"Blackflies," says Kraken. "They're little black flies. The clue's in the name, mate.". He grins at Glaive as he says this to show that he's only teasing.
DM
Assuming that Kraken has a vague idea of where the undead seem to be coming from, he'll lead the others there once thye are ready.
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Kraken stands up and surveys the land around him. After a moment of thought, he strikes out to the west cutting across some tangled patches of scrub bush. A short time later he steps out in a slightly lusher patch of ground where a trickle of water flows down the slope towards the beach. It looks like there will be enough open ground here to support the expedition camp. As you start to circle the area to ensure that there are no surprises, you begin to detect a faint odor of decay in the air. The farther you move upslope the more powerful the smell becomes. Hacking at the thick undergrowth, you stumble upon the remains of a fair-sized beast. It looks to be some kind of large reptile, nearly six feet long from snout to tail tip. It's foreclaws are thinner than its back legs, indicating it is a predatory biped. It's face is pulled back in a rictus of death revealing a mouth filled with pointed teeth. It's chest and stomach reveal large wounds now covered in fat, black flies.
Other than the discovery of carrion nearby, the campsite appears ideal. While part of the group begins clearing away some of the brush, a few return to the longboats to signal the ships to begin sending over supplies. By nightfall the tents have been setup and half of the supplies have been unloaded. The captain has already set his sailors to work refilling the water casks for the return trip. The promised rain begins near nightfall, drenching the camp in a downpour. Even with the logs stacked high in the firepit, the flames are sputtering and burning low. The few people still up and about light lanterns and sit huddled against the cold as they wait for the storm to let up. Near midnight, with the rain still coming down strongly, an inhuman shriek pierces the night some distance away upslope. More cries join in, creating a cacophony that carries far despite the sound of the rain falling. Soon everyone is awake as the sound grows closer.
I agree with WD, I think Kraken would at least lop its head off before setting up camp.
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Midian swipes a piece of holly over his arms while muttering something that sounds vaguley like twigs snapping, and both his own and his ape's flesh briefly take on the pattern of tree bark.
OOC
Casting Barkskin on himself and sharing it with animal companion. +2 enhancement to natural armor for 50 minutes
Whisper gets to her feet and emerges from her tent at the racket, huddling a bit in her cloak from the driving rain. She casts a spell, sweeping a hand around herself in an arc. For a moment silver runes burn in the mud around her feet, making a tiny circle around her. Then they are gone.
Hm, should probably give you an action for Kraken too...
Draw falchion (not the weather for a sling), step outside to see what the noise is. He'll do a quick scan around to see if anything is noticable away from the centre of the commontion.
(Spot +2).
Argh, and I forgot my Improved Initiative - total should be 16!
__________________ New from The Lazy GM: Savage Creatures. 40 monsters, hundreds of stat blocks. The Lazy GM Series. Pre-generated monster stats for the discerning adventurer. The World of Conclave. Innovative (and free) webworld for d20.
ooc: Adding that link worked for me. I think I will create a new thread though since most of those characters are long defunct. Wayfinders: Tempest Isle Players Gallery
Here is the new link:
Edit:
Before making camp, the expedition decide to dispose of the carrion. The corpse is dismembered to ensure that nothing rises.
Glaive spreads his arms and vanishes as a cloud of darkness spreads from where he stood. Doral incants a spell causing his outline to fade and vanish as well. You hear the crunch of twigs moving away from camp as Doral heads towards the sounds. Midian and Whisper focus their energies on protective magics for themselves. Kraken moves upslope towards the eerie sounds, trying to keep up with the sound of Doral's footsteps. Raysuldra moves out to the edge of the fire and peers outward into the darkness.
The sounds continue to close in, sounding more and more like a large number of creatures. You can hear hooting, shrill shrieks, and a faint trilling sound intermingled with it. A few seconds later the first shapes charge through the darkness. The creatures are long, scaley, and their slitted eyes reflect yellow in the light of the campfire. Their heads dart rapidly back and forth at the sight of the camp and their chests rise and fall with rapid breathing. You hear the sound of more pounding footsteps approaching, signalling the arrival of more beasts. The first two continue to race forward after a moments hesitation, angling towards the east side of the camp.
Kraken
Spoiler:
You recognize the beasts as a bipedal reptile. The creatures run in large groups and are omnivorous. You can't recall them ever approaching, or attacking, anyone from your village before.
Doral, Glaive
Spoiler:
The creatures are reptiles, about 8 feet long with slender bodies. Their necks and tail make up 2/3rds of their bodies. The darting eyes and head at the end of its long neck reminds you of a goose. They hold their arms close to their bodies, which end in three large claws.
OOC - See attachment for map. I've upgraded from ASCII characters
The squares aren't perfect, but will do for now.
A few seconds later the first shapes charge through the darkness. The creatures are long, scaley, and their slitted eyes reflect yellow in the light of the campfire. Their heads dart rapidly back and forth at the sight of the camp and their chests rise and fall with rapid breathing. You hear the sound of more pounding footsteps approaching, signalling the arrival of more beasts. The first two continue to race forward after a moments hesitation, angling towards the east side of the camp.
Midian almost feels relief as the creatures bearing down on them appear quite alive. Even as he sifts through his mental notes on reptilian life, he sweeps the holly in his hands across the ground, his voice rustling. The plants around the lead lizards twist and wrap themselves around the creatures, and a spread of plants leading back from them in the direction of the sounds also seems to be grasping for whatever may come near.
Midian's casting Entangle. Let's put the left and bottom edges five feet out from the lead lizards, spreading up and to the right (at least, that's where I'm assuming the sounds of more are coming from) to try to catch others that may be moving in. It's a 40 ft. spread, so it should actually cover squares not on the map if I'm figuring it right.
DC 14 reflex save to only be slowed to half instead of entangled.
Keeping a wary eye on the creatures, Kraken mutters a brief chant to the spirits to protect him.
"Midian!" he shouts, "Can you talk to these buggers? It ain't like 'em to attack like this."
OOC
Cast shield of faith, +2 deflection bonus for 2 minutes.
Spells remaining:
0th level (Save DC 12) – Detect magic, guidance, resistance (x2).
1st level (Save DC 13) – Cause fear, magic weapon, obscuring mist*, shield of faith.
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Grumbling to herself about wasting her earlier ward, and making a mental note not to assume next time, Whisper casts another spell, shielding herself with an invisible barrier.
Midian finishes invoking his spell and the undergrowth suddenly springs to life. Roots and twigs grasp and entwine around the long legs of the dinosaurs. The leading beast leaps free from a grasping vine and continues racing forward. It swerves suddenly as it nearly blunders into Kraken, then tries to race past him. The second beast is tripped by a root and goes down hard, plowing a furrow in the earth. There are more surprised squawks from farther in the darkness as more of the animals encounter the edge of the spell. Glaive hears a suddenly crashing behind him and turns to see another of the dinosaurs burst from the undergrowth behind him. It stumbles through the magical darkness uncertainly.
Midian
Spoiler:
The darkness and rain make a precise identification difficult, however you think that these are a different species from the corpse you saw earlier this day. They have long, slender necks and tails, large eyes that reflect the light from your guttering campfire, and long legs for running. Their mouths look more like beaks and they move with speed and agility. You think they are some kind of omnivorous species pack species. Generally not dangerous on their own, but herds of them can stampede or turn on an attacker if they have the advantage of numbers.
OOC
Spoiler:
Kraken and Doral can take attacks of opportunity on the first dinosaur as it moves by them if they choose.
Glaive can attack the third one that has come out of the undergrowth next to him.
)
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