes.
The Usher
GM, 148 posts
Recovering Heroes
Lost in the Forge
Tue 7 Jan 2014
at 04:55
  • msg #17

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

The monk made his way, very slowly, through the cavern. The stream would meander about and though he was loathe to do it, Zeeny-Deedle crossed through several times, re-soaking the lower portion of his robes each time. The Deedle began to shiver, a very uncomfortable and uncontrollable situation for Zeeny. Still, he pressed on, one step at a time.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the cavern widened out, and the cold stream hugged one wall, leaving a large sandy area. The monk sat down to rest a bit, and nurse the bruises and cuts on his arms and hands he'd gotten along the way.  On the opposite side of the water was a thicker clump of the faintly glowing moss and fungi, which seemed to be sort of companion species, symbioticly sharing the dank and deep caves for mutual benefit. There was something lying on the sand over there that the monk couldn't quite make out.

Carefully, he approached and discovered a couple of skeletons with mouldering clothing. The bones had been gnawed on and were almost powdery due to the conditions of the cave. The monk could not tell if something had chewed the bones before the bodies had expired, or after... or perhaps one had chewed the rest.  He poked around a little among the remnants of the clothing and saw a glint in the very pale light. Kneeling down, he brushed away some sand and flaky bone to uncover a silver chain with a bit of some precious stone as a pendant. It was difficult to tell the true color in the moss-glow, but it sparkled nicely as it twirled.  Rummaging further, he found a very rusted dagger and some silver coins*. One set of bones had some leathery type of armor. It was much too brittle to wear ever again, and Zeeny-Deedle wasn't hungry enough yet to try and eat it, but perhaps it might burn with his other supplies if he was ever able to obtain a spark.

The monk finished his scrounging and continued onward in the soft sand. He came to a place where earth from above had washed down some crack and made a muddy place where the moisture sunk into the sand for a while, but then became saturated as the silt particles sealed it up and a tiny rivulet wandered off towards the diminishing underground stream.  There, in that portion of mud was a track, a boot print rather, pointing the same direction Zeeny-Deedle had been travelling.  In the low light, the owner of that print could be anywhere...

*2d6 coins.
The cavern continues on in pretty much the same direction with the stream dwindling as various volumes find cracks.
You may roll an Intelligence check (1d20+1 TN => 17)

Zeeny-Deedle
player, 11 posts
HP: 9/9, AC 13
Init +0,To hit +1,1d8+1
Tue 7 Jan 2014
at 21:07
  • msg #18

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

OOC:
14:03, Today: Zeeny-Deedle rolled 4 using 2d6 with rolls of 1,3. scavenged coins.
Awesome!  Gettin rich!  errrr.....
14:05, Today: Zeeny-Deedle rolled 8 using 1d20+1 with rolls of 7. IQ check vs 17.
Won't complain there though...


Zeeny continued to explore the cavern carefully mapping the walls in his mind.
The Usher
GM, 153 posts
Recovering Heroes
Lost in the Forge
Wed 8 Jan 2014
at 07:53
  • msg #19

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

The monk searched but was unable to find another track. He knew he could not go back the way he'd come, he could only go forward. Perhaps the owner of the track was an underground castaway like himself and perhaps they could work together to escape and perhaps... perhaps it belonged to someone who knew the ways of caverns and caves and would wait patiently for prey to fall into a trap...

OOC: You are suddenly feeling sleepy and exhausted, at least you just now notice it, maybe it's just the strain on your eyes from being so long in the dark...
Zeeny-Deedle
player, 13 posts
HP: 9/9, AC 13
Init +0,To hit +1,1d8+1
Thu 9 Jan 2014
at 07:48
  • msg #20

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

Zeeny, concerned about the undue amount of stress the Deedle had taken recently decided that perhaps a rest was a good idea.  Finding a niche in the wall where he could be fairly well concealed, Zeeny sat the Deedle and, posing him in a meditational position as he had been taught at the abbey, cautiously sank into a trance where his body could heal and rest efficiently while he was still alert and tuned to his surroundings.  He was unsure about the fatigue and concerned the air might not be good.  If the fatigue continued to increase, he would know that to be true and must escape somehow.  If he was able to maintain the trance without fighting actual sleep, he should be safe.

I don't even know why I bother rolling....
00:47, Today: Zeeny-Deedle rolled 18 using 1d20 with rolls of 18. WIS vs 15 to meditate.


Soon he was sound asleep.
The Usher
GM, 159 posts
Recovering Heroes
Lost in the Forge
Fri 10 Jan 2014
at 07:19
  • msg #21

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

Zeeny-Deedle awoke with a start. He was sitting cross-legged as if in meditation, but had bent forward at the waist and his face was resting in the sand and rocks. It could not have been very comfortable, in fact, it wasn't! The monk's face had gone sort of numb from just under his nose to the top of his head, and when he felt it with his hand, it seemed puffy... Besides that though, he felt rested and ready to get moving. His stomach growled, but not being able to recognize the faintly glowing fungi, he decided to skip it and just get moving.

The cavern soon began to narrow significantly, although stayed about the same in height. Zeeny-Deedle soon found himself walking down what appeared to be more of a tremendous crack in the rock as opposed to a water or lava worn cave. Then it began to get steeper, going downhill, until in a few places the monk had to brace his hands on the sides to help his feet hold their grip. He was beginning to reconsider his choice to come this way, and was having serious thoughts about doubling back and trying his luck with the waterfall, when the first tremor shook the tunnel...

Zeeny-Deedle froze in place, a precarious place wherein his legs were spread with a foot on each wall, and one hand held him backwards while the other braced with his staff. The shaft was not vertical yet, but very close. The monk had accidentally dislodged rocks, which had fallen and rolled a long ways down into the darkness.  To make matters worse, the glowing fungi and moss were become more and more scarce in this shaft to the point that only the monk's training in blindfighting was allowing him to 'feel' his way along.

The second tremor came, stronger than the first. He lost a foot hold and fell forward, barely catching himself by wedging his staff. Some rocks fell at him from above, striking agonizingly on his vulnerable body. The third tremor came, followed by the forth and more. Zeeny willed the Deedle to cling and not give-in to the pain, but gravity had other plans. On perhaps the seventh or eighth tremor, the Deedle's grip gave out and they fell, trying to use the staff as a brake, but soon tumbling and then just dropping in nothingness until with a bone-jarring splash the monk landed in a shallow pool of water.

A groan escaped the Deedle's lips, and Zeeny's sensations were on fire. He was also terrified because now there was no light-emitting fungi or glowing moss, and the water tasted... salty.

OOC:
I sort of projected your Wis roll a bit, taking advantage for my own purposes, which shamelessly is to combine the story as I'm having a hard time keeping up with multiple threads right now. Sorry to railroad, but sometimes it just needs to be done.  In a perfect world, we would have played out our Preludes for as long as needed and built relationships with our characters at a pace and detail to rival real life. So we'll carry on here just a bit further until either you encounter the others or they encounter you!  (or everyone dies of starvation...) At least now we're on the same map. When I get a chance tomorrow or the next day I'll update maps with yours being separate from the others' map.

Oh ya, please deduct 1d4 damage from the fall... ;-)

Zeeny-Deedle
player, 14 posts
HP: 9/9, AC 13
Init +0,To hit +1,1d8+1
Sat 11 Jan 2014
at 00:49
  • msg #22

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

In reply to The Usher (msg # 21):


17:41, Today: Zeeny-Deedle rolled 2 using 1d4 with rolls of 2. base jumping in a cavern without a parachute damage.


Rolling to his hands and knees, Zeeny-Deedle knelt and breathed heavily bordering on hyperventilating.  It took minutes, but finally Zeeny realized the reason the Deedle was puffing was actually because Zeeny was hyperventilating.

He couldn't see anything.  All the sounds seemed alive.  He could have sworn he was surrounded.  In his mind, he was surrounded by slavering devils.  He finally calmed himself down enough to tentatively get to his feet cautiously standing so he didn't find the roof of the cavern which he could not see with his bald head.

It took him a few minutes of whacking with the staff, but he finally found a wall to his left which he started following.
The Usher
GM, 162 posts
Recovering Heroes
Lost in the Forge
Sat 11 Jan 2014
at 08:45
  • msg #23

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

The Usher sympathizes: Ah, yes, been there... done that. Sensory deprivation is not fun alone in the dark, true dark.

The urge to panic in the situation Zeeny-Deedle found himself in is extremely difficult to keep bottled up. It is a sense of helplessness and incremental terror as the body's other senses overcompensate and in so doing, amplify these feelings.  It took some serious self-reassurance and meditation to convince himself that he would be alright and find his way out of this.

When he finally reached a cave wall, he put his left hand on the cool stones and used his staff out ahead of him like a blind beggar might. It was slow going, due to the unevenness of the cavern floor. Much of the time he was walking on sand under water that varied between knee deep and waist deep. After what seemed like an eternity, he felt the cavern narrow and the water began to get shallower. At last his feet left the brackish salt water and he fell to the moist sand to relax, making sure to keep the same hand on the wall so that he did not get turned around and head back the way he'd come.

He pulled his wet robes tighter around him, trying to keep out the constant chill of the cavern walls. He focused on his God, Zoran and what might be learned from what was obvious penance... Something was poking him near his hip and he felt around to see if it was a rock or outcropping.. Finally he realized it was the crystal amulet he'd found earlier, just after he'd been washed into the caverns.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:44, Sun 12 Jan 2014.
Zeeny-Deedle
player, 16 posts
HP: 7/9, AC 13
Init +0,To hit +1,1d8+1
Sat 11 Jan 2014
at 23:50
  • msg #24

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

OOC:  Correction?  Zanos==Zoran?

Zeeny leaned against the wall to anchor his consciousness to something solid in the pitch blackness.  Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the crystal amulet intending to put it in a different pocket where it would not chafe.  Out of habit he glanced at it or rather he looked where his hands should be holding the amulet.

OOC:  Sorry for the tiny post, but I felt the need to get a response on the amulet
The Usher
GM, 166 posts
Recovering Heroes
Lost in the Forge
Sun 12 Jan 2014
at 07:43
  • msg #25

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

OOC: Fixed your map. At least it reflects what you're keeping track of in your head... (you may need to refresh the page) Also, I'll fix Zanos>Zoran. For some reason I struggle with that. Is Zanos a God in something I've read somewhere else? Is that why I keep getting that wrong?

As he drew the amulet out, he was able to recognize instantly the hand of his God and the blessings of penance. After his struggles so far in the cavern he had not given up even though he felt terrified and alone. His reward was the slight glow in the gloom.  The crystal or perhaps it was even some sort of precious stone, was giving off a faint, green-tinted light, and now that his eyes were straining in the dark, where they hadn't been as much earlier, he was able to notice it. His heart swelled at the wonder of it. His resolve to survive solidified. If Zoran would provide light for his devoted acolyte, he would provide escape as well... provided Zeeny-Deedle paid the price. For it was always about paying a price...

The timing could not have been more acute, for in the instant the monk placed the amulet around his neck whereby it might guide him in the absolute darkness of this portion of the cavern, he heard a faint sound from further down the tunnel. He held perfectly still, even willing his heart to slow its beating, in order to make sure he was not just hearing things. There it was again, a low moaning, as of ghostly horror in eternal pain...
Zeeny-Deedle
player, 17 posts
HP: 7/9, AC 13
Init +0,To hit +1,1d8+1
Sun 12 Jan 2014
at 17:30
  • msg #26

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

Probably you are thinking of Zanos the God of Pertinence.  Easily confused with Zoran, the God of Penance.

His confidence restored, Zeeny picked up his staff and being as quiet as he could quickly moved down the tunnel toward the tortured moaning.  He had finally shaken the uncertainty and he felt the strength of his own served penance bolstering his spirit.  He felt ready to bring some faith to the moaner unless, of course, the moaner was already serving a penance?
The Usher
GM, 169 posts
Recovering Heroes
Lost in the Forge
Mon 13 Jan 2014
at 15:41
  • msg #27

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)

The monk made his way slowly forward, more sure of himself and a little less frightened. He found it amazing how the tiniest bit of light could instill the sense of relief he felt. He thought perhaps his eyes were playing tricks on him when the walls ahead began to move and shift. Then his ears joined in the fun and instigated tricks of their own. He thought he heard a hiss and a grumble and the footfalls of a four-legged creature. The moaning continued from the ghostly horror.

As his heart began to race again, his forward progress faltered, but the last step he took was the one that told his eyes and ears the tricks were over. He realized the shifting walls were simply the light of a torch or fire bouncing down the tunnel toward him, and the hissing and grumbling were in fact echoes of voices!


OOC: and with that, I think we'll merge this prologue into the main thread. As I've done before, Z-D you get the parting shot here, it's the end of this particular tale, and it is yours. We'll continue in the Chapter 2 thread from here on. Well played and written.

Go ahead and note down 3XP for surviving the battle at the river, surviving the crawl through the caverns and finding the other players. (Remember, I'm doing XP waaay differently in this game than is in the rules. This is my own system and we'll see how it works for now...) You are just a little behind the others because you started later, but it shouldn't unbalance things too much.

Zeeny-Deedle
player, 18 posts
HP: 7/9, AC 13
Init +0,To hit +1,1d8+1
Mon 13 Jan 2014
at 17:34
  • msg #28

Re: Prologue Two: The Zealot of Zoran (Zeeny-Deedle Only)



OOC:  don't think I need a parting shot except maybe.....;)

The brothers sat at a table.  It wasn't really a table but then again, nothing was real except thought and that was only as real as the mind thinking it weighed against the minds not thinking it.  The two were twins but never more different could two twins have been.  Zanos placed a hazy cloud on the figure Zoran had just pushed one square forward on the board.  Smiling, Zanos leaned back.  "Well brother, shall we see if your creature is actually important?  Your move."
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