stonegod's Expedition to Castle Ravenloft: Ch. II [IC]

[stonegod]

Ashlyn's prayer of vitality allows her to move in her heavy plate, but it still weighs heavily.

Marot, unsteadily on his horse, answers Tessa. Rest is what we need, but our enemies may not wait. If Sergei knows what we are doing, this place will not be safe again for long. This, we must ponder.

Status
M: 46/46, 10 Str damage (2/12), unable to move
A: 26/32, 6 Str damage (8/14), 5/14 Con
K: 50/50, 3 Con damage

 

[EvolutionKB]

Avron

Avron nods at Marot's words, "Damned if we do, Damned if we don't. Oh look a bunny! No wait, it's just a stump." He pulls out a wand and wanders over to the party members that are still showing signs of healable wounds. "No potions right now? That is fine...fine. Do we rest now or leave and die on the way back?"

Cure light wounds wand on anybody that wants it.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Jarrith looks around at the walking wounded and sighs inwardly. The group had suffered much these past weeks, and the last thing any of them needed or deserved was to spend a night or two lying in this swamp trying to recover. The threat of disease and infection was always present in locales such as this... and no amount of magical wound closure they could provide for themselves could deal with that.

Jarrith glances at each of them, then slides his rapiers back into the scabbards on his belt. "This is no place to rest. Not when you need to regain your strength. Whatever might move back here once we leave will just have to be dealt with when we return."

When Tessa mentions seperating the two relics into different haversacks, the stalker nods. "That is very wise, Tessa. Good thinking." He helps his fellows that need it one at a time, then motions for everyone to walk back the way they came. "Let us go back to the inn. Get a wash. Get some sleep. The land can live with its shadow for another night or two... but if we awaken something too large and too foul, we probably wouldn't."

 

[Stormwind]

Ashlyn walks back into the water and retrieves her shield before wandering over to the third fane and ponders the words of the others for a few short moments. She then shakes her head firmly, "No, we have resources yet to restore us to a combat capable state and rest will gain us little. We have an advantage here and it behooves us to make the most of it ... who knows if we will get another chance."

As she pauses, she gratefully accepts Arvon's offer of healing before she turns to regard her companions one by one, "I have fought many an evil in my time and the evil that covers this land is beyond anything I have faced before, but in my experience one can never truly rest when facing those cursed with unlife. Consider the zombies we faced earlier in the town, that was a long fight, and very little rest was truly had until we faced down the priest and his son. Thus I do believe that we must continue now and take the relic whilst we have the chance."

Although she still bears signs of weakness and she is not so vigorous as she normally is, Ashlyn seems to burn with conviction as she speaks.

Ashlyn then turns to Tessa and nods in respect, "Tessa's idea however has much merit. If we can delay this fight a little by keeping the relic apart then it is surely worth a try, for it is indeed foolish to take a fight when not at ones best if it is not necessary to do so."
Ashlyn then requests the first relic which she proceeds to secure into the haversack.

[Ashlyn accepts Arvons offer of the use of the wand: Cure light wounds]
[Ashlyn places the first relic in to the haversack]

 

[pathfinderq1]

"Let us at least move up on to dry land," Tessa added. "The last fane ought to be right there, and we seem to have dealt with the guardians. And I, for one, would be more ready to plan if I weren't knee-deep in a bog full of bloody eels..."

 

[EvolutionKB]

"And a bloody ugly woman," Avron adds. He walks toward shore as well, pulling the dead body of the ugly woman as best he can. Once ashore he examines her more closely, her wounds and musculature, as well as any valuables she may carry.

 

[stonegod]

The tough from the wand restores most of the fatigue from Ashlyn's wounds, though her vitality is still weakened. [30/32hp]

Retreating out of the mud to ponder their next action, the group finds a familiar scene—a time word runic circle with a pillar of stone at the center. This time, the pillar has fine yellow crystals embedded in it. It is indeed the Swamp Fane.

Avron's examination of the hag turns up little; the woman was mad and barely clothed.

Status
M: 46/46, 10 Str damage (2/12), unable to move
A: 30/32, 6 Str damage (8/14), 5/14 Con
K: 50/50, 3 Con damage

 

[DEFCON 1]

At Ashlyn's command, Jarrith pauses and looks at her with brow furrowed. "Far be it for me to comment on your own health, M'Lady... but I heartily disagree. You are not combat-ready, Sir Khensu is not at his best... and Marot most certainly is not capable of a fight. He can barely stay upright in his saddle. To do anything at this point is folly in the highest order." He looks at his Lumin Brother, then looks back, crossing his arms defiantly. For he had seen the look on his Brother's face... one of acceptance of Ashlyn's proposal... and thus Jarrith knew his case was already lost.

"Brother..." Khensu quietly intones, but the stalker raises his hand to him.

"Don't bother, Khensu. I know what you intend to say. And it does not matter. I refuse to accept that is the right course of action." He lowers his hand and looks back at Lady Ashlyn, then begins walking towards her drawing his rapiers. "However, as I do not expect anyone to listen to reason... I will go along with this foolishness. I abandoned you all in the woods once already, and I swore to never do that again. So if you insist on this... I will stand by you with swords drawn."

 

[Stormwind]

Something occurs to Ashlyn and she turns back to face Avron and asks "Avron, those potions you were offering earlier, I could surely use one about now if that offer is still open. and I am sure that Marot could use another"

[As long as Avron's offer is still open, Ashlyn will use a potion of lesser restoration (for STR)]
[... and I presume Marot will have no objections to using the other one ]

Ashlyn then turns to Jarrith and nods in acknowledgment of his point. "Jarrith, I agree. Right now I am yet in poor shape, but we do have the resources to remedy that. The potions Avron has graciously offered, the scrolls that I believe Tessa still has with her, they should restore us sufficiently to continue"

 

[EvolutionKB]

Avron

Avron drops the woman's body unceremoniously to the ground. "Potions? Potions, what did I do with those...Oh wait here they are," the scholar says realizing he tucked them into his belt pouch. He hands then both to Ashlyn.