(Adventure) Rivenblight's Castaway [Creamsteak judging]

[doghead]

Jaan Saaresar

Jaan suppresses and angry outburst and about to rally everyone for continue when he notices Garret's slumped posture. Crouching down beside the halfling, he sees the fatigue in the small man's eyes. Jaan takes a moment to calm the storm inside.

"You have done well today. We won't do anyone any good if we push ourselves to exaustion."

Jann stands and looks at the others. "I think we should make camp here and aim to be moving at first light."

As he waits for their response, he realises that his own muscles are burning and his back aches from crouching. Small tremors run down his legs.

ooc: I remembered that Jaan has a potion of CLW. I'm sure Velbrik would have agreed to completely heal Ioleta, but if he didn't then Jaan would have offered her the potion (as soon as he remembered it).

 

[Sparky]

Ioleta's face falls as she senses the weariness in Garret and Jaan. The two have been a source of hope and shelter. She looks at Velbrik and swallows as she contemplates Troi's fate. The spritely girl, rumpled from days in the wilderness, bloodied and weary nods quietly. She again checks her sword and many daggers before her wide, shadowed eyes begin their darting search of the surrounding forest.

OOC: I'm going to be in this fall's Ceramic DM contest so wish me luck and don't be too upset if I'm tardy posting.

 

[Thomas Hobbes]

OOC: I'm going to be in this fall's Ceramic DM contest so wish me luck and don't be too upset if I'm tardy posting.

Ooo! Ceramic DM! I'll immediately stop procrastinating about going and reading it. Best of luck.

1 charge from the wand gets Ioleta up to 4 hit points, meaning that if it is decided to spend 1 more spell she'll be all set.

The party settles down for the night, weary and sore. The evening's rest passes uneventfully, although not peacefully, aches and worry not being noted noted for their soporific qualities.

Did you guys ever set up some kind of watch order?

The group wakes the next day, and Garret gets back to the task of finding the trail. An apprehensive hour later, Garret spots the unmistkable deep footprints- the bandits, still carrying their heavy load.

Unless anyone has anything big to input, I'll do the results of the day's tracking.

Is WizWrm still with us?

 

[Otakkun]

OOC: The what contest?
OOC2: Thomas, have someone helping me track the whole day, that +2 might come in quite handy, not to mention that he had requested help for the tracking before.
OOC3: haven't heard of Wiz.
yet again OOC: Its been long since I joined here .... any idea how many XP points I might have won so far? My sheet looks so empty at 0...

 

[doghead]

ooc: We had something set up for the night at the inn, but I don't remember it. Some sort of staggered progression.
ooc: Good luck Sparky. 48 hours! - just reading those entries makes me feel worn out.
ooc: Go ahead with the tracking, Jaan to aid Garret as last time.
ooc: Jaan has been active for over a year now and he's still first level. Poor bastrad.
ooc: I vote for healing Ioleta to full. Those couple of points can be the difference between going out early and staying long enough to swing the fight.

 

[Thomas Hobbes]

ooc: The adventure's been running for 10 months, and Garret's been present for 5 months. I seem to recall that is rewarded at the end of the adventure, along with everything else, but I cannot for the life of me recall. I wouldn't object a mid-adventure XP jump, but I'd rather it be proceeded by something with a CR, so there's something concrete to "learn" from. Was it 100xp or 200xp a month?

Ceramic DM is a fiction-writing tournament in which contestants are given a selection of images they have to work into the piece and then given 48 hours to write a short story. It produces some fantastic work and is well worth reading past ones as well as current ones.

All along I've assumed that Jaan is taking 10 on the Aid Another check and providing Garret with a +2. I didn't work it into the narrative this time, but that +2 was the difference between success and failure.

I'll assume Velbrik spends another charge of the wand to heal Ioleta. Anybody have a way of getting a hold of WizWrm?

Tracking rolls to follow.

Am v. nervous. I know political discussions are a no-no on the boards, but I think people (Americans?) of all political leanings can agree this is... a tad stressful.

 

[Otakkun]

Well, at least that means that if we give out XP, mostly everyone should get ito level 2, leaving me at least halfway there (and that's with no XP for the adventure). On with the show!

 

[doghead]

ooc: I think it was 100xp per month. But did that relate to active games or ones gone dead? I'm not sure. I think it was intended as a baseline for all games, to ensure that people in slow games moving progessed to some degree. Given that it would take almost a year to get to level 2 and 2 1/2 years to get to level 3, it doesn't seem excessive.
ooc: Absolutely. Onwards.

Jaan falls into his usual postion and does what he can to help Garret. He knows Velbrik and Ioleta are watching the surrounding forests, but he can't help but feel the occasional shiver now and then.

 

[Otakkun]

OOC; Bump de Lump.

 

[GnomeWorks]

...and then the soul of the wanderer is moving again, stirring against the darkness, fighting with a determination born not of hope, but of desperation...

...a great field looms before him, stark and rough and jagged edges, with but a single path before him. The dark clouds rush past overhead, lightning striking between them in brilliant flashes of white and blue and purple. In the distance a single star glitters impossibly through the clouds...

...and the star becomes the eye of Shiva, and Troi gazes at her from afar, his spirit lifting - a rise born of hope, not of desperation - and a single thought comes clear to his mind...

...and his thought turns, suddenly, to that of Zidaniel, once more as his teacher: "If you overvalue posessions, men begin to steal." He laughs, a bleak sound against the background of the rumble of thunder, as he pulls a small book from the folds of his cloak...

...and the book becomes a sheath, and Zidaniel draws his longsword, swinging it into the darkness of the night in the alley so long ago. "The master knows that he is going to die, and he has nothing left to hold on to. He holds nothing back from life; therefore he is ready for death." He smiles grimly as he swings the longsword again, and there is no laughter in his voice...

...and once more the soul of the wanderer finds itself in that dark and lonely city, sight blurred from the wound that had been torn in his shoulder unknown hours before. Rain patters onto the street, wetting his face, hiding his tears from the world as he looks into Shiva's empty room...

...and suddenly, it all makes sense. He understands...

...and the great field lies before him once more, the star in the distance beckoning to him, calling for him to return to that which was and make right that which was made wrong...

...and now the soul waits, biding its time, waiting for its chance to redeem itself...