Swamp Trek III: The Search for Ter-raen

[Scott DeWar]

[sblock]Ok, i am tired of these wonky computers at the coffee shop. i am guessing there might be issues with connections to the interweb, so It may not be the coffee shop computers. Having said that, this is now the third attempt at this post!!! AAARRRGGG!!![/sblock]

"Whit!?" Gildrim explodes. "She's Sister Anemone, in th' service ay Galatea! Daes naebody tak ony tent tae me! Ah tauld ye aboot her oan th' wey. Did... did Ah nae?"

OOC:

Wit a look of chagrin to both Gildrum and the priestess he continues, "Gildrum, i am sorry if I forgot. That may have happened due to the incident with the Ankheg. *Shrug* I now remember Her name and your speaking highly of her.

Lady Anemony, I have need of a trustworty person to watch itchy. If a donation and permission for you to use him for personal use be sufficient? With the following condition: if my permanent demise is met, that you keep all that I leave on the mule and the mule?"

((OOC: sorry. RL has been one big conflict after another, without much time for posting))

Weel finally stops chewing his lip to offer his two coppers. "If finding the lizardfolk is like to be as hard as the good priestess suggests, we might want to shed the extra haggis ... wait: baggage. That."

He leans over to Weel and whispers, " I think we may need to shed some extra haggis any way, so that is the right statement."

 

[covaithe]

Sister Anemone looks up at Karl with a slightly confused expression. "Well, I can keep track of your mule for you if you really want me to. But there are perfectly good stables at the inn you're staying at. They'd be more comfortable for your beasts, I'm sure. Now, unless there's something else, I'd best be getting back to the garden. I want to get these turnips bedded in tight while the ground is still soft."

[sblock=ooc]Just need you to decide what to do with the horse and mule, and then we can move on.

Also, your current march order has Gildrim well in the back with Weel, while Richard and Karl take the lead. With Gildrim and Richard pathfinding, can I assume you'll be changing that order up a bit?
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[Richard Rawen]

Richard nods at the sense of the priestess.
Patting Sally on the neck, he looks over the group, "So, back to the stables, get the gear needed for trade to the lizardfolk and head out?"
He looks towards the sun, trying to gague the time, frowning at the late hour...

 

[Scott DeWar]

OOC: if you want Karl in the back and Gildrum and Richard in the front with Weel between us, that would work for me. protect the cleric!

Karl sees Richard looking at the time of day and says, "Better we met lady Anemony and lost time then not, right? To the stables?"

 

[covaithe]

ooc: Since there appears to be no objection, I'll take that as the current marching order.

The stables are spacious and nearly empty, save for a pair of plowhorses and an elderly gray mare who peers out from her stall with undisguised interest at the newcomers. The stablehands seem excited to have new horses to work with, especially when silver exchanges hands, and they promise to take good care of your beasts.

Without further ado, you set off into the swamp. Gildrim moves slowly at first, consulting with Richard, but as time passes he finds that he remembers more than he expected, and feels fairly confident of his direction. The first day's travel passes without event, and as the sun begins to set, you find a dry, grassy islet to make camp on. Things seem to be going well.

The night passes, broken only by the sounds of the living swamp: thousands of varieties of insect, bird, and frog fill the air with a blanket of noise that could be seen as either maddening or soothing, depending on the observer.

Come morning, Gildrim finds himself beginning to feel confident that he has the trick of navigating the swamp. He notes familiar, uniquely-shaped trees, and begins to recognize clusters of irregularly-shaped fixed islands, navigating between them like a sailor watching the stars. He leads the party more quickly, splashing with confidence through the muck.

Shortly after midday, as Gildrim forges through an armpit-deep section of mire between two islands, there is a shattering, multi-voiced roar from a tangled thicket ahead. The leaves and branches begin shaking and trembling, then are crushed as an enormous, five-headed reptilian monster tramples them under. It lurches into the water with a tremendous splash, heading directly for Gildrim.

Gildrim and the hydra stand facing each other for a moment, but Richard and Karl spring quickly into action.

[sblock=know(nature) or bardic DC 10]Hydras can attack independently with each of their heads.

[sblock=DC 15]Hydras can survive the loss of some or even all of their heads, which regrow and multiply very quickly.

Fire or acid applied to the stump of a severed head can prevent it from regrowing

[sblock=DC 20]Hydras heal damage to their body very quickly. It is hard to kill them that way. [/sblock]

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[sblock=ooc]Initiative: Richard 17, Karl 7, Gildrim 4, Weel 1. Hydra 5.

So Richard and Karl are up.

The deep blue squares, such as where Gildrim is, are deep bog. The greenish-blue, like where Richard is, are shallow bog. See the marsh terrain entry for details. On land, the really leafy bits like Q23 are undergrowth, which costs double movement and offers concealment. Other squares, such as where Karl and Weel are, are normal terrain.
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[sblock=status and initiative]

• Richard 48/48 <== You're up
• Karl 10/10
• Hydra unharmed, 5 heads
• Gildrim 34/34
• Weel 18/18

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[sblock=map]

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[Scott DeWar]

is the map to come later?

though Karl knows nothing about the creatures attcking the party, he does know he might bae able to hit it.

Knowledge check:
1d20+2=8

Karl's attack:
1d20+3=12, 1d6=3

(But not with that kind of attack)

 

[covaithe]

ooc: Can you guys not see the map? It works for me. It's in the bottom sblock of my last post.

 

[Trouvere]

OOC: I can see it.

 

[jkason]

Weel Naxel, human cleric

((OOC: map works for me.))

Weel gapes at the creature that emerges, baffled at the sight.

"I saw a two-headed snake once back on the farm, but this is ... what is that thing?"

((OOC: Weel doesn't have know: nature or bardic knowledge, so he's useless on the information front))

 

[Trouvere]

"Cut off the heads and scorch the stumps," says Gildrim tiredly, and clearly. "It's the only way."[sblock=OOC]The relevant Knowledge should be arcana, for magical beasts, which Gildrim doesn't have, but I don't think that makes a difference to anyone else. However, Bardic knowledge 26 is worth something.[/sblock]