A noise from behind one of the trees alerts everybody that something's afoot: a short blue humanoid creature with a huge ugly head is trying to sneak past the group and catch them by surprise.

Unfortunately for the ugly little thing, and fortunately for the heroes, it just stepped on a twig.

---

Everybody rolled at least 16, so the bad guys don't get a surprise round. Good for you.

- Perception 16 will spot one ugly blue creature.
- Perception 17 will spot two ugly blue creatures.
- Perception 18 will spot two ugly blue creatures *and* hear a buzzing from the center of bushes.

Roll init, post your actions for the round, and remember: you win this, you wake up in the morning with an extra level. You lose this... Well, we'll burn that bridge when we get to it. Roll nature to identify the ugly little things. Identifying the structure at the center of the bushes was Nature 13, but you've probably guessed what it is.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:45, Thu 02 Feb 2017.

Aran sees all  of the gathered enemies converge on the group and immediately jumps into action. He positions himself so that he is a full 25 feet away from the closest of the creatures. He then yells something in an aggressive and fiery tongue and makes an arcane gesture.


15:46, Today: Aran Kalisar rolled 3 using 1d6.  Ear-Piercing  Scream damage.  Fort Save of  17 or dazed.

Leonia pulls a vial of alchemical grease from her pouch. She casts a Grease spell under the feet of the two uglies, causing them to lose their footing.

Initiative 18 on d20+4.
Knowledge Nature 20 on d20+9.

Grease spell with alchemical power focus. Reflex Save DC 16 or fall.

The muttering of his companions alerts him to the 'others' in their vicinity much better than he snapping twig did. Little blue humanoids...critters...whatevers, moving about the little glade they'd discovered. Seeing that they were blue, he initially wonders if they might be distant cousins of his, through some offshoot of their genetic lines, but mentally shakes his head and dismisses the thought.

Then he wonders if they were the creators of the structure in the middle of the clearing, or just inhabiting it. Or perhaps they were usurpers of the place, causing mayhem and mischief to more than just poor old Maron.

Then he wonders why the little dinosaur tracker hadn't smelled these things along with the flowers and perfumes, and warned them earlier. Perhaps they were able to mask their own scent? Or were magical in nature and so had none?

Then he realizes he should get himself ready, as his partners begin defending themselves with spells. A quick glance at the waterproof script he'd plastered to the back of his shield, a few muttered words of prayer and thanks, and a faint aura coalesces around Dakash's form.


Eh...initiative roll of 3...my ability to roll a 1 when the DM needs me to seems right on track! No clue what's up with the K:Nature result of 7.
Cast Shield of Faith on self.

Aran's spell hits the closest creature, and the thing's ears start bleeding. The creature drops to one knee with a yelp of pain, then, a moment later, as Leonia's spell takes effect, it drops flat on its face.

The second creature's feet slip every which way, but, after a comedic moment of flailing its arms, it manages to stay standing. It points its fnger at Leonia, and its eyes bulge open, looking as if they want to explode out of its head. A feeling of dread washes over the wizard.

Out of the seemingly wooden structure in the middle of the bushes, a buzzing dark cloud rises, and flies over to envelop Aran. Hundreds of angry insects bite and sting at the young sorcerer trying to permanently stop his spellcasting, along with his breathing and his living.

A moment later, the same feeling that hit Leonia slams into Aran and Dakash as well, as two more creatures jump out from behind the trees and perform the same finger-pointing motion.

Dakash, who was preparing to defend against the ugly blue creatures, hesitates for a moment, then moves closer to Aran and touches him lightly while casting a spell.

---

Aran, this is not your lucky day, though it could have been much worse.
- You take 7 points of damage. You are staggered and cannot take strenuous actions.
- You must attempt at a DC 13 Fort save or suffer an additional point of Dexterity damage.
- You must also succeed at a Fort save DC 1 to avoid being nauseated until the beginning of the swarm's next round.

Finally, roll willpower everyone. DC 10 to avoid being shaken. This is before Dakash's turn.

Init:
Aran  29
Leonia 18
Mite C 15
Swarm 13
Mite A 10 (on the ground)
Mite D 5
Mite B 5
Dakash 3

This message was last edited by the GM at 12:22, Sat 04 Feb 2017.

With the raw elemental power of fire running through his veins, Aran does not yield before the distracting swarm. Though he knows that it will cause him to fall, the young sorcerer does what he does best; he sets it on fire. He takes a step away from the swarm and shoves his hands forward in a violent motion and once more speaks something in a fiery tongue. A gout of flames bursts forth from his hands and burns the swarm that had enveloped him.

13:38, Today: Aran Kalisar rolled 2 using 1d6.  Shock Shield Release Damage.
0:50, Today: Aran Kalisar rolled 11 using 1d20+2.  Will Save vs. Shaken.
10:50, Today: Aran Kalisar rolled 14 using 1d20+1.  Fort Save vs Nausea.
10:48, Today: Aran Kalisar rolled 14 using 1d20+1.  Fort Save.


Edited to do burning hands instead of shock shield b/c I forgot I don't have fire resistance yet.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:42, Fri 03 Feb 2017.

"What the-" The swarm was much faster than he'd anticipated, seemingly appearing out of nowhere and rushing them...the least armored and robust of them...without warning.

Stopping in mid sentence of his protective spell, the warrior-priest instead calls to mind his prayer for disarming a foe, and reshapes the magic to assist in the mending of wounds. He reaches Aran's side and grabs the man's shoulder just long enough to make contact, but the biting swarm repels his actions, and contact is broken before much actual healing can be done.

Spying the vicious little spellcaster that hadn't remained prone during the attack, Dakash hurls his scimitar at the thing, calling upon his deity to allow it to strike home and vanquish his foe.


Piddly heal for 2 wounds, Aran...but thank you GM for allowing the swap!
09:02, Yesterday: Dakash Szagdala rolled 24 using 1d20+6.  will save.

09:03, Yesterday: Dakash Szagdala rolled 15 using 1d20+5.  hurl scimitar at caster.
09:04, Yesterday: Dakash Szagdala rolled 7 using 1d6+2.  damage.

Leonia casts Prestidigitation. At her gesture, streamers and confetti of brightly-colored cloth eject from her raised hands to shower the swarm. Soon the swarm is covered in tiny square cloths.


OOC : can she add scents to the cloth pieces?

A burst of flames blinds and scorches the swarm, and a moment later a party grenade explodes in its midst. Confused, enraged and distracted, the wasps focus on the annoying bits of paper and light cloth rather than the party.

One of the mites pulls a tiny shiny object from a belt pouch, and throws it at Leonia, hitting her in the neck. Despite the small wound, the amount of blood on Leonia's robe looks rather worrysome.

The mite Aran wounded stands up slowly, but makes no moves to attack.

Its two remaining brethren, on the other hand, do their best to turn Dakash into a pin cushion. One dart flies past the warpriest, but the other hits him in the knee.

In response, the warpriest's scimitar flies from his hand, slicing and dicing the mite that just hit Leonia. The creature falls on its face in a pool of blood.

---

Aran, please roll damage for burning hands (1d4; the swarm will take an additional +50%).

Leonia, you take 3 points of damage from the mite Dakash just downed. You can add scent to the party grenade, but it won't really do much as a combat tool. It's mostly useful for actual parties :P

Dakash, you take two points of damage from the other mite, who seems more than a little worried that he might be next on your to-kill list.

Init:
Aran 29 (2 hp left)
Leonia 18 (5 hp left)
Mite C 15 (slowly bleeding on the ground)
Swarm 13 (distracted until the beginning of Leonia's next turn)
Mite A 10 (standing and slowly limping away)
Mite D 5 (metaphorically crapping its pants)
Mite B 5 (strongly considering a career in accounting)
Dakash 3 (8 hp left)

This message was last edited by the GM at 17:22, Tue 07 Feb 2017.

08:02, Yesterday: Aran Kalisar rolled 2 using 1d4.  Burning hands damage.

Aran moves to distance himself as far away from the swarm as possible. "Thanks, Priest!" He yells to Dakash as he begins intoning another spell, which he casts at one of the Mites attacking Dakash.


Aran does 6 damage to a mite
23:57, Today: Aran Kalisar rolled 6 using 1d6.  Ear-Piercing Scream [Fire] damage. Must make a dc17 Fort Save or Dazed.

Leonia maintains the flower shower covering the swarm. She hopes the others can take the mites down, though she cannot spare the concentration to check.

"You force our hand, small ones!" Dakash, perhaps seeming larger than life to these diminutive [and rather annoying] creatures attacking them, shouts as Aran and Leonia move out of the line of fire.

"Was it not enough to slay an innocent farmer? Must you make us harm nature's bounty as well?" Seeing the effect the wizard's spell was having on the swarm of wasps, the warrior-priest, still near them, thrusts the torch he's carrying into their midst, hoping to disperse the insects with the combination of magic and fire.


Since I ended my turn next to Aran to heal him and haven't moved, I'll just 'attack' the swarm. If it is nonmoving I don't know what bonuses I get, or if it will even be there when my initiative rolls around...so I'll stay online and let the GM instruct me on what dice to roll, if any, then edit them into this post.

Aran yells at a mite, and its ears catch on fire. Literally. Then its head follows suit, and it falls to the ground dying.

The last mite hesitates for a moment, giving Dakash time to thrust his torch at the swarm... And at the stream of very light, very flammable items created by Leonia.

The resulting burst of flames kills more than a few of the swarm's members, causing the remaining ones to move away from the source of the fire.

The last unharmed mite suddenly remembers an urgent previous engagement and runs away as fast as its little legs can carry it, while its wounded companion slowly limps away.

---

Dakash, roll reflex DC 10 to avoid one point of fire damage. The swarm has been burned for 3 points (2 + 50%) by Aran's burning hands first and the result of Dakash and Leonia's combined efforts then, so it's down 6 points.

This message was last edited by the GM at 10:48, Fri 10 Feb 2017.

The unexpected ignition of the 'confetti' almost catches Dakash off-guard, but his instincts kick in and he is, thankfully, not singed.


07:06, Today: Dakash Szagdala rolled 21 using 1d20+2.  reflex save.

Once Dakash accidentally sets Leonia's party bomb on fire, Aran gets an idea (and a big scary smile) and decides to start setting it on fire on purpose - from a safe distance, and using a simple cantrip, in order to avoid being caught in the blast.

The concerted efforts of the two spellcasters, with additional help from Dakash's torch, quickly destroy most of the wasps, and the scattered remains of the swarm eventually decide to retreat to the center of the clearing, into the structure amidst the bushes.

What at first sight appeared to be a wooden structure is, on closer inspection, revealed to actually be a large wasp nest, even though its shape and placement are more than a little peculiar.

The strong smell from the bushes in the center of the clearing is very obviously the same that Dakash had originally picked up at the site of the attack.

Once reassured that the area is safe, Scarlet heads over to the dead mites, and confirms that indeed that is the smell she had been following.

Apparently, they covered their tracks very well, as there is no trace of their passage outside the tree patch, but they seemingly forgot to wash the scent off their path.

---

The two dead mites carry a total of (value in cp in parentheses):

- two daggers (400 cp)
- eleven darts (550 cp)
- 5 gold pieces (500 cp, natch)
- 3 silver pieces (30 cp)
- 12 copper pieces (12 cp)
- two pewter medals with a weird symbol (roll Appraise)
- five leather shoe laces (1 cp if you sell something else along with them)
- a chipped bit of something that could possibly at one point have been a button (roll Appraise)
- a small wooden replica of an archery target (which the arcane spellcasters recognize as the focus for True Strike) (you can probably get a few cp if you roll a good Diplomacy)
- what looks like a burnt wooden holy symbol... too damaged to tell which deity it was consecrated to (same as the TS focus)
- bits and pieces of tattered cloth stitched together into something you could try to call "two outfits for a small-sized creature" (roll Appraise)

If and when you roll Appraise, please specify for which bit of... Treasure... Each roll is.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:50, Tue 14 Feb 2017.

"Is this nest something that can be moved to a better place, or should we destroy it and force the wasps to relocate?" Dakash wasn't one to unnecessarily go about making things homeless, even when they'd attacked him first, but clearly the things in this clearing were not going to get along with their neighbors. Something had to be done.

Going over the items they'd discovered, he pays more attention to the pewter things than anything else. He felt like he'd seen things like this before, but couldn't quite be sure.

"Do you suppose any of this used to belong to Maron? Or other victims from a previous location they've preyed upon?" He wasn't even really sure what 'they' were, or where 'they' were from, but he had a feeling he wasn't going to learn much by questioning the mites.


19:27, Today: Dakash Szagdala rolled 15,3 using d20+2,d20+2.  Appraise: pewter & 'chipped bits'.

14 on History for the pewter stuff [or 17 if Religion is more appropriate], too.

Dakash, you lose a random spell - which, considering you burned a spell earlier to heal Aran, means you are now out of spells (you forgot to tick the spell you converted in the consumables thread) - and take a point of Intelligence damage. The pewter thingies now look shiny, like polished silver, and the engraving on them is much clearer - except your thoughts hurt if you look at it too much. Which also means you cannot recall anything about it.

I'll also mention that Dakash is the only one who has a proper "mai brane hertz" effect when looking at the pewter/silver/whatever that is medals: everybody else feels very mildly disoriented, and unsure as to why these simple thingies would be of any interest.

They look like worthless pieces of junk that should be tossed away and propmtly forgotten. Yes they do. Let's just forget about them.

As for the nest, it would of course be a Knowledge Nature roll.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:21, Wed 15 Feb 2017.

"Junk. Toss it away except for the coins." Leonia,says as she looks at the nest.


Knowledge Nature 16 on d20+9.

"No. It's..." The man squints and shakes his head slightly, as if fighting off a headache. "It's...different. Something is...here." He sets the pewter item down and feels only slightly better. Perhaps it was an aftereffect of fighting the magical mites.

He stands, his face bearing a deep frown. "Whatever property it holds, it has drained some of my magical reserves. Whether by trap or design, I do not know." He looks down at the thing lying on the ground now at his feet.


Does this entitle me to an Arcana roll or something? Already got the 17 Religion check from before hovering in the air.
10 Arcana or 12 Spellcraft if appropriate.

Aran shows little interest in the random bits of loot, and does nods his head in agreement with Leonia's assessment.

"What do you mean something's 'Here'?" He asks Dakash, as he sets the pewter item down. "And as for the hive, well. those things got away. As long as they are still around to cause trouble this hive is a danger to the town."

Dakash, you lose all remaining uses of your Blessings for the day.

Everybody else no longer feels completely and entirely disinterested in the pewter thingies, though they still look rather forgettable.

Aran, note that the wasps retreated *inside* the nest, so essentially they are still here, just no longer that eager to fight.

Leonia, it's possible to move the nest in a place where the wasps won't pose a danger to human settlements, a druid would be able to do so with little to no risk. The shape of the nest puzzles you, however, though you couldn't tell why.

Also note: the only bits your characters were totally and utterly disinterested in let's just leave them here and forget about them are the pewter thingies, anything else you see just about the way I described them.

(Since you the players cannot see the nest nor the engravings, know that the nest's shape vaguely resembles the engravings. Your characters aren't quite aware of that fact, except in that the shape of the nest bothers them for some reason.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:09, Thu 16 Feb 2017.

Leonia, puzzled for some reason by the shape of the nest, casts Detect Magic, wondering if the fey mites altered the nest in some fashion.


Detect Magic


01:14, Today: Leonia Sunstorm rolled 23 using 1d20+9.  Knowledge Arcana.
01:13, Today: Leonia Sunstorm rolled 13 using 1d20+11.  spellcraft to ID magic properties.

Leonia, you detect magic behind you, specifically in the small pile of bits and stuff that the party is evaluating. The chipped bit of something that may possibly have been a button? It's crystallized mana, a single-use naturally occurring crystal which allows spellcasters to cast a single spell they know or have memorized. It can also be expended to add a charge to a spell trigger item whose highest spell level is no higher than the crystal's own. You use the crystal as you cast the spell, which must be a spell you either know or have memorized and not yet used, depending on how you cast spells, and your slot is not expended as a result. consider it a single-use runestone of power that is not only for spontaneous casters.

They are considered trade items among wizards and can be traded to other wizards for 200 gp per spell level squared. This is also the price for which you can buy them from shopkeepers, should you be fortunate enough to find one selling any. Given its size, this seems to be a first level mana crystal. Yes you can search for them if you so wish. No they are not easy to find. Yes there will be powerful enemies guarding them.

Some of the rags the mites were using as clothes also appear to come from a magic item of some kind, though it is hard to tell what exactly they did when they were intact.

It is interesting that they still carry some magical power, normally broken items, let alone torn up ones, do not retain any magical ability.

You also notice an aura around the pewter medals, but it doesn't belong to any school of magic. Closest you would point to is universal, but that doesn't quite feel right.

It's probably nothing important, though. (Roll willpower)

This message was last edited by the GM at 17:04, Thu 16 Feb 2017.

Dakash, somewhat perplexed at the effect he seems to be experiencing, refuses to believe that such a small thing can possibly have the power to sever his connection with his divine guide. He remains in place, stooping to pick up the pewter items again and study them more closely.

A moment later, Dakash follows up on his intention to carefully look at the pewter medals... By picking them up along with everything else and just throwing the whole bunch in a sack.

He is not sure how or why, but in the back of his mind there is this little voice telling him he just narrowly avoided a rather unfortunate end.

At this point, the entire party is starting to feel tired, and are starting to have half a mind of just setting the hive on fire an calling it a day. Aran especially, as one might imagine.

As far as they can tell, the entire patch of trees is isolated enough that it is very unlikely to cause major problems if they decide to follow that particular course of action. On the other hand, Lia is a druid, so setting trees on fire is bound to make her less than perfectly happy.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:37, Fri 17 Feb 2017.