Scales of War #1 Rescue at Rivenroar IC

[Goonalan]

GM: In the interest of speeding up the process... and now ENWorld seems to be working fine.

Kali returns to the group, explains what he has seen and leads you back in, you move in quietly to the positions shown on the map. Any further movement down the stairs will require Stealth checks if you wish to remain unnoticed.

But this is what you see...

Second time around Kali is convinced that several cratures (humanoids) have down the stairs recently- at least three, although he's tempted to say that three went down the stairs and only two returned this way.

Further Kali discovers the reason behind the skittering noises he heard on his first visit- down the bottom of the stairs, on the far side of the strange glowing symbols are a cluster of tiny Drakes, each one of the creatures is no more than five or six inches high- however this is a swarm- there are easily fifty to sixty of the beasts.

Those that move forward from this point will have to employ Stealth, which can take you as far as the bottom of the stairs (J6 & J7). Otherwise you can start this encounter from where you are?

New Picture-

http://gallery.rptools.net/v/contri...090+Strange+Symbols.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1

New Map-

http://gallery.rptools.net/v/contri...+Castle+Rivenroar-+Von+Jallach+Crypt.jpg.html

Initiative rolled just in case...


[sblock=Combat]
Encounter #8 Von Jallach Crypt

Turn: 1

Initiative (* = Next to play)

27 Velani
21 Kalimaru
20 Kyalia
11 Ah-shahran
11 Viator
9 Freggo

HP & Conditions

PCs
Ah-shahran 30/30 Surges 8/8
Freggo 27/27 Surges 9/5
Kalimaru 25/24 Surges 8/6
Kyalia 26/26 Surges 8/8
Velani 28/28 Surges 11/5
Viator 26/26 Surges 8/7

Monsters


Actions To Date

Turn #1


[/sblock]

Over to you guys...

 

[hairychin]

Kali

Kali studies the swarming drakes, who seem unable or unwilling to cross the runes, but the question he ponders is are they more interested in escape or food.

If the former then maybe we can release them from the room and let them head for the surface. If the latter, we do have some bodies not far away (as long as they don't have a particular desire for living flesh).

 

[Goken100]

Freggo likes a good puzzle

Freggo stays where he is, in case any of his friends want to try any fancy sneakiness. But he does put forth his sword and extend his magical senses toward the runes, seeing what he can sense. And those runes... do they mean anything or are they simple conduits for magic?

OOC: Freggo would be willing to go along with Kali's ideas of freeing or feeding the swarms, but since it was internal monologue it would be rude to respond to any proposal before they are spoken aloud. My meta-gaming-senses tell me that they're probably bloodthirsty fiends who welcome the sweet death that we bring, but it would be awesome if that weren't the case.

 

[Goonalan]

Kali studies the swarming drakes, who seem unable or unwilling to cross the runes, but the question he ponders is are they more interested in escape or food.

If the former then maybe we can release them from the room and let them head for the surface. If the latter, we do have some bodies not far away (as long as they don't have a particular desire for living flesh).

Freggo stays where he is, in case any of his friends want to try any fancy sneakiness. But he does put forth his sword and extend his magical senses toward the runes, seeing what he can sense. And those runes... do they mean anything or are they simple conduits for magic?

OOC: Freggo would be willing to go along with Kali's ideas of freeing or feeding the swarms, but since it was internal monologue it would be rude to respond to any proposal before they are spoken aloud. My meta-gaming-senses tell me that they're probably bloodthirsty fiends who welcome the sweet death that we bring, but it would be awesome if that weren't the case.

Kali ruminates on the problem... there's something to his plan, although after a while observing the things he sees there is something still that elludes him... every now and then the Drajkes see to scamper off to the east, only to return again in dribs and drabs till they're all back- this is certainly odd behaviour.

That aside the creatures are trapped, what with the door being latched shut, and voracious carnivores- possibly lured away by a hunk of meat (read Dead Goblin) on a rope. There's no doubt the operation would be hazardous, but... doable- and releasing them in to the wild would certainly be the way to go, Kali seriously doubts they would return here.

Problems however are-

The Drakes are very quick.
The Drakes are numerous.
The Drakes would no doubt love to take down live prey, possibly in preferance to carrion.
The Drakes are pretty low intelligence, any second guessing of what they might do is... well, guesswork at best.

[sblock=Getting the Drakes out]
If you wish to attempt Kali's plan (such as it is) then this would be an improvised Skill Challenge in the following parts-
1) Construct the lure
2) Place the lure
3) Lure the Drakes
4) Lure the Drakes up the stairs
5) Lure the Drakes through the entrance chamber
6) Lure the Drakes outside (and avoid being in their path)
You would of course gain the same XP as if you had defeated the Drakes for success.
[/sblock]

Freggo hunkers down and watches on, the runes/symbols are indeed magical in nature, some sort of power source for something, but alas Freggo is simply too far away to make any real sense of them.

The nearest of the symbols is a good fifty feet away, and other than the light of the symbols, which is a low sickly yellow light, hidden in a dark crypt. You need to be closer- much closer, i.e. standing less than ten feet away to truly see what they are.

Attached is the updated Spreadsheet for your pleasure.

 

[tiornys]

Ah-shahran looks to his companions, seeing if anyone wants to edge closer before the party launches its assault. As he waits, he considers the capabilites of the foe he can see, and Gorm flickers into being.

[sblock=Mechanics]Sweet picture of the Runes, btw!
I'm granting 4 temp HP to Velani and having Gorm around for a potential surprise round. If I can have him in P6 without needing a stealth check, I will. Otherwise, he's hanging out above our heads.[/sblock]

[sblock=Combat Status]HP: 30/30 Surges: 8/8 Surge Value: 7
AC: 16 Fortitude: 11 Reflex: 14 Will: 16
Resist: 5 necrotic, 5 radiant Saving Throw mods: none
Speed: 6 Initiative: (+2) 11
Passive Insight: 19 Passive Perception: 19
Action Points: 2 [] Usage this encounter
[] Second Wind
[][][] Failed Death Saves

Current Status:

Actions:
[]Standard
[]Move
[]Minor
[]Immediate

Powers:
Spirit Infusion, Direct the Strike, Call Spirit Companion Twin Panthers, Memory of a Thousand Lifetimes, Healing Spirit, Inspiring Word, Speak with Spirits, Spirit of the Healing Flood
[/sblock]

 

[Thanee]

Kyalia

Kyalia has her bow ready, but does not yet attack the drakes, not wanting to provoke them into crossing the invisible barrier that is still holding them back.

“Does anyone have any idea what those runes might be?”

 

[Goonalan]

Ah-shahran looks to his companions, seeing if anyone wants to edge closer before the party launches its assault. As he waits, he considers the capabilites of the foe he can see, and Gorm flickers into being.

[sblock=Mechanics]Sweet picture of the Runes, btw!
I'm granting 4 temp HP to Velani and having Gorm around for a potential surprise round. If I can have him in P6 without needing a stealth check, I will. Otherwise, he's hanging out above our heads.[/sblock]

[sblock=Combat Status]HP: 30/30 Surges: 8/8 Surge Value: 7
AC: 16 Fortitude: 11 Reflex: 14 Will: 16
Resist: 5 necrotic, 5 radiant Saving Throw mods: none
Speed: 6 Initiative: (+2) 11
Passive Insight: 19 Passive Perception: 19
Action Points: 2 [] Usage this encounter
[] Second Wind
[][][] Failed Death Saves

Current Status:

Actions:
[]Standard
[]Move
[]Minor
[]Immediate

Powers:
Spirit Infusion, Direct the Strike, Call Spirit Companion Twin Panthers, Memory of a Thousand Lifetimes, Healing Spirit, Inspiring Word, Speak with Spirits, Spirit of the Healing Flood
[/sblock]

Ah-shahran considers the enemies ahead- Drakes... Needlefang Drakes, famed far and wide, Ah-shahran knows plenty about them.

[sblock=Ah-shahran's Monster Knowledge- Needlefang Drakes]

Natural Beasts, a swarm of 50-60 smaller creatures, like tiny raptors.

They have the power to bring enemies down, that's their style, once down they swarm targets and do considerable amounts of damge (more damage specifically to Prone characters).

Worse still any creature that starts adjacent to the swarm is attacked- the little beasts are ferocious, always attacking.

[/sblock]

Gorm appears, and Velani feels slightly tougher for the spirit hounds presence.

 

[Goonalan]

Kyalia has her bow ready, but does not yet attack the drakes, not wanting to provoke them into crossing the invisible barrier that is still holding them back.

“Does anyone have any idea what those runes might be?”

Just to clear up there's no invisible barrier, you've not been spotted as of yet... should you get spotted then we're in to Initiative and they're coming for you.

As for the symbols/runes, you have no chance of working out what they are from fifty feet away, you need to be up close- within 10 or so feet.

Any thoughts on Kali's idea?

 

[Goken100]

Kyalia has her bow ready, but does not yet attack the drakes, not wanting to provoke them into crossing the invisible barrier that is still holding them back.

“Does anyone have any idea what those runes might be?”

Freggo whispers a reply, "I can sense they are magic, but from this distance I doubt we'll be able to tell more. I'm guessing they're not there to summon forth a turkey dinner though, so be careful."

OOC: Freggo adds the following, assuming Kali shares his plan:

"I think Kali's idea is worth trying. We just need to be ready for it to fail and kill the things the old fashioned way. But even if all we achieve is killing them in some other room, that's probably still for the best, as it won't be in the same room as those weird magical runes, not to mention whatever all those things are going to check on in the back there. When they're gone or dead, we can go investigate without all those toothy horrors in the way.

For a basic plan, I'm thinking we'll need too goblin bodies and lots of rope. The easiest thing would be to throw a body down, pull it back out to the entrance chamber, let them devour it there, then repeat again to get them to leave. Fortunately the goblins from the entrance chamber haven't been thrown into any pits or anything. We'll pool our rope, set up some pullies, and try to find hiding places as we pull the bodies along. What do you guys think?"

OOC: I'm thinking Athletics to throw bodies and pull them, Thievery to set up the ropes and pullies, Stealth to find everyone good hiding spots, and Nature to prepare the bodies.

 

[tiornys]

OOC: I think we can assume that Kali will share the plan. So, discussion!

*I'd be happy to marinade some goblin to needlefang swarm tastes, if we decide to try this. But, if there's anything with the--ah--"intelligence" level of a goblin, or more, in there with those things, we'd be putting them on alert. We might even get ourselves ambushed while focusing on that swarm.* Ah-shahran ponders for a moment, then his face lights up with glee. *Instead of trying to lure them out, we could use the needlefangs to find out about those runes.* He looks at Viator, eyes bright. *You could get them in there, right?* He thinks for a bit more, then grins even harder. *Of course, maybe the runes make these stairs collapse. Or worse....*

OOC: Sadly, Forceful Push won't work on a swarm, but a hit with Dimensional Scramble will do the trick. If we want to risk it.

[sblock=Combat Status]HP: 30/30 Surges: 8/8 Surge Value: 7
AC: 16 Fortitude: 11 Reflex: 14 Will: 16
Resist: 5 necrotic, 5 radiant Saving Throw mods: none
Speed: 6 Initiative: (+2) 11
Passive Insight: 19 Passive Perception: 19
Action Points: 2 [] Usage this encounter
[] Second Wind
[][][] Failed Death Saves

Current Status:

Actions:
[]Standard
[]Move
[]Minor
[]Immediate

Powers:
Spirit Infusion, Direct the Strike, Call Spirit Companion Twin Panthers, Memory of a Thousand Lifetimes, Healing Spirit, Inspiring Word, Speak with Spirits, Spirit of the Healing Flood
[/sblock]