Excellent.  Now let's see what happens when he meets this winged darkness.

I'm at a loss of what to do at this point. Going into melee sounds like a death-sentence, breaking down the knives into arrow heads seems sensible but also puts the responsibility on the shoulders of the archers and with the dice roller dealing enough damage to bring the creature down is questionable, as I assume sneak attacks will not work and Amaya doesn't get the favorite enemy bonus either. Last but not least daylight is fleeting, so time is of the essence.

Happy holidays to everyone! - Sorry, I'm caught up in family visiting, will take a couple of days to get back to normal :)

Sorry, lots of family business but after the new year I'm positive things will calm down and allow me to get back to posting.

Heh, I just realized it is not the monsters that kill characters, it's the dice roller refusing to roll above '10' ;)

Just as it's not guns that kill people, only the bullets and the falls.

It is not the fall but the abrupt stop at its end ;)

You might call it an abrupt stop at the end of the fall.  I call it being punched by a fist the size of a planet.

*giggles* You could call it that.

On a different note, I believe it is just the two of us active players left, right?

I feel if we leave at this point, we waste a perfectly good sun rod.

A fair point well made. Maybe Amaya should READ the scroll while we have plenty light

Esteemed boss-GM, is my understanding correct that tree and creature are currently cowed and we don't need to worry about attacks (unless we try to recover the items from the dead man)?

Cowed may be an overstatement, but at this point in time, you have seen what is in there, recovered the scroll, and managed to drive the Thing back into its den. It is uncertain how long you might be able to contain it by just jamming the door shut, but you will buy at least some time to study the scroll. A look through by Dawn will reveal it is not a magic spell in scroll form, but an actual document that needs to be studied.

The blaze of the sunrod has diminished the power of the tree and repelled the Thing, but it has not defeated them. You will have a better chance at retrieving the other magic items by the body while the sunrod burns, but it is by no means "safe".

We have three players currently accessing the game, though one has not posted in a couple of weeks. Two of you are frequent posters and I have run both of you in separate scenes that have moved along at a much brisker pace than the group stuff. I'm happy to do that again as the plot continues to unwind.

What would your preferences be?

Thank you for the clarification, I'm not a native English speaker, so it's good to know the strength of the word cowed :)

I was not under the impression that retrieving the other items would be a walk in the park. In fact I had wondered if they would be helpful in defeating the creature, however, the man wielding them is dead, so the items did not prevent that ;)

Still, Amaya's roguish side is clearly interested in obtaining the items and with the creature held in check or it's powers diminished, the best time to get them might be now. After the sunrod has burned out it will only get more difficult. Obtaining a new sunrod will be impossible, given the time constraint (1d4-1 days). Although we might be able to find more obsidian blades - this time we should put them on 10ft longspears, reducing the risk for the spearbearers. Perhaps the tribe elders have another way to destroy the thing or perhaps there's a prayer to the sun god that can destroy it, but that is for a bardic lore check (which Dawn can do as a cloistered cleric).

To put this in less words we can:

- Grab the stuff now, only Amaya taking the risk
- Leave and hope for the best, coming back another day. (Though there is a good chance we might not be able to recover the items later)

By the by: I'm voting for Valeria to get the same xp as the other (n)PCs get for confronting/defeating the creature. It would not be fair otherwise.

To be fair, I could continue on the other thread but it feels like a side thread and I've not been putting in the effort I should.

Well, I don't see Amaya as a leader type character, personally I'm already playing two characters in other games that are leading/driving the group. However, whoever picks up this role should post more than once or twice a week (IMHO). I can do it until we get back to an outpost but would prefer someone else taking the drivers seat.

We've reached a juncture where the game can go in different directions. Valeria has safely (well, with one casualty) conducted the pilgrims to the next town with an Aquilonian garrison. Amaya, Demius, and the others have managed to retrieve the scroll and magical artifacts that the cleric, Dawn, believes will help contain the Winged Darkness -- a particularly loathsome horror that has been imprisoned for many generations. Kesta, the nominal leader of the squad has died in the process, along with several bison rides who seem to be allies in the quest to destroy or contain the Winged Darkness.

Amaya, Demius, Dawn, and Cormac will make their way to the garrison in the next town to report what they have seen and what they have captured. Furthermore, Amaya knows the location of a bandit hideout that the squad was initially sent to disrupt.

Dawn is an NPC -- she will stay at the garrison to puzzle over the scroll Amaya rescued. She will keep the magical implements recovered as well and hopefully find a way to more permanently banish the horror in the tree. A group of soldiers will be sent to accompany the pilgrims the rest of the way to the Sun Temple. Valeria will likely go with that group as the driver of the wagon.

Amaya can go with Valeria as part of the Aquilonian legionnaire's honor guard, or she can lead a squad of other soldiers against the bandits in the caves by the river. Demius has the same decision to make -- go with Valeria or go with the raiding party. Adentare and Kesta are dead. Dawn is committed to her scholarly pursuits. Cormac will guard Valeria if Amaya chooses to chase the bandits, or go with the raiding party if Amaya stays with Valeria. Demius must make his own decision.

It may be a time to open the game up for other players as well, but I'd like you to make your own decisions first.

May I make a suggestion? I think Amaya would be best placed in the group going up against the bandits, her skills best used in the wilderness. As far as I could tell Valeria's focus lies on interaction, and subterfuge so I guess she is best suited to keep the obnoxious pilgrims in line. After both separate missions are completed, we meet again to take care of the winged darkness. How does that sound?

Also, yes new blood sounds good to me :D

I just got laid off today so there may be a slight pause in our game while I figure out what is next. There's also a good chance I'll be back on tomorrow with my own laptop -- but, just in case . . .

Damn, sorry to hear that. I'll keep my fingers crossed that something else will come up for you soonest. Which profession do you work in? I started as a forwarding agent but eventually drifted into IT.

In reply to She Who Must Be Obeyed (msg # 155):

Sorry to hear that boss.  I hope it turns out to be a blessing in disguise. I wish you all wisdom and all luck in figuring your next move.

This has given me time to look around a bit and I found this:

https://www.daz3d.com/tetracov...-fur-and-accessories

These would be awesome to have as mounts, or to draw a cart/wagon :D

Holy moly! That's gawjuss. I wonder if there are any in Turan.

Wouldn't it be cool if these were a reward for putting the winged darkness to rest (eventually)?

Anyway, glad to see you're back boss. Still keeping my fingers crossed your job-hunting goes well. Makes it difficult to type though :P

Hello, all. I'll be playing Tuka, a Ranger from Vanaheim. I cannot see any thread except this one and 'The Plot Thickens', so I have no idea how many points I have for ability Scores, or any House Rules. Anyone up for a quick recap so I can get started on creation?

Welcome on the team, Tuka. Amaya is a ranger, too, focusing on the bow. Copied from the 'Creation' thread: