It took some time for Clatterstones to come to a decision. His hand reached to his pouch three, four, maybe five times before plucking out a gold coin. While Folly sang, the little gnome scurried forward to drop it onto Avandra's plate. "For luck," he explained. "Probably only for the luck of the next wayfarers to stop here, of course -- those disreputable enough to pillage a humble shrine, the miscreants! -- but luck is luck and fortune tends to come around."

When the time came and the others were settling down, Clatterstones knew what was expected. Watch in the order of the alphabet put him first up, so he checked out the defenses and found a place from which to play sentry.

"I've not heard of this practice of setting the watch order alphabetically," in tone that suggests he is not displeased, as he stretches his arms and yawns.

"'Twas Zeric's idea," Clatsi told Ullian.

"It makes it easier to remember who to wake up for the next watch," Zeric replied to Ullian.

"If we want, we could start with someone different to change things up and then go alphabetically from there."

He shrugged, it made no difference to him.

Ullian looks relieved.

"So: it isn't some grand tradition of which I was unaware?  I'm glad to know that I hadn't missed such a thing."

A pleasant breeze whisks through the air as Folly sings his tune and Clatsi sacrifices a gold coin the Goddess of Fortune. The fragrant scent of gardenia wafts into the waystation and fills all with pleasant thoughts.

Eventually, the party settles into their campsite, establishes watch rotations based on alphabetical order, and hunkers down for the night.

Darkness falls and the fire begins to die down to glowing coals. About an hour into Sharn's watch, she hears a young child's voice in the distance, crying in the darkness, somewhere beyond the wooden palisade, south of the road.

Peering through the gaps between the wooden stakes, even with the benefit of infravision, Sharn does not see any evidence of a child in the wooded area south of the road. Perhaps the child is further afield?

OOC: Clatsi and Folly both gain a +1 fortune bonus to be used on one future die roll of their choice. They may choose to use this bonus before or after the die is rolled.

Sensing the goddess has accepted his offering, Folly bows, and backs away.

Once with the others, he only has one thing to say about the watch. "All I ask is that spell-casters get uninterrupted sleep. It is rather important to our effectiveness."

He wondered which alphabet Zeric would be using. Probably the human tongue (ugh) that race was ego-centric enough to call their language 'basic' even though it was one of the youngest (and least attractive) of the languages.

If they were to use Elvish, he would get an early watch, in Dwarvish a very late one. In the human tongue, he would never get enough sleep to cast a spell on anyone.

Typical.

Sharn grips her bardiche tighter but does not go out to investigate the sounds.  She will keep watch, as she was assigned to do, but will only be extra watchful if the noise gets closer to the camp.  Many animals and even some ill meaning fey known to sound like children in the night.  Either by their nature, or with an ill intent to drawing someone out into the darkness alone.

The unseen child's cry becomes a mournful wail interspersed with plaintive pleas.

"Mama....mama...help...help..."

The sounds of choking are then heard, again, the origin somewhere outside of Sharn's view.

"PLEASE MAMA!!!" the child cries out loud enough to stir light sleepers.

Zeric is not a light sleeper and enjoying being dry and warm.  He really should buy a bedroll, though.

The life of a bard often required one to sleep lightly, and Folly was  no exception. Stirring, glances around, trying to find the source of the sound. Obviously he doesn't, it nit being inside the shelter.

Rising, he wakes Corian to see what he wants done.

It turns out Corian is either a light sleeper or wasn't sleeping very heavily tonight, because he is already awake, though somewhat rattled, when Folly approaches.

"What...what is going on?" he says while bolting upright from his bedroll. The young man instinctively goes for the dagger he had at the ready under his rolled-up cloak, but doesn't readily find it. He frantically rifles in the folds of his cloak and eventually retrieves the dagger.

Hearing the child's cry he hastily asks, "What's that?!" while looking to the south, toward the palisade.

Presumably he sees Sharn there, peering through its gaps.

Corian kicks out of the bedroll and is on his feet, dagger at the ready.

"Sharn!" he hisses. "Who is outside?"

Folly heads back to his bedroll, and starts tugging on his boots.

"Might be someone trying to get us to leave the shelter. That'd be my guess."

Still, the cries were pretty heart-wrenching.

"No idea, it started just as a whining or crying, I thought it a wild animal.  Now with the words, it could be a trap, but as you are now awake and won't be caught unawares, let me go investigate..?"

Ullian's watch was to follow Sharn's -- and elves are light sleepers anyhow.

"I could check it out," he offers.  "Be sneaky-like, hiding, and such."

Clatsi rolled over and sat up awkwardly while reaching for his spectacles. "What? What's ... . No one should go alone." He was half-asleep and not volunteering for the duty.

Ullian checks to make sure he has what he needs and turns to Sharn.

"Let's go; I'll shadow you, so you may not see me, but I'll be there and near."

Folly simply stares out into the darkness, uncertain as to the best course of action.

Sharn, who was on watch, is ready, and merely nods at the elf's offer to shadow her.

Weapon in hand, she will step outside and look around.  If she still can't see anything and the voice continues, she'll move cautiously towards it, no more than 20 feet.

If it is still calling out, she will respond. "Who calls out?"

Watching Sharn step out into the darkness, Folly's first instinct is that she is in on am ambush of some sort. He closes the gate behind her, but hesitates before deciding not to throw the bar. Instead he opens it enough to poke his head out.

Peering outside, he will strive to determine where the cry is coming from.

[Private to GM: OOC The range for Light is 12" which I believe is 120 yards. If we can hear it, is is closer than that. If he thinks he has the location pinpointed, he will cast that spell. It generates a twenty foot radius globe.

light (Alteration) Reversible
Level: I Components: V, S
Range: 12”
Duration 6 turns + 1 turn/level
Area of Effect: 2” radius globe
Explanation/Description: This spell causes excitation of molecules so as to
make them brightly luminous. The light thus caused is equal to torch light
in brightness, but its sphere is limited to 4” in diameter. It lasts for the
duration indicated (7 turns at 1st experience level)
or until the caster utters a word to extinguish the light.]

Ullian slips out when Sharn does and does his best to both keep to the shadows and to keep Sharn in sight.

Sharn and Ullie open the palisade door and slip out into the darkness while the rest of the party peers through the gaps between the palisade's walls.

It grows very quiet as the two emerge from the waystation, even the buzzing insects cease their incessant racket for the moment. Folly turns his ear in an effort to locate the source of crying, which has also ceased.

Sharn edges out from the waystation about 20 feet, while Ullie remains closer to the wall, cloaked in deep shadow.

A few moments pass while Sharn scans the area, perhaps thinking of calling out again, when the sound of fast-beating hooves approaches.

Folly begins chanting as soon as he hears this and casts light in that direction.

Though obscured by brush, trees, and the shadows caused by them, the the party briefly catches a glimpse of some sort of horrific patchwork animal, about the size of a very large bull mastiff, charging at Sharn with great speed!

Its head, low-slung and wedge shaped, appears vaguely badger-like, if badger's had glowing red eyes! The beast's body is a strange cross between a stag and a hyena. Its cloven hooves tear up the ground as the monster races out of the darkness into the light, its tufted tail waving energetically behind it.

The beast laughs excitedly, its laughter sharing human and hyena-like qualities. As it bounds toward Sharn, its drooling maw open and baring jagged bony ridges in place of teeth, the air becomes thick with the noxious stench of carrion and filth.

OOC: PCs win initiative and will have an opportunity to take actions before the beast reaches Sharn. It is quite fast and able to close 180 feet in one round!

The area is illuminated and everyone can see, thanks to Folly's spell.

Horrid Mimic Beast of the Night
AC 5
HP: ??/??


PC      AC   HP   AP  10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  0 -1 -2  Notes
Clatsi  10  05/05  1  11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20 20 |
Folly    7  07/07  2  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20 |
Sharn    4  13/13  1  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20 | AC 3 w/shield
Ullian   4  07/07  3  11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20 20 |
Zeric    4  11/11  3  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 20 |



[Private to GM:

  HD       9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1   0   -1  -2  -3
Up to 1    10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20  20
1+ to 2    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20
2+ to 3    8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
3+ to 4    7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19
4+ to 5    6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18
5+ to 6    5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17
6+ to 7    4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16
7+ to 9    3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15
9+ to 11   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14
11+to 13   2   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13
13+to 15   2   2   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12
]

PCs ARE UP!

Wishing he had grabbed his crossbow, Folly instead casts Bless on as many of the party members as he can, while still including those already outside. He will then run for his gear and grab his crossbow and some bolts. Not sure how long that will take.

[Private to GM: Wow, very cool! A new one on me. Love the picture. ]

Ullian lacks a long range weapon.  He draws two daggers, and waits.

If Sharn holds her ground (as Ullian suspects she will), he will throw them at the beast when it gets within range (hopefully with surprise, although the elf has no idea if the creature knows he's there).

If Sharn does not hold her ground, Ullian will hold his fire and sneak his way back to the compound.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:05, Sat 16 Oct 2021.

Sharn, straining her night vision into the darkness, is suddenly blinded by the sudden light. She staggers back a step, raises her arm to shield her eyes while they adjust.  She hears the rushing hooves, the strange human/animal noises, and lowers her arm and sees a creature she's never heard tell of before streaking towards her.  She braces her legs for impact, and raises the bardiche, and as it comes near, brings it to strike.


20:06, Today: Sharn Thanatol rolled 6 using 2d4+1.  damage.

20:05, Today: Sharn Thanatol rolled 18 using 1d20+1.  attack.