The Blackmire Company: Campaign

Diadochi sighs,"Abigail, I'm sorry. I haven't been on a very good streak lately with people. I'd of course rather have you in my corner, than Alul. Please forgive me. "

Cora just blinks a few times.  Watching the two.  She asks only a few questions, but seems... angry when Diadochi and the group when she heard that their team is the one that released such a creature.

"I don't have any reason to work with more creatures from this mountain.  I'll have my hands full with you, dysfunctional, bunch.  But yes.  I do agree to not cause any intentional death.  Now, to work."

Over the next hour or so, Cora gets a few things ready.  Asking each member of the group to recite after her.  Placing a cloth over their hand and her's.  A few drops of holy water, along with a deep prayer spoken in part Common and part Old Common.  After, the Oath seems to be similar to that of someone being deputized.  Working with the Faith, and in turn a Extension of the Faith. To Uphold the Four Pillars and to stand with Virtue."

If Someone Chooses Not To Take The Oath
Cora simply points to the door.  "Very well, your choice.  Now if you don't mind, you may now leave."  She patiently waits for them to leave.  Even the Innkeeper makes a reference that Cora has rented the inn for the day, and also asks the person to leave.  And would not like to call the guards.  

After All Have Taken The Oath
You feel fine.  Unsure if any of that was a magical ritual or not.  (INT/Religion check.)  

"It's done.  We are now all oath bound to each other in making sure this divine task is achieved.  We leave at dawn.  Get yourselves ready.  We'll make for this village.  Hn'ti, or however they're said in common."  She gives a small sigh.  "If you have a will, I suggest you leave a copy here in the tavern.  Weatherbee will come by and collect them.  Make sure any loved ones get the message."  

She turns, standing up and collecting her things.  "Now if you do not mind, I'm going to medidate.  Dawn.  Main passage.  Don't be late."  She heads up the stairs to one of the rooms of the Blood Raven.

That Night...

Group: You find your ways to the camp.  To the tavern.  To where-ever it is you decide to spend the rest of the day.  Sora-ha takes a few hours to continue working on the breastplate.  Eshe seems rather confused that Yaalin, of all people, went off scouting ahead.  The tavern is free for sleeping to anyone who decided to take the Oath.  (If not, can't stay the night as all the rooms are taken.)  But the night passes without incident.

Yaalin: You begin that half-day travel.  Like before, you try to head up the rocks and along the path.  Remembering that, somewhere, there's a overhang that provides some shelter.  Unfortunately, you do not seem to find it today.  Forced to sleep outside.  The night full of sounds and movement, but nothing seems to happen.  You wake up, as rested as one can.  

Morning Comes for Everyone...

Yaalin:  You break camp, not entirely sure how far away you are from the first trek up the mountain.  Where do you go, and at what pace?

Cora & Group:  Dawn arrives, seemingly too early.  Cora is at the path up the mountain.  She seems to have returned to her Shale persona.  No longer wearing the robes of the Faith, but the familiar clothing you constantly saw on the goblin.  Even her face is that of a Goblin.  Voice having changed to match her new look.  Diadochi is the only one that can see through it.  Seeing past the haze of the illusion to the robed halfling wearing a wooden goblin mask.  

Traveling.... Where to / Who's Where / What Speed?
(Cora takes the Middle, and will Assist anyone with Perception rolls)

If moving Fast: -1 Survival Roll (Min 1 / Will incur check/s for exhaustion).  Regular (Normal).  Slow (Double)

Locations to Travel To, based on current location:
Druidic Cave:  (Yaalin, 2 Survival Checks. Unknown DC to find.)  (Group, 2 Survival Checks. Unknown DC to find)
Hn'ti Village:  (Yaalin, 3 Survival Checks. DC 15 Survival to Find.)  (Group, 2 Survival Checks.  DC 15 to find food along way)

Abigail takes Cora's reassurance at face value. Religion: 10 to figure out what is going on during the oath process. She is going to spend the night in the tavern ((Why sleep outside when you can be comfortable inside?)) 

Abigail will take up the rear in the marching order, and likes just getting to the Hn'ti village as soon as possible (i.e. not going anywhere else), but not rushing (i.e. regular speed).

Yaalin stretches' and Goes to greet her companions before remembering she is now alone, sighing she remembers her plan to head to the druid grotto trying hard to remember and cursing that she didn't take better notes. but with the spring air in her lungs and resolution of purpose granting her strength she sets out uphill in what she thinks is the correct direction

Survival 7

Moving quickly her legs tire as the day goes on but pushing through she whispers a prayer that this will be worth it.

Check against exhaustion 6

Sim puts his hand on Cora’s and nods to begin. He watches and listens carefully not wanting to be bound forever. religion 7

Sim sleeps at the inn for the best rest he can get and is up early communing with the mountain to be ready to lead the group up the mountain. Knowing the journey ahead he discusses them heading for the cave as a waypoint to rest at but is surprised to find his mind is a bit muddy on its location. If more people vote to head straight to the Hn’ti then he will lead them there. 

(I’m assuming I have assistance like usual from lafetha)

survival 11

survival 23

Diadochi takes the oath and stays the night at the inn but makes sure the door is locked when he goes to sleep.  He trusts Sim to lead them where they need to go and won't give any input. Marching order he'll stay next to Lafetha. 

Lafetha accepts/let's Cora do her oath religion 10 to see if she thinks/knows of this oath as being some sort of magical ritual.

She then heads up to her room in the Inn for sleep as she knows this will be another long journey. She agrees with Sim on heading to the Hn'ti village. As always she will be behind Sim in marching order once the group take off 

survival 10

Religion (3)

 Religion (7)

 Religion (14)

 Yaalin:  You climb and travel.  Heading out at a good pace.  Over one set of rocks.  Then another.  Then a small climb, only to find the way blocked by a wall.  Turning around... you thought... you thought you came in the right direction.  The mountain is just so different than the sea.  The stones are cold and unmoving but teeming with life.  Most of it doesn't pay you any attention, scurrying off at the sounds of your approach or being too far away to investigate what you are.  

Eventually, you set down for a rest.  Exhausted.  Having kept yourself moving through the night and into the early parts of the morning.  One foot in front of the other. One claw to pull and assist in yet another climb, now that the other's aren't here to all help.  But, you do make camp.  Trying to keep yourself awake as best as possible.  It's more dangerous out here alone, not able to take a shift watch in the wilderness.  A backpack full of food.  Eventually your eyes are unable to stay open and you blink a few times.  Time seeming to skip with each blink.  When you do wake, having rations and water gives you a sense of rejuvenated energy.  But as you look around, no longer going for speed, you do not recognize where you are.

Group: Once again you all set out into the Widowpeaks.  Thinking for a moment on the best direction, the careful guidance and familiar terrain helps you all climb.  Knowing what spots to avoid, what areas now wet provide a better path and which ones provide a worse path.  Still, the first day you all find yourselves spent.  Not able to scounge up enough food and water.  Dipping into the rations (I just put you all at max), you are able to get a bit of a meal.  Originally it had been Yaalin that had kept the create water spell on hand, but now, that role seems to be shifting over to Lafetha.  That, or run the risk of not having enough water...

The second day you fare better.  Finding some small game and a bit of a waterfall that'll last months.  The cold clean water striking the small well.  It's here you're able to get some ground critters, as well as refill your waterskins.  Having made good time, you know that the Hn'ti village is about 5ish hours away.  Pressing on tonight, while doable, would certainly be troublesome with everyone being tired and leave some of you exhausted once you encounter them.

Cora suggests stealth, taking the majority of the time tomorrow to sneak up and over.  But she admits, this is a place she never came to.  And that your 5 hour journey will take closer from dawn until dusk.

What do you do?

Yaalin wakes blinking, "Oh Sh...."  she turns one way and then the next sighs "well mountains go up and we sure went up before" so picking a safe feeling direction to hopefully the Cave  

"ancestors please please please help me."

Survival 9

Regardless of how the day goes she will collapse and withdraw into her shell as night falls full resting as much as she can

Knowing the Hn’ti and how aggressive they became, once they knew we were heading to the temple, Sim agrees to move as stealthily as we can to avoid detection since he doubts they will be any more kind when they discover we are here to kill the elder. 

“So what exactly is your plan we can’t just walk up and say we’re here for his head. Oh and what did that oath do to us?”

Cora raises a brow.  "My plan? Considering I've never been to this place before, my plan is to approach it slow and with stealth.  Use the day to make sure we can get inside.  The fact there's a fire in the distance means they need light, so we can use all of tomorrow to sneak over and then strike at night.  But I don't have any idea as to where this leader person is, or a layout, or what to expect.  But you seem well versed on getting to and from this area.  What's your plan?"

When asked about the Oath, Cora furrows her goblin brows.  "It's a Sacred Oath.  One that you took freely.  Time to worry was before you freely joined on this holy quest."

Yaalin, you make camp.  Resting and beginning to recover. As the sun begins to set, you hear something.  Fluttering.  Out from some crevace on the rock face, swarms of hundreds of these tiny winged creatures come flying at your direction.  The multiple swarms seeming to be heading in your general direction.

What do you do?

Abigail agrees that stealth is the best option, but looking over at Diadochi, she notes, "Once we get too close to the village, we may have some issues with Diadochi. I assume that Lafetha can transform into something small and stealthy."
 
Abigail attempts to remember back to the tunnels underneath the village, was there anything that would have even seemed like it could have come out somewhere else? 

((Going with an Intelligence check to remember the layout of the caves: 7; Going with an Insight/Survival check on whatever she does remember to theorize anything down there had the potential of hooking up elsewhere: 24)) 

Either way, Abigail says, "There are some tunnels and ruins beneath the village, so there could be a secret way into them from somewhere outside the village." 

 Yaalin looks up at the fluttering of wings, thinking quickly and not knowing if they are aggressive of not she  pulls her cloak op to over her mouth and a hand darts towards a nearby rock it blazing with Light, She tosses the rock gently away from her and the bugs as a lure. She then grabs her backpack(s) and backs away from the Bugs.  

If the Bugs follow her and attack her

If they go after the light lure whe will walk a short way and try again to rest. 

Abigail:  You remember the few rooms you went into fairly well.  Underground, holding different items.  It seemed to connect in various ways throughout the entire village.  But there was that well, which you couldn't quite see all the down in.  Only heard the rushing water.  It's clear that it all connects, and that some tunnels moved out into the fields.  But you didn't explore enough to build a mental picture outside the ones you saw.

Yaalin: The creatures continue to come towards you.  A few seem to splinter off at the sound of the rock, but not enough to reduce the swarms numbers.  They keep seeming to come towards you..  Fast.  Three separate swarms of these tiny winged creatures.  They look similar to a bat, but lack eyes entirely and have a stronger jaw.

3 Swams Initiative: 7

Yaalin continues backing away but as it becomes obvious the creatures won't leave her alone she will back away again a word on ancient aquan spreads like a wave of light forth from her Word of Radiance rippling through the three swarms like a wave before crouching and brining her shield up to try and fend the beasts off. 

Initiative 7

((that spell is targeting all three of the swarms in case that wasn't clear))

Also dmg if they fail the con save 1

Diadochi scratches the side of his head with his trunk " yes my armor and training aren't well suited for stealth. However if we go the stealth route, my thick loxodon hide can protect me better than most, shouldn't be an issue as long as we avoid prolonged engagements... If only it protected my feelings as well." 

Diadochi looks down at the beginning of his new tortle wood carving, his eyes tearing up, "where ever you are, I hope you are safe." 

Diadochi sniffs and looks back at the rest of the team, "I agree with the stealth and scout in the morning approach. The more we know the better chance we have of reducing casualties. Finding a connected cave is a good idea but even if we find a cave opening there is no guarantee it will lead to the village. Once we get closer Lafetha has a spell that can help us move undetected."

"Great, then lets break camp tomorrow morning, and hopefully we will get there around dusk. Hopefully, that will mean much of the village will be back up at the top, and we will have an easier time looking for any cave entrances. "

Group:

Cora gives a nod.  "I'll take your lead on this one," as the group continues to set up camp, they discuss strategies and a bit of normal conversation.  Cora gets a bit of the lay of the land and learns that the village is on a plateau, and that the Hn'ti seem to farm on the fields.  

(I will need 2 Skill Rolls.  First, is a Group Challenge v DC 13, Stealth/DEX rolls.  This is against passive observation of any hunting parties / sentries that are looking out.  The second is also a Stealth/DEX roll but will determine if you're caught in the reeds / by the enterance of any tunnels / etc..  *It's this roll that will benefit more from Pass Without Trace if you can only cast it once.)

Yaalin: 
Bat Save 1:  11
Bat Save 2: 5

Bursts of light seem to ripple off some of the bats, a few falling from the swarm.  (I'll use the first 2 rolled, and the second 2 rolled.  The third, aka the 1 dmg, didn't hit due to distance.)  The bats move around and through your area.  Attempting to take a bite as they go on these little flyby attacks.  (You get a AOO on one of the three swarms)

Bat Swarm 1 Attack: 7 Damage: 4
Bat Swarm 2 Attack: 16 Damage: 6
Bat Swarm 3 Attack: 24 Damage: 10

When Diadochi wakes up he tightly wraps his chain mail so it won't jingle and puts it in his pack before heading out. 

stealth 1 10