Garus nods as Zeig agrees three for is good enough for him Pulling his sheild off his armor he grabs the thing in both ands slams it into the ground at one of the edges to where he thinks the base camp should start he then pulls his backpack up and sets it infront of him. Pulling a silk rope out and drops it on the ground, "Alright i hope that magic bag of yours has a shovel. We need one plus someone start taking this rope tie it to my sheild and make a circle as our camp. We will use it as a border to hold the dirt in place to start with. If we have more rope we can create a larger border allowing us to get the dirt piled quicker. In addition it should allow for us to tie whatever we put over the top down. Someone can start that and ill need help to get out of this armor quickly."

ZEIG pulls two shovels out of the survival pouch for JAGA and Garus, who immediately set to work. Garus's tower shield is soon found to actually be quite useful, and allows for the other three to help move quantities of dirt around on top of it.
13:29, Today: teslas, on behalf of Garus, rolled 26 using 1d20+11. Survival + Strength, Hour #1.
13:29, Today: teslas, on behalf of JAGA, rolled 25 using 1d20+11. Survival + Strength, Hour #1.
13:30, Today: teslas, on behalf of DAI, rolled 20 using 1d20+4. Intelligence check, aid another.
13:30, Today: teslas, on behalf of ZEIG, rolled 6 using 1d20+2. Intelligence check, aid another.
SILI has Cheer which applies here.
Final Totals for Hour #1:
Garus: 30
JAGA : 25

Garus, using his large frame to its fullest and wishing he had a larger shovel to match, accomplishes the work that three normal men could do in one hour with the help of the unequipped DAI and SILI moving some dirt for him. JAGA, no slouch in his own right, doubles the work any commoner could do.

All through the first hour the same type of huge, intermittent rain drops fall. Somehow, the clouds look even closer to bursting than they already did, but do not.
13:33, Today: teslas rolled 72 using 1d100. 10% chance rain falls (1-10%).

13:36, Today: teslas, on behalf of SILI, rolled 3 using 1d20+2. CON check vs. fatigue.
13:36, Today: teslas, on behalf of DAI, rolled 12 using 1d20+2. CON check vs. fatigue.
13:36, Today: teslas, on behalf of ZEIG, rolled 11 using 1d20+2. CON check vs. fatigue.
13:36, Today: teslas, on behalf of JAGA, rolled 4 using 1d20+3. CON check vs. fatigue.
13:35, Today: teslas, on behalf of Garus, rolled 19 using 1d20+4. CON check vs. fatigue.

JAGA and SILI tire after this hour of work. DAI and ZEIG, while feeling noticably less spry, can continue unfettered. Garus hardly notices.

5/8 hours complete. SILI can still use Cheer to his heart's content, even while exhausted (which he might become if he does it again). JAGA can continue to work, but the penalty to his strength score will affect his results, and he could become exhausted. This is ZEIG's territory.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:46, Wed 11 July 2012.

Sili will indeed cheer the others on from the sidelines, until/unless Zeig takes away his fatigue.

GM Edit-
This and the below two posts have had their ingame timestamp corrected.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:39, Fri 13 July 2012.

Zeig will use Restore on Jaga and hold out on Sili for now.
MP: 56/67

Casting it twice after you are exhausted is better than possibly 3 or 4 times. If we can actually get decent sleep here then you guys will recover from fatigue after a night's rest too.
This message was last updated by the GM at 17:39, Fri 13 July 2012.

Garus keeps pushing, "Come on guys we can do this. We are so close to done just one more hour."
This message was last updated by the GM at 17:39, Fri 13 July 2012.

Everyone continues working, though SILI now sits on the mound to "keep it packed" while instructing others on logistical matters to increase timing and efficiency as well as tells some jokes to take their minds off of the dreary surroundings and labor.

Unfortunately, Garus's shovel breaks from all of the strain put on it from the hour before. A lot of time is lost as it is wedged back together and a couple carefully placed Mendings are cast. Afterward, Garus works more slowly to avoid breaking his shovel again. ZEIG finally gets a handle on the situation, and manages to put in some quality effort. JAGA, perhaps to prove himself, matches what Garus accomplished in the previous hour.
12:06, Today: teslas, on behalf of Garus, rolled 12 using 1d20+11.
12:05, Today: teslas, on behalf of JAGA, rolled 20 using 1d20+11. Survival + Strength, Hour #2.
12:08, Today: teslas, on behalf of DAI, rolled 22 using 1d20+4. Intelligence check, aid another.
12:07, Today: teslas, on behalf of ZEIG, rolled 10 using 1d20+2. Intelligence check, aid another.
SILI has Cheer which applies here.
Final Totals for Hour #1:
Garus: 12
JAGA : 31
One cantrip from both DAI and ZEIG expended to fix the shovel, or rather, to help jury-rig it. DAI casts Illuminate again so that they can see while they work.
DAI and ZEIG then spread out the canvas, double it over, and hold it down while JAGA and Garus pile dirt over the top of it, then drive their shovels into the ground on either side functioning very well as stakes.

9/8 man hours complete. You've been able to get the mound a few inches taller than originally planned.

After two hours of intense labor, JAGA and Garus are spent. SILI, not accustomed to being up past his bedtime when it's not in a tavern full of ale and women, almost falls asleep near the end of the second hour. DAI had enough of a break while fixing Garus's shovel, though ZEIG apparently did not.
12:12, Today: teslas, on behalf of SILI, rolled 4 using 1d20+2. DC 12 CON check vs. exhaustion.
12:12, Today: teslas, on behalf of DAI, rolled 14 using 1d20+2. DC 12 CON check vs. fatigue.
12:11, Today: teslas, on behalf of ZEIG, rolled 19 using 1d20+2. DC 12 CON check vs. fatigue.
12:11, Today: teslas, on behalf of JAGA, rolled 7 using 1d20+3. DC 12 CON check vs. fatigue.
12:11, Today: teslas, on behalf of Garus, rolled 6 using 1d20+4. DC 12 CON check vs. fatigue.

Everyone crawls into what is a muddy, dank hole in the ground with canvas on top. For the next hour, only the few random raindrops can be heard falling on it. Boredom would be in the party's minds if they weren't so tired. The few times someone crawls outside to relieve themselves, the sky is just as black and featureless.

Then, just after 9pm, it begins. The downpour hits the canvas above you like a drum. Speaking must be done loudly so that others can hear it. ZEIG and JAGA prop their staves up underneath the canvas so that water runs off instead of pooling in the middle.

Some of you may find it calming. SILI plays a couple songs as he's laying under the canvas, and actually falls asleep during his own second song.

DAI can cast Illuminate once before he falls asleep so that Garus can see most of the time when he's on watch. ZEIG will have to expend six cantrips while he's on watch with Garus. Because they occur during his 8 hours of rest time to regain his spells, he does not get them back.

ZEIG rebandages MILO's feet and keeps them elevated a bit so that they have a chance to dry out as well as they might in this type of situation.
12:25, Today: teslas, on behalf of ZEIG, rolled 21 using 1d20+6. Heal for MILO's foot rot.
This is the first time he's passed his save vs. the disease. He takes no more damage this day, and is partly on his way to recovering (though that will be ruined by another day of walking in the muck)

Near the last part of the last hour of sleeping, a very small amount of water begins to show at the bottom of the hole. lifting up the canvas slightly, ZEIG notices the water is less than an inch from the top of their mound. It has risen over one and a half feet. He waits as long as he can to allow everyone to fully rest.

You have less than 10 minutes before the water spills over the sides, drenching all of you. The water level outside is almost 3' deep once you get off your walls and then off of where the mound used to be. Removing the canvas and letting the rain hit the dirt will cause it to fail within a minute.

As JAGA is standing up, he realizes his feet have suffered the same fat as MILO's paws. They are raw, oozing a bit of fluid, and painful to walk on--reminding him constantly that there is a fungus growing on him.
12:29, Today: teslas, on behalf of JAGA, rolled 9 using 1d20+8. Fortitude vs. foot-rot.
1 Dexterity damage, 1 Charisma damage.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:50, Fri 13 July 2012.

"Hey Dai, I don't know why this didn't occur to me before, but can I borrow your Arcanist Gloves for a minute? I can make short work of this Foot Rot on Jaga and Milo with them, although they will be used for the day."

If Dai complies then I will cast Basuna on Milo and Jaga. If this is temporary ability damage, then I'll Benediction at the end of the day to remove it, unless removing the disease heals the damage. If it is permanent there isn't anything I can do anyways.

Basuna x2 MP: 59/67

"We best get on the road before we all get soaked. Chocobos?"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:50, Thu 12 July 2012.

If there were a sunrise happening somewhere, you'd be none the wiser. It is as dark as midnight currently. The raindrops are falling relentlessly in the billions. Any time you spend outside has you immediately soaked, just as if you'd jumped into a pool of water.

Waiting on DAI, as per OOC. Everyone else is free to do what they like, of course.

SILI, since your canvas is wet, add 10 lbs to its weight for now. You can let it dry out the next time you have the opportunity, but it will not dry out while in your extra-dimensional space.

edit-
I assumed DAI would let you do this, and removed foot-rot from JAGA and MILO.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:05, Thu 12 July 2012.

Sili pulls out his harp before packing in the canvas. Then he climbs aboard the chocobo.

Harp weighs 14 lb. and I normally keep it stored in my bag, so that should be enough.

"I say yes to the Chocobos." Jaga says. "I don't want to stand in this water any more then I needs to."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:30, Fri 13 July 2012.

DAI conjures up a chocobo for each of them, then looks down at MILO. "Well, I could always make a yellow one for him, if you thought there was some way of keeping him on it..."

Sili climbs back down. "Yeah, this is a bit difficult. I think my chocobo can carry him, though it would probably go slower. If you have the energy, I wouldn't mind tying him to a new one so we can go faster. I'll calm him down, I need someone to pick him up and someone to tie the rope."

Taking 20, for a total of 33.

The DC for a make-shift harness for MILO to easily escape in an emergency would be 25. JAGA has a dex bonus high enough to take a 20 for that along with using SILI's silk rope.

SILI, 50' of your silk rope is in use. I have removed it from your party inventory thread for the time being.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:56, Fri 13 July 2012.

The party formulates their plan, then at once springs up in order to pack up the canvas and get on top of chocobos.

DAI summons five yellow chocobos and uses his circlet for Garus's green one. MP: 43/68. MILO squirms a bit, but eventually understands that being on top of the giant bird will mean he won't have to swim or get more paw-rot.

In less than a few minutes, between the rain and the already-high water level, the embankments around their hole-camp are overcome. The bowl fills with murky water in less than fifteen seconds.

Within a few minutes after that, everyone is soaked through and through.

Everyone's carry weight has been increased by 5% and you have obtained the Drenched status due to the water in your clothing, hair, running down your skin, and all over the things you're carrying.

The chocobos and Gurlop have not obtained this status ailment, as their feathers cause the water to run off harmlessly, though the chocbos are more encumbered by their riders who now weigh slightly more, and Gurlop will obtain it if he takes flight for more than a short period of time.

ZEIG and DAI both have a strong hunch that today's weather, the total absence of light due to the thick clouds, and the odd weight they're feeling from it might be compounded by the day's affinity or some other source.
12:44, Today: teslas, on behalf of DAI, rolled 30 using 1d20+14. Spellcraft.
12:43, Today: teslas, on behalf of ZEIG, rolled 30 using 1d20+12. Spellcraft.

ZEIG's last Illuminate cast is going to wear off in a little under an hour.

It is currently as dark as a night without a moon. Visibility is very, very limited when you add the rain on top of that. (Due to two of the party members having 5 ranks in Survival, there's no chance of you going in circles or the wrong way, so no worries there.) Without any light source, everyone can see out to 10' as if it were dimly illuminated (20% concealment). Everything past that for another 20' is nearly indistinguishable, but can be seen (50% concealment). Low-light vision doubles both ranges as normal.

Are you guys going to keep using cantrips to light your way? If so, you only have 8 left between the two of you. This is 9 and 1/3rd hours of light "for free", but only one person will have a light source, and they'll probably be up front. After that you can start spending 1 point of MP per cast if you wish.

Since you're all effectively large-sized right now, if one person had a light source up front, the guy in the back couldn't really see a damn thing.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:00, Fri 13 July 2012.

Zeig pulls out his hooded lantern, pours some oil in, and attempts to light it and keep it sheltered from the rain.

If I can actually get the lantern working I'll go 2nd or 3rd. Bright light 30' and dim light 60'.

ZEIG's attempts, initially, do not go well. After a some frustration, someone else comes over and holds their hat or shield over the lantern, and eventually it lights up. He hands it off to DAI.

Lantern, Hooded
A hooded lantern clearly illuminates a 30-foot radius and provides shadowy illumination in a 60-foot radius. It burns for 6 hours on a pint of oil. You can carry a hooded lantern in one hand.

The light is bright enough to find your way. Any brighter of a light would hardly be of much more use. The rain is so thick, and the splashing it makes against the water so frothful, that useful visibility is reduced beyond a moderate distance, regardless of illumination.

The one, small bit of good news about the day's travel, which may or may not occur to everyone, is that the sound of the rain and the reduced visibility means that it would be fairly difficult for anything to notice your passing--especially if it were swimming beneath the surface of the water. Only the light from your lantern would betray you, and even then after 180' or so its light is nearly entirely obscured.

A few hours into the walk the water level decreases steadily. The chocobos, while not happy and obviously struggling, manage to keep from slipping or toppling over during the trip. Garus' poor green chocobo is probably having the worst time of all, and MILO's chocobo is obviously annoyed at having to deal with both the environment and a dog on its back that squirms around every five minutes.

Halfway through the day the rain remains consistent. The party stops, shifts around in their saddles, and breaks for a quick lunch of soon-soggy trail rations from the survival pouch. MILO's ropes are checked and tightened or loosened accordingly. The chocobos do enjoy the time to stand around, but don't get very suitable rest with their riders still on top of them.

Cutting slightly north the entire day, the party makes it somewhere between 7 and 8 miles deeper into the swamp. The distance is hard to judge, and the party's progress was slowed noticeably by the rain and water depth. The chocobos are visibly strained, and everyone else is tired, soaking wet, and chaffing badly in several places, some of which are indecent to mention.

The water level at your stopping place is still 1' deep. It doesn't seem like there's anywhere to go or trending elevation changes to find a place that isn't inundated with the murky water.

You already know the rain is going to persist for at least the next few hours. You know that tomorrow it should not rain, unless some kind of supernatural force that none of you have seen intervenes just to make your lives miserable (none of you would doubt it right now). A few hours after the rain stops the water level should drop by at least 1', making this "dry" land. Also note that it is still fairly early in the afternoon. Since you only camped for 8 hours the night before, not 12, you got an early start.

ZEIG's lantern that DAI is holding will go out at 6:10pm.

Apparent Options (there are of course a bunch more):

1: Attempt to push on for an hour (or more). SILI can't take a 20 on everyone's chocobos at the same time, however, so you'd have to summon more. Your new chocobos would travel fine, and go on happily (as happily as they could). The rest of you would be dealing with forced march conditions, however. There's no penalty for becoming fatigued other than being fatigued, really, since you're mounted.

2: Find something to stand on that's more than 1' tall and just post up here.

3: Sit in the water and wait here, exposing everyone to foot-rot, and seriously making this day one of the worst any of you have ever had.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:03, Thu 19 July 2012.

"Dai, you feel like summoning a few more birds? These ones are getting pretty tired. It sucks to ride all day in this hell hole out here but maybe we're better off pressing on? Hopefully the rain will subside in a few hours."

Zeig is for pressing on.

"I concur lets keep moving I could use a place to rest for a few hours where the rain isnt a constant threat." The half giant is not enjoying being wet.

DAI thinks a few moments, gauging how much magical energy he has left to call upon, and decides another flock of Chocobos would be relatively easy- less taxing then his newest spell at least. "Sure, I can do that." He says simply, before conjuring up another bunch of yellow birds and one green to stand above the rest, until it is promptly squished by its Half-Giant rider.

Five more yellow chocobos and a green one are manifested and everyone carefully re-mounts. DAI then dismisses the previous set of chocobos.
17:28, Today: teslas, on behalf of DAI, rolled 20 using 1d20. Conserve MP, Mount.
MP: 37/68

17:46, Today: teslas, on behalf of JAGA, rolled 20 using 1d20+3. CON check, forced march, DC 10.
17:35, Today: teslas, on behalf of Garus, rolled 14 using 1d20. Gurlop, CON check, forced march, DC 10.
17:35, Today: teslas, on behalf of Garus, rolled 7 using 1d20+4. CON check, forced march, DC 10.
17:35, Today: teslas, on behalf of SILI, rolled 4 using 1d20+2. MILO, CON check, forced march, DC 10.
17:34, Today: teslas, on behalf of SILI, rolled 6 using 1d20+2. CON check, forced march, DC 10.
17:34, Today: teslas, on behalf of ZEIG, rolled 15 using 1d20+2. CON check, forced march, DC 10.
17:34, Today: teslas, on behalf of DAI, rolled 11 using 1d20+2. CON check, forced march, DC 10.
17:38, Today: teslas, on behalf of Garus, rolled 6 using 1d6. nonlethal fatigue damage.
17:38, Today: teslas, on behalf of SILI, rolled 1 using 1d6. MILO, nonlethal fatigue damage.
17:37, Today: teslas, on behalf of SILI, rolled 1 using 1d6. nonlethal fatigue damage.

An hour later, the rain continues. The water level isn't much shallower. Only Garus, in his layers of steel, is starting to finally feel the strain. Everyone decides to press on.

You're fatigued at the start of the hour if you took nonlethal damage, and the damage fully sets in at the end of the hour.

17:46, Today: teslas, on behalf of JAGA, rolled 12 using 1d20+3. CON check, forced march, DC 12.
17:45, Today: teslas, on behalf of Garus, rolled 20 using 1d20. Gurlop, CON check, forced march, DC 12.
17:45, Today: teslas, on behalf of Garus, rolled 13 using 1d20+4. CON check, forced march, DC 12.
17:44, Today: teslas, on behalf of SILI, rolled 16 using 1d20+2. MILO, CON check, forced march, DC 12.
17:44, Today: teslas, on behalf of SILI, rolled 10 using 1d20+2. CON check, forced march, DC 12.
17:44, Today: teslas, on behalf of ZEIG, rolled 16 using 1d20+2. CON check, forced march, DC 12.
17:43, Today: teslas, on behalf of DAI, rolled 18 using 1d20+2. CON check, forced march, DC 12.
17:47, Today: teslas, on behalf of SILI, rolled 1 using 1d6. nonlethal fatigue damage.

You're only fatigued when you are suffering from the nonlethal damage, which heals at a rate of one per hour, which means MILO is no longer fatigued.

By the end of the second hour, the water level is only a few inches deep. Already this far, the party decides to continue on.

17:56, Today: teslas rolled 95 using 7d20. CON check, DC 14, D, Z, S, M, J, G, H.
You rolled 95 using 7d20 ((11,13,12,20,19,14,6)).
Fail, Success, Success, Success, Success, Success, Fail
17:58, Today: teslas, on behalf of Garus, rolled 4 using 1d6. Gurlop, nonlethal fatigue damage.
17:57, Today: teslas, on behalf of DAI, rolled 6 using 1d6. nonlethal fatigue damage.

Gurlop: Fatigued, 4 nonlethal
Garus : Fatigued, 4 nonlethal
DAI   : Fatigued, 6 nonlethal

At the end of the third hour, the rain begins to lessen ever so slightly. The water level over the past half hour has been intermittent and splotchy. The party finally finds a mound a few inches above the soaked earth, and dismounts.

You could keep going if you wanted, just saying. Will give you guys an hour or two to post, and then go from here by your instructions, or assume you make camp if nobody posts.

edit-
Nonlethal damage from fatigue now handled correctly. It does not regenerate while you're suffering from the effect that caused it, which is RAI as far as this DM can tell and has precedent in the other sources of nonlethal damage.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:55, Sat 21 July 2012.

Sili looks around. "Are we going to do the same mud-fort thing we did last time?"

Everyone dismounts and sets to work making camp. Nobody is keen on sitting down into the mud while it rains, despite half of the party being quite tired and worn. ZEIG's lantern finally goes out, leaving everyone in near-darkness. Another fifteen minutes, after everyone eyes adjust, and it's starting to seem if the clouds are thinning, letting the slightest bit of ambient light shine down.

The rain continues as it has all day, but should subside within the next few hours.

Magical tent usage? Campfire tonight? Take my suggestion and make five campfires and clang metal together all night?

"The rain shouldn't last much longer." Jaga said. "I think we should just use a tant from your survival bag.."

Another hour goes by, and the first of those not on watch has already fallen asleep leaning up against their backpacks. A tent is pulled from the survival pouch along with four rations a bit later when the rain drops to drizzle. Those that don't have to keep watch, again, fall asleep nearly immediately.

The night, more or less, passes without indecent--which is good, since there is no light to see incoming threats by. A few times throughout the night the drizzle turns back to rain for a brief moment.

As the Windsday sun rises, the party is incredibly glad to see sun peeking through cracks in the clouds on the horizon. Though it is not warm, nor bright, the rays of light are enough to remind everyone the sun still exists, albeit still somewhat out of reach in this dank swamp.

MILO and JAGA awake to find that the skin on their feet is completely healed, and the joints in their legs are no longer stiff and painful.

The water level has dropped by 1' everywhere in the swamp. Extremely deep water will not be encountered apart from random and spaced out deep holes that something used to or still does call home.

DAI, chocobos? JAGA/MILO can keep up just fine today, though it exposes them to foot-rot. It's 1mp for ZEIG to Basuna it by using your gloves (if they even fail the save), or 1mp for you to summon the choby, so the only difference is that they, possibly, take a point of dexterity and charisma damage.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:06, Sun 22 July 2012.

DAi wakes up feeling somewhat refreshed, though compared to the last couple nights this one had gone much more peacefully, he couldn't help but feel that this was merely the calm before the storm. "Alright...let's not dally, got a lot of ground to cover." He says, before conjuring a small flock(?) of Chocobo, with a solitary green one at the head of the yellow.

Not summoning one for JAGA or MILO, as discussed in the OOC.
MP 37/68, or 44/68 if SILI's song hadn't been factored into the status thread yet.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:36, Tue 31 July 2012.