CLOSED Pathfinder: Rise of the Runelords, Burnt Offerings

Leaving Sandpoint

OOC: Please make any posts for the equipment thread above first please! Lets get that taken care of before we next reach combat.

IC:

It is early the next morning, too early perhaps, that you have gathered at the central garrison. Sheriff Hemlock has had his armourer work through the night for you, fitting the breastplates down to your rough measurements. Quite simply, there is not time for it to ever be fitted perfectly, but you are surprised by just how good a job the old, thickly bearded armourer has done. He is clearly not happy with his work, tutting as he fits it to you, offering some small retorts to his own shoddy craftsmanship. "Should have turned the waist in", "Needs another hole in the strap, you old fool" and the like. But he has done a great job, and those of you have have opted for the armour are glad for it.

OOC: Please update your character sheets to take account of the new armour and any equipment from above that you claim.

IC:

When he is finished, and you are ready to leave, Hemlock walks with you towards the north gate.

"It is a six mile walk, or so. You take the road all the way, past the Old Lighthouse, and then along the coast. Eventually you will start to veer away from the coast, skirting along the edge of Shank's Wood. Beyond that are the small mounds we call 'Pauper's Graves', and then the Nettlewood. The Thistletop goblins like within the Nettlewood, or at least they live on an island just off the coast, but you have to go through the Nettlewood to get to the bridge that takes you to the island."

He pauses as you near the gate, not yet finished with his directions.
"What to do is, take the Lost Coast Road east until you hit the Thistle River. This is a mile or two after you start walking with the Nettlewood on your left. The river spills out into the sea just a shade east of the Thistletop island, so one route is to follow the river into the Nettlewood until you find a goblin trail. At worst, you will hit the north coast and should be able to see the island off the coast and correct your path."

He hands you a crude map.

"Beware, though. They may be goblins, but they are numerous, and their leader is strong, and you will be fighting on their terms! Come back to us in one piece. I am not sure what we will do if you fail. Good luck!"

He nods, turns, and trudges off through the muddied streets, turned slick by the rain that has been falling all morning.

It is time to leave.

As you move off, there is a shout from behind. A girl's voice. "Jokad, wait. Wait!"

Amryl runs from the back door of the White Deer, her long white dress held up a few inches as she moves swiftly across the street. Her eyes dart back to the door of the inn, as if checking to see if she is being watched.

As she approaches, she seems to sense everyone watching her, and blushes. She stops a little short.

Jokad moves towards her.

"I want you to come back. Promise me you will come back. For me."

He face turns deeper pink, almost scarlet. Jokad speaks to her. You cannot hear his words. She turns and runs back to the inn.

OOC

Although the act is expensive, I would definitely like to get the ring identified, as it is best to know our resources.

Also, Kael would like to have the masterwork handaxe and the scroll of burning hands issued to him, as he could use both.

As for the old book, Kael is a firm believer in knowledge not being evil, just what you do with it, so he sees no reason not to sell the book, especially if it is only to a collector.

Lastly, Kael would suggest picking up a few alchemical items, of which he is familiar with, to issue to Jovik (such as a tanglefoot bag, some smoeksticks and a thunderstone), as well as some useful items for the group (sunrods).

Plus, refresh some of our supplies, including sling bullets (plus another thunderstone, which is an awesome way to say 'Hi' when you start a fight via sling).

Friadoc said:

OOC

Although the act is expensive, I would definitely like to get the ring identified, as it is best to know our resources.

Also, Kael would like to have the masterwork handaxe and the scroll of burning hands issued to him, as he could use both.

As for the old book, Kael is a firm believer in knowledge not being evil, just what you do with it, so he sees no reason not to sell the book, especially if it is only to a collector.

Lastly, Kael would suggest picking up a few alchemical items, of which he is familiar with, to issue to Jovik (such as a tanglefoot bag, some smoeksticks and a thunderstone), as well as some useful items for the group (sunrods).

Plus, refresh some of our supplies, including sling bullets (plus another thunderstone, which is an awesome way to say 'Hi' when you start a fight via sling).

Click to expand...

Well I agree with you, and I don't think in a PbF game that you can afford to wait for all members to agree on things like this, so:

You are 100gp worse off after paying for an Identify spell. The ring is:
+1 Ring of Protection (or in-game "the weak aura here suggests that it aids the wearer in deflecting and dodging blows against him.")

The masterwork hand axe and scroll are both yours.

There is an alchemist in town who, given the day warning, manages to produce 1 each of:

Thunderstone - Jovik
Thunderstone - Kael
Tanglefoot Bag - Jovik
Smoke stick - Jovik

Cost is 130gp for the above, plus the 100gp for the identify spell, so you are down to only 1 bags of gold dust left, and a 20gp credit left over from one you sold but did not fully spend!

You sell the book for 80gp, so that is added to the party total.

Slingshots, and 4 sunrods (1 each) will be provided free by the garrison.

OOC: Did Jovik get any more Harpy's Musk?

And How come so many things said 'Jovik snagged"?



I'll claim the silver dagger as well. Aside from money that'll do Jovik.

Jokad recognizes the voice right away and you see him close his eyes and suck in a deep breath before turning to face Amryl.

He steps closer to the approaching girl, careful to place himself directly between Amryl and his other companions. He squats lower and he speaks softly. His words are lost on the wind and rain.

You see Amryl turn an even darker shade of red before nodding and running back toward the house. When she is gone Jokad rises again laughing.

"Let us be done with this foul business and hurry back." Your friend is smiling broadly despite the cold drizzle and wind.

For Amryl
[sblock] Jokad looks seriously in Amryl's eyes for a long moment before speaking, "Don't worry, girl. I'll be back... <a smirk starts to cross his features> and maybe this time I can at least get a kiss for my efforts?"[/sblock]


OOC: I say Danth should get the ring. Everyone else has a magic item except him. Beyond that Jokad is more than happy with his new sword and borrowed armor. He will still take his share in coin however.

frostrune said:

Jokad recognizes the voice right away and you see him close his eyes and suck in a deep breath before turning to face Amryl.

He steps closer to the approaching girl, careful to place himself directly between Amryl and his other companions. He squats lower and he speaks softly. His words are lost on the wind and rain.

You see Amryl turn an even darker shade of red before nodding and running back toward the house. When she is gone Jokad rises again laughing.

"Let us be done with this foul business and hurry back." Your friend is smiling broadly despite the cold drizzle and wind.

Click to expand...

"Maybe now you won't go rushing off down hallways alone against sinspawn eh Jokad? Not with Amryl awaiting your return." teases Jovik as hurries ahead, his heart light despite the weather and dangers ahead since he was out of Sandpoint at last.

Danth would happily take the ring of protection +1; there is nothing else in our loot that he can really use, with the exception of cash of course.

Danth leaves his suit of bronzed scale armor behind in town, happily donning his new breastplate. It would provide slightly more protection, and he knew he would need all the protection he could get once they engaged the goblins in battle. The young priest was slightly apprehensive of the coming trials, but knew he was in good company...between his stalwart companions and himself, he figured their chances were as good as the town's should the goblins launch their assault.

As his companions beging their journey, he eyes the rainy skies and shrugs. "At least this foul weather should work in our favor...it has probably sent the goblins into shelter; perhaps we will be able to catch them unprepared."

The Thistle Tunnels

The walk is thankfully short, and the rain holds off, for the most part. There is a dampness to the air - a heavy feeling, as if the sky itself is waiting the coming assault.

It would be wrong to say you didn't feel nervous. It was one thing fighting off a small goblin invasion in Sandpoint, quite another to walk into the very heart of goblin territory and attempt to take our the defenders, their leader, and the partly demonic girl that appears to be behind the "troubles" that Sandpoint has been subject to.

Hemlock's instructions are good. It is easy to find your way to the Nettlewood, and then further on to the small bridge that marks the crossing of the Thistle River. You stop here for a while, sitting on the cold stones of the river bank, watch the distant clouds broil. Once your breath is caught, and your courage steadied, you turn left and delve into the dark, tangled mass of the Nettlewood itself, moving north towards the distant shore.

The briars and thistles that grow so rampantly in the Nettlewood grow even more dense and tangled as you approach the shore. Although not quite dense enough to block the sound of waves crashing on the unseen shores to the west and north, the undergrowth is certainly thick enough to block sight and access to the coast. Few trees grow this close to the edge of the sea, but the briars themselves often reach heights to rival them.

You stop in a tiny clearing, around which the briars reach some 20 feet high.

The way ahead appears to be blocked by the thick mesh of thorned briars. You could cut your way through, perhaps, but that would take hours, possibly even days. As you stop to consider what to do next, perhaps even contemplating having to turn back, Jovik spots something. He moves gingerly to the wall of briars, and begins tugging at a patch. It resists for a second, and then appears to swing open, as if it is a door.

A four-foot tunnel wnds through the dense briars and nettles beyond this door. The floor is hard packed earth, with patches of wiry plants growing stubbornly here there. The clear cuts to some of the fresher branches makes it clear that this tunnel has been cut from the briars, and is maintained to stop it over-growing. It appears you have found a goblin tunnel through the impenetrable briar wall. Their lair must be close!

You navigate these short tunnels with some difficulty, snagging your clothes, and on occasion drawing tiny drips of blood from thin scratches. After a few painful minutes you reach a large cave like chamber. Above the thorny canopy grows thin enough that tiny slivers of sky can be seen, while below the ground consists of trampled dirt. To the west, the distant sound of sloshing waves echoes up from a hole.

Other than the hole (which is large enough to jump into, not that you should), there are passages to the north and to the east.

Argh! The Goblin Dogs are Upon Us!

You sniff around for a bit, peering into the hole, and inspecting the small clearing you find yourself in. The hole appears to be a natural land slip that has revealed a sea cave below. Or at least you guess it is a sea cave. You can hear the waves below, but the drop is deep and far, and you cannot see the bottom.

Eventually you decide to press on, and the right hand tunnel seems as good as any. It twists on for a few feet, opening out again. To the left is a musty, foul smelling chamber hacked into the natural bramble. The chamber floor is covered with matted, wiry fur. Well-gnawed bones lie scattered about the floor, and a dozen wooden stakes have been driven into the ground near the walls. The chamber, unfortunately, is not deserted.

There are four Goblin Dogs, their leashes tied to stakes (there are twelves stakes in all, so 8 dogs appear to be missing), straining and growling at you.

They are pulling hard on the wooden stakes driven into the ground, straining to reach you, but they are too far to make contact, and the stakes show no sign of failing.

Ahead, passing by the goblin dogs if you wish, the passage continues east for a few short feet before splitting north and south.

OOC: Actions please. You can avoid them if you want, although they are quite loud and agitated.

"My gut says to kill them, but then our presence is the more quickly known. But still, I'd rather not have them loosed upon us later." says Jovik looking to the other for further direction.