[Adventure] The Race of the Five Horns (DM: stonegod, Judge: THB)

[stonegod]

The groups all get into place, though the stealthy crew is less "stealthy" than one should hope. A group of guards stop a good distance away, as if thinking they heard something, when whoooosh comes a blast of cold and clattering of debris in the alley. One of the guards signals the others and begin making a line towards the ally...[sblock=OOC]Two failures on Stealth so the difficulty for the next part is going to be higher. Now you have to make it to the barracks. Stealth for everyone or Athletics to race across. Perception & Insight may also be used to assist.[/sblock]

 

[On Puget Sound]

KILL IT, Spring! KILL THAT SHEET!

As the guards head toward the alley they behold an unexpected sight. A clawfoot dinosaur leaps from the alley, grabs a white sheet and begins whipping it back and forth as if it had caught a snake and was trying to break its neck.

The beast puts one claw on the sheet and tugs upward with its head, tearing the cloth in two. It then proceeds to jump up and down on the tattered fabric. The dinosaur's antics would make any human guard laugh; whether the constructs have been enchanted with simulated humor is unknown. They may be merely confused and distracted, but hopefully that will be enough.

Ryk makes a dash for the barracks. Athletics 25 He waits there until the whole party has crossed the finish line before calling Spring to his side.

 

[pathfinderq1]

Rikka had been crouched and ready, waiting for the guards to take the bait. Even from her perch, though, she could hear some of the others moving- she knew that whatever opportunity they had was going to be very brief. With a thought, she shifted back into the form of a great hunting cat- and she coiled her muscles to leap as soon as the moment was right... Unfortunately, most of her attention was fixed on the guards, and she missed at patch of loose paving under her own feet- her headlong rush began with a tumbled start.

OOC:
Athletics 1d20+6= 9 ; Perception (to assist, if possible) 1d20+20= 22 ; rolls Roll Lookup ; if it is possible to get some advantage from actual movement speed, she is willing to burn her Utility 2 daily power for +4 speed until end of encounter.

 

[MetaVoid]

Bellegon breaks out of his shelter in full sprint. Even he is surprised how fast and clean he goes. He even manages modicum of cover for first few seconds.

OOC: full tilt run; stealth as possible while running (probably just silent run with something between him and the guards and Shadow Walk)

1d20+1=21 Whoo hoo! Just in time.

1d20+9=22 This one does not acount for running penalties

 

[pacdidj]

Crouched in the next alley over, his every fiber ready to spring into action, Crush waits for Rykka's move. As soon as he hears the whoosh and clatter of the debris pile, he bolts forward, completely focused on reaching the garrison.

Athletics (1d20+10=25)

 

[renau1g]

Vok doesn't trust his ability to remain quiet and chases after Crush, hurrying as fast as his heavy armor will allow.

[sblock=ooc]
athletics (1d20=14)[/sblock]

 

[stonegod]

Spring distracts the guards as Ryk sprints forward. He is gone before the guards even suspect anything. [Athletics success]

Rikka, however, is more clumsy. She stumbles hard, spraining an ankle in the process. [Athletics failure]

Bellegon and Crush soon follow, managing to outrun the guards attention as they suddenly spot the limping Rikka. [Both successes.] It is enough, however, as even the slowed down Vok can make in into the barracks before the guards catch up. The group ducks into the darkened building...

... and emerge into sunlight and cheering crowds!

Blinking at the sudden brightness, the group peers around to get there bearings. They are in the midsts of a large square in the Folly (Trafgar's Square, named after an associate of Malleon the Reaver). Behind them, from where they just arrived they see, instead of buiildings, quickly put together wooden platforms jointed together in some approximation of a plank wood maze. Simple constructs stop right before the exit, the remains of the "patrol". Bellegon and Rikka can faintly see some glowing glyphs, likely the work of Cannith and one of the shadow houses to spin the illusion of night. The organizers are sparing no expense!

The group takes their breath as they wait for the other teams to finish and their score to be determined.

 

[renau1g]

"*hugh* *hugh* Remind....*hugh* me ... to ....*hugh* never run...in ...my ...armour.... again..*hugh* *hugh*" Vok pants as he leans against the wall, his breath nearly gone. The half-elf was not one for physical fitness, his strength lay in his words and toughness, not his muscles.

After a few minutes of wheezing and a few drinks of water,
"You all did well, a plan that was well thought. I'm proud to run with you" Vok says with a wide grin, "I just hope I can be more than just someone you have to drag along at the next leg" he adds

 

[MetaVoid]

Bellegon squints and quickly dons his robe again concealing his features in the shadow. He doesn't seem winded or shows any sign of effort.

"I'm sure there will be your chance to shine. There was mention of mock combat and if we get toe to toe with something, I'd bet on you rather then me surviving it. And if we DO get in combat I'll count on you to stand IN FRONT and drag the rest of us rather then other way around.

We were slow."

 

[stonegod]

Capture the Flag

The group waits impatiently for their ranking. The guards discuss it for a while. Some were impressed by some of the clever thinking, but more were concerned by the sluggishness of the team in places. The judges give them a good, but not a super strong, score. The humans from the previous team sneer at the announcement, the one with the dragonmark on his face the most.

As the group waits for the other teams to finish, they learn of previous team's trial. The group acted like a well practiced team, vanishing from pointed to point almost preternaturally. Their score was particularly high.

The rest of the major trials take about an hour to complete. Most were unremarkable, taking a little longer than the Five Horn's time. A few triggered the guards and received a failing grade. Team Harreth's Folly, a group of local layabouts, failed spectacularly when three of the five team members slipped from their high perch to the joy of the crowd. The warforged members of Team First to the Wall worked very well together, literally bowling over the guards to get to the garrison. However, most impressive was the goblinoid team. Setting up a flanking position, their dirgesinger lured one patrol into an alley, easily subduing them. They then calmly walked into the garrison, bedecked in their "captive's" uniforms.

As the judges prepare the next stage, the group has a moment to mix with the other teams.

Soarsled Race: 10/1 Success/Failure Ratio
Capture the Flag: 2.2/1 Success/Failure Ratio
Overall: 6.1/1 Success/Failure Ratio
Ranking: Third (After The Horn's Apex and Blood of the Six Kings)