Rirrik took one last big breath to clear his head some and pulled out his bow. Taking aim at the tentacled zombie that seemed to be  the only one milling about. He fired shot after shot, his headache clearly effecting his aim. Finally an arrow sinks into the back of the creature's head.

19:20, Today: Rirrik Lollygag rolled 6 using 1d6.  Damage.
19:17, Today: Rirrik Lollygag rolled 9 using 2d6.  Volley.
Choosing to reduce my ammo by one again. Playing with fire here lol.

Two zombies were down, but other enemies were still afoot. To her horror, Eryn noticed that Hiran was down, and neither Ilura or Rirrik still fighting on their own, the fighter decided to aid them.

She hefted her spear once more and moved in to strike the tentacled zombie at an upwards angle into the skull, starting at the base of the neck. With any luck, they could rip this one's head off as well.


I have ignored the previous roll, since it wasn't needed.

quote:

Eryn rolled 11 using 2d6+2.  Hack and Slash at octopus zombie.
Eryn rolled 9 using 1d10.  Damage to octo-zombie.

9 damage (2 piercing). Roughly calculated I think that might do the trick compared to the other ones. ^^

This message was last edited by the player at 12:50, Fri 17 Nov 2017.

The combined efforts of Ilura, Rirrik, and Eryn made short work of the last zombie.  In the end, it was thoroughly pin cushioned and with its head on a pike.  With the rush of battle coming to its conclusion, Eryn, Rirrik, Marcus, and even the "dead" Hiran, could focus on the half-skeleton still trying to claw at Marcus.

Ilura, on the other hand, was a bit more preoccupied than the others.  Her shot went off well, but she had had to maneuver nimbly over a few tide pools to get a shot where the ceiling of the cave wouldn't interfere.  As she stood atop a boulder, triumphant, she caught sight of a shimmer in the darkness headed her way, similar to Hiran's magical blasts.  She knows she could easily jump out of the way, but not if she has any hope of seeing what its source is.

What do you do?

Marcus
The skeleton is still latched on to you.

Illura
There is magical energy heading toward you.  In order to see where the blast came from, you will have to let it hit you.  Otherwise you can leap to safety.

Everyone else
You are free to act.

Hiran gets up from his fake death and tries to lay a booted foot into the thigh of the skeleton realizing that magic would only empower the beast.  He quickly realizes why old men without training don't get into physical confrontations as his leg begins to cramp up and his kick becomes more of a spasm.


12:17, Today: Dr Hiran Krauss rolled 5 using 2d6-1.  Boot skeleton in the thigh.

The ranger continued her jumping, getting out of the way of the spell and turned to face the direction it had come from.

"MAGE!"

She drew another arrow, fitting it to the string easily while scanning the area the energy had originated from, doing her best to see where the attack came from and watching for another attack.  She heard a brief flutter of wings as Thomas moved off to explore the area she was so obviously watching.

quote:

19:07, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6+3.  Scouting w/ Thomas.

I know I might not be able to see the attacker, but I figured I might learn something.
General contextual information that I presume I don't need a roll for: Am I facing the direction the stream had been coming from, towards the outside of the cave or somewhere else?  Are any of the zombie torches still lit?  Is there more obvious about the cave now that we've had some light as we've been fighting?  How close am I to the nearest torch?

Specific questions for my Discern Realities:
What is about to happen?
What should I be on the lookout for?
Who's really in control here?

Hiran's kick/spasm connected, but not with the skeleton.  He jostled Marcus's hip instead.  Not enough to actually hurt the tough warrior, but enough to knock the skeleton torso loose.  It fell off of the paladin and onto the wizard, happy to have softer flesh to rip into.

Over among the tide pools, Ilura narrowly avoided the blast of magic that was headed her way.  It struck the rock where she had been standing a moment before and a thick coat of barnacles erupted from that spot, encasing it.  Once she regained her footing, the ranger looked toward where it had come from.  It was from the same direction the zombies had come from.  As she abandoned the battle to try and get a glimpse of this new foe, Illura and her crow spotted a couple of shadowy figures retreating in the sputtering torchlight.  Her crow probably got a good glimpse, but Ilura was too far away to make out any details.  They quickly disappeared further into the caves where the zombies had come from.

The current situation:
Marcus and Hiran are near the cave entrance, dealing with the skeleton.  Eryn is also near the entrance where she just skewered the last zombie.  Rirrik is a little ways into the cave, on some sand with his bow out.  Illura is halfway into the cave, among the rocky tide pools.  The spot the zombies and skeletons emerged from is way at the back of the cave, far away from everyone at this point.

Hiran
Take d6 damage.  You now have a half-shattered skeleton on top of you.  Don't forget to mark your +1 XP.

Ilura
What is about to happen?
It is about to get a lot darker again.  The firelight won't last much longer. (You are pretty far away from the dropped torches.  They are close to the back of the cave.)

What should I be on the lookout for?
The shadowy figures.

Who's really in control here?
Your crew is pretty well in control at the moment.

Hiran still throbs from the muscle spasms when the skeleton falls on to the old wizard its sharp bony edges and wild cackling face scraping against flesh.  It then starts to bite into his shoulder as he howls in pain.

Hiran realizes this will hurt but he needs to get away.  He tries diving towards the back of one of his better armored companions allowing the skeleton to fall towards them and off of his elderly form.


OOC: Went with a Defy Danger + Dex let me know if you prefer a different roll or if I can't pull this off.
15:11, Today: Dr Hiran Krauss rolled 8 using 2d6.  Trying to dive behind a companion to pass the falling skeleton to another.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:32, Fri 17 Nov 2017.

Ilura glanced back at Hiran.  There was little she could do to help with the skeleton that wouldn't risk skewering the old mage - and Marcus and Eryn were better positioned to deal with the problem.  She hurried to where her sword was waiting and then advanced to the torches, grabbing them and snuffing two out, in the hopes of allowing the group to use one at a time, then she returned to the group near the cave entrance.

Marcus was just judging how to ram himself, skeleton first, into the wall of the cave when the doctor's unexpected, and unhelpful, assistance arrived. Stumbling, he was glad to be rid of the clawing menace, but the merit didn't last long. Judging his strategy still sounds, the paladin reached to grab the skeleton and slam it into the stone. "Go back to dust you were meant to be!" he shouted as the bone met rock.

21:12, Today: Marcus rolled 11 using 2d6+1.  Hack and crash skeleton.
21:13, Today: Marcus rolled 3 using 1d10.  Damage.

Dr. Hiran tried to get away from the skeleton, but it's grasping claws did not want to let go of the old man.  They tore and ripped at him even as he managed to slip away, snagging on his clothes, skin, and equipment.  Then Marcus's powerful arms lifted the skeleton and smashed it against the rocks.  CRACK! The skull shattered, along with much of the rib cage and the bones moved no more.

With the immediate threats neutralized, Ilura had no trouble retrieving her weapon and the torches.  As she drew her weapon from the pool where it was half-submerged, she noticed the part that was in the water was now jet black.  Just like all the sea creatures that lived around these parts.  The torches Ilura picked up were not so much torches as they were half burnt logs pulled from a fire, but they would do the trick if you didn't mind getting a hand full of soot.

What is everyone doing?

Hiran
The skeleton damaged something up pretty good as you slipped away.  Remove one item/use of your choice, or take 1 damage.

The skeleton ripping and tearing shreds into Hiran's pack of food destroying one of his rations completely.

Hiran didn't care as soon as he saw the skeleton fall he started grabbing bones and chucking them in different directions out on the beach and then proceeded to do the same to the other skeletons.

"The skeleton's can absorb magic to reanimate themselves that's how this one came back.  The zombie's don't have this power.  Now please pause for a moment there is study I must do before we dive into more battles."

" I spoke with my former master, they are planning to bring him back!  I must find out what their plans are even just a clue. Somebody give me a light."

The voices that haunt Hiran begin to taunt and scream in his ears trying to distract him.  He yells out of seemingly nowhere "Quiet how am I supposed to stop him if you keep shouting!"

If nobody gives him a light Hiran goes and grabs a burnt out torch and uses it to start going through his books.


OOC: I want to do what I planned originally

I will use 1 use of bag of books to try and find information on what I think the plans will be to bring the master back.

Rirrik said (to noone in particular) "Well that could have gone better..." Rirrik switched out his bow for the drum slung over his shoulder and began to beat out a lively rhythm. It was the type of song that was often heard at a spring festival in his homeland. The sound echoed through the area but noone heard or felt it more than the doctor, Hiran. Healing energies surged through the wounded man.

18:10, Today: Rirrik Lollygag rolled 7 using 2d6+2.  Arcane Art (Heal).
18:18, Today: Rirrik Lollygag rolled 4 using 1d8.  Healing Hiran.
Have back 4 HP, "Doc".

This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 00:31, Sat 18 Nov 2017.

"What kind of magic...?!" Eryn exclaimed, when she saw the mass of barnacles sprouting from where the energy had struck. She whirled and held her shield towards the direction she thought the magic came from, but couldn't see anyone.

They must have retreated for now, she thought.

Against her better judgement, Eryn turned her back on the cave and went to assist Hiran. On the way there, she made sure to get a grip on where everyone was and seeing if they were hurt. Thankfully no one was seriously injured, but the sudden attack had still left a few of them a bit rattled.

"Here, have a torch," she said, fishing one out of her bag and handing it to Hiran after he was done yelling and scattering skeleton bones. There was no point in worrying about the flickering light giving their position away now that the enemy clearly knew they were there.

The fighter looked back at the odd piles of flesh left behind. Eryn wrinkled her nose as she wiped the zombie fluids off the tip of her spear. Sea creature heads attached to corpses was the most disturbing thing she had seen in her life so far, in part because it must have taken a disturbed mind to come up with the idea in the first place.

At least that menace is dealt with, she thought as she checked her shield for damage as well. Surface scratches, nothing bad. Rirrik's song calmed Eryn's nerves, and the fighter felt like she was finally in control of the situation again.

"You said you spoke with someone," she said to Hiran, trying her best not to disturb his reading. "I know better than to question wizards talking to voices no one else can hear, but I'm afraid I don't quite understand what's going on. Is something happening inside this cave, right now?"


Using Adventuring Gear to have a shiny new torch.

Rirrik's magic reverberated through the cave as he beat on his drum.  The sound echoed and doubled back on itself in unique and interesting ways, amplifying the magic's effect.  It wasn't the gnoll's intent, but the upbeat healing magic flowed into every living being within hearing range inside the cave entrance.

Hiran heals 4.  Everyone else heals 2 (including Rirrik).

Hiran takes the torch and finds a few books that catch his eye from his large bag.  He begins flipping through them furiously certain he might have found what he was looking for.

He almost absent mindedly responded to the the question of who he spoke to, still primarily focused on the books. "I spoke to Nikadroy, as I said before."


The sound of Rirriks drums was soothing not only to drown out the spirits that haunted him but the feeling of his body repairing itself becoming closer to whole.

19:59, Today: Dr Hiran Krauss rolled 10 using 2d6+3.  Spout Lore with Bag of Books
This message was last edited by the player at 01:07, Sat 18 Nov 2017.

The drum beat was foreign and unfamiliar  but strangely comforting.  So much so that she didn't even start as the ache in  her shoulder started to fade.  She wiped the end of her blade carefully on the ragged clothing  of one of the zombies.  She wanted no part of whatever that stuff was.  Then she extinguished the remaining log and left them in a pile beside Hiram.  The rest of her party could decide whether they were useful or not.

"I'm going to watch the entrance where the zombies came from and maybe scout it out a bit.  I can take one more, but I think the other two should stick with the wizard."

She paused to  see if anyone wanted to take her up on her offer before moving to the back of the cave, bow at the ready.

She gave her eyes ample time for her eyes to adjust to the blackness and her ears to adjust to the cave.  The dim light from the distant torch didn't provide much illumination this deep, but given time,the human eye could adjust to a great deal and the eyes of her scavenger crow were even better.  It took a little while to our coax Thomas from pecking at and eating the eyeball  of one of the fallen corpses, but eventually he fluttered over to lend his aid.

quote:

10:15 Today: Ilura rolled 10 on 2d6 + 3: More reality discerning / scouting

What is about to happen?
What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is not is it seems?

She'll take her time and won't go further down the passageway than she can see.  If the fire the zombies pulled the logs from is still burning, she'll try to get sight of that before finding a defensible position (and hard to see position) near the passage entrance - unless she discovers something urgent in which case she'll return to the party).

Rirrik, happy with his performance and it's effect, put his drum down and leaned against the rocks near Hiran. He nodded to Illura and said with a bit of tongue-in-cheek "I'll watch the old man. Wouldn't want him breaking a hip." The Gnoll guarded the man and kept an eye out for anything that might come at him as he read.

Eryn felt a bit dissatisfied with the answer Hiran had given her, but decided not to harass him over it. He was reading, and Ilura had just left to scout ahead. They would give more information in a few minutes. Eryn slung her weapon over her shoulder and slumped down next to Rirrik. Like him, the fighter was still tense from fighting and kept her guard up.

"Nice performance," she said, giving a momentary glance towards the gnoll's drums. "Effective too. The scratches I got are almost invisible already."

She went silent for a moment, contemplating whether or not to ask what she was most curious about.

"Where did you learn your art? Did you have a teacher, or did it come naturally to you, perhaps?"

Rirrik gave her a wide toothy grin.
"Thanks, I do accept tips you know." He winked and let loose a barking laugh before continuing "A little of both. I met a group of outsiders like me and one of their number taught me a few tricks. Strangely it all came easy as mincemeat pie. It was like the songs were already in me, and I was just giving it escape." Rirrik then patted his drum, and recalled how he got it "This drum called to me so strongly, that I just had to take it... Not sure if I regret it. I think it's with who it needed to be with. Desire can bring about strange things." He moved in closer and whispered to her "What desire drives YOU?"

OOC: I think I fulfilled the requirements of my Charming and Open move and the question I am asking Eryn is 'What do you most desire?'. She must answer truthfully then she can ask me one of the following (that I must answer truthfully):
• Whom do you serve?
• What do you wish I would do?
• How can I get you to _____?
• What are you really feeling right now?
• What do you most desire?

Hiran flipped trough pages of Advanced Ritual Summonings & Necromantic Incantations in search of answers to his question. How the former overlord, necromancer Nikadroy Qizproteus, plans to bring himself back to life.  The wizard knew the necromancer's body was destroyed after death to avoid such things, but he recalled reading about a way to get around the obstacle of not having a body.  But where was that passage he was thinking of?

There!  Under the standard revivification ritual there was a footnote.  According to the passage you could potentially bring back someone without their body intact if you added three things to the standard ritual.  The willing "tribute" of a blood relative, a honeyed topaz from the Jungle of Blossoms, and a Pit of Shadow pulled from a Vorlag's stomach.  It is noted that Vorlags are known to roam the caves of the Black-Sand Beaches.

While Hiran was busy looking that up, Ilura was busy making sure nothing would sneak up on the group and to gain some more information on their immediate threats.  After grabbing her sword and trying (unsuccessfully) to clean the black coloration off, the ranger found a nice vantage point to spy down the tunnel.  The rock floor slopped up slightly, and it looked as if this is where the stream exited into the cave.  She could see firelight up ahead reflecting off the walls, but it would be difficult to approach without splashing in the water running down the floor.  Luckily she could make out words from here, now that there was no longer a battle going on.

Voice 1: "And then she went ahead and blasted her anyway, even after I said not to!"

Voice 2: "I almost had her..."

Voice 1: "Nuh uh.  And now they know we saw them.  Now we'll have to deal with them."

Voice 2: "Only because your stitch-work is so lousy!  Myyy guy didn't fall apart like yours did."

Voice 1: "Shut up.  Anyway, we aren't being paid enough to deal with meddlers like these.  We should get out of here while we still can.  Don't you two agree?"

Voice 2: "Or!  Or we could go get more payment!"

Voice 1: "Oooo, yeah!  Mr. shadow man owes us more anyway.  Let's do that!"

At that point Ilura heard footsteps running off into the distance and no more words were spoken.  Only the crackling of a fire could be heard now.

Everyone, what do you do?

Ilura
What is about to happen?
Judging by the sound of the footsteps, least two people are leaving the fire area ahead.

What should I be on the lookout for?
The people you hear coming to deal with you if they get their payment.

What here is not is it seems?
You only hear two voices from by the fire, but three people are alluded to.

Take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

Rirrik
Yup.  That works.

Marcus
Did you stay by Hiran, or go with Ilura?

"Oh, I'm not much of a musician myself," Eryn laughed, "and frankly I don't know any magic either. I wish I did, though; I greatly enjoy watching magicians weave their spells. I've always considered learning the basics, but never found any time for it. I've been thinking about it since I was a kid, so I guess that's my desire."

She eyed Rirrik carefully as he leaned in a bit too close for comfort. The gnoll's forwardness would have bothered her were it not for his laughter and good mood appearing to be sincere. She knew gnoll tribes valued personal space less than the city folk she were used to dealing with too.

"I've been told magic research expensive, too," she continued, "so without seeing a big future in it I took it off my to-do list for the time being. Besides, my village priest was the only magician at my birthplace. He always said he got his spells directly from the gods as a result of his faith and diligent prayer, so there was little he could teach me unless I devoted myself."

The fighter tapped her zombie-scratched shield and smiled. "As you can see, I did not." Eryn figured there must be a reason behind Rirrik's question, as it was a bit personal. Plus, he seemed excited just by someone deciding to talk to him. "You said you learned easily... is it something anyone can learn, then? Is it even something you could help me out with?"

Her expression was involuntarily showing a faint hint of excitement at the prospect as well.


As far as I can tell the move trigger is fine; and even if it isn't Eryn doesn't have any problem with answering that question truthfully in the first place. The question I am asking in return is "How can I get you to [teach me magic]?"

Edit: GM just posted as I was typing.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:30, Sun 19 Nov 2017.

Rirrik shrugged and with an unsure tone said "From what I've heard on my travels, there are many forms of magic and ways of tapping into them. I can't promise you will be slinging fireballs and having visions, but for as long as we travel together I will teach you what I have learned. I just ask that you listen to your own song and follow your own desires when the time comes."

"I would prefer to get a pass on the visions anyway," Eryn chuckled, "but I thank you for the offer." She frowned slightly. "That said, I'm not sure I get what you are trying to tell me. Did you say you stole those drums on a whim, or did I misunderstand you? I like to think I have more self-control than that."

Rirrik gave her your gesture that meant 'your welcome' to his people. He scoffed slightly "Whim? Self-control? Those are just words at the end of the day. What I am saying is that sometimes YOUR song.." On those last two words he pressed a clawed fist to her heart (in a totally innocent gesture from his view) then removed it "Has a greater rhythm to follow. That is when to loosen the bindings that keep you from playing. Law or plan be damned!"

With that the gnoll turned to the doctor who looked like he was finally coming to some epiphany regarding the situation. "You find anything out, Doc?" Rirrik asked.