What Adventure Awaits?

[Mark Chance]

OOC: Sorry for the hold up. Annoying week.

Deer Fight, Rounds 5 & 6

Berm continues to maintain his defensive fighting technique taught tohim, never realizing he would actually need it!!

Zantalus rushes to Berm's aide and chants, "Yarps repus llab rettilg wobniar og!" sending a shimmering cone of scintillating colors shooting forth from his finger tips and catching as many of the killer deer in it as possible.

The cone of colors catches two of the deer, rendering one of them immediately senseless and helpless. Shalaye dives into the knot of deer, chanting and gesturing. Positive energy flows into Berm's bruised and battered body.

The two deer that had pursued Shalaye charge toward the main group. They both start toward the oracle, but one peels off, antlers lowered at Zantalus, as if some force compelled it to change targets. Berm is struck by another hoof, but the timely healing from Shalaye prevents him from being overwhelmed by this new injury. Zantalus feels antlers rake into his flesh. The transmuter is seriously injured!

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OOC: The PCs are up!

[sblock=Combat Stuff]
Dice Rolls:
Zantalus Deer Saves: 1d20+2=16, 1d20+2=12.
CLW on Berm: 1d8+2=5.
Deer vs. Berm, Shalaye, Zantalus: 1d20+2=21, 1d4+1=5, 1d20+4=9, 1d6+1=5, 1d20+4=15, 1d6+1=2.

Deer x7: 2 dying, 1 color sprayed, 1 injured (8 hp - Berm); that leaves 3 deer up and fighting, including 1 that is quite injured.
Berm: 11 damage; blessed +1 bonus to attack rolls.
Zantalus: 6 damage; blessed +1 bonus attack rolls.
Rupert: 4 damage; blessed +1 bonus attack rolls; KOed.
Shalaye: 7 damage; blessed +1 bonus attack rolls.
[/sblock]

~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile...

Kaer shudders as he watches the death throes of the monkeys not killed outright, and glances to his own wounds. "We need to gather the bodies, see if Zantalus can check them for sorcery. And I need to get my bloody weapons and armor. And unless someone else objects, I think all the animals stay in their cages until we sort this mess out."

Feeling he's done his share in taking the monkey's attacks so their young victim could be evacuated, and fearing more of the same if he can't identify a source, Kaer hustles back to his tent to don his gear. Zantalus was heading out ... hells, where were he and that bloody rodent of his going to? He'd run off after Berm...

Kaer leaves the others behind to clean up the aftermath of the fight. The last thing Kaer hears from the area of the animal cages is Fandrake barking commands.

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OOC: Is Kaer going to take the time to fully don his armor?

[sblock=Combat Stuff]
Dice Rolls:
None at the moment.

Kaer: 9 damage.
[/sblock]

 

[jkason]

Kaer leaves the others behind to clean up the aftermath of the fight. The last thing Kaer hears from the area of the animal cages is Fandrake barking commands.

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OOC: Is Kaer going to take the time to fully don his armor?

OOC: Since he doesn't know what's happening with the others, I'd say yes. He knows *something's* going on in general and wants to be prepared, but has no idea there's another imminent threat to deal with

 

[Aldern Foxglove]

Attempting to push aside the pain Zantalus steps back again and calmly attempts to send another arrow home, but his own blood slicks the string and sends the projectile winging wildly of into the dirt.

 

[Scott DeWar]

Berm watches his wounds heal only to watch a deer make almost identical wounds right after!

OOC: I am having some interesting distractions here so I am not sure I will make sense (slow cooked BBQ Pork kind of distraction)

[sblock=fighting defensively]
Total Defense
You can defend yourself as a standard action. You get a +4 dodge bonus to your AC for 1 round.
Your AC improves at the start of this action. You can't combine total defense with fighting defensively
or with the benefit of the Combat Expertise feat. You can't make attacks of opportunity while using total defense.
[/sblock]

OOC: so what keep me from making 5 foot steps to try and get away from these raging beasts?

 

[Mark Chance]

OOC: I use my mighty DM powers to put the PCs all back in the same time sync.

Deer Fight, Rounds 6 & 7

Berm watches his wounds heal only to watch a deer make almost identical wounds right after!

Attempting to push aside the pain Zantalus steps back again and calmly attempts to send another arrow home, but his own blood slicks the string and sends the projectile winging wildly of into the dirt.

Shalaye hefts her quarterstaff in a double-handed grip and lashes out at the injured deer. Both ends thud! into the wounded animal. One of its legs snaps, and the deer falls to the blood-spattered earth. With a cry, Vandro leaps from the tree, his knife raised for the strike. The long blade bites into a deer's flesh.

Berm's defensive tactics protect him for further injury, but Zantalus and Vandro do not fair as well. The transmuter goes down under a savage hoof strike, and the lad suffers a powerful blow to the head. From the water's edge, Rorbi cries out in alarm.

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OOC: The PCs are up!

[sblock=Combat Stuff]
Dice Rolls:
Shalaye vs. Deer: 1d20-2=16, 1d6+1=3, 1d20-6=14, 1d6=1.
Vandro's Charge: 1d20+3=18, 1d4=4.
Random Deer Targets: 1d4=1, 1d4=4, 1d4=2 = Berm, Zantalus & Vandro
Deer vs. Berm, Zantalus, and Vandro: 1d20+2=17, 1d4+1=4, 1d20+2=14, 1d4+1=4, 1d20+2=16, 1d4+1=5.

Deer x7: 3 dying, 1 color sprayed, 1 injured (4 damage).
Berm: 11 damage; blessed +1 bonus to attack rolls.
Zantalus: 10 damage; blessed +1 bonus attack rolls; KOed & dying!
Rupert: 4 damage; blessed +1 bonus attack rolls; KOed.
Shalaye: 7 damage; blessed +1 bonus attack rolls.
Vandro: 5 damage; blessed +1 bonus to attack rolls; staggered!
[/sblock]

~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile...

Kaer has donned his armor and snatched up his weapons. He races as quickly as possible into the woods, knowing that Berm and the others were looking for Vandro, who often fishes in the river. The barbarian, wounded and a bit winded, reaches the water's edge. Kaer sees tracks leading north, and follows them. After several moments, he hears a women's scream. Rushing forward, Kaer comes upon a strange scene. Shalaye, Berm, and Vandro in pitched battle against enraged deer. Four of the animals on the ground along with Zantalus.

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OOC: Kaer is within charge distance.

[sblock=Combat Stuff]
Dice Rolls:
None at the moment.

Kaer: 9 damage.
[/sblock]

 

[Scott DeWar]

Though he is about to pass out, Berm makes an attempt to fight whil providing a heavy defense for him self.

Fighting defensively (-4 att, +2 a/c)
2 weapon defense( +2 to ac)

OOC: Ac 20 Not sure if 14 hits with the dagger, but there is the damage.

 

[jkason]

Kaer Fegavas, human barbarian (invulnerable rager)

Seeing so many of his companions once again in danger, Kaer feels a familiar surge of adrenaline. His eyes go red-rimmed as he finds himself with tunnel vision for the rampaging animals. He charges forward, greatsword raised high, hacking into deer flank as if it were little more than parchment.

OOC: question: do the dear appear to continue attacking folks once they've dropped, or are they moving to attack the folks still standing? The answer will change which deer I'd want to aim Kaer at.

[sblock=actions]Free: Activate rage (+4 str/con, -2 AC, +4 temp HP)
Full Round: charge (draw greatsword as part of movement) (+2 attack, -2AC)

Greatsword attack: 1d20+9, dmg 2d6+7[/sblock]

Raging charge greatsword vs. deer: attack; damage (1d20+9=19, 2d6+7=13)

[sblock=Resources used] Rage rounds / per day: 1/16[/sblock]

 

[Mark Chance]

OOC: With the arrival of Kaer and his opening attack taking a deer out in one shot, I'm calling this fight in favor of the PCs.

The rest of the fight against the enraged deer is quick and brutal. Kaer's timely arrival turns the tide. Shalaye and Berm fight on despite on their injuries. Kaer observes some of the dying deer exhibiting the same sorts of convulsions he witnessed in the monkeys.

First aid is administered to those in need. Zantalus regains consciousness, albeit just barely. Vandro is still quite injured, but he'll survive.

[Assume there is a pause here for appropriate reactions, et cetera.]

When the group returns to the carnival camp, a sense of urgency runs through those present. More animals have gotten sick, first becoming enraged and then collapsing into convulsions before dying. Not all animals have been affected. The reptiles and birds, for example, seem as healthy as always.

Talk from town has also spread through the camp. Similar animal attacks and illness are rumored to have hit Gragmoor Quarry.

[And we pause again. ]

[sblock=XP!]Let's revel in 325 XP each earned in pitched battle.[/sblock]

 

[Scott DeWar]

whole every one is gathered, berm places his thoughts on the table, so to speak, and looks to everyon gaathered.

"This 'sickness' hits the creatures of the wild, the circuis and the domestics owned by the townfolks. It may be an undterstaement, but I think there is someoneone behind this. Thoughts?"

 

[Aldern Foxglove]

Zantalus, looking pale and pained, shrugs, "It could be anything really a disease, a spell, an artifact. And not all of those suggest a culprit. Curious that it is not effecting sentient beings when it seems able to cover so may varieties of beast, though magic is often oddly structured like that. I am not sure what course of action to suggest. I fail to see how a rational being could gain by what occurred..." The elven mage muses.

"We might be wise to fear being rendered scape goats ourselves..."