The swarm flies over to Barbara provoking an attack of opportunity reaction from both Hunter and Joe. Joe manages to land a strong strike with the alchemical torch on the swarm which weakens the swarm but Hunter misses his swing. The weakened swarm flies over to Barbara and successfully manages to sting her but the stingers fail to penetrate her heavy armor so while she is probably annoyed by the swarm, she is unharmed.

OOC: While the swarm hits with a 19, the 3 piercing damage is reduced to 0 due to H.A.M. which means the 1 point of poison damage isn't inflicted due to suffering no piercing damage.
(Joe landed his AoO for 6 damage reducing the swarm down to 2hp, while Hunter missed his AoO.)

Barby is not annoyed with the bees.  She's furious with them!  To ensure the queen is dead, she crushes what remains of the hive with her shield.  With the shield now sticky with all that honey, she swings it in an arc at what's left of the swarm, sticking them to the face of the shield, and then slams her shield again into the ground.  "DIE!"

The swarm of bees is crushed beneath the shield and the buzzing in the area stops.

  Given the circumstances, Joe opts against 'you crushed them like bugs, GET IT!?' jokes.

  "I get the feeling we wouldn't have been so lucky with our armor, so thanks for getting their attention Barbara." Her resist 3 Mundane Now > Plate AC and no stealth penalty later on Joe's long distant to-do list later.

  With no further excuses to morbidly radgoll physics a dead girl, Joe goes to (after ensuring no lingering live bees waiting for one last revenge sting) carry Karda.

Amalar hurries over to Barbara to check on her. "Are you OK, Barbara?"

Mix cautiously approaches the destroyed hive and bees, curiously looking at them.

Hunter looks for any sign of tracks or whatnot around the beehive that isn't the little girl's tracks.

Hunter:rolling d20+4 survival to search area for tracks
(8)+4=12

Pyrus woulda loved the jokes, at least.  "That was awesome!"

Barbara stands up, lifting her facemask.  "Yes.  Well done, team.

"I'm fine, thanks, Amalar.

"I expected the same, Joe.  And expected that even if magically enhanced with enough tactical intelligence to recognize that fact, the bees would naturally attack the one that threatened their queen anyway.  You're welcome, but isn't it my duty to keep you safe?  Thanks to you and the rest of you as well.  You fought bravely."

Calmed from her earlier rage, she sings a hymn to the bee goddess to appease her, lest this become a recurring problem.  ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIdKjoa2pJ8 )

"Hopefully Devi Bhramari will hear and protect her daughters from this madness."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:11, Sat 04 Jan 2020.

While Hunter finds tracks in the area, only Karda's and a pig's tracks approach close to the tree and Hunter is able to follow the pigs tracks and realizes that the pig only made it another 40 feet before being attacked and killed by wolves as their tracks are all over the area where the pig's tracks ended.

Odds are that if nothing else, the bees kept Karda from learning that her pet pig had been eaten by wolves.

Joe is easily able to pick up Karda's corpse to carry it back to Levoča village.


Caeldrim and Parne follow Amalar over to Barbara and looks at the remains of the beehive, “There is little reason to linger here. If we head back to the village now, we will reach it before nightfall. I'd rather not sleep out in this woods with what is going on right now.”

Rocky glances towards Barbara and says, "I do not believe that the swarm of bees was tactically intelligent, but that they simply attacked anything that moved into their territory, so in short they acted smart due to the simple rules they followed because they were so stupid."

OOC: And in another universe with Graboids, a Shrieker sneezes.. Go watch Tremors 2 if you don't get the reference.

  'Oh and also your pig was eaten by wolves'. The most normal bad news to happen today... Oh right, NORMAL people won't react to seeing the swollen up remains of a dead child with a practiced world weariness.  So Joe wraps Karda's body in a spare cloak.

  "Honestly, I've found degrees of intelligence hardly change everything finding some logical loophole to be as troublesome to deal with as possible."

  OOC: Thankfully, we don't have any car engines for 'hunts by heat' wildlife to try and eat-Oh wait horses would get eaten too, and have proven to be found delicious by that franchise.

Amalar says, "I don't like having to stop before we have the answer to what is causing the sound that is driving the animals mad. But Caeldrim is right that we cannot afford to spend the night surrounded by such animals when we could sleep in the safety of a community."

Sure Cael and Amalar could forgo sleep more or less. Sure there could be a rotating watch. But what is likely to happen is attacks at random intervals in such a way as to  deprive everyone of any rest.

Hunter simply nods and seeing Joe wrap the child in a blanket, looks a little relieved.

Mix follows Barby as usual, no longer in the mood to count coins or whatnot, and still holding spare weapons to be vigilant in case of an ambush on the way back to town.

Barbara simply nods to the conjecture about bees and troubles in general.  Though she inwardly marvels at a druid using the word "stupid" when talking about an advanced creature such as the bee, and at the pessimist considering this as troublesome to deal with as possible.  But no need to voice more negative thoughts in an already demoralizing situation.  Seeing the child wrapped in a blanket tightens the jaw muscles and worsens the lump in the throat.

"If the village hasn't already organized a night watch, I'll be spearheading that.  The more eyes and ears we have open for deadly impending attacks in the night, the better."

Hyper-vigilant villager hears a twig snap.  Hits the panic button.  The village huts transform and merge into a giant mecha...

Pyrus has fallen silent.  It's cool when the heroes light dangerous things on fire, but a grim reminder of innocent lives being lost isn't fun.

Caeldrim leads the group back to the village using the same tracks he used to find Karda's remains to avoid any risk of getting lost in the Old Margreve woods. In response to Barbara's statement, Caeldrim speaks up, “If you're going to do that then you may also want to make sure they don't panic and just shoot arrows at shadows.”

Rocky adds his own thoughts to the matter, "Make sure those on the night watch have plenty of torches since fire can both be used to shed light but to drive off animals that fear the flames, without having to kill them... although if the animals are as corrupted as that swarm of bees... then we may have little choice in the matter."

It isn't long before the group safely reaches the village and upon informing Jarka about the fate of Karda, the woman takes her daughter's corpse and cries, but takes solace in knowing that the swarm which killed her won't be able to harm anyone else.

Since it is now evening, Caeldrim points out, “We do need a place to consider where we plan to stay for the night.”

Jarka voices a suggestion, "Anna is a widow who allows travelers to stay in her barn for a rather modest fee." as Jarka points in the direction of Anna's farmstead.

Rocky shrugs as he is content to stay with Donny and the cart since it isn't like he sleeps.

Parne remains quiet throughout this as he sits perched in a tree nearby.

OOC: If Barbara is intent on getting an organized night watch, I'll need a Charisma check with advantage and with an extra +4 modifier (due to recovering Karda's body, destroying the swarm, and letting Drash and the others know about the connection between the bull's madness and the forest') The higher the number the more villagers join in to help with a night watch.

  So mech huts would be the chicken walker variety, right?

  "Well, guess we know where we're staying tonight then.  Also given recent events, it may help to know how long this village has been here." while the end results are often the same, there is still a distinction between problems caused by swift anger compared to a long held grudge.

To Barbara's suggestion, Amalar says, "By all means, Barbara. And I shall help you with that. Caeldrim and I do not need sleep, so while one of us stays near where you all sleep, the other can be on another side of town to signal with a whistle so the one who stays with you all can wake you if there is trouble."

Hunter opts to not try comforting Jarka. Last thing he wants is the town to be in an uproar when a woman screams that a goblin tried to grab at her while she was holding her dead child.

Amalar, however, goes to comfort Jarka if just to sit by her and put an arm around her. Upon hearing the suggestion, Amalar thanks Jarka.

Amalar will, however, get to helping Barbara with putting together the night watch before the group decides to rest for the night.

OOC: Reminder for Barby to roll charisma check. If I need to make a check, I have done so already. Advantage or not, I get 12 because I rolled the same total twice. But if Amalar also gets the +4 modifier, then the total is 16.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:39, Sun 02 Feb 2020.

20:56, Today: Barbara Naur rolled 11 using 1d20+7 ((4)).
20:57, Today: Barbara Naur rolled 8 using 1d20+7 ((1)).

Barbara nods.  "Thank you."

She's sure to give last rights for the girl.  If it wasn't already mentioned, the paladin makes certain that the bereaved mother knows that the child was already dead before the heroes arrived in town, assuring her that "there was nothing more that could have been done."  This so the mother won't try and shift the guilt she feels for failing to keep the girl safe onto the ones who put their lives at risk to find her.  She's seen it before.  Mom and Dad get blamed for the most outrageous things.

Wildfyre is sent back home with an urgent demand for as much backup as can be spared.  Soldiers, healers, mages, the works.  (( Though the player is fully expecting that the module will be wrapped up long before any backup will arrive. ))

When it's time to organize a night watch, Barbara really puts her foot down.  With a powerful, stern voice that suggests much practice at giving orders, she addresses the village.

"Good people of Levoča.  We are officially at war with an unseen diabolical malevolence that clearly has no regard for whom they hurt.  I have already sent for the army, but until they arrive, consider yourselves conscripted.  The death toll is rising, and your taking this seriously now will mean the difference between your loved ones surviving or being the next to fall victim.  I will be enforcing martial law until my allies and I find and crush our enemy.  Your orders are to simply do what should come naturally to you: defend your homes.  To that end, there will be a rotating night watch.  Those who volunteer will get the shift of their choice and will be the first to be considered for promotion.  Those who do not will be chosen to fill in the gaps."

Pyrus' eyes go wide, and he quietly asides to Mix, "Yeesh.  Spoken like a real queen of hearts.  You ever seen her like this before?"

While Barbara's militaristic approach doesn't sway the villagers, Amalar's more comforting approach does inspire villagers to help out and six of them are willing to help as an improvised night watch.

While those six members of the improvised night watch think that Barbar's address is overbearing since as far as they know she doesn't have the authority to do much, even with her retainer heading off, probably to Zobeck as the nearest large city and figures it would be a week or two before anyone responded at best.

However with Caeldrim and Amalar relying on trance instead of sleeping, and Rocky's Sentry Rest there are at least two members of the party alert throughout the night. (The two elves only need four hours of rest and while Rocky will remain inert and stationary for 6 hours, he's completely aware and alert to everything that goes on around him throughout that period.)

Thus the night guard is situated in three shifts of two with either Caeldrim and Amalar lending aid with their Nightvision while the other elf and Rocky keep on guard at Anna's barn.

Throughout the early hours of the evening, nothing is amiss and the first shift wonders if this was all a wasted effort, but during the second shift, a half a dozen wolves can be heard howling nearby as the rest of the party and the other two shifts of the night watch are woken up with the night watch having torches and short bows. However, the howls grow silent as the pack appears to be trying to scare the villagers into acting in fear before trying to pick stragglers off.

Despite Barbara's earlier efforts, the villagers are disorganized and scared... however Amalar's comforting words and Barbara's stern approach manages to calm the villagers from wasting arrows at shadows and instead to only fire an arrow when they see a wolf. From the tactics being displayed, it is obvious that the wolves are angered by whatever has made the beeswarm that killed Karda angry and they are far more aggressive than normal, without having lost their normal tactics and instincts.

Initially, one of the wolves lunges at Barbara but misses as the villagers let loose on the three wolves they see, with two arrows hitting the wolf that tried to hit, one hitting a second wolf, and two hitting the third visible wolf.

Rocky tries to finish off the first wolf with a casting of Thorn Whip but the wolf manages to just evade being struck.

A second wolf then tries to lunge at Barbara but also misses, in part due to being struck by an arrow with a second arrow from the 6th villagers coming close to the wolf's snout which threw off its bite attempt.

Caeldrim quickly casts Firebolt and manages to not only hit the first wolf, which finishes it off. Caeldrim then casts Hobble on the third wolf, but the wolf manages to evade the etherial trap.

OOC: All 6 villagers, Wolves 1 & 2 have acted for this turn along with Rocky and Caeldrim. So far 1 Wolf is dead, Wolf 2 is at 6/11 hp, Wolf 3 at 5/13, Wolves 4, 5, & 6 are out of sight. After everyone rolls initiative, anyone else with an Initiative of 12 or higher can post now, then I'll post for Wolf 3 and we will continue the initiative order...

00:59, Today: Barbara Naur rolled 8 using 1d20 with rolls of 8.  init.

  Promotions are for when you are sticking around long enough to need to remember who got promoted.  But of course that would make for a terrible speech.

  "And to think, all these wolves could have stayed alive eating delicious elk as nature intended if they were not driven to take needless offense to farmland."

01:25, Today: Joe Margreve rolled 9 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 6.  Joe initiative.

Wolf 3 also lunges at Barbara and thanks to the wolves' pack tactics with Wolf 2, it manages to land a savage bite on her even though its effectiveness is reduced somewhat by Barbara's Heavy Armor Mastery. Fortunately for Barbara, she resists being knocked prone by the wolf.

OOC: Wolf 3 managed to hit Barbara and rolled max damage but instead of the 10 damage it normally would be, Barbara only suffered 7 damage and is now down to 6 of 13 hit points. Looks like Caeldrim's next action will be to use a healing kit charge to heal Barbara for 1d6+5hp which will bring her back to full health on a 2+. Next up in the initiative order is Joe, Amalar, Barbara, Hunter, and Parne. (Wolf 6 and Wolf 4 are both going to remain concealed and out of the immediate fight due to being part of the following wave.) So the exact order of who posts when among them isn't important. Although Parne's post will wait until Rocky and the Villagers.Commoners/Night Guard' next post (which will also include wolf 2 and Caeldrim). Also if Mix or Pyrus are going to be part of this fight let me know and have them act during Barbara's initiative, although I figure they are back with the cart trying to Keep Donny calm and safe during the attack...which wouldn't be hard for them.

  Joe was this close to blaming himself for Barbara's 'Even damage reduction leaves you under half health in one bite' injury.  But as he manages to barely finish the job on ending that particular wolf's life with an arrow to the throat, he settles for being glad to have been of assistance instead.

OOC: Longbow shot at Wolf 3.  Exact hit (13).  5 DMG. Wolf 3 is dead. Not moving this turn.

Amalar was indeed quite empathic and sweet to the townsfolk, playing good cop. Though in her opinion, Barby wasn't playing "Bad cop". She was just telling it like it is and what the townsfolk likely knew by now.

Seeing a wolf bite Barby, and then Joe finishing it, Amalar says, "Thank you, Joe."

Amalar sees only one wolf left. Although she knows more are out there, she doesn't know where they are. So her other plan will have to wait in favor of "just blast it with fire" being the answer to life's problems once more. She does a little dance, twirls, and hurls her hands towards the remaining wolf, burning it decent but not enough to take it down.

OOC: Amalar hit with firebolt doing 4 fire dmg on a d10.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:21, Thu 06 Feb 2020.

Mix looked ready to leap at the wolf that bit Barby, but Joe takes it down. "Bad dog! I'll teach y... nice shot, Joe!" She takes a sword and chops the dead wolf's limbs off so that if the enemy decides they are such jerks they can animate corpses, this one won't be able to do much but wiggle on the ground. "I'll be lopping limbs so they can't suddenly get back up."

Technically a smart idea, but it sounds just as much an excuse for her to vent her anger on the attackers for having hurt her friend.

Hunter lunges at the remaining wolf and it dodges one of Hunter's attacks and ALMOST dodges the other, but Hunter manages to graze it with a slash. The wolf looks barely standing. "Darn it... Don't these creatures realize they're beaten? How many do they have to lose before survival takes over and makes them flee?"

OOC: Mix ALMOST got into combat, but Joe kept her out of it. So Mix is making herself feel useful by lopping limbs off fallen wolves so they can't get back up even if magically animated. Meanwhile, Hunter did a two-weapon attack. First attack missed. Second attack hit for 1 damage. Couldn't add mod because it was the second attack.

Rocky's second attempt at using Thorn whip on a Wolf proves to be far more successful as he manages to get a devastating blow on the remaining wolf with the whip piercing the skull through an eye socket before the thorn whip yanks it's dead body hard enough to decapitate the dead wolf...

Rocky blinks and says,  "Okay..." as the warforged druid was not expecting that.

The village grows silent as the last of the three wolves of this wave has fallen dead.

The villagers look around for the next threat as they know there are more wolves but only see shadows and hold their fire.

Caeldrim takes this lull in combat to heal Barbara's wound using his healer's kit.

OOC: Rocky crit with Thorn Whip... it was super effective. Caeldrim rolled an 8 on the amount of health to heal Barbara so she's back to full health but Caeldrim can't use his Healer's feat ability on Barbara again until after the next rest.
Everyone can post what their characters are doing for the moment before I start the next wave.

When dropped to half dead in one bite, Barbara was in such pain she couldn't even scream.  Well that and the fact that her voice box was torn up from the savage bite, staining her breastplate with blood.  Well at least no one else got hurt for now.

"Good work, everyone," Barbara says, sounding like the healing made her voice box completely forget that it was shredded a moment ago, "But we're not out of the woods yet.  Those who do not have sniper positions, please tighten your formation behind me so that the enemy has to get through me first.  It may not look it from our total victory, but these things are quite deadly and could kill an exposed mage in the blink of an eye."

Leaving the sensible mop-up to the retainers, Barbara positions herself at the best place she can find to intercept any more hostile animals that look like they'll be targeting someone other than herself.  Pyrus helps Mix with mop-up.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:01, Sat 08 Feb 2020.

As everyone follows instructions, the group waits for around thirty seconds of occasionally hearing a howl followed by the dead silence of the night and occasionally the sound of a torches in the distance as the rest of the villagers are no dought awake due to the wolves.

Then without warning, three sets of yelping and snarling can be heard as in the distance, a dozen villagers are rushing the remaining three wolves with torches. With the torches being waved in their faces, the wolves are driven back. In combination with the deaths of three of their pack, the remaining wolves are demoralized and flee from the village, although not before a single wolf gets a singed tail causing it to yelp and run a bit faster.

With the last of the wolves driven off, the other villagers approach the group and the accompanying night watch and quickly learn of the 3 other wolves that have been dismembered.

Caeldrim speaks up, “With how the wolves were routed, odds are whatever is behind this will send something more dangerous next. So we'll need to prepare... if only we could figure out where the sound is coming from we could take it out at the source but we haven't been able to find a clue as to the origin of what is manipulating the animal life in the area.”

Rocky suggests, "I can keep the Speak with Animals ritual going and check around the village to try to see if I can find an area where the sounds are weaker or where they were first heard from...That might at least give us a direction."

Caeldrim nods as Parne lands on his shoulder as the alchemist adds, “And while that is going on we could try to set up some defenses for this town, maybe some traps and ways to lure a hostile force into a killing zone... A fire pit trap could work. With Amalar's Move Earth Cantrip she could create a pit that is 10ft by 10ft by 10ft in size within a few minutes... then with other means to funnel a threat into the pit, which we could do with the villagers using torches like with how they drove off the last three wolves, we could lure the threat into the pit, and then Mix could dump in that cask of oil we have and someone could light it on fire to burn the threat while restricting its ability to attack villagers or harm the village. While that is going on I will be helping villagers get supplies ready to help with the village's defense and possibly craft some alchemical supplies that could help. Blast Patch crystals would probably help the villagers as an early warning system at night, or maybe some alchemical torches or tindertwigs...”

OOC: Okay with this encounter wrapped up, everyone has now reached level two. Rocky has already stated what he plans to do during the day to try and find a clue as to the source of the sound troubling the village, Caeldrim is going to try to help the village with his alchemical knowledge.

  "This is another reason an armed and angry mob is more dangerous than 'one guy with a bigger bow'.  Filling things with as many arrows possible in a hurry tends to hurt more until you start basically cheating with magic." Or incredibly inflated levels or plot armor.  But Joe has neither of those.

  Then Caeldrim starts explaining how they should help the peasant work go better by basically cheating with magic. "Yeah, see. Like that."