Siege Of Bordrin's Watch

Kobold Stew · Jun 23, 2009

The jackal is frozen, with only her ears moving. They shift each second, moving independently, as she listens for any other orcish movement. there, the garrulous conversation of the campfire. Remove that. There, the crackling of the fire itself. Remove that. the breathing of her companions. Remove that. What is left?

Gala listens carefully.

DEFCON 1 · Jun 24, 2009

The orcs down in the small ravine are rip-roaring drunk, having for the first time in quite a while being able to be off by themselves with no stronger one lording over them. As they yell and laugh and break wind... the party goes about finding the best route to move on past and continue into the mountains.

Tregar and Henry try looking around for the best path up and around the camp, but with their armor being what it is... they fear getting too close until they actually have to move on. Henry's eyes help the dwarf spot the occasional trouble-spot, but Tregar just can't get a good enough view to guarantee a silent path. (Henry Aid Another Perception DC 10: [10] + 3 = 13 *success* / +2 to Tregar's Perception check) (Tregar Perception DC 15: [6] + 5 + 2 = 13 *failure*)

However, in her animal form, Gala has absolutely no problem picking her way around the camp, and to the orcs in the midst of a meal, is no distraction whatsoever. She finds the potential problem spots in the earth and digs around them... dropping sinkholes, moving stray rocks, helping out with anything that might cause an accident when the group moves on. (Gala Perception DC 15: [6] + 13 = 19 *success*)

Once the path is made, Dorn brings everyone together and gives a speech that not only calms the rising anger in Wendigo, but also focuses everybody on the job they have ahead. It is a monumental piece of oration that few would have heard before and less will hear again. (Dorn Diplomacy DC 15: [20] + 18 = 38 *success*)

Thus, as much as Wendigo might want to have gone down there to punish the fiends who attacked his bretheren, he easily heeds Dorn's words and leads the group forward on their sneaking around the band. (Wendigo Stealth DC 10: [13] + 12 = 25 *success*)

Gloomblade chuckles to himself, as the knowledge of the golden tongue of "The Speaker" is common to him... as it was Tirae whose followers got the halfork put away in the first place. Gloomblade learned quickly while in the prison not to cross "The Speaker" and his disciples... and he sure isn't going to do that now. He throws Dorn a 'thumbs up', then moves off after Wendigo. (Gloomblade Stealth DC 10: [10] + 11 = 21 *success*)

One by one, the rest of the party follows suit... and they get past the orc encampment with a minimum of fuss. It was a close call, but they six militiamen have a job to do, and do it they shall.

**********

4 Successes / 1 Failure: Challenge Check 3: SUCCESS

Reward: One future use of Diplomacy by any party member can be assigned an auto-roll of 20.

SKILL CHALLENGE: 3 OF 3

EvolutionKB · Jun 24, 2009

As they sneak past the orcs, Wendigo looks back. His gaze lingers on the light of their fires, but with no more hestitation he turns back to the path at hand, moving onward toward the monastery.

DEFCON 1 · Jun 24, 2009

Having gotten past the scout band of greenskins, the group moves quickly further up into the rocky landscape. As everyone turns and looks back to where they came from... the view is beautiful... especially as the sun is beginning its descent in the sky. Wendigo mentions that they are getting closer and it shouldn't be long now... so the choice is made to doubletime it in hopes of arriving before dark.

A short while later, Gloomblade is out in front of the group and his eyes spy something he wasn't expecting. The rock formations several hundred feet ahead do not appear natural... but rather worked. It has the first glance of a cave... but upon a second look, certainly isn't. A doorway built into the mountain perhaps? Some sort of shrine? Did the orcs they just passed come out of this opening? Is this connected to the Sundered Chain in some way? At this distance it is hard to make a determination... but as the halfork shouts back to the group of what he thinks he has found... everyone moves up to try and figure out what exactly they are looking at.

Skill Check Four: Nature, Perception, History

Insight · Jun 24, 2009

DEFCON 1 said:
but as the halfork shouts back to the group of what he thinks he has found... everyone moves up to try and figure out what exactly they are looking at.

Skill Check Four: Nature, Perception, History

OOC: Gloomblade has a +0 in all three... :erm:

Gloomblade peers ahead, trying to get a sense of what it is...

OOC: Perception +0... I guess

Kobold Stew · Jun 24, 2009

The striations in the volcanic rock of these hills betray the deformations of its ancient history. Think streaks of quartz reveal the elements once disgorged from the depths of the earth, streaks that when warped into these long curves reveal that a dragon, likely a red dragon, had once made its abode in a subsurface opening. They can mold the rock itself, thinks Gala, pushing it out, and that produces these marks--stretch marks of the earth as it nurtures its creature within itself.

Gala knows these rocks, and she knows their shapes. Perturbations can arise from all sources, and, while her experience is limited, as she looks at the opening Gloomblade has found, she feels confident that she knows for certain whether or not this is a natural feature.

OOC: Nature +12

The Digger · Jun 24, 2009

Henry stares keenly at the cave but nothing comes to mind. He is too new to the region to have heard anything (History -1) but he keeps trying to see what he can make out. With any luck he might spot something of use.

[sblock=OOC]Perception and Nature are both +2. So Henry can only try to AId Another[/sblock]

The Digger · Jun 24, 2009

Henry stares keenly at the cave but nothing comes to mind. He is too new to the region to have heard anything (History -1) but he keeps trying to see what he can make out. With any luck he might spot something of use.

[sblock=OOC]Perception and Nature are both +2. So Henry can only try to AId Another.
PS Congrats to Defcon (and the rest) this is so well crafted it deserves a round of applause[/sblock]

EvolutionKB · Jun 25, 2009

Wendigo pauses, calming his mind from the encounter of the orcs. A few deep breaths and the shifter is in a perfect state of awareness. His sight is clear, sounds are crisp, and smells are magnified.

Perception +10

stonegod · Jun 25, 2009

Dorn looked up at this odd shapes of the hills, almost seeing the ghosts of the place as a tangible presence. He placed his hands on the stone walls, trying to recall anything... a song, a dramatic piece, and snippet of a story... anything that might identify this lost and lonely ruins in a place few dared tread. History was not his strong suit, he cared more for the concerns of the present than the past, but... something seemed familiar...

OOC: History +4.