This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Gerrard:
”Exactly where are we meeting you afterwards, Kevros?” asks Gerrard, watching how the half-elf moves to determine if he might be faking the extent of his injuries for some reason…
Medicine: 6
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Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
With the others seemingly only interested in the ammunition and the small arms, Kei reaches out and takes the pommel of the sword. Although he has used a blade of this size before he always found them unwieldy. He hefts it into a crude fighting stance and examines the blades surface. "I guess I can study this as we ride" he offers begrudgingly. "I've dealt with cheap blades before, even traded them, but if this one has anything to say I'll be listening."
"I will find you as soon as I am able. Should you end this earlier, I will be resting at the encampment on the river." He goes on to describe the small encampment you skirted around earlier.
Gerrard determines the source of his illness and weakness to be more arcane than medical. His wounds are not mortal, but Gerrard knows that the nature of undead attacks such as these often requires an extended rest which no spells nor potions can substitute for. (He needs a long rest.)
(Speaking of rests, riding on horseback into the Dreadwood does not count as one, so you won't be able to use this time to identify magical items nor heal. Boko is the exception, presuming she wildshapes into something small and rests for an hour or more in Gerrard's saddlebags as he has offered.)
Peri divvies up the arrows between anyone who wants to take them. ((I think only Boko and Gerrard are carrying bows?)) "They're arrows -- feathery end on the bowstring and pointy end toward the monsters. We probably don't need to know all the details to use 'em. If we get to the evil lair ahead of schedule we can take a look at 'em then. For now we need to make tracks. If I'm gonna die tonight I want it to be before the Nine Hells open up." He mounts his horse, ready to ride recklessly fast through an evil enchanted forest. Couldn'ta stayed on the ship -- had to go have yourself an Adventure.
Unless you have further business with Kevros, the party turns toward the cold, bleak woods to the east. The ride ahead looks long, dark, cold, and unsettling.
Somebody may make a survival check to lead the party forward.
Meanwhile, with a wildshape, Boko may gain the benefits of a short rest in Gerrard's saddlebags and identify the magic behind either the arrows, the dagger, or the longsword. (Choose which, and state which wildshape animal!)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Peri:
With Boko transformed to recover her magic, and Qivys falling into line behind, Peri figures it falls on either Kei or himself to take the lead. He edges his horse forward. "Due east, til we find a big hill in 'The Dead Zone?' Shouldn't be able to miss it," he quips, adding "I'm not that lucky..." under his breath. He sets off at a trot in what he hopes to be the right direction.
Peri is not familiar with this horrid forest, nor does he relish going any deeper into it, but he certainly knows how to use his sense of where the dim and heatless winter sun might be hiding in order to lead the party unerringly due east with accuracy only a professional seaman could attain.
The dead and brambly wasteland of open forest gradually transforms into a dark evergreen canopy – old and massive pine trees with crowns thick enough to block out most of the daylight, as well as all of the snow. As the gaps above become more rare, and the navigation more challenging, the riding becomes easier, as there is little undergrowth and no more of the annoying snowy crust. And then the slope begins to rise.
Peri reins in his horse at the base of the hill and faces his companions. He's a bit surprised to see Boko back on her horse; he'd been so focused on navigating he hadn't noticed her transformation. Hope she learned somethin' good about those arrows, like they instantly kill anything evil. "I think this is the hill we're lookin' for. Anybody have any last-minute preparation they need to do before we go ridin' into danger? Might be the last bathroom break before the afterlife if things go badly." He finds he doesn't have to force the humor into his voice. Apparently having accepted the strong likelihood of his death had taken most of the worrying out of the process.
Checking his equipment and taking a deep breath, Gerrard says, “Thank you, Master Fenwader, for so expertly guiding us here. I can’t help but wonder what calamities have been averted by heroes of the past that were never acknowledged, how many people have been saved while their rulers lived in luxury, reaping the fruits of their labor uninterrupted.”
Pausing and looking up the hill, he adds, “If I live long enough to claim my birthright, it will be far different. For now, let us play the unsung heroes, risking our lives to save people from threats unknown to them.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Kei
He attempts to study the long blade as they ride but Peri sets such a pace through the forest that focusing on the minute details of the weapon is made impossible. No consideration. He stows the sword into the straps of his saddle and concentrates on the path and keeping pace with the others.
"Give me a second" he responds to Peri's prompt. Reaching for his cards he closes his eyes and draws one at random. Give me strength to survive this. Some guidance wouldn't go astray. He plucks a single card and examines its artwork. "I guess that'll help" he looks at Peri at the base of the hill. "OK. When you're ready capt'n".
Boko spends her time wildshaped as a small animal in Gerrard's saddlebags. (She takes three back-to-back short rests in that time, and spends her time examining the magical signatures of all three of the new items: the 20 arrows, the flame tongue dagger, and the longsword.)
The party continues to climb the hill. The forest has taken on an increasingly sinister character. The thick canopy of snow-covered pine branches threatens to devour all sunlight. (The canopy casts everything in dim light, and in some areas, the growth overhead is so thick that the area below is completely dark.) The ground is bare and boulder-strewn, and the stems and branches emanating from the massive trees are dead, twisted, and thorny. It is perfectly silent here.
Suddenly you step out into the brilliant light of day, albeit completely cloaked in cloud and fog. You find yourselves on the empty crown of a desolate hilltop, charred in a broad circle as if destroyed in a massive fire from which the forest here never recovered. A creeping fog clings to the ground, and a solid white haze fills the sky – you cannot see across to the other side of the clearing through the thick vapors. The fog occasionally takes eerie forms – grasping claws, writhing serpents, and twisted faces. The place exudes a surreal and disorienting sense of timelessness, and an oppressive sense of dread. It is not cold here, and yet you are deeply chilled.
Ahead, on the top of the hill, is a small keep of black stone.
Peri lets out a low whistle upon seeing the keep rising from the mists. "Think that's the one we're lookin' for? It'd be real embarrassin' to go kickin' in the door of the wrong evil castle. 'The citadel of Blood? " he asks in his best vampire voice. "No, this is the Fortress of Death. The Citadel is two hills over, on the right." He giggles at his own joke. Giggles? You might be crackin' up boyo. Ah well, any hafling of any sense wouldn't get caught within fifty miles of this place, so we can we can safely assume you've packed your sense and sanity away in that trunk. Hopefully Ma will make better use of it than you ever did! He snorts out loud at his internal jest, shaking his head and chuckling as he ties his horse to one of the trees just a bit back from the edge of the clearing.
Boko spends the time on the ride to the citadel both in a saddlebag and on her own mount. She rides first on her own mount, helping to guide the direction of travel but she realizes quickly that Peri has things easily in hand. She then shifts into squirrel form, about two hours in. She moves to a saddlebag with the items and there she takes her rests and identifies things. As they start to rise up the hill, she pokes her head out and watches and begins to look for a tall tree she can scamper up for a look. She darts up as a squirrel and does her best to get a view of the keep, anything outside of it, and anything she can see inside. (Let me know if this is feasible and if a check is called for.)
Either way she returns to the ground and shifts back into her own form. She agrees the horses should stay in the trees and she asks if it would make sense to circle around the keep, within the treeline, to see if there is any better approach.
Qivys sits a moment, looking to the black stone keep then dismounts. He does his best to scan the keep grounds but at this distance and with the fog he may not see much. He is looking for signs of soldiers, patrols and the like around the keep.
"If'n this is tha place an' its tha center fer this evil" Qivys says. "Then there should be soldiers near by ta keep out anyone they don't want in there. I suspect that there will be an army of undead ta keep us at bay fer a bit. They might just start poppin' out tha ground like daisies once we set foot over there. "
Slipping from the saddle Kei lands with little sound. "It's as though everthing here is dead, even the ground". He puzzles over the thought as Qivys remarks about the keep and its missing guards. "If what we've heard of this place is half way true, I'd say they welcome visitors with open maws. Wouldn't make sense to scare people off with an armed presence on the walls". He too ties his horse to a tree back from the treeline and joins the others as they gaze on the citadel and plan their movements.
"At least this fog will help hide us on approach. If Boko changes into a small animal, I can make myself invisible and that way we will appear a lesser force than we are. Perhaps that will allow a bit more freedom in tactics."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
The party rests for a moment at the edge of the foggy, dead clearing. Boko, before she returns to her own form, examines the keep from the top of a squirrel-friendly tree at the edge of the circle. Bokosquirrel Perception:12
You tie up the horses, who have no interest in venturing any further into the unearthly mist-filled world ahead.
The light is beginning to fade a little; the invisible setting sun is gradually turning the fog a disturbing shade of orangish-brown.
Qivys sees no sign of life, nor of any obvious defenses. The ground is covered with ancient, well-weathered rubble; it is clear there once was extensive grounds here with walls and arches and roads and buildings, now pulverized nearly to powder.
Boko was able to get an excellent look at the keep from her perch in the tree. It is built of windowless black stone, and apparently in perfect condition. It has a single visible door on this side, made of thick oak and reinforced with iron bands, but no other openings – not even arrow slits. It is not tall – barely two stories high – but it is squat and solidly built. It is clear it was once part of a complex of buildings and walls, long since destroyed by whatever forces took this place. It is perfectly still and quiet, even as the fog continues to play tricks on your eyes.
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Gerrard:
”Exactly where are we meeting you afterwards, Kevros?” asks Gerrard, watching how the half-elf moves to determine if he might be faking the extent of his injuries for some reason…
Medicine: 6
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Kei
With the others seemingly only interested in the ammunition and the small arms, Kei reaches out and takes the pommel of the sword. Although he has used a blade of this size before he always found them unwieldy. He hefts it into a crude fighting stance and examines the blades surface. "I guess I can study this as we ride" he offers begrudgingly. "I've dealt with cheap blades before, even traded them, but if this one has anything to say I'll be listening."
"I will find you as soon as I am able. Should you end this earlier, I will be resting at the encampment on the river." He goes on to describe the small encampment you skirted around earlier.
Gerrard determines the source of his illness and weakness to be more arcane than medical. His wounds are not mortal, but Gerrard knows that the nature of undead attacks such as these often requires an extended rest which no spells nor potions can substitute for. (He needs a long rest.)
(Speaking of rests, riding on horseback into the Dreadwood does not count as one, so you won't be able to use this time to identify magical items nor heal. Boko is the exception, presuming she wildshapes into something small and rests for an hour or more in Gerrard's saddlebags as he has offered.)
Peri:
Peri divvies up the arrows between anyone who wants to take them. ((I think only Boko and Gerrard are carrying bows?)) "They're arrows -- feathery end on the bowstring and pointy end toward the monsters. We probably don't need to know all the details to use 'em. If we get to the evil lair ahead of schedule we can take a look at 'em then. For now we need to make tracks. If I'm gonna die tonight I want it to be before the Nine Hells open up." He mounts his horse, ready to ride recklessly fast through an evil enchanted forest. Couldn'ta stayed on the ship -- had to go have yourself an Adventure.
Unless you have further business with Kevros, the party turns toward the cold, bleak woods to the east. The ride ahead looks long, dark, cold, and unsettling.
Somebody may make a survival check to lead the party forward.
Meanwhile, with a wildshape, Boko may gain the benefits of a short rest in Gerrard's saddlebags and identify the magic behind either the arrows, the dagger, or the longsword. (Choose which, and state which wildshape animal!)
Qivys looks to the group then to this newcomer, then back. His maintains his silence as he pulls his mount in line and follows the party.
Peri:
With Boko transformed to recover her magic, and Qivys falling into line behind, Peri figures it falls on either Kei or himself to take the lead. He edges his horse forward. "Due east, til we find a big hill in 'The Dead Zone?' Shouldn't be able to miss it," he quips, adding "I'm not that lucky..." under his breath. He sets off at a trot in what he hopes to be the right direction.
Survival: 4; Perception 11
Peri is not familiar with this horrid forest, nor does he relish going any deeper into it, but he certainly knows how to use his sense of where the dim and heatless winter sun might be hiding in order to lead the party unerringly due east with accuracy only a professional seaman could attain.
The dead and brambly wasteland of open forest gradually transforms into a dark evergreen canopy – old and massive pine trees with crowns thick enough to block out most of the daylight, as well as all of the snow. As the gaps above become more rare, and the navigation more challenging, the riding becomes easier, as there is little undergrowth and no more of the annoying snowy crust. And then the slope begins to rise.
Peri:
Peri reins in his horse at the base of the hill and faces his companions. He's a bit surprised to see Boko back on her horse; he'd been so focused on navigating he hadn't noticed her transformation. Hope she learned somethin' good about those arrows, like they instantly kill anything evil. "I think this is the hill we're lookin' for. Anybody have any last-minute preparation they need to do before we go ridin' into danger? Might be the last bathroom break before the afterlife if things go badly." He finds he doesn't have to force the humor into his voice. Apparently having accepted the strong likelihood of his death had taken most of the worrying out of the process.
Gerrard:
Checking his equipment and taking a deep breath, Gerrard says, “Thank you, Master Fenwader, for so expertly guiding us here. I can’t help but wonder what calamities have been averted by heroes of the past that were never acknowledged, how many people have been saved while their rulers lived in luxury, reaping the fruits of their labor uninterrupted.”
Pausing and looking up the hill, he adds, “If I live long enough to claim my birthright, it will be far different. For now, let us play the unsung heroes, risking our lives to save people from threats unknown to them.”
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Kei
He attempts to study the long blade as they ride but Peri sets such a pace through the forest that focusing on the minute details of the weapon is made impossible. No consideration. He stows the sword into the straps of his saddle and concentrates on the path and keeping pace with the others.
"Give me a second" he responds to Peri's prompt. Reaching for his cards he closes his eyes and draws one at random. Give me strength to survive this. Some guidance wouldn't go astray. He plucks a single card and examines its artwork. "I guess that'll help" he looks at Peri at the base of the hill. "OK. When you're ready capt'n".
Tales 6
Boko spends her time wildshaped as a small animal in Gerrard's saddlebags. (She takes three back-to-back short rests in that time, and spends her time examining the magical signatures of all three of the new items: the 20 arrows, the flame tongue dagger, and the longsword.)
The party continues to climb the hill. The forest has taken on an increasingly sinister character. The thick canopy of snow-covered pine branches threatens to devour all sunlight. (The canopy casts everything in dim light, and in some areas, the growth overhead is so thick that the area below is completely dark.) The ground is bare and boulder-strewn, and the stems and branches emanating from the massive trees are dead, twisted, and thorny. It is perfectly silent here.
Suddenly you step out into the brilliant light of day, albeit completely cloaked in cloud and fog. You find yourselves on the empty crown of a desolate hilltop, charred in a broad circle as if destroyed in a massive fire from which the forest here never recovered. A creeping fog clings to the ground, and a solid white haze fills the sky – you cannot see across to the other side of the clearing through the thick vapors. The fog occasionally takes eerie forms – grasping claws, writhing serpents, and twisted faces. The place exudes a surreal and disorienting sense of timelessness, and an oppressive sense of dread. It is not cold here, and yet you are deeply chilled.
Ahead, on the top of the hill, is a small keep of black stone.
Peri:
Peri lets out a low whistle upon seeing the keep rising from the mists. "Think that's the one we're lookin' for? It'd be real embarrassin' to go kickin' in the door of the wrong evil castle. 'The citadel of Blood? " he asks in his best vampire voice. "No, this is the Fortress of Death. The Citadel is two hills over, on the right." He giggles at his own joke. Giggles? You might be crackin' up boyo. Ah well, any hafling of any sense wouldn't get caught within fifty miles of this place, so we can we can safely assume you've packed your sense and sanity away in that trunk. Hopefully Ma will make better use of it than you ever did! He snorts out loud at his internal jest, shaking his head and chuckling as he ties his horse to one of the trees just a bit back from the edge of the clearing.
Gerrard:
”I hesitate to bring the horses into this fog, shall we tie them up back in the wood before we proceed?” suggests Gerrard.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Boko spends the time on the ride to the citadel both in a saddlebag and on her own mount. She rides first on her own mount, helping to guide the direction of travel but she realizes quickly that Peri has things easily in hand. She then shifts into squirrel form, about two hours in. She moves to a saddlebag with the items and there she takes her rests and identifies things. As they start to rise up the hill, she pokes her head out and watches and begins to look for a tall tree she can scamper up for a look. She darts up as a squirrel and does her best to get a view of the keep, anything outside of it, and anything she can see inside. (Let me know if this is feasible and if a check is called for.)
Either way she returns to the ground and shifts back into her own form. She agrees the horses should stay in the trees and she asks if it would make sense to circle around the keep, within the treeline, to see if there is any better approach.
Qivys sits a moment, looking to the black stone keep then dismounts.
He does his best to scan the keep grounds but at this distance and with the fog he may not see much. He is looking for signs of soldiers, patrols and the like around the keep.
"If'n this is tha place an' its tha center fer this evil" Qivys says. "Then there should be soldiers near by ta keep out anyone they don't want in there. I suspect that there will be an army of undead ta keep us at bay fer a bit. They might just start poppin' out tha ground like daisies once we set foot over there. "
Kei
Slipping from the saddle Kei lands with little sound. "It's as though everthing here is dead, even the ground". He puzzles over the thought as Qivys remarks about the keep and its missing guards. "If what we've heard of this place is half way true, I'd say they welcome visitors with open maws. Wouldn't make sense to scare people off with an armed presence on the walls". He too ties his horse to a tree back from the treeline and joins the others as they gaze on the citadel and plan their movements.
"At least this fog will help hide us on approach. If Boko changes into a small animal, I can make myself invisible and that way we will appear a lesser force than we are. Perhaps that will allow a bit more freedom in tactics."
Gerrard:
Getting his horse settled, Gerrard asks, “Mistress Boko, have you learned anything about the magic items?”
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
The party rests for a moment at the edge of the foggy, dead clearing. Boko, before she returns to her own form, examines the keep from the top of a squirrel-friendly tree at the edge of the circle. Bokosquirrel Perception: 12
You tie up the horses, who have no interest in venturing any further into the unearthly mist-filled world ahead.
The light is beginning to fade a little; the invisible setting sun is gradually turning the fog a disturbing shade of orangish-brown.
Qivys sees no sign of life, nor of any obvious defenses. The ground is covered with ancient, well-weathered rubble; it is clear there once was extensive grounds here with walls and arches and roads and buildings, now pulverized nearly to powder.
Boko was able to get an excellent look at the keep from her perch in the tree. It is built of windowless black stone, and apparently in perfect condition. It has a single visible door on this side, made of thick oak and reinforced with iron bands, but no other openings – not even arrow slits. It is not tall – barely two stories high – but it is squat and solidly built. It is clear it was once part of a complex of buildings and walls, long since destroyed by whatever forces took this place. It is perfectly still and quiet, even as the fog continues to play tricks on your eyes.