"We came to escort this guy who represents some interest in the mine or other. But when we got here it all seemed really suspicious. Then we found the buried bodies round the back. I used to be a miner so I got sort of upset about all this, as you can imagine"
"So what in all the hells happened here? Dead miners and you hiding without any food. I'm sure its nothing good but tell us about it"
He continues preparing the food and handing it out as its ready.
Don-Jon, who has mostly been quiet until now, begins to speak with one of the Dwarves. "Indeed. I came here on behalf of the consortium, trying to figure out what the problem with the production was. I see now that the situation is worse than we thought. I don't see Caylenn among you, should I assume he is in one of the graves outside?"
"Aye," one responds, "it all happened very quickly. These rat-like creatures suddenly appeared from inside the mine, we were not prepared. Those of us who tried to fight couldn't do anything - their wounds healed faster than we could hurt them. Those who weren't killed on the spot died later of their wounds. We managed to shut ourselves in this room since, but our food ran out. These rats didn't even bother to try getting us out if here though."
The Dwarves consult each other, trying to recall how many they've seen. Each of them counts with their fingers to keep track, but they reach different results. "Anyway," one of them says, "definitely not more than two dozen. Most likely less than that."
"Also, there two kinds of them." Another continues, backed by nodding of the others. "There were smaller ones - much larger than a regular rat, but still small. These were not much of a threat by themselves, but there were also the tall ones - almost as tall as a Human. These had weapons on them. Fighting them, however, is madness. Their wounds were closing up even before our weapons fully left their body. Fundar manages to pierce the chest of one, but they just laughed and pushed him away, dealing that cut as they did." Now that he mentions it, you notice the one in the back - on the bedroll - has a nasty-looking wound running from his left shoulder to the hip line. All of them are wounded, to some extent, you realise. Some have bandages on them, others had to rip clothes in order to stop the bleeding. That five of them are still alive must be a miracle.
Their wounds were closing?! Repeats Dolgrim in a terrified voice. That's quite an advantage. I have no idea how we could fight something like that. We must find some other way. Maybe... can I speak to you in private? Says Dolgrim to his dwarven companions, when he is sure that Donjon can't hear them, he continues. I don't think we can defeat them, but what if we trap them inside? Lets collapse the mine entance.
Barthrum says, "I don't think that would help anyone. But we might be able to help these five and then gain more intel about what we're facing."
He goes and kneels down at the most wounded person to inspect his wounds. "Fundar? Can you hear me? It is not your time to die." (Lay on Hands on Fundar for 5 points)
(would Barthrum know anything of these types of regenerating rat-like creatures?)
"Aye, thank you, but this wound ain't fatal. I'll be better when I've had a decent meal. No offense to your friend, but five Dwarves who hadn't eaten for a long while need more than that."
Make either an Arcana, Religion or Nature check. A different check might yield different results. You can attempt more than one, but that woul mean each check gives less infirmation since you're not focusing on only one field of study.
Thenmer thinks hard about those odds, they sound pretty bad. As they mention needing more food he comments
"Well I can only give you all the food that I have, I done that. We will have to get you back to Phandalin for proper food. We've done the job we get paid for and my friends here are rightly worried about taking on rats that won't die and outnumber us. Can't defeat what we can't kill"
He tries to remember any mention of creatures like this, rats that look like people and heal wounds up that fast.
Barthrum remembers: All creatures regenerate, to an extent. Some faster, some slower. A small wound for a Human would take a few days, while a broken bone could take a few Tendays. Some lizards can regenerate their tails quickly, within a matter of days. Healing spells, you know, accelerate this proccess by a bit, able to make small wounds clise within mere seconds.
If so, there are two options. First, these creatures can cast healing spells, and do so on themselves repeatedly. The second, they're unnatural creatures. Unnatural creatures exist, though they're rare. You... didn't learn much about them, but you remember being told of such creatures in various stories. Most notably, scary stories told by the lantern in the cave. One particular story that comes to mind now, reminds you of other creatures who look half-human, half-animal. What did they call them? Oh, right. Werewolves.
Thenmer remembers: Though he was never able to cast them himself, Thenmer knows there are spells capable of healing. He had seen his companions cast such spells multiple times. Those spells, however, require a few seconds to cast, and like most of the spells he knows, they often require some gestures, or words of power to make them work. Laughing and attacking another creature as in Fundar's tale? That won't work, he knows. Powerful casters might be able to do it without those hinderances, but will such powerful casters use weapons? Their spells would be more effective. Moreover, these spells can heal minir wounds, bruises. A pickaxe piercing your chest? Not so much.
If so, Thenmer is able to conclude that it's not likely magic is being used here. Or, maybe, the magic is some passive quality of these creatures. While he hadn't heard of such regenerating creatures before, it doesn't strike him as impossible. If it's truly caused by magic, howerver, then magic could probably stop it too.
Thenmer ponders, he considers how weak his magic has been so far.
"Healing that fast isn't natural, its gotta be magical. Maybe magic could beat that healing but I don't have enough magic to deal with more than maybe one or two enemies. Two dozen are sure death for us. Don-Jon I think we are done here, we will take any dwarves back to Phandalin who want to come but we did not take a job of fighting magical enemies we can't kill"
Don-Jon doesn't look pleased. "Are they truly immortal, all of them? Could nothing hurt them?" He asks.
"Nah," one of the Dwarves answers, "not all of them are. As we've said, the smaller ones aren't much more than large rats. Their bites hurt, but not any danger. Only the large ones are dangerous, and there are less than a dozen of those. I doubt they're immortal, but our pickaxes left them uncathed. If you choose to flee, we won't judge you, but we're not surrendering this mine to those filthy rats." The other Dwarves nod in agreement.
Barthrum says, "They might be werewolves and these are tough. The stories I recall are of horror instead of glory. If our weapons will be of no help then Thenmer is our only hope. And as he said - he can maybe take one."
He turns to address the locals, "I understand that you have lost people dear to you, but staying here won't bring them back. You can't fight them - you have tried and failed. Let us escort you back to Phandalin." He puts his hand up, "Hold on, let me finish. In Phandalin we can ask others if they have any clue on how to fight something like this. And we will reclaim this mine. Make your conviction and determination count for something instead of nothing - we need people both now and later that know the mine, the danger, and the sacrifice made here."
He turns to Don-Jon, "These are not ghosts where neither of you can hurt each other. These creatures can surely main and kill and we need to know more before going up against them."
"Look lads, I wish I could say I could take them but I can't. I'm not some great wizard who can take down hordes, I'm just a dwarf with a bit of magic to him. Maybe enough to tackle one or two of these things but if we meet a dozen we'll all be dead inside a minute. Come back to Phandalin with us, get yourselves some decent food and maybe we will think of a way."
He hesitates before continuing
"I know we dwarves don't like to back down but this is not the time to fight. If we fight now its on their terms not ours. We should think it through, find out how to fight them and then return when we are good and ready. A bit of good old fashioned dwarven patience is needed here, find out what weapons can hurt them, make the weapons and then come back. We're not a bunch of flighty elves, we're dwarves."
"Going back later? Well, that is an idea, but it can't be never." Don-Jon agrees, though it's clear he doesn't like the idea much, and it shows. The Dwarves mostly agree with him. "If it helps us reclaim the mine, perhaps it is the better call." One of them says. They all nod. They seem to agree to the plan, but it's clear they'd rather just stay and swing their pickaxes again. "But, when do you want to leave?" Don-Jon asks. "It must be night outside already and my legs are tired from walking all day, but I'm not too sure about sleeping here either. What do you three think?"
"We came to escort this guy who represents some interest in the mine or other. But when we got here it all seemed really suspicious. Then we found the buried bodies round the back. I used to be a miner so I got sort of upset about all this, as you can imagine"
"So what in all the hells happened here? Dead miners and you hiding without any food. I'm sure its nothing good but tell us about it"
He continues preparing the food and handing it out as its ready.
Don-Jon, who has mostly been quiet until now, begins to speak with one of the Dwarves. "Indeed. I came here on behalf of the consortium, trying to figure out what the problem with the production was. I see now that the situation is worse than we thought. I don't see Caylenn among you, should I assume he is in one of the graves outside?"
"Aye," one responds, "it all happened very quickly. These rat-like creatures suddenly appeared from inside the mine, we were not prepared. Those of us who tried to fight couldn't do anything - their wounds healed faster than we could hurt them. Those who weren't killed on the spot died later of their wounds. We managed to shut ourselves in this room since, but our food ran out. These rats didn't even bother to try getting us out if here though."
Varielky
Thenmer bristles with anger
"How many of these rats are there do you think? We are pretty hardy dwarves, if there are only a few I think we can make them pay for their killing."
The Dwarves consult each other, trying to recall how many they've seen. Each of them counts with their fingers to keep track, but they reach different results. "Anyway," one of them says, "definitely not more than two dozen. Most likely less than that."
"Also, there two kinds of them." Another continues, backed by nodding of the others. "There were smaller ones - much larger than a regular rat, but still small. These were not much of a threat by themselves, but there were also the tall ones - almost as tall as a Human. These had weapons on them. Fighting them, however, is madness. Their wounds were closing up even before our weapons fully left their body. Fundar manages to pierce the chest of one, but they just laughed and pushed him away, dealing that cut as they did." Now that he mentions it, you notice the one in the back - on the bedroll - has a nasty-looking wound running from his left shoulder to the hip line. All of them are wounded, to some extent, you realise. Some have bandages on them, others had to rip clothes in order to stop the bleeding. That five of them are still alive must be a miracle.
Varielky
Their wounds were closing?! Repeats Dolgrim in a terrified voice. That's quite an advantage. I have no idea how we could fight something like that. We must find some other way. Maybe... can I speak to you in private? Says Dolgrim to his dwarven companions, when he is sure that Donjon can't hear them, he continues. I don't think we can defeat them, but what if we trap them inside? Lets collapse the mine entance.
Barthrum says, "I don't think that would help anyone. But we might be able to help these five and then gain more intel about what we're facing."
He goes and kneels down at the most wounded person to inspect his wounds. "Fundar? Can you hear me? It is not your time to die." (Lay on Hands on Fundar for 5 points)
(would Barthrum know anything of these types of regenerating rat-like creatures?)
"Aye, thank you, but this wound ain't fatal. I'll be better when I've had a decent meal. No offense to your friend, but five Dwarves who hadn't eaten for a long while need more than that."
Make either an Arcana, Religion or Nature check. A different check might yield different results. You can attempt more than one, but that woul mean each check gives less infirmation since you're not focusing on only one field of study.
Varielky
Barthrum says, "Understood. Here is 4 more packs of the same travel food" (he pulls out and distributes 4 rations)
Nature check: 7
Thenmer thinks hard about those odds, they sound pretty bad. As they mention needing more food he comments
"Well I can only give you all the food that I have, I done that. We will have to get you back to Phandalin for proper food. We've done the job we get paid for and my friends here are rightly worried about taking on rats that won't die and outnumber us. Can't defeat what we can't kill"
He tries to remember any mention of creatures like this, rats that look like people and heal wounds up that fast.
(Well try an Arcana check 17 )
Barthrum remembers: All creatures regenerate, to an extent. Some faster, some slower. A small wound for a Human would take a few days, while a broken bone could take a few Tendays. Some lizards can regenerate their tails quickly, within a matter of days. Healing spells, you know, accelerate this proccess by a bit, able to make small wounds clise within mere seconds.
If so, there are two options. First, these creatures can cast healing spells, and do so on themselves repeatedly. The second, they're unnatural creatures. Unnatural creatures exist, though they're rare. You... didn't learn much about them, but you remember being told of such creatures in various stories. Most notably, scary stories told by the lantern in the cave. One particular story that comes to mind now, reminds you of other creatures who look half-human, half-animal. What did they call them? Oh, right. Werewolves.
Varielky
Thenmer remembers: Though he was never able to cast them himself, Thenmer knows there are spells capable of healing. He had seen his companions cast such spells multiple times. Those spells, however, require a few seconds to cast, and like most of the spells he knows, they often require some gestures, or words of power to make them work. Laughing and attacking another creature as in Fundar's tale? That won't work, he knows. Powerful casters might be able to do it without those hinderances, but will such powerful casters use weapons? Their spells would be more effective. Moreover, these spells can heal minir wounds, bruises. A pickaxe piercing your chest? Not so much.
If so, Thenmer is able to conclude that it's not likely magic is being used here. Or, maybe, the magic is some passive quality of these creatures. While he hadn't heard of such regenerating creatures before, it doesn't strike him as impossible. If it's truly caused by magic, howerver, then magic could probably stop it too.
Varielky
Thenmer ponders, he considers how weak his magic has been so far.
"Healing that fast isn't natural, its gotta be magical. Maybe magic could beat that healing but I don't have enough magic to deal with more than maybe one or two enemies. Two dozen are sure death for us. Don-Jon I think we are done here, we will take any dwarves back to Phandalin who want to come but we did not take a job of fighting magical enemies we can't kill"
Don-Jon doesn't look pleased. "Are they truly immortal, all of them? Could nothing hurt them?" He asks.
"Nah," one of the Dwarves answers, "not all of them are. As we've said, the smaller ones aren't much more than large rats. Their bites hurt, but not any danger. Only the large ones are dangerous, and there are less than a dozen of those. I doubt they're immortal, but our pickaxes left them uncathed. If you choose to flee, we won't judge you, but we're not surrendering this mine to those filthy rats." The other Dwarves nod in agreement.
Varielky
Barthrum says, "They might be werewolves and these are tough. The stories I recall are of horror instead of glory. If our weapons will be of no help then Thenmer is our only hope. And as he said - he can maybe take one."
He turns to address the locals, "I understand that you have lost people dear to you, but staying here won't bring them back. You can't fight them - you have tried and failed. Let us escort you back to Phandalin." He puts his hand up, "Hold on, let me finish. In Phandalin we can ask others if they have any clue on how to fight something like this. And we will reclaim this mine. Make your conviction and determination count for something instead of nothing - we need people both now and later that know the mine, the danger, and the sacrifice made here."
He turns to Don-Jon, "These are not ghosts where neither of you can hurt each other. These creatures can surely main and kill and we need to know more before going up against them."
Thenmer looks around at them, downcast
"Look lads, I wish I could say I could take them but I can't. I'm not some great wizard who can take down hordes, I'm just a dwarf with a bit of magic to him. Maybe enough to tackle one or two of these things but if we meet a dozen we'll all be dead inside a minute. Come back to Phandalin with us, get yourselves some decent food and maybe we will think of a way."
He hesitates before continuing
"I know we dwarves don't like to back down but this is not the time to fight. If we fight now its on their terms not ours. We should think it through, find out how to fight them and then return when we are good and ready. A bit of good old fashioned dwarven patience is needed here, find out what weapons can hurt them, make the weapons and then come back. We're not a bunch of flighty elves, we're dwarves."
(Persuasion 12 for what its worth)
Barthrum - roll persuasion. Thenmer - I can'r see your roll. Try rolling again, or addinf a space at the end of that post.
Varielky
(Dice roller went wrong on me for some reason. Lets try again 21 )
Barthrum persuasion check: 18
"Going back later? Well, that is an idea, but it can't be never." Don-Jon agrees, though it's clear he doesn't like the idea much, and it shows. The Dwarves mostly agree with him. "If it helps us reclaim the mine, perhaps it is the better call." One of them says. They all nod. They seem to agree to the plan, but it's clear they'd rather just stay and swing their pickaxes again. "But, when do you want to leave?" Don-Jon asks. "It must be night outside already and my legs are tired from walking all day, but I'm not too sure about sleeping here either. What do you three think?"
Varielky
Barthrum asks the locals, "Where do these doors lead to? How safe is this place?"