Red Dead Annihilation: Campaign Thread

Velan:

 Pleased that the group has decided to keep moving, Hew arranges the load for the porting.  With Danica ill, he asks Meili and Mica to carry one of the canoes, while Velan and Ran carry the other.  Danica and Inete split up the rest of the gear and carry it separately.  Hew walks on ahead as a forward scout; his height and absent arm making him less than capable at carrying the canoes.

Other than the mud, the walk is not too bad.  You travel west along a trail for 10 minutes, then follow a zigzagging, rocky path up a gap to the top of the cliffside, then follow another path back to the river.  There are the ruins of a stone watchtower at the top of the cliff, above the village.  Hew says that the village elders claim stairs once connected to the mineshafts below, but they collapsed generations ago.  Nearby is a set of docks and you are able to put your canoes into the water and depart.  The heavy rains stop suddenly almost as soon as you have your canoes moving.  The sun never truly shines, as heavy clouds and light fog remain.  It takes the edge off the worst of the heat, though the humidity remains almost unimaginably high.

It isn't long before you encounter your first dinosaur in the wild.  Hew cautions all of you to be silent and keep rowing.  He gestures to your left, and looming up out of the fog you see the largest creature you - any of you - have ever seen.  Easily 10 feet high at the shoulder, the head sways at the end of a long neck perhaps 30 feet off the ground.

"It's a herbivore.  As long as we don't spook her, she will ignore us."  Keeping your cool, you glide past the gargantuan beast in your canoes and soon it disappears into the fog behind you.

The rest of the morning is uneventful.  Hew parks you on a sandbar in the middle of the river to rest around mid-day, keeping an eye on the water for crocodiles and with Ninlil patrolling the skies.

The afternoon is likewise without incident.  You see a few crocodiles slip from beach into the water as you approach but none are large enough to consider you a possible meal.  Other than a few tropical birds, there is no other activity on the river.  It is almost peaceful.

As the sun sinks low in the sky, you hear a low roaring sound of rushing water up ahead, and the first of the rapids Hew had described come into view.  The jungle is less dense in this area, with fewer large trees and more areas of low brush.  He guides you off to one bank and leaves to scout.  He comes back cursing.  The entire shoreline and nearby jungles are full of tangled, thorny vines.  He leads you across to the other side, only to find more of the same.  With darkness creeping upon you, he orders you to drag the canoes up onto the shore and unload the supplies.  Hew draws a handaxe and begins chopping away at vines, trying to clear a spot large enough to lay camp.  "Hrmph.  At least these gods-damned thorns should keep away any beasts with sense in their heads."

Ran looks up at the giant dinosaur as the paddle past. 

"Herbivore?" he repeats to himself, looking at the beast for any clue as to what that might mean. Then he notices big clumps of leaves in its mouth, being chewed to a pulp. Then he nods, happily to himself. "Right, herbivore. Great big giant sheep."

Once they finally come ashore, Ran helps unload then drags away vines and branches as Hew chops them.

He pauses briefly to make sure no insects are biting then continues the work.

"If this underbrush is like this all along the bank, it's going to take a while to chop through it to go around the falls," Ran says as he works with Hew. "How did the wizards manage? Did they just go through the rapids?"

"If it is a known way, there might be a bitten path." Meili was simply thinking out loud. Whether there was a bitten path or not it did not change things much.

Since Danica firmly decided to continue, Meili went quiet, just periodically glancing toward their captain, checking how she is doing. Neither Hew nor Inete looked worried, but they were native, or close to that, who knows how the sickness will affect foreigners. Yet, Danica made through and all the way to the new camp. Maybe locals were right after all. 

This evening, as expected, muscles did not hurt much, the body was getting used to rowing. And now Meili tried another activity - chopping the underbrush with the sword. Her short sword was not as a universal tool as giant knives that she saw on some locals but had to work at least to some degree and they needed the camp sooner than later.

When the fire was started, food cooked (or at least water boiled, and hot drink washed off some tiredness) and everyone was prepared to listen, the first thing she found in the book was that monstrous herbivore - the dinosaur was unbelievable! Even if not dangerous, she wanted to know the name of this "giant cow". But other than that, the readings proceeded as the day before.

Meili was willing to take the first watch (or any other if someone was not ready to sleep yet. 

Mica shouldered his share of the burden of the canoe through the portage and paddled the remainder of the day without much conversation.  He had the extra water from the raincatcher to replenish their water skins as needed throughout the day and he paid extra care when applying the insect repellent, especially upon hearing news of the shivering sickness.  He was glad that Danica had decided to push on, but he watched her closely throughout the day to make sure she was doing well.  

 Mica looked with interest at the dinosaur.  Larger than any creature he had ever seen, it still moved with a grace that didn’t fit its size.  But he was not interested in hunting the cows of the jungle.  He was looking for prey with teeth. 

 As Hew stopped for camp at the base of the next set of falls, Mica pulled out his handaxe and helped to clear the thorns.  Nodding at Ran’s question he adds “If this is a common portage, shouldn’t there be a trail or path nearby?  We are not the first up this river.”

As the sun sets into the west, Hew, Ran and Mica clear a large enough patch of ground for you to make camp.  The biting, grasping thorns sometimes pierce your gloves and seem to find every gap in your armor.  Hew, Ran and Mica all take 1 piercing damage for their trouble, but camp is set. 

"Great questions," Hew grumbles.  "First thing in the morning we will look for a trail."

The tents are raised, raincatchers are set, and Meili gets a fire going and reads to the group from Volo's Guide.

While the five of you learn from the book, Inete casts cards and bones on the ground in what looks to be some form of ritual.  Hew, meanwhile, takes a walk into the jungle, returning after 15 minutes.  When he returns he seems irritated, but not alarmed.  "We need a watch order.  I'll join with the first watch.  The boss should just rest tonight and see if she can get her strength back."

"You see something to get your ire up out there, Hew?" Ran asks when the one-armed guide returns. 

(Ran can take second watch - Active Perception if needed: 22  ).

Ran:

Hew sit up to take the first watch with Meili, Ran volunteers for second watch, Inete for third, and Mica draws straws with Velan, with Mica pulling fourth watch.  

Meili:

 During first watch, you are all roused from your sleep/trance by Hew calling out, "Up! Up!  A giant snapper!"

Initiative

• Giant Snapping Turtle:  19
• Hew:  14
• Meili:  8
• Danica:  5
• Velan:  20
• Ran:  14
• Mica:  15
• Inete:  5

Round One

• Velan
• Giant Snapping Turtle
• Mica
• Hew
• Ran
• Meili
• Danica
• Inete

"Watch out for its jaws!" Hew cries.

Velan nodded at Danica’s decision, sure she could understand the risks. She was, after all, both a druid and a sailor. Saving for Hew the elf was probably the one who knew the best about the dangers of nature. When the preparations where ready the wizard start to walk, sharing with Ran the weight of one of the canoes. Were they not pressed for time he would have taken a moment to watch the reaction of his colleagues. Few casters were expected to be so used to manual labor as he was and watching surprised faces was always entertaining. Maybe it’s the fey blood, he thought to himself, telepathically commanding Ninlil to keep scouting ahead.

The dwarf guide himself kept his attention while leading the expedition and fortunately they found no threats. He listened and Meili read Volo’s book again, considering if he should ask the questions he thought about back at the temple of Savras. Before coming to a decision, it was time to rest. Sleep came easy after the day of work, but didn’t take long. The shouts alerting about a giant snapper put him back on his feet. He exited the tent, fully awakened, and soon found the creature. A giant turtle. It shouldn’t be fast, at least not on land and he had some distance. Never too much, he decided retreating as fast as he could.

“Tormentum!” Velan shouts rising his right hand, arcane focus on his palm, emanate a teal light. His eyes the same color as he throws three darts of magical force against the reptile.

Notes: Velan moves back his full speed and casts Magic Missile (all three darts on the turtle).

Dart 1: 4 force damage
Dart 2: 3 force damage
Dart 3: 3 force damage

If it wasn't for her softly chattering teeth, Danica could almost forget her sickness as she stared up in awe at the dinosaur before having to blink and look away as her vision swayed. It had the longest neck of any creature that she had ever seen and found it oddly enchanting in it's oddness. She could see why its neck was the height it was as it grazed upon the lush leaves of the top of the jungle's canopy.

After they set up camp when Hew asked about watch order, the elf went to volunteer for first watch as was her favorite but then stopped herself, realizing that he was right and that she should try and rest. Sighing in defeat, she set about lighting the incense in a center point of camp and checks what weather they had to look forward to during the night and tomorrow using Druidcraft. Sitting by the fire shivering as she listened to Meili's voice dictate Volo's notes on various deadly creatures wasn't as restful as she had hoped, her vision blurred as she stared at the flames. Settling down in her bedroll for the night with murmured apologies to the rest of the group, she set about trying to rest. 

Danica had just managed to trance herself into a proper sleep when she heard Hew's loud calls for them to rouse. Disoriented and in just her sleep clothing, the druid stumbled out of the tent armed but unarmored, wielding her shield and scimitar. 

((Sorry for the belated post, didn't feel well this weekend. Danica gave me the ick! Was gonna roll some combat but since I'm low on the initiative order, figured I'd wait to see all what happens first.))

Earlier, Danica's druidcraft showed her that tonight and tomorrow would be hot and foggy but without rainfall.

***

Velan's Magic Missiles thud into the shell of the massive turtle.  It turns its head in his direction and then squints before walking closer to the campfire on its large clawed feet.  As it emerges into the light, you see how large it is, with a jagged shell 10 feet across.

Its reptilian eyes regard you all coldly, before it turns toward Meili.  Its head and bony beak lunge out at her in a flash, with bone crunching force.  Attack: 20 Damage: 16

Mica tumbles out of his bedroll as he hears Hew calls out and warns the group of the threat.  Used to sleeping in the wilderness he is still fully clad in his scale mail and holding a handaxe.  He gets a good look at the full size of the turtle as Velan’s arcane missiles strike its shell and it lunges toward Meili.  It is the largest turtle he has ever seen, dwarfing many of the creatures he is familiar with from back home.  “Gods, are all the creatures in this cursed jungle super-sized? He is a giant!” 

Still, he feels the turtle is just seeking out food, and not them in particular.  He circles warily, and with a short gesture and a phrase in the harsh tones of primordial, he attempts to communicate with the creature before others join the fight.  “Oh, great wise one of the river.  We are not your enemies, and we are not your food.   I beg you, leave us and seek an easier meal in the river. We mean you no harm, but we will defend ourselves.  Leave us in peace before more blood is shed.”

[Mica, make a persuasion check.]

Mica Persuasion Check: 11.

Quote from LAXGunner >>

Mica Persuasion Check: 2.

(Just because he can speak with animals doesn't mean he has anything to say... oh well, it was worth a shot)

The Giant Snapping Turtle twists its head toward Mica as he speaks but it does not answer.  Mica gets the feeling it is unmoved by his warning, having so easily dispatched one of you already.

Hew seems frozen for a moment, his eyes locked on Meili in the monster's bony jaws, and then on her collapsed form.  Then his face contorts into a mask of rage and he snarls savagely.  Drawing his rapier, he charges the turtle, stabbing furiously for the soft openings around its neck and limbs.

Attack: 18 Damage: 9

Attack: 20 Damage: 7

Meili was way too deep into the conversation when in the middle of the laughter Hew warned about the attack. But even then her first thought was about the book - did she read about the "snap jaw" already? - instead of "which direction to jump". When the true seriousness of the danger sank in, it was too late, the reptile's jaws locked around her body and the last thing she heard was the sound of her own bones breaking. 

Death save 1: 20