GREYHAWK CY 576: GREAT LEGENDS RETOLD -- CAMPAIGN THREAD

[Tellerian Hawke]

The party travels the road with no encounters, and steps into the forest at the same point as before. The camels are tied at the same place, about 50 meters into the forest, so as not to be visible from the road, but not deep enough in to attract attention from the ravine inhabitants, either. The only real danger to the camels will be predatory animals, but Nimbar has come prepared on this trip. As he casts a spell, he explains:

Nimbar explains, "This is an Alarm spell. It will last for most of the day, probably about 6 hours. The spell will mentally notify me if anything gets near the camels."

GM: Sphynx, you can now roll Spellcraft DC 16 to see if you can understand Nimbar's spell.

After leaving the camels behind, the party begins to hear voices as they approach the ravine where the caves are. Approaching quietly and unseen, the party observes a disturbing scene.

GM: Hawke Hide Check: 14 / Nimbar Hide Check: 11 Hawke Silent Check: 11 / Nimbar Silent Check: 26 Sphynx Hide Check: 11 / Sphynx Silent Check: 14 Base DCs To Detect Party: Spot DC 11 / Listen DC 11 Modifiers: Distance (100 ft.) = +2 to DC (+1 for every 50' of distance) Subjects Pre-Occupied With Task = +1 to DC TOTAL DC: (11+3) = DC14. Wendol results: 11, 8 (Both fail.) DM Comment: Wow, you guys lucked out.

The Tribesmen, numbering 15 in all, all of whom are wearing ceremonial-looking robes and jewelry, are being commanded in the Eryptian tongue by a woman, also clad in ceremonial robes, holding a large, wooden staff in her hand. When she moves, the party hears the tell-tale clink of chainmail beneath her robes.

The Tribesmen are arranging the bare corpses of several (Hawke counts 12) of their dead brethren in a neat row, and filling their mouths with a dark, viscous, syrup-like liquid.

Spoiler: If you speak Eryptian

Priestess: "That's it, my children. That's it. Do not fear, the souls of your brothers are proud and happy to have this chance to serve us again, after death. Their spirits are in paradise, and they delight in the knowledge that their bodies still grant us protection and solace. Tonight, when the moon is at its zenith, your dead brothers will arise, and you shall fight alongside them once more. Not even death can stay the loyal Wendol from his true task of defending his people and his queen."

Spoiler: Sphynx's eyes only

Religion Check DC 13: (20) = Success. These bodies are being prepared to become Zombies. Unless their mouths are washed of the goo with holy water, and then stuffed with either holy wafers or with mistletoe, they will rise as zombies when the moon reaches its zenith tonight. This is a ritual which is associated with the god Set. In order to revere Set, these tribesmen must be diabolical and evil, and completely without remorse; Set does not tolerate sympathy, mercy, or empathy among his followers. Followers of Set hold a different set of "virtues" dear: ambition, lust, greed, and cruelty.

After the bodies are arranged, the ceremony moves into one of chanting and ritual dance, lasting another 20 minutes. After the ritual is concluded, the Wendol form a single-file line, and proceed solemnly back to their cave, which is location #11 on the players map.

The party can detect no Humanoid activity in the area. After the Wendol return to their cave, there is an eerie sense of quiet to the ravine. The party knows that there ARE Humanoids awake at this hour, mostly the posted guards who stand watch while the rest of their kind sleep. But because of their general sensitivity to light, you suspect that their guard posts are probably well-within the confines of their respective caves.

EVERYONE: What do you do?

 

[MacConnell]

Sphynx frowns hard and grinds his teeth. He hates necromancers. Not only was he enslaved by one, but, later, his vision by Bast strengthened that animosity. Ironically, his own talent is necromantic, but he had no other source from which to learn. ~Fight fire with fire... Fire! Hmm.~

He turns to his comrades after it is safe to speak. "I understand some of this. We will want to take some time to deal with it now before it becomes a big problem later. We don't have the materials to deal with this ritualistically so we should improvise. I am pretty good at improvising."

"That necromancer, bitch, is animating these corpses. We should go cut off their heads, carry those heads away from here some distance, and then burn them. The bodies are irrelevant."

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

Knowing that among ALL Eryptian deities, that such rituals are usually followed by feasting, and other ceremonies, Sphynx recommends that the party act NOW, while they are occupied as such. The party gathers the heads, and carefully bundles them into two, large, burlap sacks, which Hawke had stored in his haversack. You are careful not to touch the black ooze, as well as to position the heads so that the ooze does not leak through the bag. The sacks, each with 6 heads, are quite heavy, so Hawke volunteers to carry them. The party carries the heads a good deal Southeast, which is in the direction of the road, but still well away from the hiding place of the camels. The party quickly digs a small pit, and lines the outer edge with stones, to prevent the fire from spreading. Then the sacks are placed in the pit, and lit on fire.

GM: Each character in the party earns 500 xp. for destroying the Zombie heads.

When the party returns to the ravine an hour later, everything is still as they left it. There is no activity; an uneasy silence pervades the area.

Hawke says, "Ok, so far so good. I say we stay on track to acquire more Rose Gold. Let's hit the Kobold cave fast and hard, and pile up some more wealth for ourselves. What say the two of you?"

Nimbar smiles, "Well, when you put it that way, who can argue with sound reasoning?"

SPHYNX: What are your thoughts?

 

[MacConnell]

Sphynx laughs at Nimbar. "Why would you even consider such contention? Let's move!"

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

APPROACHING THE KOBOLD CAVE:

Hawke, Nimbar, and Sphynx make their way back to the copse of trees where the Kobolds had been laying out their ambush site.

From your vantage point, at the northern edge of the copse, you can see that the cave goes back 30 feet, before making a T-intersection left and right.

To your great surprise, there is a young, human man here, clad in a chainmail shirt, wearing both a backpack and a quiver of hunting arrows on his back, and a short sword on his left hip. He has a shortbow in his hand, with one arrow nocked, but he is holding the bow gingerly, not putting any tension whatsoever on the string. He is standing perfectly still at the cave entrance, as if listening. He has not noticed the party's approach. You surmise that he is, perhaps, an adventurer.

Hawke whispers, "Who is this guy? And why is here alone? He's either the bravest warrior ever, or the most foolhardy."

Nimbar answers, also whispering: "Not so loud, you big oaf! He might be the scout for a larger group. Should we attempt to talk to him? There's no telling whether or not he's friendly."

GM: Hawke: speak softly (Move Silent): 1+6 = 7. Nimbar: speak softly: 20+8 = 28.

Quixt: Make a Listen check, DC 7. Sphynx: What do you do?

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

GM: Quixt: Your result of (14) overhears Hawke's comment! Someone behind you, probably hidden in the trees, is talking about you behind your back! Pun intended! What do you do?

 

[Aust Thale]

Quixt:
His ears pick up the presence of someone behind him near the copse of trees. He isn’t startled, as the movement seems loud and clumsy. He moves out of the tunnel’s yawn in order to position himself to run if necessary, just in case his instincts are mistaken.
“You can come out now.” His now is at the ready, with a bit of tension on the drawstring, but it’s pointed at the ground and obviously not threatening.
“If you are going to attack me, be about it. Or move along. There are Kobolds about. You don’t smell like a Kobold. Or a troll.”

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

Hawke signals Nimbar and Sphynx with his hand, motioning for them to stay hidden. He steps out of the tree cover, with his hands raised and empty.

Hawke smiles and says, "Relax, my good man, I am neither a Kobold nor a Troll. I'm an adventurer, like yourself. I am Tellerian Hawke, and I hail from some distance away, from a town called Willip, in the Kingdom of Furyondy. Who might you be? And where do you hail from?"

The man speaking to you is enormous; he is over 7 feet tall, with a lean, athletic build. He is dressed in finely-made studded leather armor, and carries two hammers on his back. His shoulder-length, raven black hair is unkempt and swept to the side. His icy, blue eyes are piercing, yet honest. To your surprise, he openly wears a steel disc on a silver chain, engraved with an upside-down hammer, a well-known insignia for the clergy of the god of thunder, Thor Odinsson. He doesn't have the look of a priest, but there is no mistaking which deity he serves. You breathe a sigh of relief, because the followers of Thor are known to be honorable men, albeit somewhat intolerant of fools, bullies, and cowards. ~A useful and powerful ally, but if angered, a fearsome and intimidating foe.~ Quixt muses to himself.

 

[Aust Thale]

Quixt:
“Well now, big fella. Good day! I’d like to have you on my side in a bar fight. Glimmerfall, Quixt Glimmerfall, at your service. I understand that my people are originally from far afield east of here also, the western hills of Yeomanry, in Loftwick, closer than your Furyondy, but still in its ordit. However, I have lived in Erypt for much of my life.“

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

Hawke nods, "Aye, Loftwick. I know of it. Never been there, but my mother lived there for a time, before I was born. So what brings you here, to this hostile valley, filled with foes, all by yourself? Are you lost?"

At this point, Nimbar steps out from behind cover. He adds, "No, my friend, people like him are never lost. He's just confident in his abilities. And if they got him this far unnoticed, then he has every right to be. But let me say this,"

Nimbar pauses for effect before continuing, "You might be bigger, stronger, and more well-trained than the Kobolds, Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Tribesmen that have been hanging around here, but if you think you can lick 'em all by yourself, you're sadly mistaken. You should join up with us instead. Not only is there safety in numbers, but efficiency as well. A careful and capable squad of well-trained scrappers like us could end this threat in short order. What say you? Join our company? The name's Nimbar, by the way. Nimbar Gustavsson."

EVERYONE: What do you do?

Spoiler: For Sphynx

Sphynx: You should go ahead and introduce yourself at this point. We need to get the game moving. I believe that there has already been sufficient conversation for the sake of being realistic. So go ahead and make your introductory speech, and then state your intentions for moving forward into the cave.