Red Dead Annihilation: Campaign Thread

Ran helps get the canoes secured on the beach.

"There were a bunch of wee zombie goblins in a pit inside the entrance to that tunnel," Ran says, pointing to the entrance under the statute. "I figure those big beasties would have trouble coming in after us there if we camped on the other side of the pit."

As they stood in the boats Velan could not help but to think some aquatic beast would appear to attack them. It wouldn’t be the first time, not the second, even, and he doubted very much it would be the last. Alas, his worries were, this time, unfounded. Ninlil made sure to keep him informed about any movement on the waters and when Thondell’s scream cuts through the air the wizard felt no empathy. You would be alive if decided to work with us, he thought turning his eyes to the camp and waiting for the dinosaurs to leave. Instead, you tried to screw us over and the better man died. May your suffering last in your next life.

“I will have Ninlil take a look from the skies. Se how safe it is to stay here.” He said as they reached the ground once again. “Either way, we should camp closer to the boats in case we need to leave shore again. That and burn any bodies we find.” An unpleasant, the hexblood knew, specially for the wounded, but necessary all the same. “That said I don’t think it is a good idea to go looking in the river for Thondell’s corpse so it may pay us a visit later.”

Later. That would be a time for further discussions. For once, they would need to decide what to do with the sick and wounded. Check the surroundings for trouble and stay out of harm, ok? He commands Ninlil telepathically.  

Ninlil's Perception: 11

The northern end of the ruined camp is a mess.  The Ceratosaurs trampled everything and even tore open the sick tent to devour the corpse of the man with rot worm.  Altogether, there are not enough remains left to make a full person.  

A careful check of the perimeter by Meili shows there is indeed no sign of the dinosaurs, or any other immediate threats.  Likewise, Ninlil keeps watch from the skies.

The tent where Dominick, Thondell, and the other healthy defectors had been sleeping is still intact, and you have all of your own tents.

The surviving soldier is still weak with shivering sickness and not able to provide much in the way of conversation or aid for now.

Mica joins Meili on the quick scout of the camp, taking time in the northern area to study the dinosuar’s tracks, committing them to memory in case he sees them again in order to identify the beasts.  He also searches for any of the four arrows he fired during the attack in an attempt to recover them.  Perception: 17.

Finally, he sets his hunting trap again on one of the trails leading from the northern side of the camp, just in case the dinosaurs, or another group, come back. Survival: 10.

Preparations complete, he joins Ran at the front of the House of Man and Crocodile. “Goblins, eh? Deaders?  I don’t know if we should camp in there, like Velan’s idea of being close to the boats myself, but we should check the place out.  Don’t like the idea of surprises coming out of there either during the night. Want to give it a go?”   He looks at the others for confirmation.

“Inete, you told us the story.  What is usually inside one of these houses?”

Ran claps Mica on the shoulder.

"Very ready to go," Ran says.

While Mica asks Inete about the stories, Ran pulls a torch and his tinderbox out of this pack and gets the torch lit.

"We do not have to keep the canoes at the shore, do we? I mean to say,  we should not leave them unprotected of course, but we can take them with us into that... temple?" Meili sighted, it was still risky, should something inside attack them. In this case, there will be no way to return to the river fast. "Or we can stay in this camp outside, of course, and hope that all who wanted to visit it have already done so."

"I'm not sure anyone remembers what was inside," Inete answers.  "This was a holy site and the doors have been sealed for hundreds of years.  The goblins must have breached it."  She recounts that the building was thought to be a temple or perhaps a museum, devoted to the tale of Man and Crocodile.

Blinking at the news Mica gave of Dominick's demise, Danica then grimaced and roughly took up an oar. The man had deserved better but she nodded as Velan set his corpse alight and she could only hope that would prevent him from turning into an undead. Not about to forget that man's face or name any time soon or the one that nearly doomed them all. "May Selune guide his steps to a fitting end for him." She spat into the river, blue eyes constantly roving over the water and shores looking out for the next threat. Still on high alert. 

It was all to quiet as they simply sat in the canoes, waiting and watching until a cry rang out further along the river and Danica's eyes closed before lifting her holy symbol up to her mouth and pressing her lips against it. After a moment and Hew's suggestion, the elf nodded.

Ninlil's presence helped ease a little of her trepidation about returning to the camp, but not all. She made sure to help with moving the remains, face blank at what was left of the soldier that had rotworm. Danica was quiet as she worked before taking up her watch closer to where she saw the dinosaurs. But she still heard Meili's suggestion and spoke up, "Less risk of them getting stolen but more risk of us getting eaten if we don't have a quick escape. Don't like the idea of being far from the canoes, but I agree we should probably make sure there aren't any other immediate dangers waiting to spring at us." 

Ran understands the caution. Maybe it's because he was born and raised in one of the biggest cities on the sword coast, but having solid walls around you even if that limited the directions you could run in felt a lot more comfortable than just being out in the open.

"Alright," Ran says. "We take a look around, make sure there are no big baddies inside then come back down here and camp and hope we gave those dinos enough indigestion that they don't come back for seconds."

Ran waves his torch back and forth a couple of times at the entrance to the tunnel and steps inside. He takes a look down in the pit to see if the 'gombies/zoblins' are still there. He shows the others where the pit is and points out the ledges around each side that they can walk on to get around.

"Just don't forget the pit's here when you leave."

He then looks ahead down the hall to get a feel for what lies ahead.

Ran, just past the pit trap, the corridor continues for another 20 feet.  It is draped in thick mats of cobwebs.  You don't get the impression any goblins or zombies made it further than the pit trap, as this area looks completely undisturbed. 

After that 20 feet, there is a 7' high ledge, like a giant stair-step.  Above the ledge, it looks like the hallway continues but it is too dark to see further without getting closer.

Mica follows Ran into the tunnel “Doesn’t look like any of the zombies made it past the pit.  I doubt Dominick’s men did either. Pity we can’t ask any of them.”  He looks around at the others in the group “I am good to continue, but it has been a long day and some of us are injured. Do we wait and explore further in the morning?”

Ran moves a little closer to the spider webs, holding the torch up to them to get a better look down the tunnel. If there are no spiderwebs above their heads, he will torch the ones further down just to clear the way and make it easier to see what's ahead.

"Good a place as any to bunk down for the night," Ran says as he puts his pack against the wall. "I can take first watch."

Perception for watch if needed: 5  

“If it comes down to it I can leave Ninlil looking the area around the boats while we explore the tunnel.” He said repeating the command, telepathically, to the familiar. “I have used about half of my energy for more complex spells so I won’t exactly oppose a rest, but first, some burning to do.”

And then Velan start to walk around the camp, carrying the bodies he finds to an area closer to the fireplace. In other circumstances a burial would be in order, but not on those jungles. Not with that curse. He started to investigate the corpses, relieving them of anything even remotely useful. As they laid side by side, the hexblood set them ablaze with his cantrip.

“I know it is distasteful to ask...” He said to Danica and Meili. “But how long our sick guy will stay down?” A question that asked between the lines what would they do with the man. The man had escaped a fort to leave the forest behind. It was unlikely he would like to journey deeper into it with or without the group and escorting him back home was out of question. “Anyhow, it may be on the best interest of everyone of search the camp, getting whatever it still have of use.”

“It will do, I have slept in worse places”  Mica looks around at the cobwebs Ran is burning “Watch for the spiders that laid those webs.  If they don’t try to kill us they will be the only things in this bloody jungle that doesn’t.” 

Mica moves his bedroll toward the opening of the tunnel, where he is still close to the fresh air and night sky, and with a clear view over the camp as Velan collects what remains of the bodies and destroys them.  Mica helps him and volunteers to take a watch after Ran.  Perception for watch: 9.

.

"He has the same sickness that Danica had a few days ago. No saying when it ends but he has a good chance to recover. Maybe even by the morning." Meili did not venture deep into the temple but remained by the entrance with the injured. In the complete darkness of the night (not to mention the numerous injuries she had after the fight) it was pointless for her to try to follow others. Meili intended to rest until morning hoping the worst would be over by dawn.

Before Ran explores too deeply into the tunnel, Mica is able to recognize narrow openings in both walls - almost certainly some manner of trap.  Neither of you are able to locate any trigger, however.  While Ran and Mica poke around the ruins, the others search through the camp.  Hew smokes a cigarette and keeps watch over everyone.

Velan is able to collect the following salvageable items from around the camp:

• One explorer's pack
• Two more tents
• A pouch containing 40gp and 54sp
• Dominick's Longsword.  This mundane weapon is well-balanced and the maker stamped the symbol of the Order of the Gauntlet into the steel of the blade.

[Are we done for the night and ready to camp, then?]

(Yes. Ready for camp. Were the holes in the walls past the gombie pit, about where the webs started or before that?)

[Yes, in the 20' stretch of hallway beyond the zomblin pit.]

[Velan is fine for the night.]

(ready to camp!)