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Protect the cargo


[DM StevenVdB] - Signed and ready to go! 
Monday September 8th, 2014 7:32:19 PM
Iangold smiles as the group seems satisfied with the stipulations of the contract. He gives each of you one of the documents (all was signed in triplet) and stores away the two others into his book. The quick eye will see he has many similar contracts in there already.

"Excellent my friends! I'm looking forward to the safe arriving of our convoy."

Iangold overhears the discussion about ponies, carts, getting supplies and spell preparations...

(Distance from Hovel to Angel's Spring is about 19 miles... On foot this will likely take close to a 10 hour walk. A pony will help you do this in 5 (walking) or even 2,5 if you husttle them.)

"Might I suggest not wasting too much time? I will assign a couple of ponies to help you getting to the convoy before nightfall. It would be dangerous to say at the least to have the convoy spending the night on the road without escort... it's cargo is far to valuable to have it unattended. Please gear up and I will be back here in one hour with a few sturdy ponies, fit for the journey... and of course I will also bring each of you the advance payment as per agreement... Do you prefer coin or gem? "

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Monday September 8th, 2014 9:26:06 PM
OOc: are my posts showing up? The last two were asking if any magic appeared on the documents, and I've not seen a response yet. The web site is acting wonky on my mobile devices, so something might be wrong. Can anyone see this?

"Gemstones for me, please. Much more portable that way. And much more dignified than mere old nasty gold, I think."

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Monday September 8th, 2014 10:24:14 PM
OOC: Yep, can see your post Gerald :)

"I don't suppose the Temple of Ffloy have started any investment schemes yet?" Alleah asks hopefully "No, you know what, I'll just take gems as well please"

Murphy (Kim McCoy) 
Monday September 8th, 2014 10:27:06 PM

Murphy opts for gems, says, "All right, see you all in an hour." He swings by his home, leaves word with a sibling and his mother, then heads to the store.

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle) 
Tuesday September 9th, 2014 9:54:29 AM

As he signs, Bliss decorates his contract with pictures of birds with smiley faces. And arms.

The choice of payment comes up ... Bliss grins at the priest of Ffloy and gets a mischevious look. "I like coins please! Platinum only!"

When the talk turns to movement, Bliss scoffs. "Ponies! Who needs huge lumbering ponies? I'm as fast as ponies, and if we need to go even faster, I can ride Mookie."

Mookie caws. "I was hoping you were tired of that trick," he caws. "Oh, my lumbago!"

Bliss scowls. "Hush, Mookie."

Mookie does not hush. "You're not your mom, Kid. You don't get to 'hush' me."

"Anyway, no pony, please," says Bliss, unphazed. "Unless you are giving them away. I could sell mine! Couldn't I, Mister Iangold?"

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15 
Tuesday September 9th, 2014 11:43:02 AM
"No payment for me... thanks. Unless you are willing to return the Flower's temple back..."
To Bliss he smiles.
"So small and yet so filled with abilities! That's is great news, I won't risk running out of bullets anymore!"
But I think Hazel role will need to shift to "Forward ranks" now...
Before leaving he goes to see Alouryn, and tell her what happened, promise her he will be back as soon as he is able, and ask her to keep an eye open about the Ffloy followers.
"I fear they are to no good! They are taking out of the town for some reason! To bad I can't let the others go alone!"
And, of course, give her a passionate kiss.

[DM StevenVdB] - Signed and ready to go! 
Tuesday September 9th, 2014 5:08:07 PM
Prior to signing her document Shel did examine the sheets... they didn't appear magic. Quite good quality paper though. Let's say the kind you can expect from a decent contract.

Shel, Alleah and Murphy all prefer gems to coin. After all they are lighter and are much more dignified.

Iangold "Broker" Laughshield's eyes suddenly grow large as he observes the decorated contract he received back from Bliss... then the mischevious little one doesn't just ask for coin... he asks for platinum pieces!
Dispite his stern firgure, Iangold's mouth curls up with a smile.

But that hint of a smile is soon gone when Hazel refuses payment.

"Very well then. I will exclude you from the list. Of course you must understand that I will only offer these ponies (ponies that are not to be sold or kept he adds with a gaze at Bliss) to the contract holders. You are free to accompany the contract holders of course at your own expence and at your own risk. If anything goes wrong I will deny any knowledge of your person..."

Then Iangold looks at the rest again and nods at Murphy's comment to be back here in an hour.

"Excellent! I will be here as well with ponies, gems... and platinum..." he adds with a grin.

Then he turns around, holding his book tightly under his arm and in a quick pace he returns to the Temple.



Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle) 
Tuesday September 9th, 2014 6:29:32 PM

"Hazel, you can ride my pony," offers Bliss. "Really, I can walk fast. Or ride Mookie."

Mookie glares at him.

OOC: Bliss has a move rate of 30 (Travel Domain), and his longstrider spell boosts that to 40 for a duration (but not all day).

Fatine AC 17/14/15, HP 23/23 (Matt C) 
Tuesday September 9th, 2014 7:55:43 PM
"We can ride dese birds?" Fatine asks Bliss. "Dat might be fun. But Crow be a bit mean sometimes, he probably jus' drop me on purpose."

Fatine busies herself with adjusting the various bottles and bags on her belt until the group moves on.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Tuesday September 9th, 2014 8:00:32 PM
Once sure she wasn't being taken advantage of, Shel signed the document. She preferred to travel light, so she didn't head out for any shopping sprees. She was saving up her money for something special, whatever it was. She never had this much wealth before, and she didn't intend on wasting it for nothing. At the appointed time, she shows back up and rejoins the rest of the group.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Tuesday September 9th, 2014 8:30:30 PM
OOC: Alleah can also move at 40'. Note though that ponies can move at 40' and have both the Run feat and Endurance. Plus they're pretty! :)

Alleah grins. It's been a while since she's ridden a pony.

She takes a moment to have a quiet word with Hazel "You know, you could take the job and donate all you earn to people of the town. Maybe help any businesses that are struggling, maybe help the new Flower temple gain a foothold. And who knows? People love someone who is generous. With that sort of popularity you might even be able to take a shot at the mayor's position and then YOU'D be the one who decides who comes and goes. Just sayin'"

Once again Alleah manages to turn what could be a simple good deed into a way to manipulate a situation.

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15 
Tuesday September 9th, 2014 9:33:48 PM
Hazel pats Faoil, his riding dog.
"The only need I have for a pony from these Ffloy guys is as food for Faoil. I am glad they will "deny knowledge" of me."
He follows his observations with a litany of bad words about Mr. "Gold". (Edited by ACDM SteveK)

Murphy (Kim McCoy) 
Wednesday September 10th, 2014 4:24:39 AM

Murphy speaks clearly, enunciating his first sentence with firmness. "Broker Iangold, you will not deny any knowledge of his person, as I believe you would not want to lie in such a manner." His following words are spoken in a more casual, friendly manner. "It would be fine to say that you did not hire him. Let us be accurate in speech, and in deed. See you soon."

Shortly after the cleric of Floy leaves, he finds himself now remonstrating with Hazel. He takes his friend by the elbow, away from the others, and says, "Do not lower yourself, Bob Danderfluff LaRue. Keep your lips from speaking evil, just as you keep your heart from guile."

Before the party splits up, he asks quickly & quietly, "Did anyone find anything of interest on the postings board? If so let us know, now or before we leave town."

"I'm off to my place, to the store, back to my place, then here. We have a couple ponies I will see if we can borrow again."

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Wednesday September 10th, 2014 7:15:32 AM
"Well, now that you mention it, it might be worth having the local guards keep an eye on the blacksmiths" Alleah pulls the torn notice from her pocket that she liberated from the notice board.

"More prosperity means more crimes I guess" she shrugs "Though could just as easily be someone who felt they were cheated on a dagger."

Murphy (Kim McCoy) 
Wednesday September 10th, 2014 11:22:08 AM
Murphy reads over the scrsp of oatchment that Alleah reveals. "So, someone wants a bit of disruption at the local blacksmiths', eh? Likely as a diversion elsewhere. Alleah, can you get that to our new constable right away?"

[DM StevenVdB] - Signed and ready to go! 
Wednesday September 10th, 2014 5:09:41 PM
Just before Iangold leaves the meeting Murphy rebukes him on his wording to deny knowledge of Hazel's presence.

Iangold turns around and looks at Murphy... the stare only takes a split second but Murphy can tell Mr. Laughshield does not accept to be spoken to in this way... but he quickly finds his smile again and simply nods to the young Druid and then turns around to go where he was planning to go.

Once Iangold is gone Bliss suggests Hazel to use his pony as he's apparently capable to flying on Mookie's back... the way the raven glares at Bliss makes it obvious that Mookie likes to carry Bliss around...

Fatine is intrigued by the fact that Bliss can actually 'Ride' his bird companion...

Alleah too suggests Hazel to take the money and if he doesn't want it, to give it to the Temple of Flower instead! After all... no one likes to waste money right?! But Hazel remains firm in his convictions to the Ffloy followers.

Murphy runs if to his family and pick up some supplies and perhaps a spare pony should Iangold bring insufficient animals. Then the Druid brings the discussion back to what they have learned from the posting board. Alleah remembers what she read about the upstir with the blacksmiths and together they agree to inform the constable of this matter.
"More prosperity means more crimes..." Alleah adds... everyone realizes she could be right...

...

An hour later Iangold Laughshield turns up again at the meeting place with one of his followers it seems who is leading 5 ponies.

"Ah excellent you are all there" he says looking at Murphy, Alleah, Bliss, Fatine and Shel but he seems to 'overlook' Hazel... (OoC Bob this is nothing personal!! This is strictly in game and let's face it... Hazel isn't exactly fond of Iangold so don't expect him to be friendly towards you either... but again... strictly in game!! I hope you don't mind and if you do please mail me in private!)

"First allow me to give you the advance payment like we agreed."

To Shel, Murphy, Fatine and Alleah his gives a small pouch. Each pouch contains 4 gems. It's a variety of amber, tourmaline, white pearls and jade gems. (4 gems each worth 100Gp).

To Bliss he offers a different pouch with in it 40 platinum pieces instead of gems...
"Like you have asked..."

When he gives you a pouch of gems or coins he also gives you a receipt he asks you to sign.
The receipt is simply proof that you have indeed received the 400Gp according to the contract.

"Please sign these before we continue..." Iangold says. This time they come in duplicates so you also have a signed receipt...

"Then I have 5 ponies available for the journey. They are well fed and able to reach the convoy in time. I expect you to return the ponies to me when you return with the convoy."

And again comes the paperwork... this time it's a receipt that prooves Iangold is giving you ponies for the journey. In this receipt the small letters stipulate that you are to feed and water the ponies on time, brush them and keep them dry after an intense ride, check their hooves and return them in good health. Any signs of mal treatment of the ponies will be dealt with by the Town responsible of Ffloy.

If that's all done and signed Iangold puts all the documents in his book and then send you on your way...

"Now make haste friends... the convoy will leave Angel's Spring soon."



Fatine AC 17/14/15, HP 23/23 (Matt C) 
Wednesday September 10th, 2014 5:49:58 PM
"Okay, well dat be dat!" Fatine pockets the gems, then goes for a closer look at her pony. She pulls its mane lightly, squints into its ear, and checks under the belly. "Yep, dis be a pony. I'll take dis one."

With that, she climbs up and whistles for Crow, who lands on her shoulder.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Wednesday September 10th, 2014 8:24:32 PM
Shel was a bit nervous, as she wasn't particularly good at riding a pony. She signed the contract, and stowed her receipt in her pouch, Ffloy-ites are certainly all about the details, aren't they, she thinks to herself as the others take turns signing their names.

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15 
Wednesday September 10th, 2014 8:43:50 PM
OOC: No problem at all, Iangold and Hazel's animosity is in game only, And I have to say it is Hazel's fault.
Hazel looks at Murphy when he tells him not to insult Iangold... he seems like he is going to answer, but he keeps his mouth shut.
"The faster we return the most at ease I will be... I still fear what those guys will do during our absence..."

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Thursday September 11th, 2014 12:13:52 AM
Alleah is still a child at heart, and one pony has immediately caught her eye.

"Ooh! Ooh! Can I take the white one?" Before anyone has a chance to answer she has already approached the gelding and is stroking his forelock.

She draws herself away to sign the receipt from Iangold, and smiles at him as if he has just given her an amazing present.

Alleah has a +8 Ride check if needed



Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle) 
Thursday September 11th, 2014 12:44:19 AM
Bliss signs and then hefts his moneybag. "OOF!" he declares. "Heavy!"

He renews his Reduce spell, which now affects the coins. They are suddenly half the size and 1/8 the weight. "Much better!" says the tiny Bliss.

Bliss offers Hazel his pony.

Himself, Bliss casts his Longstrider spell, which lasts for two hours. That's two hours of moving at 40 -- good enough to keep up with the ponies. After that, he uses his Pearl of Power to recall the spell, and then casts it again for another two hours. Since a pony can make the trip in 2.5 to 5 hours, Bliss is hoping they can be done and there in the four hours that his spells last.

Bliss explains all this to anyone who is interested, especially his fellow witches. And Mookie. "That way," he explains, "We'll be there in four hours and I won't even need to ride Mookie to keep up."

Murphy (Kim McCoy) 
Thursday September 11th, 2014 5:22:16 AM

Murphy makes a mental note that a high cleric of Ffloy is willing to lie in order to protect his interests. He feels a measure of disappointment in Broker Iangold for this shortfall, yet is impressed with his attention to detail, and with the cleric's own sense of honor. He signs the paperwork proffered.

"I picked up a few things at the store, and a few things from home. If all are ready... Broker Iangold, have you a suitable prayer to offer on behalf of Ffloy that might cover the caravans and those sent to protect them?" He is not certain how big a role prayer plays within this particular faith, but ventures to request the favor nonetheless.

Outside are three ponies - two hitched to a cart, and one with its lead attached to the side of the cart. "If someone wants to ride my war pony, Pippa, she's available," Murphy says, indicating the pony next to the vehicle. Canvas covers over some things in the bed. "Or one or two of you can sit with me on the cart." The pony on the left is Nutmeg, and on his right is the mare, Sugar.

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15  d20+11=20 ; d20+5=11 ; d20+7=8 ; d20+9=11 ;
Thursday September 11th, 2014 3:59:52 PM
Hazel thank Bliss.
"No need, I have Faoil here with me."
He mounts his riding dog, and goes some 30' in front of the others, as usual.
Hazel: Perception: 20; Knowledge (Nature): 11; Knowledge (Geography): 6 (got the bonus wrong) for the trip (+2 if forest)
Faoil: Perception Aid Another: 11 (+2 if forest)

[DM StevenVdB] - Signed and ready to go! 
Thursday September 11th, 2014 6:10:33 PM
As gems and coin are distributed the Humble's Sword make their choice of ponies. Murphy also brought Pipa and a cart pulled by Nutmeg and Suger. It's not the first time they join the halflings on their journey.

Fatine is quick to make her choice of pony. So is Alleah who appears to be genuinly drawn to the animals. She goes for a white one! Shel's a bit nervous as she's not that good at riding a pony... Bliss remains certain that he can follow the ponies by casting a spell.

"A prayer? ... " Iangold says, "May your deals be fruitful and your pockets always full?". Clearly prayer is not Iangolds forte...

Hazel understood Murphy's remarks about his insults to Iangold. But Hazel just doesn't trust these Ffloy-ites like Shel named them.

................

And so the party leaves. Bliss on foot, Hazel riding Faoil and the rest on the ponies Iangold offered.

The trip to Angel's Spring is quite uneventful. You do see a lot of carts on their way to Humble's Ford though. By the time you reach the convoy it's close to nightfall and you can all see the 5 fully loaded large wagons that appear to be waiting for their escort!



Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Thursday September 11th, 2014 6:59:34 PM
Shel was excited that Murphy had gotten the wagon for them to ride on for the journey. "I'm with you, Murphy! I don't want to fall off a pony. This is much safer, I think.". She watched with interest at Bliss's constant spell casting and shape changing. Doesn't he ever get tired? I'd be exhausted if I were constantly casting spells like that. Just a few and I'm wiped out for the day.

"Look, Murphy! There's our group right there waiting on us. Let's get to it and get finished. More gems await!"

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d20+8=22 ; d20+7=27 ; d20+10=26 ; d20+4=11 ;
Friday September 12th, 2014 6:51:53 AM
As the group prepare to head off, Alleah takes a moment to cast Endure Elements on everyone. Who knows what the weather will be like today? And riding on horseback in the sun can make things quite warm.

She is quite happy that no one fought her for the white pony - who she has affectionately named "Casper". She resists the urge to plait his mane, though does cast a Prestidigitation spell to make him smell a little nicer. You know, that "new pony" smell.

Any time the group stop to rest, she casts Create Water as needed for the party and the horses.

Alleah's first instinct as they approach the convoy is to call out and wave. She's been around Bliss long enough though to know that he prefers to scout situations like this out first though.
------------------
Skill checks:
Ride: 22
Knowl Geography: 27 - To try and work out the best route to get the convoy from here back to Humbles
Perception: 26
Survival: 11

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle)  d20+24=43 ; d20+24=36 ; d20+24=25 ; d20+13=22 ; d20+13=33 ; d20+13=26 ;
Friday September 12th, 2014 10:45:26 AM

Bliss's first impulse is to call out and wave too, but some quasi-telepathic inspiration from Miss Alleah -- the way she glances at him? the look of expectation in her eye? -- gives him the idea to do some scouting.

"You guys back up a bit and hang out with Mookie," he says, first casting a Message cantrip on Mookie and Alleah, and then renewing his Reduce cantrip.

Then Bliss sneaks up to and under the wagons in the caravan, listening for interesting conversation, peeking at legs, scouting wagons, etc etc.

Stealth checks: 43, 36, 25 (oops, stubbed my toe on the die roller for that last one!)

Perception checks: 22, 33, 26

Used so far today: first level domain spell, pearl of power.

[DM StevenVdB] - Signed and ready to go!  d20+6=16 d20+6=11 d20+6=8 d20+6=26 d20+6=21
Friday September 12th, 2014 5:52:02 PM
(Only 3 posts?!? C'mon folks try to keep up the posting habbit!)

The group perceives the heavily loaded wagons in the distance. They have indeed left Angel's Spring already but seem reluctant to follow the road to Humble's Ford... of course... they are waiting for their escort!

Shel and Alleag feel compelled to wave and hail the convoy but Bliss asks them to linger back her a little bit longer...

Bliss sneaks up to and under the wagons...

1st Male voice: "Where's that escort they promised us! I'm not going any firther without any!

Female voice: "Calm now brother... I'm sure someone will come... "

1st Male voice: "Quitranna, do you see an escort?!? "

Bliss hears the first male voice (Jamfire?) grumble incomprehensible things. From under the wagons Bliss can't realy tell what is on them... but he does smell dried meat on one, cheese on another and one wagon appears to be filled even with lifestock! Bliss thinks that's the wagon where the 1st make voice spoke from...

2nd Male voice: "Quiet down Jamfire... I think I heard something!"

This time Bliss thinks the voice came from under the 4th wagon... the one filled with the stinking cheese... (perception 26 - nat 20)

Female voice : "What did you hear Leotiln...?! "



Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Friday September 12th, 2014 7:01:14 PM
"What is Bliss doing wasting time? Why doesn't he just introduce himself and the rest of us? They are obviously just waiting on us to escort them.". She gives Bliss just a few more seconds, as she was ready for the introductions to begin.

Fatine AC 17/14/15, HP 23/23 (Matt C) 
Friday September 12th, 2014 9:02:19 PM
"Why don' we jus' go say hello?" Fatine asks, obviously confused. "Hey Crow," she whistles for the bird, "you go on over dere and fly 'round a bit, have some fun and see if you can sneak us a snack."

Crow flies off, squawking on the way.

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15  d20+11=29 ; d20+9=14 ;
Saturday September 13th, 2014 1:01:05 AM
Hazel and Faoil look the convoy, and take to the left first, they will want to go around it, returning to the front by the right side, checking for people following or spying on it.
Hazel Perception Roll: 29
Faoil Aid Another Perception Roll: 14

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle) 
Saturday September 13th, 2014 3:21:47 PM
Bliss pops out and says, "Hi! I'm with the escorts! Boy are you guys needing us! I was able to sneak right up here and you didn't say boo! Well now that we're here we'll be keeping you super safe."

He introduces his friends to the caravan folks. "Everybody, this is Quitranna and her brother Jamfire, and their friend Leotin, who has the best ears of the bunch. Though that's not saying much! You three, this is Shel and Hazel and MIster Murphjy and Fatine and Miss Alleah. And I'm Bliss!"

The little fellow takes a bow.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d20+10=28 ; d20+10=29 ;
Sunday September 14th, 2014 1:45:19 AM
Alleah waves and smiles as she approaches - just to show that she's friendly, and you know, unarmed.

"Mr Laughshield has engaged us to help escort you safely back to Humble's Ford. I have a contract and receipt here somewhere" Alleah is happy to show proof that the group is indeed here to escort them and not here to rob them. Well, yet.

"Have you had any troubles so far?"

Once introductions are made, Alleah brings up perhaps the most relevant question at hand "It's getting close to nightfall. Do we try and setup camp nearby, or do we risk trying to travel in the dark? Both pose their own risks"

Whatever the decision, Alleah takes some time to care for 'Casper' - ensuring he is well fed, has fresh water, and well groomed. (Cast Prestidigitation as necessary to care for her pony)

"Maybe I can buy Casper from Mr Laughshield when we return?"[
------------------
Perception: 28
Sense Motive: 29

Murphy (Kim McCoy) 
Monday September 15th, 2014 3:05:19 AM

Final preparations
Back in Humble's Ford, before they set off, Murphy quickly checks with Alleah to ensure that word - and the note - reached the constable. If not, on the way past the smithys, Murphy talks briefly, quietly, with the head blacksmith. "One of my friends heard someone wants to cause a disturbance among the smiths soon. Let your folks know to stay on the alert. That's all I know so far. Wish we could stay to figure this out better, but we've got a caravan to guard. Good luck, and keep you and yours safe."

He doesn't know whether that will help or cause undue consternation, but some sort of warning needed to go out. If Alleah did contact the constable, then he will not talk with the smiths.

He picked up from a local carpenter six small wooden cages (1 sp each enough?), each big enough for poultry. In the course of the trip, some clucking was heard from under the canvas in his cart.

On the way
He is happy to have Shel seated beside him on the cart once again. From time to time he has her take the reins, just to get used to driving the ponies more, and to give him brief breaks to take care of some organization and distribution of things.

On the journey to meet up with the caravans he lets Hazel know that he has an extra 20 sling bullets and 10 silvered sling bullets in small bags for the ranger. He lets Hazel carry any or all of them, but will keep a few on his cart if Hazel does not want to haul all of them around.

Also he passes around bread, cheese slices, and salted pork to enjoy along the way if any get hungry.

"I picked up some tanglefoot bags, a thunderstone, some acid and alchemist's fire flasks, two vials of antitoxin, a vial of holy water, several bags of caltrops, and food and drink for the road."

=======
Meeting the caravans
He admires Bliss's approach to things, though the caravaners may view his remarks as a bit cheeky.

"Hello, Jamfire, Quitranna, Leotin," Murphy greets those introduced by name to the group. "Murphy here. Murphy Leafwin Pipewood. We are Humble's Sword. Yes, we're to escort you." He will take the time to make sure that the rest of the caravan travelers are met as well.

"Folks, before we head out, let's take ten minutes and lay out our plans. Our goal is to get you safely to Humble's Ford. With luck, we may do so without obstacle. But enough wagons have been raided recently that it may be best to prepare in case we face an attack. Come, gather around. And, who do you consider leader among you?" He acknowledges whoever they indicate. If there is confusion on the matter, he adds, "Choose one from among you to represent you to us in matters of safety and defense. And that person should name a second in command, so that clear orders can be given if danger arises."

With the sun setting, he says, "Travel by night is possible, but, as Alleah points out, doing so carries its own risks. Some brigands love darkness. First, we could turn about and stay overnight in Angel Springs, then go out the gates at the crack of dawn. That way the sun will be at our back, and the road ahead well lit. Second, we could find a place near here - or here exactly - to camp, then leave at early light. Or, third, we could set out in the next few minutes, at the end of the day, and try to travel in the dark of night. We await your will."

He also inquires to learn whether among them they have weapons of any sort - and if so, what exactly.

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15 
Monday September 15th, 2014 10:37:21 AM
Hazel smiles at Murphy...
"You sure got a lot of equipment! I guess it pays to be prepared. Thanks. How much do I pony up for the stuff?"

Murphy (Kim McCoy) 
Monday September 15th, 2014 2:43:32 PM
"Pony up? Just take out the bad guys, Hazel!" Murphy answers his friend.

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle) 
Monday September 15th, 2014 4:07:46 PM

Bliss puts in his two cents: "We should stay here and travel in the daylight! You can see more that way."

[DM StevenVdB] - Meet the convoy... 
Monday September 15th, 2014 5:44:56 PM
Prior to leaving Murphy takes care of lots of?things. He warns the constable of the the notes that call for actions and makes sure to get all the supplies he and the others may need on their next journey.

--------------------
Hazel, Fatine and Shel wonder why Bliss doesn't just introduce himself to the drivers... after all, they came to escort them... not spy on them!

And just as if Bliss heard his friends thinking, he pops up from under one of the carts!!

Some of the horses get very agitated when this tiny joker comes into sight! Quitrana scares and screams and Jamfire almost falls of his wagon...
Leotiln can't appreciate Bliss's joke and grabs for his sword. Who says this isn't a raid instead of an escort!

"How do you kniw our names?!" is the first thing Jamfire blurts out as he repositions himself on the wagon...

When Alleah shows up and shows the contract Iangold made you all sign, the drivers seem to settle down.

"You scared us little one!" says another voice coming from yet another wagon...

Then the whole group gets together and voices are raised to either spend the night out here in the open or risk a nightly trip...

One by one you are introduced to the drivers and their cargo...

Wagon 1 (W1):
Driver: Gramorn Soldshort (male, merchant)
Cargo: Fine textiles, clothes according to the latest fashion from Angel's Spring

Wagon 2 (W2):
Driver: Quitranna Tumblebelly (female, merchant, sister of Jamfire Tumblebelly)
Cargo: All sorts of meat

Wagon 3 (W3):
Driver: Jamfire Tumblebelly (male, merchant, brother of Quitranna Tumblebelly)
Cargo: Livestock (chickens, rabbits, a few beehives with loads of honey but also bees)

Wagon 4 (W4):
Driver: Leotiln Beestinger (male, merchant)
Cargo: Dairy, cheeses

Wagon 5 (W5):
Driver: Hornan Trickfoot (male, farmer)
Cargo: Vegetables and fruits

This sure is a substantial cargo...
From their load you can tell travel will go very slow... you'll probably won't go faster than a halfling can walk meaning the trip home will allmost certainly take twice as long...



Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle) 
Monday September 15th, 2014 7:39:57 PM

OOC: regarding "... as if Bliss heard his friends thinking ..." -- I figured someone had said something, and that it would have been relayed to Bliss via his Message cantrip. Sorry that wasn't clear!

Bliss laughs delightedly at the surprise on the caravaners' faces. "I just sneaked up on ya's is all!" he explains. "And I heard you talking to each other, so that's how I knew your names."

"And on our trip, I'll be fast and quick and sneaky as I roam around looking for problems on the way to Humble's Ford!"

Seeing how slow the caravan will be going, he is even more sure the group should set off at dawn, not travel at night.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Monday September 15th, 2014 9:00:43 PM
Shel heads straight to Gramort's wagon and introduces herself. "Oooooo, now this is more like it. We haven't ever gotten such stylish clothes in the Ford as long as I remember. I might like this new arrangement after all.". She finds a few particularly cute items, and lays them to the side, "I have gold. You don't sell these until I get a chance to buy them first. Just because I'm apparently a caravan guard now doesn't mean I can't appreciate a cute broomstick skirt!"

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Monday September 15th, 2014 11:51:24 PM
"Hmm... perhaps we should settle in for the night. The wagons would be slow and easy prey in the dark. I've heard tell of a culture where they'd arrange the wagons in a circle, and then everyone - including the animals - would settle down in the middle. Use the wagons like a wall. Know what I mean? Think it would work?"

Murphy (Kim McCoy)  d20+13=30 ;
Tuesday September 16th, 2014 2:49:08 AM
"That's a great idea, Alleah. We can add our cart to the circle." He looks at the immediate environment and a bit ahead. He wants to find a reasonably broad flat area for the encirclement. Without waiting for the caravaners' opinion as to whether they should travel by night or wait for day, he picks a good spot [Perception: 30], gets his cart at the head of the line, and commands, "FOLLOW ME!" He leads the small train about two hundred fifty yards ahead, angles to the right, then keeps on going in a medium tight circle rightward. He aims to have them form a fairly compact circle. He knows that they'll need to have room for the horses to be taken from the traces, as well as one side - the side away from the road - with an opening big enough for a couple of horses to go through, so they have a way of escape if needed. He figures that each wagon and cart will go in a shrinking spiral, then, with a slight right turn for maybe six feet, the horses can end up almost parallel to the wagon ahead, with the wagon slightly behind the one in front.

He has wood for three campfires. He starts one, then puts a tripod to hold a big pot over it, and pours a good amount of water into it to start it to boil, and asks who is good at tending to fires. He sets on some canvas some of the food he brought along, and asks who wants to make some stew for the evening. He also offers two chickens in cages toward the meal, letting someone else butcher and pluck them. "I want the cages kept in good shape, though, friends." For the rooster and three chickens still on his cart, he scatters some wheat and oats along the bottom of their cages for them to peck at, and puts small amounts of water in whatever he can use to hold it - maybe some leafs from a nearby bush or the like.

Murphy lays outside the camp in a few places caltrops - warning others of where they lie, and what they can do to feet. He asks Fatine and Quitranna to help him scatter them so they are at least lightly hidden by grass or bits of dirt - as well as to remember where they lay them.

"Now, I asked if any of you have weapons of any sort - Do you have slings, and sling bullets, or at least some stones to use with the slings? Do you have any bows, arrows? Daggers? Swords? Clubs? Staffs? Frying pans? Tripping ropes?

"Do we have some barrels of water? Before some of us go to sleep, we want to place water buckets and barrels in several places. Alleah can help you fill those up right quick. If any fires get started, we want to put them out, and quickly. Maybe some buckets of sand, too, for the same sort of purpose - to smother small fires."

He asks each of his friends, each member of Humble's Sword, to offer their plans, ideas, and tactics for dealing with things should someone make so bold as to attack them tonight this close to Angel Springs.

"Another time to attack might be just before dawn. What do we want to do for watches?"

He pulls out a few shovels. "Men, go dig a hole, about 3-1/2 feet deep, with solid ground on each side for squatting over. Let's put up a little bit of canvas about it for modesty. The dirt you dig out goes over what's inside before we leave in the morning."

Happily changing the subject, the druid adds, "And Jamfire Tumblebelly, I want to make certain we do a good job of protecting those bees and their honey. My middle name is Bumblebee, so I have an appreciation for the good things that bees do in making things sweet, and fertile."

After the hole is dug, he asks people to start building some small berms here and there that people can hide behind for protection from hurled and other missile weapons.

Now the wagons - are they covered wagons, with canvas or the like arching above them? Or simply large wagons with stacked goods, and covered more or less flat?

Murphy (Kim McCoy) 
Tuesday September 16th, 2014 3:05:14 AM
"Ah, and another thing," suggests Murphy, " - we might dig some pits outside the circle, and cover them over lightly. They don't have to be real deep - just enough to trip someone who runs up and finds his front leg going down a fair bit farther than he thought it might."

Besides the two shovels, he adds two miner's picks; two handaxes; a hand saw, some rope and twine to the available tools for building defensive traps and mounds.

Realizing he forgot something else, he attends to the welfare of his three ponies, bringing them into an area he gets some help to rope off for the mounts and livestock, brushing and feeding them. He plans to re-saddle Pippa early in the morning, or to have someone do so for him.

[DM StevenVdB] - Preparations for a ... long... night... 
Tuesday September 16th, 2014 5:16:13 PM
Bliss laughs delightedly at the caravaners' faces and explains how he overheard their names.

"Well then... if you're that good we should be pretty safe around you! I hope your eyes and ears will be as good on the road to Humble's Ford." Leotiln says. Apparently he's a bit older and apparently more or less of the self-appointed leader of the convoy.

Gramorn frowns as Shel is enthralled by all the nice clothes and fashionaria on his wagon. When Shel asks to buy stuff he shakes his head and stammers: "These things are not mine to sell... I'm just the driver! All this is meant to be sold on the Annual Humble's Ford Sale Day... "

"Annual Humble's Ford Sale Day" ???

Realizing the convoy will move slow Bliss and Alleah consider it wisest to spend the night here and prepare the convoy.

Alleah suggests to arrange the wagons in a circle so they can be used like a wall with everyone (including the animals) inside...

Murphy shimes in as he also thinks that would be a great idea and decides to lead the convoy with his own cart to what he feels would be an ideal spot for spending the night. He spends all the time he needs to finding the best suited spot and eventually finds it! By now dusk is slowly turning into night...

Then the ever busy Leafwin Pipewood shows he and his family also know how to prepare a decent mean... water is put to the boil and chickens are plucked. Turns out Hornan is a great hand with the coocking. He considers the loss of a few carrots, potatoes and some cabbage to be hardly noticable so he throws in a handful for Murphy's stew. Hornan offers to keep watch of the meal while Murphy and the rest prepare the camp for the night...

The drivers are hardly armed. They only carry some blunt knives, Leotiln carries a short sword and Quitrana and her brother are equipped with a sling also.

Next to the fires barrels of water are placed...
And if at all possible even some with sand...

It's getting quite dark now and the fires are about your only light now. It's but a narrow moon tonight so you should not expect much help from that angle...

THe stew starts to smell great and you're all feeling a grumble in your belly... the chicken stew brings water to your mouths!
The fires crackle invitingly and you can see the smoke slowly reaching for the sky. The night is slightly overcast but there's very little wind.

Somehow Murphy thinks about everything and prepares some sanitary holes!

But still Murphy feels the site can't be protected enough! He even digs some holes outside the perimiter and covers them up. Anyone or anything that decides to sneak up on the convoy risks tripping over one of the holes...

And then... last but not least the ponies are taken care of...

By the time everything is finished the night has set and most are getting rather tired. The drivers take out their bedrolls and circle around one of the fires clearly confident that the Humble's Sword will take care of them. It's obvious they do not plan on standing guard...

...

Well then... the convoy is prepared for spending the night out in the open.

The campsite opens up to the road on the South.
North and West you have bushes and some young trees. To your east there are more trees.
From the campsite you can see the road.
North and West you can see about 20 ft beyond the bush. East you only see about 10 ft into the trees...

- do you set guards? Where?
- where/when do you all sleep?
- specify active spells and keep track of how many hours you sleep.
- do you keep the fires burning through the night?
- are you dressed in armor?
- armed?



Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Tuesday September 16th, 2014 6:39:09 PM
"What in the world is the Annual Humble's Ford Day's Sale? I've lived there my whole life, and I've never heard of it. And how do I get to the front of the line to buy what I want?"

As the night passes on, Shel volunteers to help watch after eating her fair share of chicken and vegetables. She doesn't have any active magic on her during the watch. As she doesn't have any ability to see in the dark, her plan is to sit next to the fire, so long as the rest of the area is visible from there. If not, she will walk around the encampment with whomever is taking watch with her.



Fatine AC 17/14/15, HP 23/23 (Matt C) 
Tuesday September 16th, 2014 8:54:45 PM
Not having participated much in the preparations, Fatine isn't all that tired and offers to be a part of the first watch. She doesn't wear armor and doesn't keep active spells. She and Crow settle in at the campsite's opening on the south road for the watch until relieved, at which point she will find a nice spot to sleep near the middle of the camp area.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d20+10=19 ; d20+10=29 ;
Wednesday September 17th, 2014 10:11:32 AM
Alleah is happy to lend a hand wherever she is needed. Filling up buckets with water, seeing if any of the travellers are in need of healing, tending to the animals - even helping the merchants move wares about (especially if it means she gets at peek at the goods they are transporting).

She takes the winter blanket from her pack and drapes it over 'Casper'. It's obviously smaller than the pony, but her heart is in the right place.

The stew smells amazing, and tastes equally good. "Is there anything better than a good meal, around a campfire with good company?" Alleah asks aloud as she quietly slurps the remnants of her meal.

She eyes the recently plucked chicken feathers when an idea crosses her mind. "Anyone mind if I take those?" Alleah gathers as many of the feathers as she can and then casts a spell to help remove any chicken remnants/blood from them (Either Prestidigitation, or, perhaps even the witch Clean Blood spell?). The now clean feathers are then stuffed into one of the several empty sacks she carries with her in her kit. Yes, this will make a fine pillow.

"On to business. Can I suggest three watches of 4hrs each? That way everyone gets a full 8hrs rest and no one will be exhausted tomorrow. I can cast an Endure Elements spell on everyone before I go to sleep. Things might get a little cold, but it won't be anything you can't handle and will mean we can extinguish the fire."

"I have a couple of lanterns and some torches if we are concerned about light. Oh, and I also have the Light cantrip on hand too"

"What do you think, Bliss? Want to take the last watch with me? Perhaps we position ourselves on top of the wagons so we can see things from a higher view. Might even help with hiding, and I know how much you like to shoot things while remaining unseen. Perhaps one to the north and one to the south. Use a message cantrip to alert each other if we see anything weird?"

She plans on sleeping - with her new pillow - between the circled wagons and the group they are here to protect. Alleah doesn't wear any armor, but does sleep quite comfortably with her cloak wrapped around her. Her daggers she stows in her kit.

OOC: I think this answered the DM questions...

Perception: 19
Stealth: 29

-------------------------
Active Spells:
Endure Elements

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle)  d20+13=16 ; d20+13=16 ; d20+13=30 ;
Wednesday September 17th, 2014 10:47:39 AM

Bliss loves the stew and asks for seconds! Of course, even two tiny bowls only fill a half of a normal halfling-size bowl. Good thing Mookie is there to help!

"Mookie, you eat stew? It looks kind of messy for a guy with no hands."

"Kid, I'll 'no-hands' you! What are you, some kind of an Anti-Birdite?" The raven makes this remark with his face and front pretty much painted in stew.

"You may think you're all serious and grave, my old pal," says Bliss to the bird, "But there's more of gravy than of grave about you!"

The raven rolls his eyes and says to the rest of the party, "See what I have to put up with here?"

When it is time to discuss the watch arrangements, Bliss makes it clear he will do whatever Alleah says, but he looks a little downcast. "That's fine, Miss," he explains, "but there's nothing to hide behind up there, you know? If I'm sneaking around the camp, here and there, event outside the wagon circle, I can stay hid and shoot and maybe see something from the ground I would not see from up there."

"Don't worry, I'll stay in Message range, if that's okay?"

Perception checks on watch: 16, 16, 30.

Before taking his watch, he'll sleep under a wagon. Bliss does not wear armor.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11  d20+3=20 ;
Wednesday September 17th, 2014 10:53:11 AM
OOC Perception roll from last post: 20

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Wednesday September 17th, 2014 11:00:38 AM
"I thought you might say something like that" Alleah blatantly lies to Bliss "I was wondering about hiding in the trees over there to the east. I'm only suggesting going up high as I'm not very good at hand-to-hand combat. I'd rather be outside striking range, and if that means hiding up a tree or on top of a wagon, that's where I'll be. But being small you could probably just walk around under the wagons the whole time. Just don't spook the horses, ok?" She ends with a smile.

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle)  d20+12=13 ; d20+12=23 ; d20+12=21 ;
Wednesday September 17th, 2014 11:57:37 AM
"Okay, Miss! I won't! Nor the ponies either!"

"And Mookie can be looking out from the treetops!"

OOC: Is it better to keep Mookie close and get the +2 Alertness bonus from him, or to let him make his own checks from the trees (and then Bliss loses his bonus)? Perception mods: Bliss alone is 4 ranks +2 wis +3 class +2 race = +11 (+13 with Mookie/Alertness). Mookie alone is 4 ranks +2 wis +3 class +3 feat = +12. Maybe splitting up is better ... If so, then Bliss's perception checks from above are now 14, 14, and 28. Mookie's checks are 13, 23, 21 from the treetops.

Bliss will Message Mookie on watch and make sure he stays in range. Plus Bliss casts his Reduce as usual every minute or two.

Murphy (Kim McCoy)  d20+13=17 ; d20+13=18 ; d20+13=16 ;
Wednesday September 17th, 2014 3:29:44 PM
[OOC: Computer died, posting from unreliable smartphone]

Murphy does not let the meal time go to waste. "If someone is so stupid as to attack us tonight, none of us here must be so foolish as to think that others will take care of everything." He pulls a spare axle from his cart bed. "If a bad guy runs by, this axle, lifted at one end, can trip 'em up, if you're lucky. Some sling stones can put people outside the circle out of action. Maybe uhh t would be good to hide under a wagon if arrows get fling. Each one of you think of four things: Two ways you, yourself, can attack, and two different things you, yourself, can protect yourself, defend yourselves. We will do all we can. You think of what you can add."

The druid will take a few minutes to listen, encourage, and suggest. He will offer good praise for good ideas, and will redirect if something sounds dicey.

Perception 17, 18, 16

[DM StevenVdB] - Preparations for a ... long... night... 
Wednesday September 17th, 2014 5:13:05 PM
As murphy encourages all to defend the compound during the night, the drivers look at one another... they weren't paied enough for this trip or so it seems! Somehow they give Murphy a sheepish nod and fiddle the axe he has given them. If you're lucky, they won't cut of any of their own body parts when you're attacked at night...

Then preparations are made for the night. Alleah suggests to have 3 watch shifts of each 4 hours. She takes last watch and 'encourages' Bliss to take watch with her. After some discussion, Bliss agrees as to where he will be stationned during his watch.

Fatine makes part of the first watch.

I need to know the other teams friends...

Gramorn offers to stay awake with the first watch.
Quitranna favours second and she 'appoints' Jamfire to last watch.
Leotiln and Hornan find a place around the fire and roll up on their bedrolls... obviously not planning to stay awake at all.

Murphy (Kim McCoy) 
Thursday September 18th, 2014 12:57:11 AM

Murphy will take 3rd watch. He has earned tired. "The middle of third watch may be a good time to get underway in the morning."

He gives Quitranna a tanglefoot bag, and explains how it works. He tells the drovers not to harm any owls they may see at night or in the morning. He gives out a few other items to members of Sword and to the drovers. He prepares a few items, puts things in pouches, small bags.

"Wake me at changing of the watch, then, if all is well, I'll go back to sleep until my watch - or until something interesting happens."

"Hazel, you want to take 2nd watch? I might do likewise. Maybe I'll fly tonight."

Murphy (Kim McCoy)  d20+10=13 ; d20+10=16 ; d20+10=18 ;
Thursday September 18th, 2014 5:53:16 AM

[It is hard to post intelligently from a smart phone...]

Murphy will take 2nd watch. He may shape change to an owl, and do some scouting during his watch. He would change out of sight of others, fly away one direction, gain altitude, circle wide and back around to survey the perimeter out to a few hundred yards.

[Perception: 13, 16, 18]

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Thursday September 18th, 2014 7:17:03 AM
Alleah snuggles in to her kit. The pillow has made the hard ground a little more bearable. She can still smell the smoke from the fire and it reminds her of the picnics she used to have with her family back in Dirt City.

She trusts the group to wake her when it is her turn on watch.


Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Thursday September 18th, 2014 8:24:18 AM
Shel will take first watch with Fatine.

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15  d20+11=24 ; d20+9=21 ;
Thursday September 18th, 2014 11:02:03 AM
As Murphy takes 2nd watch, Hazel and Faoil takes the third one.
"Time to sleep, Owl-Murphy, Faoil and I will keep watch until the morning."
Hazel Perception Roll: 24
Faoil Aid Another Perception Roll: 21

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle) 
Thursday September 18th, 2014 12:50:21 PM

Mookie and Bliss camp out under a wagon until it is time for their watch (3rd, with Alleah).

Murphy (Kim McCoy) 
Thursday September 18th, 2014 1:00:36 PM
"Hazel - Bliss & Alleah have third watch. It's far better to have two on watch at a time. Join me on second," Murphy recommends. He gives Hazel a thunderstone and a tanglefoot bag.

Murphy (Kim McCoy) 
Thursday September 18th, 2014 1:41:41 PM

"And, friends all - should you hear the screech of an owl, wake up prepared for a fight," the druid tells everyone.

Fatine AC 17/14/15, HP 23/23 (Matt C) 
Thursday September 18th, 2014 3:36:49 PM
Fatine settles in for her watch. She takes out a few small dolls and arranges them on the ground in front of her, mumbling to herself while manipulating them. Every 15 or 20 minutes she sends Crow to fly a circuit of the camp, looking for anything suspicious.

[DM StevenVdB] - Preparations for a ... long... night...  d20+6=7 ; d20+6=20 ; d20+6=20 ; d20+12=30 ;
Thursday September 18th, 2014 5:23:33 PM
And so night falls on the camp. Wagons in a circle, three fires burning and the smell of the lovely stew still in the air...

Fatine, Shel: Highlight to display spoiler: { About an hour or two in the first watch the two of you and Gramorn suddenly hear something coming from the trees... (Stealth 7, 20, 20 ...). Perception less than 7 you hear nothing :-). Perception less than 20 you hear one creature, perception +20 you realise there are at least 3 something out there... Fatine, you can have Crow make perception also.

Gramorn (perception 30) jumps to his feet and grabs the axe he was given...

"... there... " he hisses... "... someone's out there... there's at least 3 of them! They come to raid the convoy... wake the others!...
}

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Thursday September 18th, 2014 7:26:03 PM
OOC: I can't access the spoiler from my mobile device, so if Fatine wants to tell everyone what Shel and she see, that's good with me.

Shel kept her distance from the witch during the watch after catching her playing with strange dolls and apparently talking to them. That's just weird, she thinks! as she pulls her blanket around her. This was a good opportunity to make gold, but she'd like to be home soon, too.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Friday September 19th, 2014 7:15:27 AM
OOC: Kim emailed me about the spoiler. As Shel got a 20 on her perception check in the earlier post...

"Fatine, wake everyone up! I hear something...sounds like three of them over there! Everyone, wake up," she yells.

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cap'n Cayzle)  d20+3=13 ; d100=37 ; d20+24=35 ; d20+17=31 ;
Friday September 19th, 2014 10:24:27 AM

"Arrr, scrub that deck harder, ye scurvy dog!"

In a dream, Bliss is a lowly deckhand on a pirate ship.

"Mookie wants a cracker! Mookie wants wake up! EVERYONE WAKE UP!"

Perception check to wake up ... Normally a +13, but sleeping gives a -10 penalty ... rolls a 13 to hear the shout ...

Assuming that suffices, Bliss shakes off his dream of piracy and reflexively casts his Reduce spell (ley check 37). He lays low under his wagon. Stealth 35.

Mookie flies to the top of a tree and hides. Stealth for Mookie: 31.

"What deviltry be this?" the half-awake halfling wonders.

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15 
Friday September 19th, 2014 10:48:00 AM
I guess I can use my old perception rolls
Hazel and Faoil awake, and the Hazel mount his steed, grabbing his lance.
"Where? Who?"

Fatine AC 17/14/15, HP 23/23 (Matt C)  d20+6=7 ; d20+6=16 ;
Friday September 19th, 2014 11:20:50 AM
Fatine, busy with her dolls, isn't paying much attention to what is going on perception nat 1, but Crow perception 16 flies down and starts squawking at her. "What? People?" she says, surprised. She jumps up and takes several steps toward the inside of the camp. [/i]move 20 toward middle[/i]

"WAKE UP!" she yells. "EVERYBODY UP, WE GOT COMPANY!"

She pulls her blackened skull from its pouch and starts looking around her for anything at which to aim a spell.

[DM StevenVdB] - Wake everyone up! 
Friday September 19th, 2014 6:24:32 PM
Shel is the first to warn the rest of the group... She calls Fatine to hurry and get everyone on their feet. After all... seems they got visitors!

Bliss opens up a sleepy eye but doesn't really grasp what happens. Mookie flies up and hides. Hazel too is still drowsy when he hears the alarm.

But it is Fatine who makes sure the whole camp is alarmed!

"WAKE UP!" she yells. "EVERYBODY UP, WE GOT COMPANY!"

Alleah and Murphy are sound a sleep and don't seem to be bothered by the yelling...

-----------------------------------

Those awake can make the following checks:

Knowledge Nature 12: Highlight to display spoiler: { You're quite certain this ain't human... }
Knowledge Nature 15: Highlight to display spoiler: { Could it be the fire, the smell of the food and live stock has attracted some animal predators?}
Knowledge Nature 18: Highlight to display spoiler: { The 3 animals sound and move like hungry wolves...}

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Friday September 19th, 2014 8:38:13 PM
Alleah's eyes open as she realises the sound of the yelling in her dreams is actually the sound of someone yelling in the camp.

She stays down low in the middle of the camp, and gets ready to guard the travellers.

(Move action to stand up, but remain crouched
Stanard action to ready shield)

Murphy (Kim McCoy)  d20+13=15 ;
Saturday September 20th, 2014 5:48:10 AM

Murphy was indeed sawing logs as the rest of the camp was aroused. Fatine's hollering finally penetrated his brain, and he awakens. He gets up, stretches, and picks up his staff sling. He shuffles over to look out through the space between the meat wagon and the clothing wagon.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Saturday September 20th, 2014 10:16:56 AM
OOC: Shel isn't trained in Knowledge Nature, so she can't hit any of the DC's, so I didn't roll for her.

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15  d20+5=16 ;
Sunday September 21st, 2014 7:40:57 PM
Knowledge (Nature) Roll: 16
Hazel, mounted on Faoil, moves forward towards the animal noises.

"Seems like animals! Don't be afraid!" - he shouts, trying to scare the animals away.

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cap'n Cayzle) 
Monday September 22nd, 2014 11:42:01 AM

Bliss is not sure what is going on, so he keeps his head low and loads his bah.

[DM StevenVdB] - Wake everyone up! 
Monday September 22nd, 2014 5:18:32 PM
(serious connection troubles here in Slovakia atm so very short post... Sorry)

It is Hazel who realizes Gramorn has been mistaken... Whatever is circling around the camp is not human... They soubd like hungry animals... Probably attravted by the smell off the delicious food?

What do you do? The animals are not closing in... Yet

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Monday September 22nd, 2014 9:08:45 PM
Shel climbs to the top of the wagon, trying to get to the highest point possible. "There's a ton of different animals in the world. Don't suppose those are some kitty cats out there, are there? I wouldn't mind petting a nice kitty right now," Shel mutters to herself.

Murphy (Kim McCoy)  d20+9=27 ;
Tuesday September 23rd, 2014 3:53:56 AM
"Ha! It's wolfies. Hey, wolfies ... you like chicken? Just a moment!" Murphy moves quickly over to his cart, andasks for help. "Each of us take a cage, grab a chicken from out the cage, let the wolves see the chicken, break the neck and toss it to them. They probably have some pups to feed."

Murphy does as he described, getting the attention of the prowling lupines, then killing and tossing a chicken out toward the wolves outside the wagon circle. There are two more chickens. "Mind you leave the rooster be," he recommends.

"Please, friends, drovers - we may not have to fight the wolves if we feed them. Who else will play 'toss the chicken'?"

[Knowledge nature 27]

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle) 
Tuesday September 23rd, 2014 5:47:34 AM

Bliss watches Murphy, but he ain't moving! Those chickens are as big as he is! Bliss is afraid the chicken would throw him to the wolves. He stays hid, bah in hand, preparing to snipe from hiding if the canines attack.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d20+10=26 ;
Tuesday September 23rd, 2014 6:16:00 AM
Alleah is not in the habit of throwing things away. At the moment she's trying to think of a way to get the chicken Murphy threw back. Could even mean more feathers for her pillow.

"Make as much noise as you can" she yells to the merchants "Try and scare them off from the main camp! If they take the food, so be it, but keep them away from you!" Alleah is ready to follow Hazel's lead on this one.

Alleah makes her way to the rear of wagon #3 (the one that had livestock). She casts her cleric cantrip ("Light") on her shield, and instantly gets a better view of her surrounds. (Perception: 26)

"Yah! Yah!" Honestly, she has no idea what it is she is supposed to say to scare away wolves, but she has heard famers yell "yah" to move cattle. Perhaps that's the magic word to get animals to move?

Murphy (Kim McCoy) 
Tuesday September 23rd, 2014 5:18:03 PM
"Oh, and Hazel, you can help with a chicken if you'd like. Just in case, you might want to get those silver bullets ready, though. Wolves, if you understand common, and you're shape-shifters, we are ready to do you harm if you try to harm us. If all you want is a meal, though, more chickens are on the way. Why not be friends?" He speaks in a friendly, chatty fashion.

If no one else does so, he goes and grabs another chicken to throw to the wolves.

[DM StevenVdB] - Wake everyone up! 
Tuesday September 23rd, 2014 5:33:50 PM
Shel gets to the highest point possible on one of the wagons just in case those animals aren't cute kitties... but the good thing is, the party has an animal adept in its ranks. Murphy understands these are but mere wolves looking for food! So he grabs a chicken, break the neck of one and tosses it over into the direction of the hungry wolves. Immediately the wolves seem to throw themselves onto their meal! Murphy asks the rest of you to do the same. Gramorn, somewhat ashamed for having mistaken wolves for men, grabs one too and throws it at the wolves.

Bliss is happy they don't mistake his tiny self for a chicken (size wise that is...) and doesn't feel thrilled to throw one... after all, a killer chicken could throw him instead!

Alleah rather keeps the chickens for stuffing her pillow more so instead of throwing bait, she tries to scare the animals away by making lots of noises... the chickens do win it from the noise for the time being... perhaps once they have devoured some of them their fright of the noise will return...

Having spend too much weird adventures already and coming from a family of adventurers of all kinds, Murphy wonders if these wolves could be shape changed people or something like that... or lycans for all that matter! But... neither of the wolves seems to understand a word he's saying.

Once the 3 chickens are outside the perimiter the wolves grab their meal and run off...

--------------------------------------------------

And then the nightly sounds return... in the distance you hear a wolf howling and you wonder if it's one of the three that just eat a chicken...

Fatine AC 17/14/15, HP 23/23 (Matt C) 
Tuesday September 23rd, 2014 5:41:48 PM
"Huh . . . ." mumbles Fatine. "Well dat didn go dee way I figured on." She looks over at Murphy. "Dose would been some pretty good fur coats . . . ."



Murphy (Kim McCoy) 
Tuesday September 23rd, 2014 6:25:30 PM

"Thanks, Gramorn!"

Murphy responds to Fatine. "Chicken fur?" he laughs, then realizes he misunderstood her import. "Oh, wolf fur? Sure, they often have nice fur. Best time to get them is in early winter when their coat is full, if warm attire is what you have in mind."

He yawns and stretches. "All right, I'm back to bed. Wake me in a few hours for second watch!" And he crawls back into his bedroll, backpack and sling staff close at hand.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Tuesday September 23rd, 2014 10:06:05 PM
"Sorry, Murphy. Killing chickens isn't what I do. Glad you brought them and all, but I can't see me doing that. Wonder what time it is? I bet my watch is just about over. Who's next," Shel wonders, stretching and yawning.

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15 
Tuesday September 23rd, 2014 10:27:44 PM
So sorry for missing posting...
Hazel helps throwing dead chickens to the wolves.
"I though in scaring them away, but the feeding idea worked. Hope they don't get used to it. Good thinking Murphy."

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Wednesday September 24th, 2014 4:27:19 AM
Alleah keeps her shield lit, and takes some time to check on the ponies. And the first one she will check on will be 'Casper'.

"Is everyone ok?"

Murphy (Kim McCoy)  d20+13=27 ;
Wednesday September 24th, 2014 6:07:51 AM

"Shel, that's fine. We had a few others to do that. I figured, though, that chickens would prevent bloodshed of halflings, as well as harm to the meatwagon, which is among those things we signed up to protect."

Looking up at the stars, Murphy says, "I figure you started your watch maybe an hour and a half ago, Shel. Keep your blinkers open longer, sleepyhead!"

"Thanks, Hazel. Yes, you're right, I thought of that, too. If we feed the wolves now, are they going to expect that of the next caravan coming through? It's just that I don't really like to kill people or animals unless there is a really good reason. I brought the chickens along for eating, anyway - we just gave away part of our meal so as to ensure that none of us became a meal."

And to Alleah, the druid says, "I hope so." He helps answer her question by inquiring of any of the drovers who may be awake whether they are all right.

"Has anyone seen Bliss? He sure can disappear from sight when he wants to."

And after that, THEN he gets into his bedroll.

Two to three hours after the wolf visit, it's time for second watch. Murphy gets up, makes sure that Hazel is up, too, and finds out from Shel & Fatine if anything else happened since then, and begins his four-hour shift of overseeing the safety of the caravan.

Perception: 27

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle) 
Wednesday September 24th, 2014 7:01:18 AM

"zzzzzzzzz"

Once the danger is clearly over, Bliss is asleep again, escaping to dreams of swashbuckling and the Spanish Main.

Mookie flies back to camp and answers Murphy, "The Kid is tuckered out. I'll make sure he gets up for his watch."

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15 
Wednesday September 24th, 2014 10:28:05 AM
Hazel smiles fiercely to Mookie.
"Let us know if you need help with that!"

[DM StevenVdB] - Wake everyone up! 
Wednesday September 24th, 2014 4:10:36 PM
Not long after the commotion about the wolves, the party return to their bed rolls. Those on first shift sit out theirs and then wake the second group. After the second comes the third and they slowly see the sun rise on a misty damp morning. Clouds seem to hang low today but it's more like the morning mists that preludes a bright blue spring morning.

Nothing more happens that night and slowly the group awakens. The drivers tend to their work horses and prepare them for the trip to Humble's Ford.

"Gear up friends..." Leotiln says and snickers, "Let's hope we don't need to toss more chickens before we get to our destination..."

Well now... saddle up and get this convoy home friends!
Do what you deem safe...

Fatine AC 17/14/15, HP 23/23 (Matt C) 
Wednesday September 24th, 2014 4:50:11 PM
Fatine hops up onto her pony and takes a position at the middle of the convoy. She sends Crow ahead to keep an eye out and come back to her if he sees anything interesting or dangerous.

"interestin' don' mean worms and bugs, Crow. Make sure it be interestin' to ME!"

Murphy (Kim McCoy)  d20+13=26 ;
Thursday September 25th, 2014 4:03:53 AM
Morning Spell Swap
Murphy alters his spell selection for the day (will reflect on character sheet by some time Thursday).

Banter
"We may encounter different types of wolves, Leotiln," Murphy tells him with a fairly straight face. Is that a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth? "But your cheese is likely safe, unless we come across some big cats."

Deployment, Part the First
He puts ponies Sugar and Nutmeg back in the traces to pull the cart. He saddles up Pippa, in case things get exciting and he decides that he can do a better job mounted. Pippa's lead he ties to the left side of his cart.

"Shel, would you mind riding in the cart again?" He quietly adds, "I may have you take over the reins, or at the least stop the cart, should an attack take place. Also, with the way I've arranged things in the back, you can get some shelter from arrows and such should we come under attack that way, as they did back when we were in the enclosed carriage under guard."

Some Group Background
He takes a few minutes to talk with Alleah and Bliss, as they are newcomers to the group. "We here, plus some of our other friends, were out at the old Parley House. Idafeatyu, an ogre mage, lead a criminal group that preyed on caravans along the Old Traders Road - which we travel on. Shortly before we killed him - he started the fight - he told us we had taken out, by his count, about ten of his followers, but that a handful remained. Now, I don't know whether 'a handful' was four or five or, as he had big hands, a few more than that. It could be they still are out collecting what he called their 'tithes' from passing merchants. If so, it would be sweet to take them down, and to bring any to justice who do not meet it on the road.

"Also, there is the man who wears a cloak. I may be mistaken, but I think it possible he is the same man who dealt with goblins whom we dealt with fatally after they had kidnapped Humble's Ford's beloved handyman and former games champion, Eldon Tosscobble. But that may have been a human, not a halfling, as the one who recently fostered chaos in our town seems to have been. I am trying to put the pieces together, and, as with a puzzle, some pieces look to fit until you get them right up where you thought they might go." He scratches his nose. "So, we'll see what fits and what doesn't. Or, we'll get safety back to the Ford with no further problems along the way."

TACTICAL NOTES
Aerial Scouting
"If our feathered friends can be on the alert for logs across the road, or, if there is brush over the road that might hide a freshly dug pit, and we can stop well short of that, then that may thwart what bad folks think to be a perfectly laid ambush. If such happens, maybe we can circle the wagons well short of the trap, and prepare a good defense before they can get to us. Can you two alternate turns?" he asks of Mookie and of Fatine's crow. "One flies out front for a spell, the other rests?"

Circle formations
He talks to the drivers, and discusses 'circle right' and 'circle left' commands - essentially following the lead of the wagon ahead of them until a defensive circle is formed. He thinks about having a few practice runs... he wants to have a few practice runs - but with the slowness of the heavily laden wagons, and the miles they have to cover, he decides that a verbal preview is all that he is going to give - other than to say that the formation they did last night was 'circle right.' He decides to not even bring up his notion of a 'Y' defensive wagon array. This is merely a caravan from Angel Springs to Humble's Ford, after all.

Deployment of Guards, Part the Second
In discussing deployment of the guard, Murphy says, Shel and I will be in the cart up front. Hazel, I know you like to go well in front. I do not want you to be too far in front, though - no more than sixty feet. Or, you can take right flank, a wagon or two back. You tell me where you want to be with Faoil, though. You can roam a bit, if that seems right to you.

"Fatine, would you mind sitting high on a wagon, perhaps a third of the way back? Tell me if you want to be elsewhere, though.

Alleah, Bliss - what are your preferences? We need someone to be a rear guard. I know you can move quickly, Bliss.

Travelling Mercies
Before they take off, he voices an appeal heavenward. "Lord Eberyon, let the power of nature aid us should the need arise. Lord Alemi, keep us and those in our charge in good health as we travel this road. Lord Domi, fill us with courage should we meet a foe. Lord Pantheon, let our ways and our actions be just. Lord Ffloy, may the drivers of this caravan honestly earn their pay, and the merchants make decent profit, and the customers be pleased with valued goods. Lord Gargul, we ask that we come not into your presence untimely, and that we have an appreciation for the transitory nature of life. Lord Wardd, we carry the lodestone which fixes upon the moon with your name. And, Lady Flower, help us to walk true in the ways of love, that Hazel may offer his beloved many kisses upon our return."

"CARAVAN, HO!"

Murphy leads the wagons with his own cart out of the circle, and along the way to Humble's Ford.

[Perception for 1st leg of the trip: 26]

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (by Kim for Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Thursday September 25th, 2014 4:14:30 AM

"Ride in the cart? Yes. Just don't ever get any ideas about treating me the way you treated those chickens, buster!" She will take the reins from time to time to relieve Murphy.

Along the way she recalls a rhyme she and her friends used to sing as they skipped rope.
Eight equines pulled
The two big wagons
And twenty four huge pumpkins
Went a-flyin' off of Carter's Cliff
And made a pony pumpkin pie"
She chants the words, and wonders about the story behind the skipping song.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d20+9=24 ; d20+10=20 ; d20+4=6 ; d20+8=11 ;
Thursday September 25th, 2014 6:41:28 AM
"So some of the followers remain? And could well be on this road somewhere waiting to pounce? Well now, that just makes me feel all the more nervous" Alleah cocks an eyebrow on this piece of news from Murphy.

Alleah packs away her kit, her pillow, and the winter blanket she used to shelter Casper.

She mounts and guides the pony to the middle cart. When it comes to combat, Alleah isn't much of a fighter. She can bandage people, she can cast spells to help them, but hand-to-hand combat is really not her thing. She much prefers the relative safety of the middle of the pack.

Knowl Nature: 24 to identify edible/poisonous plants or hazards
Perception: 20
Survival to keep from getting lost: 6. Anyone have a map? :)
Ride: 11

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle)  d20+13=27 ; d20+24=42 ; d20+11=18 ;
Thursday September 25th, 2014 7:45:38 AM

A new day! A new adventure! Bliss is glad to start out!

Since the caravan goes slow, he does not need to cast his longstrider right away. Since he has two castings (thanks to his pearl!), each lasting 2 hours, he'll cast it at 10 am and at 1 pm.

He asks Miss Alleah if she has any orders for him.

For this day of adventure, there is no telling what Bliss is doing at any given moment (except orders, if any, come first). Roll a d8:

1) Casting Reduce Person on himself.
2) Casting Enlarge Person on Mookie, mounting up, and flying for a minute just to see things from high up. (Perception 27)
3) Hiding in the vegetation at the side of the road (Stealth 42)
4) Playing with Hazel's dog Faoil.
5) Listening to Mister Murphy tell a story. He likes the story of the ogre with the funny name.
6) Asking Shel for more poetry.
7) Pestering Quitranna and Jamfire. Do they like being brothers and sisters? He used to have sisters. Are they orphans? Bliss is an orphan. Well, except for his Aunt Priss. What does Jamfire mean? Bliss means Happiness. Can he drive the cart? They had lots of carts in the Mailed Fist; he watched folks drive them all the time and he always wanted to try. Pleeeeeeeese?
8) Having a snack. Trained slight of hand to swipe some salami from Quitranna's cart: (Slight of Hand 18)

Bliss walks arond carrying his loadd bah, unless he needs his hands free for something, like eating a snack or playing with the dog.

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15  d20+8=25 ; d20+11=22 ; d20+9=13 ;
Thursday September 25th, 2014 11:58:45 AM
Hazel, after hearing Murphy pray for the kisses he will give Alouryn when they return, says in loud voice, while wearing a big smile:
"Amen to that, my friend!"
He will go at the front, scouting ahead, some 50'-60' feet.
Survival: 25
Perception: 22
Faoil Aid Another Perception: 13

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Thursday September 25th, 2014 3:19:31 PM
Shel blushed a little after reciting her poetry. She didn't do that often, being really self conscious about things. She took the reigns when offered, and tried to keep the wagon on its path. "Whoa, pony, whoa," she called out a couple times, making sure she didn't lose control of the cart. She started to relax a bit, and watch the playful Bliss running around, riding Mookie, and hiding in the forest. He has less of an attention span than I do, she thought as she tried to fight a little smirk.

OOC: thanks Kim for posting for me yesterday. My mobile devices are fighting this site something fierce. But, I was able to log on today, for the first time since Tuesday, so I'm trying.

[DM StevenVdB] - Who knew it could be this boring!?!  d8=1 ; d100=52 ; d8=2 ;
Thursday September 25th, 2014 5:37:14 PM
No one ever told you guarding a convoy could be this boring! Apart from the nightly visit from the wolves and the occasional traveler you met on the road nothing happens... just nothing!!
Man this is boring...

While Fatine had hopes she would find something interesting to her it turns out the opposite...

Murphy tells of passed adventures to the ones that are new to the Humble's Sword. Some matters are as disturbing as they are interesting to Alleah! What with the followers of Idafeatu?!? Could they still be out for some revenge??

His tacitcal notes make sure the caravan goes well guarded down the road home and (most) of his prayers appear to be answered for you are rewarded with a safe trip home. Hazel can only hope all of Mrphy's prayer comes through... "Amen to that!"

A few hours down the road Bliss once again casts his reduce person (much to the interest of Quitranna) and a bit later he enlarges Mookie to saddle up and fly a bit overhead... much to Mookies intrest?!?

Riding in a cart Shel sings a few songs while the ponies pull their heavy loads.

Who knew it could be this boring!?!

------------------------------------------------------------

Hours later, hours which seem to have taken an eternity, you finally arrive in Humble's Ford again. They convoy is safe and nothing happened! There's no way of knowing right away if anything has happend in town while you were gone but at least you don't hear or see any uprising nor signs of any while you were gone...

Not long before you have laid eyes on Humble's Ford you are greeted by Iangold Laughshield. He appears to be very happy to see the transport safe and sound... oh yes, of course he's pleased you are all fine too...

"A job very well done my friends! You have deserved your reward even though nothing has happened. Please bring the convoy to the new barn I have rented for our business... I will meet you there again with the promised payments of course. I'm assuming coin and gems just like the advance payment?"

You receive direction from Iangold which will help you get all wagons to the barn in casu.



Fatine AC 17/14/15, HP 23/23 (Matt C) 
Thursday September 25th, 2014 8:11:41 PM
"Whew!" Fatine says. "Dat was hard work. Well . . . not so much hard as really boring. Anyone for a drink? We gots some new money too spend, no?"

[DM StevenVdB] - Who knew it could be this boring!?! 
Friday September 26th, 2014 5:57:50 AM
Ooc - flying home from Slovakia this afternoon so I can't promise I will make a post this evening but I will try my best.

And like the Editors sing:

and when a plane falls down from the sky...
how big a hole would it leave
in the surface of the earth...

Let's hope I will never have to tell :-)

Murphy (Kim)  d20+13=19 ;
Friday September 26th, 2014 6:21:17 AM

To his companions, Murphy cautions, "All may be well. However, keep eyes and ears open as we approach the barn." If the landscape allows, he drives his cart in a wide circle around the barn prior to settling in near the entrance. With the orchestrated growth in town mischief of late, he is reluctant to take things for granted.

Perception: 19. Also, Murphy casts detect magic a few times as he goes around the building, trying to see if anything arcane is afoot.

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle)  d20+8=9 ; d20+6=17 ; d20+13=20 ;
Friday September 26th, 2014 10:05:59 AM

On the road, Bliss sees Shel looking at him, and he immediately tries a cartwheel, just for fun. Untrained Tumble 17. "How did you like my Summer-Salt, Miss Shel? I never did one before!"

...

When the trip is all done, Bliss listens to Murphy. "Hmmm. Mister Murphy, you seem suspicious!" It does make Bliss wonder why they got paid so much money for so easy a job.

Maybe it is his new friend's paranoia rubbing off, but Bliss listens to Iangold with a skeptical ear.

Sense Motive 9!

And Bliss looks around where Murphy points. Perception 20.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d20+10=19 ; d20+10=19 ;
Friday September 26th, 2014 10:58:16 AM
"Not a problem at all Broker Laughshield. A minor encounter with some wolves, but nothing we couldn't handle. Pardon me for prying, however the merchants mentioned something about an Annual Humble's Ford Sale Day. I would love to spend some of this coin - especially if there is a good bargain to be had. Any chance you could let us know a little more about the event?" Alleah enquires "Um, also, is there any chance Casper here is for sale?" She gives the pony a pat on his side.

"I'd be happy to pay market price and have it taken from my share of the promised payment" Alleah has become quite fond of the pure white pony.

Sense Motive: 19
OOC: Fyi - A non-combat trained pony retails for 30gp in the PRD. 45gp for combat trained
-----------------------------------

Alleah's eyes and ears are about as keen as Murphy's on this occasion as the group head to the 'new barn'. These Ffloy folk sure work quick to have built a new barn already. Perhaps they used magical means to speed up the construction?

She glances to Bliss and senses his suspicion. "Hmm... it was quite a lot of money for a simple escort job. You know, back in Dirt City there was a racket going on. Anyway, what I'd ... I mean ... what THEY'D do was pay some well-to-do patsy to escort a shipment of normal goods. Make the pay so much that there was no way they'd turn it down. But, there'd be contraband hidden in amongst the trade goods. The guards would be less likely to snoop around, but if they did, it means someone else to take the blame. We'd call them 'mules'. Just saying"

"Hmm... if that's the case here I should ask for a bigger cut next time" she notes to herself.

She casts Deathwatch (a cantrip), just on the off-chance there are people - or worse - hiding in the barn waiting to attack.

Perception: 19

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15  d20+11=12 ; d20+9=13 ;
Friday September 26th, 2014 12:15:49 PM
Hazel keeps his distance from Mr. Laughshield, trying to refrain from telling him what he thinks. He eyes the town suspiciously, trying to see what new robberies, tricks and changes have the Ffloy followers made.
Hazel Perception Check: 12
Faoil Aid Another Perception Check: 13
"Let's hurry up, so we can go with Alouryn and hear what new disgraces those guys brought into town in our absence..."

[DM StevenVdB] - Who knew it could be this boring!?! 
Friday September 26th, 2014 5:38:14 PM
Slowly you take the caravan to the barn Iangold has mentionned. Murphy takes some time to inspect the place.

Module 4 - Barn

The fact that they got paied so much for such an easy job does raise suspicions with Bliss. Perhaps Murphy's paranoia is caught by the tiny witch.

Alleah informs Iangold of the minor encounter they had during the night and then asks him about the 'Annual Sale Days'. She never heard of it but it does sound interesting for spening some coin there.

"These Sale Days used to be the most important markets every year. Humble's Ford must have had the last one of them a few hundred years ago. Back then they ran the 'Trade Bell' to signal the Biguns of the South to come to the market. It was big business! I've decided to reinstall the sale days... and the first one is coming up in just a few days. Every merchant in and around Humble's Ford has received invitiation to come to town! It's going to be fantastic!! That also why I got this large convoy here!", Iangold tells her.

More keen on getting to his beloved Hazel sees no signs of new robberies of any kind.

Once you arrive at the barn, the drivers park their wagons safely inside. The horses also are inside but no longer harnassed to the wagons.

Iangold has not yet arrived giving you some time to further inspect the barn adn the surroundings if you want to.

-----------------------------------

A few explanations on the barn:

The map shows the barn with the 5 wagons in it. The blue lines are windows. The translucent green area's show the visible area through the windows. The yellow lines are two big double doors that swing open outward. To the North and West the barn is surrounded by a treeline. The East and South opens up to a pebble road that will lead towards the town.
The roof has a 45°a angle.


Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Friday September 26th, 2014 10:10:22 PM
"Very nice acrobatics, Bliss! I'm afraid I'd end up bumping my noggin if I were to try that!"

Shel, while bored on he job, enjoyed getting outside for a bjt and talking to Murphy, Hazel and the witches. She also learned a little bit about driving a horse cart, as well. The bit with the chickens and wolves were a bit garish, but the trip was a nice experience.

She also kept her eyes on the particular pieces she fancied in the clothing wagon, making sure she'd be first in line on the day of the annual sale.



Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d20+10=11 ;
Saturday September 27th, 2014 7:28:24 AM
"Lot of good places to look both in and out the windows. How long do you think we have to protect the wagons for?" Alleah asks "If it was an escort job, shouldn't the job be finished now that we are here? If Mr Laughshield wants us to continue guarding his goods, perhaps we should ask for some additional daily pay? Anyway, the barn is pretty close to the tree line. Good spot for bandits to hide in"

Alleah shrugs, and then sets to aiding the drivers as best she can. A cantrip here and there to make things easier for them (Create Water, Prestidigitation, Mending, Guidance, etc). Whatever she can do to ingratiate herself onto them. The sale day will be here soon, and what better way to get the scoop on the goods than being in good favour with the merchants.

Perception: 11

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle) 
Saturday September 27th, 2014 11:37:05 AM

"I love this barn!" exclaims Bliss.

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15  d20+11=24 ; d20+9=22 ;
Sunday September 28th, 2014 7:23:26 PM
Hazel accompanies his friends to the barn, while looking over his shoulder, imagining Alouryn's face in every girl we sees, wishing to see her soon.
He remains mounted on Faoil, outside the barn.
"Do you think we are done here? I would love to go ahead and look for Alouryn. There is a prayer I need to see answered, if you catch my meaning..."
He laughs with ease, happy to be back to town, and see that nothing bad has happened (as far as he knows).
Hazel perception check: 24
Faoil Aid Another perception check: 22

Murphy (Kim)  d20+10=18 ; d20+10=19 ; d20+10=18 ; d20+10=17 ; d20+10=11 ; d20+10=25 ; d20+10=25 ; d20+10=16 ; d20+10=24 ; d20+10=20 ;
Monday September 29th, 2014 12:58:33 AM

"Hazel, go. Find Alouryn. Let the prayer be answered. Most of us will be here until the contract is complete, which ought to be soon. I'm going to look into the trees a bit, since, as Alleah pointed out, the woods make a fine launching point from which to try to take the goods."

He takes a whistle from a pouch. "If something is going on and you need help, blow the whistle. Three blasts, a pause, and three blasts mean, 'Come quickly!' If you hear the same, then know we call for you."

He takes more whistles from the pouch, and gives one to each member of the party. "We should likely figure out other signals, too, but that one will do for now." He quietly tells the party members, quietly, in case there be anyone else about in the bar, "I shall change into an owl, then look around the woods for a while. If I'm not back in, say, fifteen to twenty minutes, then you can wonder what happened to me. Or, if I hear a whistle blowing, I'll try to get back quickly. But likely the promised payment for the job should be here soon."

He asks if anyone has any questions for him before he leaves for a bit. Bliss, Alleah, Shel, Hazel, Fatine - Murphy will respond, then (assuming there is no one except for party members in the barn), change into an owl, and fly out the doors they came in, go a bit of a distance away from the barn, flying low, and around to the woods on the south west side (assuming the barn map is oriented with north upwards), enter in and fly about the wooded area, seeing what he may see, hearing what he may hear. He may stop from time to time, listen for a bit in one area, look around, then move on. He checks for trails through the woods that people or animals may use.

[It seems his perception is a bit better in halfling form than in owlish - though owls do use echo location, too. Perception while moving through the woods, 10 rolls for the DM to do with as he wishes: 18, 19, 18, 17, 11, 25, 25, 16, 24, 20 - it looks like his senses improved after a few rounds of orientation. If you need more rolls for Murphy in owl form, feel free to roll for him.]

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Monday September 29th, 2014 9:54:24 AM
check...

Fatine AC 17/14/15, HP 23/23 (Matt C)  d20+4=18 ; d20+4=18 ; d20+4=23 ; d20+4=12 ; d20+4=13 ; d20+4=11 ;
Monday September 29th, 2014 11:22:37 AM
Fatine whispers to Crow, then throws the raven into the air. "Dis dumb bird will look around too. Dat will leave me wit' some peace an' quiet for awhile, eh bird?"

Crow's perception rolls, if needed: 18, 18, 23, 12, 13, 11

Fatine blows the whistle once. "Yup. Dat works good." With that, she settles in by the front door to wait out the guard duty.

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle)  d20+13=28 ;
Monday September 29th, 2014 3:27:13 PM

"I never saw a barn with windows!" Bliss exclaims. [OOC: Are the windows open holes, or filled with glass or oilcloth?, maybe wood shutters?

The tiny fellow hops up and down, peering through all the windows.

Perception 28

[DM StevenVdB] - More cargositting? 
Monday September 29th, 2014 4:49:45 PM
(the windows are more like shutters, no glass in them)

You all have some time to inspect the barn and the trees. There's nothing very special about it. It's a sturdy wooden barn with shutters. Heavy beams support the roof.

About 15 minutes later Iangold shows up.

"First things first. Please sign here for your rewards." he says as he offers each of you another 400 Gold (Gems or coin like you preferred earlier) Again no paiement for Hazel of course as he decided not to take it. Once the paperwork is done (you now again hold a receipt) Iangold continues.

"May I hire you for one more task. Tomorrow this cargo will be processed and prepared for the Sale Dayes, but tonight, I have no one to guard it... too many have seen the cargo come through town and I don't risk leaving it alone... Of course, you don't have to do this for free..."

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Monday September 29th, 2014 7:48:44 PM
"What were you thinking would be fair for a night of guarding? Sleeping on this hard ole ground, or on a wagon? Neither seem too comfy. But, if you pay us more of these pretty gems, I think we'd give you just one more night. And, you give us the first 15 minutes to shop at the sale day, of course.. I've picked my favorites and want to get first crack at them."

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d20=19 ;
Monday September 29th, 2014 9:35:12 PM
Alleah nods along "And I'd still like to buy 'Casper' here, if he's for sale that is"

"Let me propose the following - a fair payment for a nights work, the opportunity to have early access to the sale day items, and a fair price on this pony. In exchange, we guard your cargo items for you tonight. Of course, since we are in town at the moment, perhaps you could also arrange for a night time meal to be sent from the tavern as well?"

Diplomacy: 19 to haggle for a good deal

Alleah then looks to Murphy and Hazel, before addressing Iangold again "and if it is permissible, Broker Laughshield, might I humbly ask that my colleagues here be permitted to view the contract you have with the town in regards to the use of the temple?"

Alleah feels torn. She desperately wants to be liked by Mr Laughshield, yet she understands how disappointed Murphy and Hazel are that the temple is now a place of worship for Ffloy instead of Flower. This is going to be a very fine line to walk.

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15 
Tuesday September 30th, 2014 12:14:27 PM
Hazel goes back to Alouryn, to fulfill some prayers. And ask what has happened in his absence.
He also wants to know what the Flower clergy plan to do now without their temple.

Fatine AC 17/14/15, HP 23/23 (Matt C) 
Tuesday September 30th, 2014 4:49:07 PM
Fatine smiles at Alleah's mention of food. "Good negosheatin'," she says. "Ol' Fatine do it for dee food and a small fee, but dee food need to be good!"

[DM StevenVdB] - More cargositting? 
Tuesday September 30th, 2014 5:12:49 PM
Iangold listens to what each of you has to say about the extra night of cargositting.

To Shel he nods and says: "Deal... 15 minutes to shop before anyone else can..."

To Alleah he adds: "Yes you are free to buy... 'Casper'? if you want to. Prices for simple ponies are 30Gp but I'll let you go for 25Gp. " and with a little sigh he continues, "Food and drinks on the house then...
Fatine smiles at the prospect of food and drink and praises his friends for their bargaining.

But when Alleah questions Iangold Laughshield about the contract he has with the town's Mayor he frowns... "As I shall not disclose any contracts we have together with others, so shall I not disclose any other contracts with you... The Contract with the town is only for the mayor's and my own eyes to see... you have no business with that I am sorry. "

Hazel has ran of for a while to check on Alouryn. After all, there are still a few hours before dusk, so assuming he will be back before nightfall he can have some quality time with his bonny lass.
Turns out Alouryn, with aid of Cora Tosscobble have been working on the wedding! There's a first draft of whoom to invite... a list which basically appears to be all of Humble's Ford! For food and drinks it's custom that all those invited bring something for the party so there should be plenty for everyone that comes! What Alouryn's dress will look like remains a secret to Hazel...
The moment Alouryn lays eyes on her beloved she runs straight into his arms and wants to hear all he and his friends have been up with. She speaks about the Sale Days (where she might find the right things for her wedding dress) and so on...

Back at the barn Iangold spends a few minutes writing up the details on a new template contract.

"Very well then... I'm affraid I can't go much futher than 200 Gp a person... the road trip was expected to be far more dangerous while here the cargo is well protected in the barn. I will also take care of food and drink for you all. If you accept please sign your names right here..."

He holds out the contract for all to sign...

The drivers take of to town planning on spending the night in the taverns...



Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Tuesday September 30th, 2014 8:10:27 PM
Shel again makes sure that there is no magical spells on the contract using Detect Magic. Assuming there is none, she signs her name on the contract. "Good deal, Mr. Iangold. If anyome wants to get in to mess with the wagons, we could lock the doors to keep them out. Then a few of us could wait inside, just to be on the safe side. Of course, I don't know who would want to steal this stuff.".

Shel then looks to Alleah. "Casper sure is pretty! I think you are getting a very deal deal on him. When you aren't riding him around, you might talk Murphy into letting you keep him out at his parent's place."

But another bag of gems for another fairly easy night sounds great to me!

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle) 
Tuesday September 30th, 2014 10:31:10 PM
Bliss signs if Alleah does, but he adds that warehouse guard is not the job he thought he would have as a heroic adventurer.

"Did Mama ever work as a warehouse guard?" he asks Mookie.

The old bird replies, "No Kid, she was too busy fighting liches and goblins and plants and things."

"See!" says Bliss.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Tuesday September 30th, 2014 10:41:22 PM
Alleah gives a slight bow and smiles to the Broker. "Thankyou Broker Laughshield. You are a fair and honest trader. We shall do our best not to disappoint you"

She reaches for the quill to sign, however pauses and looks to the others. The last time she jumped in to sign her name some of the group thought she was being too hasty. Alleah gives a nod to indicate that she intends to sign.

"Hmm... he plans to spend some 5000gold to ensure these goods make it to the sale day. And being such a high ranking member of his clergy, he must surely be very good at business. Either these goods are very very expensive, or, they are required for some sort of investment opportunity. Perhaps he's hoping they will draw a crowd that will spend even more in the sale? Either way, I can't wait to get a private look in these wagons"


Murphy (Kim) 
Wednesday October 1st, 2014 12:57:09 AM
"Not too many liches in halfling towns, and thank heaven for that," comments Murphy as he shows up back in the barn. After looking through the woods, he found where trails were, where people might be able to hide, or to prepare for ambush.

He catches up on what the priest of Ffloy offers, reads the contract with as much care as before, signs it. "We need more lights," he announces.

[More in a bit - no time for full post at the moment.]

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15 
Wednesday October 1st, 2014 11:12:09 AM
Hazel glups at the list length...but he knows better as to try to say something about it...
He takes a pouch from his backpack...
"I have 300 gp here, I promise I will get more..."
He starts to think getting the job as guardian from the Ffloy guys wasn't such a bad idea.
"Have fun shopping. I'll go see how the others are."
OOC: He will spend some quality time with Alouryn, and then go back to the rest and the night watch, together with Faoil.
Do I take the money out of his Character Sheet?
When he meets his friends again he sighs.
"I never thought wedding could be so expensive..."

[DM StevenVdB] - More cargositting? 
Wednesday October 1st, 2014 4:55:26 PM
Iangold Laughshield smiles as one by one the Humble's Sword - after inspection for magic by Shel and scrutinizing the little legal notices on the back of the paper by Murphy, once again write their names on the contract.

Alleah ponders the fact that a lot of gold has been spent in order to keep this convoy safe... either it's worth a lot or Iangold has more to loose that just gold if the convoy goes to waste... his reputation perhaps?!? Or could there be something else?!? Or are you just once again suffering from some serious paranoia?!? None the less... Iangold has been spending a lot of gold on this protection!

Hazel needs to swallow a couple of times as he sees the list of people that Alouryn wants to invite and starts to look at his gold... "Keep that gold where it is lad, Eldon and I will help you and our lovely Alouryn here with the wedding... after all, we owe you something don't we! Of course, young man, you will need to make sure to provide an income once you are married!"
And it is then that Hazel realises that working for an honest pay in service of the Ffloy people might not be as bas as he thought it would be at first. Perhaps if he's not too late at the barn he might still sign the contract Iangold has offered and take the 200 the broker promised too!! Hurry up lad!!

----------------------------------

Once the sun sinks behind the horizon you are alone in the barn... it's been a long day and it could be a long night too. The sky is overcast. Occasionally the moon peaks through the clouds.
Murphy calls for more lights at the barn.

Time for some tactics my friends... who knows... perhaps there will be more than just wolves tonight?! Or it could be a pack of wolves favouring more chicken!!

(please consider the barn map I showed earlier and specify your positions. I will add some numbers and letters to the map shortly.)



Murphy Bumblebee Leafwin Pipewood (Kim) 
Wednesday October 1st, 2014 5:48:26 PM
Murphy leaves 200 gp in gems with Shel to give to Hazel when he returns. "Guys, Hazel helped us out, and was on the team. If anyone else cares to share some of the proceeds from our outing, he might be able to use it to meet his bride's expectations. I'm giving some money for him to Shel to pass on to him when he returns."

Then he says, "Friends, I'm going to drop off my cart and ponies at my family's place - but I'll likely bring Pippa back with me. Then I'll stop by Pirnook Deeppockets' General Store to get a few items to help us out tonight, and head on back. I'll try to do all that in the next 30 minutes or so. If you want me to pick up something in particular for you, let me know - and perhaps give me enough to cover the cost," he adds with a smile. "Perhaps the rest of you can see what might be done to secure the shutters on the open windows, figure out some obstacles against those who have larceny on their hearts - as well as means to secure prisoners should we capture intruders. My prayer is that any so foolish as to try to steal will not have murder on their hearts, as well. Let's try to keep all of us in good health - but also try to avoid killing intruders. Foil, yes. Cripple temporarily, perhaps. But kill? Likely it will be fellow halflings who attempt the deed. Let us not cause death over dry goods, if it can be helped. And, we don't want to burn down the barn."

Murphy takes some items off the cart he figures might be of some use in preparation for defending the goods. About 250 feet of rope, shovels, pick axes, crowbar, bags full of various things, caltrops, alchemical devices, a folded tent, and a number of other items he arranges neatly on the ground. "If you can think of something useful to do with any of this, feel free to get a head start. Do you all remember what we did with our banner in the game of Capture the Flag a few months back? What if the goods were hidden elsewhere, and the wagons were full of rocks, brush, and wood? Anyway, I'll see you all in about half an hour, I trust."

The halfling druid drives his cart out of the barn, led by Nutmeg and Sugar, and Pippa at the rear. He heads to his home nearby, gets his siblings to take care of the two cart ponies and the conveyance. He rides Pippa over to Pirnook's store, greeting friends and neighbors he might spot along the way, ties the pony's reins to a pole not far from the entrance, and heads inside to purchase some items.

Murphy Bumblebee Leafwin Pipewood (Kim) 
Wednesday October 1st, 2014 5:52:53 PM
OOC
[Huh - at the time I began writing my post, your post was not yet up, StevenVdB (I got interrupted in the middle of writing it). Is it okay if my post of 5:48pm took place before the 'sun sinks behind the horizon'?

I will post a bit later in response to the rest of your 4:55pm post. -Kim]

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Wednesday October 1st, 2014 8:58:49 PM
"I don't know if he will take any of the gems, Murphy, but I'll do my best to get him to accept them. I'll match your share to him as well...Hazel is our buddy. I understand if you other three don't want to kick in as you haven't known any of us that long."

When Hazel arrives, Shel tries to give him the 400 gold. "I know you are going to need this in the future, even if you don't need it right now. Don't let your stubbornness get in the way of this payment. It'll help with any upcoming expenses, especially if Alouryn wants a family," Shel adds, as Hazel blushes a bit.

OOC: Note for myself...that means if we survive the night, Shel will get a total of 800 gold from the caravan guarding and the overnight work.

"How do we want to organize this? Do we stay in the barn, or do we stay outside the barn, or do we split up, some of us inside and some of us outside?"

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d2=2 ; d20+10=26 ; d20+10=22 ; d20+10=11 ; d20+10=28 ; d20+10=30 ; d20+10=14 ; d20+7=22 ; d20+7=27 ; d20+7=27 ;
Wednesday October 1st, 2014 10:07:49 PM
Alleah listens to what Murphy and Shel have to say. True, Hazel did the same amount of work as anyone else, however, it was his decision not to get paid for it. Why should she be out of pocket for his decision?

She quietly makes her way over to one of the wagons so as to 'consult Wardd' in private. (Coin toss: d2=2=Tails)

Alleah returns back to where the others were talking. "Look, Hazel had the same chance to get paid for the job as the rest of us, but chose not to. It was his decision. Forcing proceeds onto him now could just upset him. If it's all the same, I won't be looking to offend him by offering him anything" Alleah pauses to build up some suspense "Instead, I'd be happy to go shopping with Alouryn for a wedding dress and see if she'll let me pay for that."

Alleah is quite happy with that idea. She's not one for wearing 'pretty' dresses, but does enjoy the shopping part.

But back to serious work.

"Are we happy to stick with three watches again? It lets everyone have a full rest. Oh, and don't forget that Mr Laughshield said he would send up some dinner for us. Just make sure no one attacks the delivery boy" she smiles.

She carefully checks the floor of the barn. If the group do guard from the outside she wants to make sure there are no secret hatches that bandits might sneak in from (Perception: 26)

Alleah then takes a small bell from her pack and hangs it by the doors at the west end of the barn (the end nearest the woods). If she hangs it above and just between the double doors it should ring when either is opened. And who would expect a bell in a barn?

She then takes to inspecting each wagon in detail. (Perception checks on each wagon: 22, 11, 28, 30, 14) She is not intending to rifle through all the goods, but it can't be helped. Alleah wants to make sure that they haven't picked up any stow-away bandits who might attack from within later in the night.

She can't help but inspect some of the goods in detail, trying to work out if there is anything she might make an offer on come sale day (Appraise check to determine some nice items: 22, 27, 27 - 2 x Nat 20s!)

Question to DM: Is there a loft in this barn? Are the horses/ponies that pulled the wagons in the barn too?

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle) 
Wednesday October 1st, 2014 10:59:37 PM

Bliss takes the watch with Miss Alleah again if that's okay, he asks her.

He looks around for Fatine. "Miss Fatine! Miss Fatine!" he calls out. "Maybe your familiar and my familiar can perch on the eaves of the barn for extra lookout tonight?"

Bliss listens to the talk about sharing the profits with Hazel. "Well, if Hazel is here to help guard stuff, then it is fair to share the payment too?"

The tiny halfling looks around with Alleah at the loft and rafters. If there's a place to perch up there, that's where he wants to be! He has the idea that shooting at enemies from above would be fun. Plus is there a way to go from the roof outside to the rafters inside easily? He asks Mookie to carry a rope up there, and then he climbs up and looks around.

Murphy Bumblebee Leafwin Pipewood (Kim)  d20+6=23 ; d20+6=11 ; d20+6=21 ; d20+6=13 ; d20+6=7 ; d20+6=17 ; d20+6=21 ; 2d4=7 ;
Thursday October 2nd, 2014 4:12:31 AM
Shopping, Delivery
Once he has what he needs from the store, Murphy takes two trips to his family burrow with the goods from Pirnook's place, then has 4 siblings help him hand cart the stuff over to the barn.

[Note: If the ponies are in the barn, then he only takes Pippa with him back to the barn. If no ponies except for Casper are left in the barn, then he also takes Sugar and Nutmeg back over there - though they may not be eager to leave the barn after their journey.]

And, arriving back at the barn about 40 minutes after he left (he's about 10 minutes later than his projected time), he brings in lots of stuff, which he lays out along the wall near the east door (assuming North is at the top of the map).

Surround Us With Light
"Here are a bunch of sunrods." There are plenty to carry out what he next proposes. "Who would like to place some sunk a bit into the ground every 30 feet within about 20 feet from the barn? That way anyone coming from the trees could be spotted, unless they come invisibly or something. Scatter caltrops in the slightly dimmer areas on the barn side of where the circles of light overlap, so someone trying to sneak by may have a painful time of tip-toeing if they try that route. Try to hide the caltrops a bit, if you can. Strike every other sunrod after all are placed. We can light the other ones later in the night. They last about six hours each."

Who will spread the light?

Rearrange the Wagons
"Say, let's move these wagons. Spread out like this, invaders can divide, divert, and take from one wagon while we defend another. If we put them close together in the center of the barn, we will have a tighter central area to guard."

Murphy walks to where he proposes the wagons be placed. If the ponies that pulled the wagons are still there, he drives each team, getting help from his fellows. If none of the ponies are left, he will hitch Sugar, Nutmeg, Pippa and, with Alleah's permission, Casper to each of the wagons in turn. Some backing up will be required for two of them.

The first wagon he moves into place is Wagon 5, and it ends up being placed roughly equidistant between the upper central support beams. Then W2 next to it, about half of the back of W2 matching half of the front of W5. W4 backs up to W2, and matches the rear half of W5. W1 is parallel and adjacent to W2, and W3 is parallel and adjacent to W4. The ends of W1 and W3 touch, as do the ends of W2 and W4.

See [link href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_xYydxjVu_WblcwNnNwMTFtUkk/edit?usp=sharing"]wagons rearranged[link] for the new configuration - the moved wagons in pink on the map.

The first wagon, W5, goes easily into place. The second (W2) requires some backing up and starting over, but then goes well. The third (W4) goes passably. But the fourth wagon (W1) begins horribly, as the trace slips on Pippa, who tries to break free of her place on the right rear of the team. It takes a few minutes for Murphy to calm her down, and another ten minutes or so to persuade her back into the traces. The last wagon (W3) fits nice and neatly. [Handle animals: 23 Wagon 5; 11 W2; 21 W2; 13 W4; 7 (nat 1) - trouble with W1; 17 - calming down, getting W1 parked; 21 W3]

Stable the Horses
After the wagons are in place, he directs the horses be placed over by where wagon 4 had been. He asks if someone can rope off the area, and set some food for them (he has oats, and there should be hay in the barn for them to eat, one would hope). He places buckets and fills them with water by casting create water.

Canvas Cover
From the supplies he brought, Murphy needs help with a large mass of canvas. "This will go over the wagons, friends, covering the lot of them from one side to the other. Thieves would need to get through the canvas - after getting by us - in order to get to the goods within. Also, if debris goes flying from any encounters, the canvas should help to shelter the wagons' contents."

He has plenty of rope, plus blocks and tackle, some grappling hooks, and the like to use as tools to help the party with wrestling all the canvas into place.

It would be good to have Hazel's help on this, as he is likely the strongest among us.

All of these preparations could take a while, even if all pitch in. Please let us know which, if any, of the above listed activities your character might help with, and how.

Murphy is up through the first watch, as he has more preparations to make during that time.

Murphy Bumblebee Leafwin Pipewood (Kim) 
Thursday October 2nd, 2014 4:15:53 AM

wagons rearranged

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Thursday October 2nd, 2014 8:28:03 AM
As Alleah sets about the barn, she can't help but smile and shake her head. A few months ago she was quite literally picking pockets in taverns. And now here she was being paid to guard some valuable goods. Wardd must have a sense of humour.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Thursday October 2nd, 2014 10:51:13 AM
Shel volunteers to help set the sunrods. It'd be nice to be outside with something to do, rather than simply sitting in the barn twiddling her thumbs for the next couple of hours.

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle) 
Thursday October 2nd, 2014 11:57:19 AM

Bliss is impressed with all the arrangements proposed by Murphy. And he is happy to help set up the lights and caltrops.

"Wowsy, Mister Murphy, you are like an officer in the Mailed Fist! And I should know! Maybe we should call you General Murphy!" He laughs happily at his own joke.

Mookie tsks at his master. "Kiddo, you better hope you never see one of those Mailed Fist officers again! You're on French Leave, so watch out!"

"What's that mean, Mookie?" asks Bliss.

The raven snorts. "It means if you see anyone in uniform, HIDE!"

Murphy Bumblebee Leafwin Pipewood (Kim) 
Thursday October 2nd, 2014 10:17:53 PM
"Thank you, Shel."

"That bell is a great touch, Alleah. And, I'm certain Alouryn will love to go shopping with you."

"Fatine, I got to thinking - we don't want to smother the animals in the one wagon by cutting off all their air with the canvas. If you have a knife, could you go ahead and cut slits along the sides of the canvas over their wagon, maybe some rectangles - top intact, sides and bottom slit, held open at the bottom by twigs or little sticks? Enough of those should afford them air to breathe."

Murphy takes a short, stout stick out of a sack. "Also, Fatine, I picked up this wand of cure light wounds. It has 50 charges." [Note: heal 1d8+1 - reroll 1s per Woldian healing rules, for 3-9 hp of curing power per charge] He tells her the command word for the wand. "For tonight, can you use this to help us out - and maybe to keep any robbers from dying?"

Murphy laughs at Bliss' comparison of him to a general. "Thank you for your high estimation. But I think perhaps lieutenant might be as high as I'd be willing to say! Or, captain?" he considers... "Nah, just Murphy is fine," he chuckles. "My mother always did say I tended to over prepare. And, speaking of over preparing - here are some more things we can use, if we've a mind to." And he indicates the items laid out in the space vacated by wagon 3 - listed below.

"I saw you up in the rafters, Bliss. We have ropes and strings. And lots of clay pitchers. What if you lined up a bunch of pitchers in the rafters, then ran rope on alternating sides, with one end hanging down. Then, when someone pulls on the rope, it straightens, and the whole line pushes the clay pots over on either side of the beam - gently coming to rest on top of whoever might be in the vicinity below the beam. Think you and Mookie can set that up?" He scratches his cheek. "Or, maybe you have some other ideas."

He leans a pair of 10' ladders against the north post near the west barn door. There are four more 10' ladders available for others to use.

"Hazel, Alleah, Shel, Fatine - help me finish securing the canvas in place." If Bliss wants to help, too, that's fine - but he figures he might be busy elsewhere. Using canvas and rope, they work on getting the canvas well secured.

"Oh, and, Hazel - was our prayer well answered?"

Usable Equipment List
50 sunrods - would likely use about 18 - 20 spaced around the barn, so, say, 30 left
1 wand of cure light wounds - lent to Fatine
5 smokesticks
4 sets of manacles, halfling size
25 clay pitchers
6 buckets
18 sets of caltrops (10 just purchased, 8 of 10 recovered by Murphy from outside wagon circle during caravan trip)
160 square yards of canvas in 10' wide rolls, with eyelets along edges every two feet
5 fishing nets, 25 sq ft ea
4 grappling hooks
500' rope, hemp
150' rope, silk
50' twine string
50' fishing line
10 sets block and tackle
10 hammers
2 miner's picks
2 shovels
2 handaxes
1 wood saw
1 sledge hammer
6 ladders, 10' each
10 Ten foot poles
10 candles
10 pounds sealing wax
1 pound soap
25 sacks (med sized)
10 waterskins (med sized)
2 iron cooking pots
5 chalk pieces
5 flasks of oil, 1 pint each
1 tent - keep most unused supplies inside - set up next to the wall near where Wagon 3 had initially been parked.

Alchemical items:
4: Acid
3: Alchemist's Fire
2: Holy water
8: Tanglefoot Bag
3: Thunderstone
2: Antitoxin vial

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15 
Thursday October 2nd, 2014 11:13:45 PM
Hazel tries to get himself hired for the night's watchman job, eating his feelings about Ffloy's followers.
He loves Alouryn that much.
At Murphy's answer, he smiles, and nods.
He accepts the money he is given.
"Thank you very much. I will make good use of it. Weddings are expensive, and you are helping me a lot."
He smiles at Alleah. No bad feelings there.
"Are you sure we need to do all that? Do you think we will have problems tonight?"
He helps set up the place anyway.
"What about me and Faoil patrolling the surroundings a couple times during the night? As this is a one night job I would gladly stay up all night. I need to be worth the money I am being given..."

Murphy Bumblebee Leafwin Pipewood (Kim) 
Friday October 3rd, 2014 1:50:49 AM

"Good, Hazel," Murphy returns his friend's smile and nod.

"Yes, I think we may have problems tonight. And I plan to cause problems for those who cause us problems.

"You and Faoil on patrol? I can't think of a better thing to do - but, as you go out on patrol, I want someone keeping an eye on you, in case someone thinks that might be a good time to try to take some of us on."

He gives him a thunderstone , a tanglefoot bag, and a vial of alchemist's fire. "Don't use the fire in or on the barn. Aside from that, these things can help you out. And, if someone starts chasing you, lead them on... and drop these behind you." Murphy hands him a sack of caltrops. "Might make their feet a bit tender if they try to keep running your direction." He makes certain that Hazel knows where Bliss and Alleah placed the caltrops at certain places around the barn.

"As the sunrods that are lit begin to go dim, go ahead and strike the second set, placed between the first, so that we have good lighting all night long."

"And, if no one attacks, well, we've gotten some good exercise, and paid a good fee for it."

Thinking things over, he says, "Now, what if someone shows up invisible? How might we detect them?" So, at the barn doors and in an area about 20' radius around base of the windows, Murphy creates water in good quantity, so that the floor of the barn there develops a bit of a muddy condition. "Let someone climb through, then splash through the mud. It might be hard to hide the footprints that way."

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle) 
Friday October 3rd, 2014 7:51:58 AM

Bliss is a little reluctant to try to make some kind of trap in the rafters. Mookie comes to his rescue.

"Look, Murph, chillax. Sure, sure, 'heavy beams support the roof' and all, but they might not be level, and besides, the Kid's got no ability to make traps. Plus what stops these things from falling on friends?"

"Um, yeah," says Bliss. "I think I'll just perch up there, you know, and shoot. And what if the enemy approaches from outside the barn? I gotta have a way to go from inside to outside so's I can shoot both ways. I'm thinking maybe I'll take a hatchet and make a small hole in the roof near a beam, so I can stick out my head and shoot, and then pop back in and shoot if the enemy gets inside."

"Make sure you have enough ammo," says Mookie.

"Yeah, right," says Bliss.

Bliss borrows a hand ax and a wood saw from Murphy's pile, renews his Reduce, casts Enlarge on Mookie, hops on his familiar, flies up to the beams at the roof, and finds a place where he can perch. He hacks a hole in the roof, being careful to save the shingle above. He wants to be able to snipe from inside and outside the barn.

"I'll cast Mending on the roof after we are done," he says, feeling a little guilty about hurting the barn.

"Sure, Kid." says Mookie.

[DM StevenVdB] - More cargositting? 
Friday October 3rd, 2014 9:18:29 AM
OOC - thanks for RP'ing forward my friends!! Very sorry for not being able to post yesterday evening. I had snowboard training in the evening and well... we ended up in the bar afterwards :-)

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15 
Friday October 3rd, 2014 11:18:44 AM
OOC: No problem!
Hazel takes the stuff Murphy hands to him.
"Well prepared, I'll say. About invisible people, I am sure Faoil can smell them from far away! Anyone has a shield that can spare me?"
Hazel gets to set the sunrods and starts patrolling the barn, always within the reach of the sunrods and his friends sight, while carrying his lance (and shield, if somebody lends him one).
He and Faoil will take 20 on their perception rolls, if able, so it is 31 for Hazel and 29 (with scent) for Faoil.

Murphy Bumblebee Leafwin Pipewood (Kim) 
Friday October 3rd, 2014 3:53:07 PM

"'Chillax'? What does that mean, Mookie? You know lots of words I do not. Also, what is a 'French'? Or 'French leave'?" Murphy asks the bright familiar.

"Leaving those questions aside, though, yes, that's fine, and I like your idea of shooting from the roof, Bliss. Do you want to make a hole on both sides? Though the woods side is more likely to be the way someone comes... if someone does come."

"Sorry, Hazel, I do not have a shield."

Using a ladder, Murphy takes the fishing nets, and covers each of the 5 windows, using twine to tie the net to the hinges or other handy spots.

[DM StevenVdB] - Preparing the barn for a ... long night? 
Friday October 3rd, 2014 5:20:50 PM
With great efforts and cooperation the group prepares the barn for whoomever would be so stupid to try and steal the cargo during the night. Torches, sunrods, thunderstone , tanglefoot bag and a vial of alchemist's fire... looks like the Humble's Sword are either planning to do business on their own having emptied Pernook's almost clean!!

General Murphy orders arounds and reorganizes the whole barn... the wagons are pulled to the center of the barn (with the horses no longer harnassed to them this does take a HUGE effort but I'll let you go with it for having thought of replacing the wagons). THe horses are still in the barn.

With sunrods placed all around the barn it's unlikely someone will be able to sneak up to the barn. And anyone invisible will most likely be caught by Faoil's keen nose.

The little ones are sent up into the rafters. Bliss at first isn't too keen about that but with aid of Mookie he'll do just fine.

The wagons dissapear under a big sized canvas and the window shutters are trapped with finishing nets... when someone does get by the sunrods and Faoil's nose they probably will end up trapped in the fishing nets...

No way someone is going to steal anything away from this barn!!


(OoC : I'm awarding you all 1 Hero point for thinking carefully about how to protect the barn and roleplaying this whole preparations!! Very nice work friends!! Thanks!!)


It does take a couple of hours before the barn is fully prepared. When everything is done it's dark outside... with just an occasional shard of moonlight peaking through the cloudy sky.


The Barn

Friends, I now need locations, detailed descriptions of who is one watch when. Do specify hours considering the night watch starts around 22.00. When you are on watch, specify how long and where you are during your watch. Which windows you look through and so on. Inside, outside, whatever...
The more details... the more interesting...


Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Friday October 3rd, 2014 9:11:54 PM
Shel will take first watch. She's much too excited to sleep, after all the preparations had been done. While placing the sunrods, she started thinking things through. Maybe we are being paid so well, because He knows that something is likely to happen. This might be another one of them set ups, like that big'un did to us.

Shel, during her watch, will pace the insides of the barn, walking a circle. If she can see out of any of the windows, she will peek through each of them as she passes during her shift.

OOC: I say we go in two shifts this evening. We need to keep things safe for roughly eight hours, so divvying it up four and four might be easier. I'll defer to the others, if others disagree.

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle)  d20+13=16 ;
Friday October 3rd, 2014 9:26:29 PM

During the third watch, Bliss is in the rafters at V16, hopefully from which he can pop out onto the roof or stay inside and shoot in the barn. He likes Murphy's idea of two "roof-ports," but he only had time to make the one, hopefully. Mookie is on the roof at V15, keeping watch.

When he is not on watch, Bliss remains awake/dozing in the rafters with Mookie in the same spot, with a rope tied to his belt to make sure he does not fall out of the rafters. He is happy to have broken sleep because he has not used up any spells from yesterday and he figures he does not need to have excellent sleep to get spells back because he already has all his spells back.

The major difference is that on watch, Bliss renews his Reduce Spell every minute or two, but when he is dozing, he is back to his natural small size, not tiny.

Perception check for Bliss, with a +2 because Mookie is near: 16.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Friday October 3rd, 2014 11:10:12 PM
Proposed Watch Times:
Night Watch 1 - 19:00 - 23:00
Night Watch 2 - 23:00 - 03:00
Night Watch 3 - 03:00 - 07:00

3 Watches of 4hrs each means in the down time everyone gets the required 8hrs rest so as not to be fatigued the next day.

Sorry Shel, coming up with 2 watches where everyone still gets 8hrs rest could be tricky. Especially on the offchance we get asked to mind the goods again the next night. These DMs are very tricksy :) Best we stay on our toes

During the first two watches, Alleah sleeps underneath Wagon #2. She is quite pleased to be the new owner of 'Casper'. She felt she was building quite a rapport with Mr Laughshield. Perhaps she could have asked for breakfast to be thrown in as well? No, he had already given the group quite a bit.

Alleah takes third watch again with Bliss. She doesn't take to the rafters like he does. Instead, she stays inside the barn slowly walking from one window to the next. She carefully opens the shutters, peers out, then closes the shutters and moves on to the next window. First clockwise, then anti-clockwise. It takes her about 1 minute to complete a lap of the barn. She is not rushing.

She keeps her Deathwatch and Toros Taur Try (Minotaur) cantrips up during her watch. It kelps keep her eyes sharp, and also detect things that she may otherwise not see.

Perception: 21 (10 + Take 10 + Toros Taur Try).
Stealth to walk quietly and not be obviously seen: 20 (10 + Take 10)
Deathwatch: Range 30ft - You instantly know whether each creature within the area is dead, fragile (alive and wounded, with 3 or fewer hit points left), fighting off death (alive with 4 or more hit points), healthy, undead, or neither alive nor dead (such as a construct). Deathwatch sees through any spell or ability that allows creatures to feign death.


Murphy Bumblebee Leafwin Pipewood (Kim) 
Saturday October 4th, 2014 3:34:42 AM

Murphy says, "We best not shoot whoever was going to deliver our food to us. Or, has that been done already when I was not looking?"

Murphy will be with Shel on 1st watch. He has a thunderstone he can launch should a raid commence. That ought to wake everyone up. If he does not use it on his watch, he passes it on to one of the people for 2nd watch, and asks them to pass it on to 3rd watch if not used by then.

"Hazel and Fatine - would you two take 2nd watch? Or, you four?" he queries, counting that each has an animal friend to help them out.

While on watch with Shel at 1st watch, he checks out windows and doors in a semi-random pattern, with slightly more glimpses out of the west and north sides of the building. He makes sure his head does not appear in the same spot along each window. Sometimes he looks from the right side, next from left, or center, so as not to provide too predictable a target.

Especially by the big doors, and in particular by the west door, he adds water from time to time to keep it somewhat muddy. He leaves about 2 feet next to the windows dry, but water makes the floor a little muddy from about 2 feet to 10 feet out from the windows.

Perception: 23 (13 + Take 10). DM Steven, feel free to roll for specific perception checks if you wish (1d20+13)

ADM Kim to Matt 
Sunday October 5th, 2014 4:02:11 AM

Matt: Your email does not work. Do you have another email account we can use? Do you need someone to post for Fatine?

-Kim

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle) 
Sunday October 5th, 2014 7:35:06 PM
Hey Humblers! Just to let you know that Matty C (Fatine) has lost his Web connection and may be a few more days out!

I'll post for him here until he returns (hopefully very soon!)

Fatine and Crow (Sub by Cayzle)  d20+6=10 ;
Monday October 6th, 2014 6:03:31 AM

Fatine is willing to stand second watch with Hazel. She positions herself and Crow mostly around T10 and R14 on her watch, looking out into the night north and west, into the forest, casting Light into shadowy areas deeper into the woods from time to time.

"I not be liking dee trees," she says, "maybe deys gon be trouble from dat ways tonite. I'll try an see dem comin outta dere." She leaves the east and south side to Hazel.

Perception 10.

When it is not her watch, she sleeps under wagon W3.

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15  d20+11=26 ; d20+9=29 ;
Monday October 6th, 2014 12:34:28 PM
Hazel gets his sleeping back out, and prepares to sleep.
"Wake me up for the second watch, me and Faoil will start patrolling then, and will remain up until the morning. Then we can go to bed. After all is only one night of watching."
Faoil yawns and lies next to Hazel, his furry tail swagging.
OOC: In case we need to roll perception:
Hazel: 26
Faoil Aid Another: 29 (Natural 20!)

[DM StevenVdB] - Preparing the barn for a ... long night?  d100=36 ; 15d20+12=160 ; d20+12=31 ; d20+12=14 ; d20+12=31 ; d100=52 ;
Monday October 6th, 2014 6:01:13 PM
Night Watch 1 - 19:00 - 23:00: Shel paces the insides of the barn, walking a circle. If she can see out of any of the windows, she will peek through each of them as she passes during her shift. Murphy has a thunderstone he can launch should a raid commence. He checks out windows and doors in a semi-random pattern, with slightly more glimpses out of the west and north sides of the building. He makes sure his head does not appear in the same spot along each window. Sometimes he looks from the right side, next from left, or center, so as not to provide too predictable a target. Especially by the big doors, and in particular by the west door, he adds water from time to time to keep it somewhat muddy.

Night Watch 2 - 23:00 - 03:00. Fatine positions herself and Crow mostly around T10 and R14 on her watch, looking out into the night north and west, into the forest, casting Light into shadowy areas deeper into the woods from time to time. he leaves the east and south side to Hazel. Hazel and Faoil look East and South...

Night Watch 3 - 03:00 - 07:00: Bliss is in the rafters at V16 from which he can pop out onto the roof or stay inside and shoot in the barn. He likes Murphy's idea of two "roof-ports," but he only had time to make the one, hopefully. Mookie is on the roof at V15, keeping watch. Alleah stays inside the barn slowly walking from one window to the next. She carefully opens the shutters, peers out, then closes the shutters and moves on to the next window. First clockwise, then anti-clockwise. It takes her about 1 minute to complete a lap of the barn. She is not rushing. Mookie looks out of the rafters...

-----------------------------------------------

Do you sleep in armor (for those of you who wear some)

Round 1...
hidden movement 3 x 10ft using stealth 31, 12, 31
Close to midnight Faoil points his ears and starts growling softly... Hazel thinks he heard something South of the barn...

Wolves??

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Monday October 6th, 2014 8:30:08 PM
"mmm..... but it's my turn to pat the gorilla" Alleah mumbles in her sleep

Murphy HP 32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d20+13=25 ;
Monday October 6th, 2014 11:59:20 PM

Murphy sleeps in leather armor atop Wagon 1, at about V14 on the map, in his nice bedroll.

By the way, prior to going to sleep, he put many of the various items of inventory inside the tent set up where W3 had been, and also carried some up on a ladder, which ladder he has resting across W1 and W2, to easily slide back down into place. The things he pulled up, besides that which he keeps in his pouchs and backpack, include: 20 clay pitchers, 2 smokesticks, a bucket of water, 2 hammers, a ten foot pole, 5 sacks, a filled waterskin, an iron cooking pot, 2 flasks of oil, 50 feet of hemp rope and 50 feet of silk rope.. He also has 3 tanglefoot bags, 2 acid, 1 alchemist's fire, 1 thunderstone, and an antitoxin vial. He lines up the clay pitchers spaced at roughly even intervals along the edge of several wagons, to make for items easy to throw from above to any on the ground below.

Murphy's dream is about swimming against mighty Lotho in the valley games. Lotho's girth and strength made for a sizable splash, and the wave pushed Murphy far to the side. He tried to swim for the turn around point, but kept swimming at an angle farther and farther away. Efforts to realign were met with another wave that pushed him back. He then changed into an owl. Rather than flying, the Murphy owl began swimming under the water as though it were air, passing a silvered trout which swam quickly away. Just then a giant loomed, coming up out of the water, with tattooed limbs and a huge club. The owl dove down, scooping a channel out of the river bottom, and causing the giant to sink back down, suddenly engulfed in flames. How did flames work underwater, the owl thought, and called out, 'Whoo?'

His mother's voice answered, "You, buster. You'd better finish your chores, or you get to sweep your father's entire shop with this hand broom!"

What happened to Lotho? "But, mother, Lotho will win the race!"

[Perception - for being awakened, should a loud noise or warning be sounded: 25]

Fatine and Crow (Sub by Cayzle) (AC19, HP23 of 23)  d20+6=24 ; d100=54 ;
Tuesday October 7th, 2014 6:10:36 AM

[OOC: Assuming Perception 24 is enough to notice Faoil.]

"Crow! You hear dat? Ol' Fatine hear dat beastie be growling! Hazel! Hazel! What be the matter dere?"

[OOC: Hazel alerts Fatine that her companion hears something ... ]

Fatine acts right away to rouse the party, not shouting unless needed. "Wake up! Wake up! Youse all in danger!"

She casts Cat's Grace on herself [OOC: I don't want to get Fatine killed, so a protective buff seems like a good idea!] Ley Line check 54% = A-OK.

She heads toward the southern window for a look.

OOC: Fatine is wearing her magic leather armor. She has used one first level witch spell.

Murphy HP 32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Tuesday October 7th, 2014 6:58:30 AM

Fatine's call to awake is met by Murphy. "Have to beat Lotho," he says as he comes awake, rolls out of his bed roll and comes to his feet. "Any news?" He slides the ladder over the edge to allow him to descend to the barn floor below.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d20+10=18 ;
Tuesday October 7th, 2014 7:10:32 AM
Alleah's eyes open slowly at the sound. Probably wolves again looking for another feed. Still, she is being paid for a job.

Alleah rolls out from under the wagon, and crouching, lifts up the edge of the tarp and peers out "What's going on?" she whispers "Wolves again?"

Perception: 18

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15  d20+13=15 ; d20+2=7 ; d20+11=29 ; d20+9=14 ;
Tuesday October 7th, 2014 11:17:22 AM
"What's up, boy? Did you smell something?"
Hazel turns to Fantine, he uses two fingers of his left hand to points to his eyes, and then signals towards the south. He then raises his palm, let it hang there for a second. Finally he points at himself, and then points south and then closes his fist except for his index finger, pointing upwards.
OOC: Hope you like the roleplaying of Hazel trying to pass a message to Fantine
He stealth away towards the south, a Thunderstone in one hand and the lance in the other.
He then pats Faoil's head, while whispering to him.
"Quiet now, my friend"
Stealth Hazel: 15
Stealth Faoil: 7
Perception Hazel: 29
Perception Faoil (Aid Another): 14

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle)  d20+13=26 ;
Tuesday October 7th, 2014 11:44:48 AM

Bliss hears Fatine and Hazel [Perception 26 is a 16 even after the -10 penalty for being asleep]. He wakes up and casts his Reduce Person spell.

[DM StevenVdB] - Preparing the barn for a ... long night? 
Tuesday October 7th, 2014 2:03:20 PM
Waiting for Shel to post... I'on the train travelling from the South of France back home so as soon as all posts are in I will write the DM post.

Friends, please don't forget we are now in combat mode so I'll only allow single round actions...

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Tuesday October 7th, 2014 4:27:41 PM
Shel slept as best as she could, after her shift was complete.

Will someone roll a perception check for Shel? Modifier is +3. I'm on the road right now. Thanks.

[DM StevenVdB] - What's going on?  d20+12=28 ; d20+12=15 ; d20+12=19 ; d20+3=12
Tuesday October 7th, 2014 4:47:19 PM
Having taken care of the first watch, Murphy is fast a sleep and dreams about swimming against Lotho in tye Games... Alleah too dreams yet of Gorilla's...
Bliss and Shel too snore gently knowing Fatine and Hazel are on guard...

Fatine, looking out from the window North hears Faoil growling and asks Hazel what could be wrong... Without hesitation Fatine rouses her sleeping friends and then casts a protective spell upon herself. She moves towards the Southern window (which one? I'm assuming the left one?) Fatine gets half way towards the window.

Hazel calms Faoil and makes some gestures at Fatine, most likely trying to have Fatine looking out from the windows south while he will look from tue roof perhaps?!?

(please specify locations - I'll update the map tomorrow morning. )

Murphy wakes from his dream, gets to his feet and grabs the ladder (that's all for one round)

Alleah rolls out from under the wagon, and crouching, lifts up the edge of the tarp and peers out "What's going on?" she whispers "Wolves again?"

Bliss hears Fatine and Hazel, wakes up and casts his Reduce Person spell. Mookie sleeps on?

Shel is still sleeping (sorry I rolled perception 12 while sleeping), tired from first watch

-----------------------------------------------
Hidden movement A: 3 x 2 x 10ft (double move)
Stealth 28, 15, 19
Hidden movement B: 3 x 10ft

Hazel hears movement South and East of the barn...


Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle)  d20+12=25 ;
Tuesday October 7th, 2014 8:18:11 PM

Bliss is now prone at V16. (He has not stood up.) He calls to Mookie, "Wake Up!" (free action)

Mookie Perception to awaken: 25 = he is awake. Mookie stands up.

Bliss spends the full round loading his bah.

Murphy HP 32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d20+13=30 ;
Tuesday October 7th, 2014 8:37:00 PM
Murphy lets the ladder down to the ground, leaning against the wagon. Next he will don his gear.

"Wake up, everyone!" says the druid.

[Perception: 30]

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11  d20+3=14 ;
Tuesday October 7th, 2014 9:44:51 PM
Shel will have snuck in the wagon with the niceties in it, and tried to use them as a pillow to get comfy on. she actually is able to enter a nice, deep sleep despite all the hubbub going on.

OOc: with a 14, not sure if she wakes up or not, lol.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d20+10=28 ;
Tuesday October 7th, 2014 10:10:12 PM
"Could be wolves, could be a late night snack, or could be that boy who took the apple wants to come have a peek at us. Let's try not to hurt anyone unless we have to" Alleah whispers, still crouched under the tarp "We're in the town again, so that increases the likelihood of someone friendly I think"

Perception: 28

Fatine and Crow (Sub by Cayzle) (AC19, HP23 of 23)  d20+6=19 ;
Wednesday October 8th, 2014 9:46:27 AM

OOC: In an email to me yesterday, Matt thought he would be back online by now. I hope this is my last subbing post for him.

On the map, Fatine and Crow move to AB17 (move action). They look out the window.

Fatine listens as best she can: Perception 19. (free action)

Assuming she hears something, or assuming Hazel points in that direction, Fatine casts her entangle druid spell (no ley line check needed). She centers it at the SE corner of AI22, and it has a 40 ft radius, so it should stretch from AI14 to AI29 and from AA22 to AR22 or so. (standard action)


Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15 
Wednesday October 8th, 2014 12:05:42 PM
Seeing that everyone is up, Hazel throws caution off the window. He throws to Thunderstone towards the sound he heard south. After it explodes, he screams.
"SOMETHING EAST AND SOUTH! WATCH OUT!"
He moves to Y21 (in sight of both windows).

[DM StevenVdB] - What's going on?  d20+10=22 ; d6=1 ; d20+7=12 ; d20+10=24 ; d20+10=12 ; d20+10=15 ; d20+10=12 ; d20+10=26 ; d6=4 ; d6=3 ; d6=2 ;
Wednesday October 8th, 2014 6:29:36 PM
(Experiencing some trouble with my map so I'll have to make the update tomorrow morning)

Bliss wakes Mookie and loads hid bah... V16 on map

Murphy gets his ladder down and puts on his armor...

Alleah is not in a hurry to get up. After all it could be anything...

Shel is just too far gone to wake up! Someone wake her up!

Fatine moves towards the windows and casts an entangle spell hoping whatever is closing in in the barn will be stalled...

Hazel and Faoil are outside the barn West. As they near the corner of the barn they can see someone quietly walking already close to the barn holding something... a bottle? Flask? Somehing... Further South they can see someone else standing holding what appears to be a crossbow...
(I'll give exact positions tomorrow. I'm assuming Hazel will not walk to the position mentionned in your post)

The moment the figure notices Faoil and Hazel he immediately throws what he holds at the roof.. (hits AC22 - succes). The flask crashes onto the roof spilling its content on the roof...

East from that you can hear someone swear as he ends up entangled... (reflex save 12 - failure I assume?) Standing equally close to the barn he throws a second flask at the roof (hits AC24 - succes). Again it splashes open at the roof!

From the window Fatine sees a third Barn Raider also holding a flask... this one spots Fatine, moves 20 ft closer in front of the barn and throws the third bottle on the roof (hits AC12 - succes)

Three bottles crashed onto the roof but nothing else?!

Nothing else?!?

Like Hazel Fatine also sees more Halflings holding crossbows...
They raize their bows and shoot... the moment then bolts veer from the crossbows they ignite!! 3 flaming arrows are aimed at the oil on the roof of the barn... The splash areas are easily lit and commence to burn!!

(Round 1: fire starts... every 5ft of roof has 10HP.
Area 1: -4 HP
Area 2: -3 HP
Area 3: -2 HP
Once the area is turned to 0 the fire will spread to the areas around it)

The 3 fire starters start reloading...
The Barn Raiders that just threw the oil take out Rapiers...



Murphy HP 32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Wednesday October 8th, 2014 7:08:36 PM
OOC
Important Questions:
1. How high is the roof from the ground? How high from edge of barn? How high in center of barn?
2. Is the roof slanted on both sides as in a traditional barn? Shallow, medium, or steep slope?
3. Aside from the hole Bliss made, is there another way to get on the roof from inside the barn?
4. Would one of the 10' ladders, placed along the edge of the barn, reach the roof?

Will make a post for Murphy later - have to run for now.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Wednesday October 8th, 2014 9:00:41 PM
Shel continues to sleep peacefully in the wagon. She thinks she smells toasted marshmallows as she rolls over. What a nice dream!

OOC: could someone roll a Perception check for me? Modifier is +3. On my mobile phone with the trouble Im having, I can't make a roll currently. Thanks.

Shel (Roll by Cayzle)  d20+3=22 ;
Wednesday October 8th, 2014 9:43:50 PM
Shell rolls a 22 on her check and WAKES!

She stands up and grabs her gear/weapon (two move actions).

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15 
Wednesday October 8th, 2014 11:38:28 PM
OOC: Waiting for the map to see which bad guy to dispatch first... ;)

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Thursday October 9th, 2014 1:50:34 AM
OOC: Assuming someone says the word 'fire' loud enough for Alleah to hear...

"Ok, so NOT the boy with the apple" Alleah makes her way for the barn door to the west - the closest one to her considering she was by wagon #2. She is able to get about 10ft further outside the door and turn to look back and up at the roof.

She moves to get as close to one of the fires as she can and then casts a clerical cantrip Create Water on it (Range 25ft. Clerical spell, not witch spell, so no ley roll needed. Creates 2gallons of water)

Alleah has a base speed of 30ft, and can ignore difficult terrain - such as the mud

Murphy HP 32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Thursday October 9th, 2014 2:07:16 AM

Now that Murphy has his backpack and slingstaff (as he need not put on his leather armor, for he was sleeping in it), and he heard (Perception 30 from last post) something crashing upon the roof, he spends this round invoking an air elemental to U14. When it arrives at the end of the round, he says, 'Muodostavat tornado, haluan ulkopuolella ja huipulla katto!* as he motions with his arm toward the west-side entrance to the barn. As the whirlwind forms, he will step off the wagon into the vortex, willingly placing himself into the battering winds.

* 'Form a whirlwind, take me outside and atop the roof.' is the translation from auran into common of what the druid says to the air elemental. At the beginning of the next round Murphy will fall into the swiftly moving circle of air and spend the round being conveyed out the barn and up atop the roof. [Will roll for effects, damage, next round, during the transport phase.]

[DM StevenVdB] - Who's the Fire Starter... I'm the Fire Starter...  d20+9=13 ;
Thursday October 9th, 2014 3:50:24 AM
Just a few answers:

1) Map update
- R1, R2 and R3 are the Barn Raiders who threw the oil on the roof
- F1, F2 and F3 are the Fire Starters who have just shot flaming bolts at the oil spot igniting the roof
- let me know if position are not what you had in mind.
- R3 and F3 are inside the entangled area. R3 failed his Reflex save vs DC13; F3 succeeded.

2) The barn has a ±20° angled roof. It starts about 5 ft above the ground with the highest beam reaching from left to right all along the barn at a height of 15ft approximately.

3) @ Alleah: the barn doors are closed (not locked) so before going outside you'll need to swing open the large double doors first.

4) @ Murphy: summoning takes a full round which means the Air elemental will only arrive at the beginning of your next turn. When it appears (start of your next post) you are free to have it form a whirlwind. Also I'm assuming you'll be summoning a Small Elemental? Only creatures one or more size categories smaller might be lifted by the Whirlwind. It's height must be minimum 10ft and for a small elemental maximum 20ft... do you think it will fit through the doors? And last, as the Whirlwind touches the ground it will create a cloud of debris stretching as far as half its height. If minimum 10ft that means a 5ft area around the base of the Whirlwind which obscures all vision. The rules are unclear about damage taken by a creature that willingly enters a vortex... after all... they are pretty nasty to simply walk straight into! It's not exactly a flying carpet you step onto to take you up on the roof... ;-)



Fatine and Crow (Sub by Cayzle) (AC19, HP23 of 23)  d100=14 ;
Thursday October 9th, 2014 6:57:41 AM

OOC: Yes, Save vs Entangle is DC13.

Fatine looks out at the enemies attacking. She casts Scare. Ley Line check 14 is a failure! Her spell is wasted!

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle)  d20+12=14 ; d6+2=3 ; d6+19=25 ;
Thursday October 9th, 2014 7:05:21 AM

Bliss pokes his head out and fires his bah at enemy R1. He hits AC14 for 3 damage.

Bliss is using the cover of the roof to snipe at his enemies. With his racial ability and feat, his stealth check while sniping has a -5 penalty. His stealth check to be spotted is 25.

OOC: What are the map coordinates for the places that fires have started on the roof?

Fatine AC 17/14/15, HP 23/23 (Matt C) 
Thursday October 9th, 2014 12:32:08 PM
OOC: All, I'm sorry for the long absence. My internet stopped working, and it turned out I needed all new equipment, which necessitated waiting for a visit from the Verizon tech, which meant waiting days and days until they could grace me with their presence. Everything is online again. I see Cayzle posted for me today so I'll resume tomorrow.

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15  d20+8=28 ; d20+7=12 ; d20+7=10 ; d20+3=4 ;
Thursday October 9th, 2014 1:27:08 PM
Welcome back Fantine!
Hazel tries to quickly dismount Faoil, before his attack.
Ride Check to quick dismount DC 20: Natural 20! He is the boss!!!
He grabs the lance in two hands and charges towards the closes enemy, while screaming towards Faoil:
"Attack!"
Charging Lance Attack Roll: 12 (+2 Charge)
Want to use his recently acquired Hero point to reroll that
Charging Lance Attack Roll: 10 (+2 Charge)
Damn it!!! It was meant to be.
Faoil also charges the enemy at R1.
Changing Faoil Attack Roll: Natural 1... go figures.
Wah, wah, wah.... wahwahwah
Hazel is 10' fron from the bandit, as he has his lance.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Thursday October 9th, 2014 1:32:05 PM
OOC: thanks for rolling for me Cayzle! You did better than I would have.

All of a sudden the smell of toasty marshmellows went away as Shel heard yelling in the distance. She opens one eye, and bounds to her feet upon hearing the fighting. She moves to the edge of teh wagon, preparing to disembark directly.



[DM StevenVdB] - "Ok, so NOT the boy with the apple"  d6=2 ; d6=3 ; d6=3 ; d20+11=26 ; d6+2=6 ; d20+7=18 ; d20+9=27 ; d20+10=15 ; d20+10=18 ; d20+10=11 ;
Thursday October 9th, 2014 6:13:14 PM
Shel sleeps peacefully untill all of a sudden the smell of toasty marshmellows went away as Shel heard yelling in the distance. She moves to the edge of the cart and prepares to disembark.

Hoping to extinguish the fire as soon as possible Alleah storms to the door and swings it open. (Going out and casting the spell will have to wait till next round)

Murphy commences to summon an Air Elemental,

Fatine fails to scare away the barn raider.

Poking his head through the roof Bliss snipes R1 but his bah fails to deliver a damaging bolt...

Hazel quickly and succesfully dismounts Faoil but he gruesomly fails to charge R1... Faoil too fails... barking at the barn raiders won't do...

-----------------------------

(Round 2: fire continues to burn... every 5ft of roof has 10HP.
Area 1: -6 HP
Area 2: -6 HP
Area 3: -5 HP
Once the area is turned to 0 the fire will spread to the areas around it)

R1 is facing Faoil and Hazel. He moves 5ft closer and swipes at Hazel. Hits AC
26 - damage 6Hp. R1 looks up at the roof to see where the bolt came frol and yells to his comerades!

R2 sees the vines on his right and Hazel on his left. He moves towards Hazel

R3 now succeeds to avoid the vines and moves west to escape from them.

F1, F2 and F3 are alerted about the tiny fellow on the roof. They don't want to fire at Hazel to avoid hurting R1.
F1 shoots and hits AC15
F2 shoots and hits AC18
F3 shoots and hits AC11
Two flaming arrows stick in the roof. With no oil present there's but a small risk that the roof would catch fire.
The third arrow veers over the roof and dissapears in the forest.

(Damned map issues... update again tomorrow morning - sorry)


Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15  d20+3=9 ; d6+3=6 ; d20+3=22 ; d20+7=27 ; d6+3=4 ; d20+7=21 ;
Thursday October 9th, 2014 7:51:56 PM
Faoil growls when the enemy hurts Hazel, and tries to bit him to defend his master.
Both Faoil and Hazel take a 5' step to flank the enemy, and Hazel to get 5' away from him again.
Faoil Bite Attack Roll: 9 (+2 flanking)
Faoil Bite Damage: 6
Faoil Trip attempt (only if it hits): 22 (+2 flanking)
Hazel, seeing that Faoil missed, moves to try and hit the enemy with the lance again.
Hazel Lance Attack Roll: 27 (Natural 20!) (+2 Flanking)
Hazel Lance Damage: 4
Hazel Critical Confirmation (x3): 21
"Surrender and you will be spared!"
If by any chance he drops the bandit, Hazel will switch weapons to his Greataxe.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Thursday October 9th, 2014 9:58:14 PM
Now outside Alleah looks for the area closest to her that remains alight. She moves closer to it (around the outskirt of the barn) and then casts her spell right on it: Create Water (2 Gallons. Range 25ft)

Murphy HP 32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d20+7=27 ;
Friday October 10th, 2014 2:35:04 AM

[I figure the barn doors would be at least 10' tall to allow things like heavily-laden wagons through, no? Also, it appears Alleah opened the barn door on the west side]

When Murphy invites the arriving elemental to go into whirlwind form and to carry him up on to the roof via the barn door, it appears they are in perfect synchonization as Murphy steps off the top edge of the packed wagon into the twister that was forming in front of him [Reflex save, circumstantial +2 to save as Murphy and the elemental are cooperating with one another: 27 (natural 20)].

The twister does kick up some dust right next to the cart, but rises ever so slightly until just before passing through the doorway, generating a bit of kicked up dirt and mud before rising in the air, up above the roof, then swinging back over the roof to drop off the one who summoned him. Murphy is dropped at V13 by the whirling elemental. [Move 100, less 5' per change in direction, less 5' for pickup and '5 for dropoff.]

(maybe this will get some people's attention.)

[Welcome back, Matt C!]

[DM StevenVdB] - "Ok, so NOT the boy with the apple" 
Friday October 10th, 2014 5:05:54 AM
Extra info:

Map updated.
Fire area 1: U17
Fire area 2: Z16
Fire area 3: AD17

Kim, if there were caltrops I admit forgetting about yhem... Better to specify locations and remind me abou them :-/

Ladders will indeed get you on the roof



Murphy HP 32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Friday October 10th, 2014 7:36:22 AM

Tiptoe through the Caltrops
As there were no coordinates given on the earlier version of the map when describing the placement of the caltrops, I'm going to give a list that seems to reasonably match the description, keeping in mind that there were 18 total sets, with 2 of those kept in reserve, so 16 available for placement: P8, R8, V8, Y8, AC8, AE8, AE10, AE17, AE19, AC19, Y19, V19, R19, P19, P17, P10. Bliss and Fatine placed them, Murphy discussed it with them, and I'm certain that all would have been made aware of where the caltrops were placed. Some effort was made to conceal them, but I'll leave it up to you to determine how visible or otherwise they might be. Looking at it, R1 and R3 definitely will need to see if caltrops injured them. R2 may have walked over the placement of some caltrops - 50/50 on him, I'd guess. The archers have not yet encountered them. Once having stepped on them, they will likely be more alert to watch for them. Hazel likely would have taken care to avoid P15 and P19 - Faoil looks to have come close, but may have missed P19.

[will post for Murphy later]

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Friday October 10th, 2014 11:16:33 AM
OOC: Could someone link the map for me in a newer post? I can't find the last one.

Murphy HP 32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Friday October 10th, 2014 1:13:25 PM

map link

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Friday October 10th, 2014 1:21:11 PM
OOC: thanks, Kim.

Shel hops out of the back of the wagon, and moves 20 toward the easternmost entrance/exit. "What's happening? Where did the fire come from," she yells to the others, as she heads for the door.

OOC: I assume jumping out of the back of the wagon, or climbing, would be a move action, leaving me another move this round.

Bliss (AC22, HP23) (Cayzle)  d20=12 ; d20+12=15 ; d6+2=8 ; d20+19=35 ;
Friday October 10th, 2014 2:48:36 PM
Bliss sees a fire burning pretty darn close to his hidey-hole in the roof.

"Mookie!" he says, "Put that fire out!"

"What are you nuts! Kid, how am I supposed to put a fire out?"

"I dunno! But that fire is going to spread if you don't!"

"Fine, I'll Use the Aid Another Action to put out the fire!"

Mookie uses the Aid Another Action to put out the fire. His raw d20 roll to do it is a 12. What does that mean? Darned if I know. Maybe he is trying to roll on the flames and beat them out with his wings?

Mookie caws, "OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW!"

Meanwhile, Bliss snipes again and fires! Hits AC15 for 8 damage and sniping stealth 35.

[DM StevenVdB] - "Ok, so NOT the boy with the apple"  d20=18 ;
Friday October 10th, 2014 5:23:05 PM
OoC - Ok I'm thouroughly screwing up with this map... I should have just recreated it rather than trying to patch it up. Kim has kindly shown me that I'm messing up with map coordinates...

Retake Map updated.
Fire area 1: U17 should be S17
Fire area 2: Z16 should be X16
Fire area 3: AD17 should be AB17

I'll let some adjust movement if you deem it's needed. I'll make the DM post tomorrow.



Murphy HP 32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Friday October 10th, 2014 6:13:40 PM

The whirlwind is up in the air several feet over the head of the druid, and he can feel air rushing by him on all sides, flowing up into the five-foot wide opening. Spots of flames dot the roof. Murphy knows that a light or medium blowing of air can enlarge flames - but that a large rush of air can extinguish them.

Kosketa ja nostaa pois tulipalot, sitten hyökkäys nämä nuoli heittäjien!* he shouts to the whirlwind above, pointing to the scattered flames on the roof.

The elemental touches down on the fire at U17 (S15?), next on Z16 (X14?), then on AD17 (AB15?). As the whirlwind comes into contact with the flames and their fuel, many oily shingles are lifted up off the roof, leaving, what, flat boards beneath? Shingles and sparks and bits of ash spiral upward, giving a slightly orange glow to the funnel of air.

If the plan works, Murphy augments it by splashing down 8 gallons of water on the formerly burning spot, so as to obviate any quick rekindling of the flames.

(I expect that the huge upward flow of air, along with the removal of good chunks of fuel, will create enough of a vacuum and fuel loss to extinguish the flames. If you, Steven, rule that instead the flames are exacerbated, then Murphy will direct the air elemental to leave off the flames and go for the archers right away, and create water, 8 gallons at a time, to dampen the fires.)

*['Touch and lift away the fires, then attack those arrow-throwers'] - translation from Auran.

Murphy HP 32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Friday October 10th, 2014 6:36:09 PM

Oops - sorry, Steven - my post was interrupted by phone calls & related work before I could submit it, and I didn't see your coordinate change until after I hit the submit button. So the whirlwind goes after S17, X16, and AB17, in that order. And thanks!

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 43/43 AC: 18/14/15 
Saturday October 11th, 2014 12:16:28 AM
OOC: Question... in the map I see a Bandit moving to S18, would Hazel, with a Lance (reach weapon) get an Attack of Opportunity on him?

[DM StevenVdB] - "Ok, so NOT the boy with the apple"  d6+4=5 d20=12 d20=1 d20+11=17 d20+11=14 d6+2=6 d20+7=8 d20+9=21 d20+9=26 d20+9=17 d20+10=11 d20+10=26 d6+1=6 d20+10=12 d100=30
Saturday October 11th, 2014 3:26:28 PM
OoC : Ok I recreated the map without the image overlay which was causing me all the trouble. I'm hoping I'll now be able to update it correctly and without getting the map coords all wrong.
Also, added the locations of the Caltrops which some enemies will have stepped on - give and take some assumptions though...
Added a second level to show where everyone is on the roof of the barn and where some are inside of the barn.

---------------------------------------------

Hazel can take an AoO vs R2 indeed.

Hazel and Faoil reposition themselves to fight Barn Raider 1. (I'm assuming even Faoil knows where the Caltrops are?!)
Faoil failes to bite the Barn Raider but his master is more succesful! With a feroscious stab of his lance he punctures the Raider's armor delivering a deadly wound... (confirmed crit)

Alleah moves outside and casts a spell that quickly extinguishes one of the burning patches!

Our clever druid Murphy decides to dance with a twister! He commands his Air Elemental to form a Whirlwind... next, Murphy deliberately fails two reflex saves and allows him to be picked up by the Whirlwind... however he does get hurt by the twister! Murphy takes 5HP Damage.
However the twister can fly perfectly and while being pummeled around by the high speed winds Murphy guides it and at the end of the Whirlwinds movement Murphy commands it to throw him out onto the roof...
(I'm awarding Murphy 250Xp extra for this crazy idea which is on the border of the acceptable use of spells yet... not impossible - nice :-) )

Shel hops of the cart and moves towards the East exit and yells to the other for information. What's happening?!? The East doors are still closed so unless someone tells Shel about the Entangle area out East this could get funny...

Bliss and Mookie debate how they will put out the fire... Mookie would be most daring to try something if it wasn't for that Whirlwind that just passed them by extinguising all remaining fires on the roof!! With that danger gone, Bliss shoots again but his bold goes wide...

OOC - Ok I think everyone is now where they intended to be. The fires are out. R1 and R3 are standing in Caltrop areas.

---------------------------------------------

R1 - caltrops hitting AC12
R3 - caltrops hitting AC1 - Natural 1

Neither R1 nor R3 are hit by the Caltrops.

R1 makes a 5ft step to fank Faoil with his companion R2 who also makes a move closer to Faoil...

R1 hits AC17+2 = AC19 - damage 6HP
R2 hits AC14+2 = AC16

R3 sees the attack and intends to move out of the entangle area but fails his reflex save this round. He remains in place and slashes at the vines instead...
Muprhy has landed on the side of the roof that is tilted away from the attackers on the ground so he gains 50% concealment vs the Fire Starters. Neither of them can see Bliss but they do see the Elemental and Mookie...

F1 aims the Elemental - hitting AC11 - nat 1
F2 aims at Mookie - hitting AC26 - damage 6HP (luckily they are out of flaming bolds)
F3 aims at Murphy - hitting AC12 - failed concealment as well...

---------------------------------------------

R1 - AC21 - 12 damage
R2 - AC21 - 0 damage
R3 - AC21 - 0 damage
F1 - AC?? - 0 damage
F2 - AC?? - 0 damage
F3 - AC?? - 0 damage


Murphy HP 32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d20+6=23 ; d4+1=3 ; d20+6=17 ;
Saturday October 11th, 2014 7:57:37 PM

As the elemental reverts to its normal form, Murphy quickly says, "Hyvin tehty. Voimme pelata uusi peli? Poista jouset pois käsistä jousimiehet."*

He casts an entangle spell centered at the intersection of the lines between X&Y, and 26&27.

"Raiders, perhaps thieves - You Shall Not Unlawfully Take That Which Does Not Belong To You - whether Lives or Goods or Property," Murphy projects the words forcefully. "Leave off your attack, for you shall not win. Spare your own lives by quitting this folly, and lay down your arms."

Playful air elemental trajectory
The elemental decides this proposed game should first be played against the annoying creature that launched a pointy wooden stick that hurt him. Launching over the head of Bliss, the elemental flies in a parabolic curve upward, then back down toward F1. The elemental hits AC23 for 3 hp damage - though it hits mainly the arm/wrist area, trying to knock loose the springy weapon. The elemental makes a successful Reflex save (17) against the entanglement, and flies back into the air in the direction of F2.
[F1 needs to make a Reflex save, or he is entangled, may not move, has a -2 on attack rolls, a -4 penalty to dexterity, if Murphy's entanglement spell goes off before the elemental strikes him]

Map showing area of entanglement - note green dot shows center of 40' radius spell, black circle shows circumference (& sorry about it bleeding into the roof area - disregard that).

*[Very well done. Can we play a new game? Remove the bows out of the hands of the archers.] - translation from Auran


DM Steven: Kim, I'm trying to get a few things clear here prior to next DM post tomorrow:

- Is your Elemental trying to Disarm F1?
You can attempt to disarm your opponent in place of a melee attack. If you do not have the Improved Disarm feat, or a similar ability, attempting to disarm a foe provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver.
Disarming is a Combat Maneuvre instead of a standard attack as such you will not do standard damage and you should roll CMB at +2 instead of a standard attack at +6. This means your CMB would be 19. Let me know if you want to do regular damage or want to disarm. Also, as the Elemental has no Improved Disarm Feat this maneuvre will provoke an AoO from F1.

- Secondly, the Elemental indeed has a Flyby attack. So it can move attack and fly away after the attack. It does not however free the elemental from an AoO - should F1 have Combat Reflexes ofcourse which would allow multiple AoO's...

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 37/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16  d20+7=18 ; d20+3=10 ; d20+10=16 ;
Saturday October 11th, 2014 9:58:02 PM
Hazel Attack of Opportunity against R2.
Attack Roll: 18 (Miss)
"Faoil, position! To the jewels!"
Faoil uses his Aid trick, knowing that his goal is to flank and distract the enemy so Hazel can do his "magic" on him. The dog takes a 5' step to Q21 so he flanks with Hazel and gets away from R2, and then moves to attack the raider groin, not to bite but to distract him from the real threat, Hazel's axe.
Faoil Aid Another attack: 10 (It works, Hazel gets a +2 to attack from Faoil's Aid another)
Hazel will drop the Lance (free action) and Charge while drawing his Greataxe, giving his everything in the strike.
"Get away from my dog."
Hazel Greataxe Attack (+2 Charge, +2 Faoil Aid Another, -1 Power Attack): 16 (Miss, damn it!)


DM Steven: Come to think of it. Hazel would not have had an AoO vs R2. R2 did enter a threathened square but you only get an AoO when LEAVING a threathened square. So if R2 would have stepped within 5ft ranger from Hazel he would indeed have been given an AoO. No big deal, the AoO failed anyhow... But just to put things correct...

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d100=67 ; d20+4=16 ;
Sunday October 12th, 2014 8:02:53 AM
Alleah creeps further from the barn, surprised that the fires are all out. "That elemental sure was handy!"

"Want me to cast a fireball on any that continue to attack us?" Alleah calls out, lying through her teeth (Bluff: 16)

With a better view of what is going on, she does her best to try and prevent any more bloodshed. Well, after a little more is shed anyway.

Move to N16
DELAY casting Calm Emotions until everyone in the party has acted. Cast it at T22, which encompasses F1, F2, R1, R2, and Faoil in the area. Leyline check: 67=Pass. All must make a DC17 Will Save or be calmed

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Sunday October 12th, 2014 6:05:32 PM
Shel double moves to N 19, preparing to bring down fiery spells on the perpetrators next round.

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP5of11) (Cayzle)  d20+12=21 ; d6+2=7 ; d20+19=22 ;
Monday October 13th, 2014 9:02:26 AM

"OUCH!" caws Mooke! "I haven't been hurt this bad since that demi-lich killed me! I didn't sign up for this!"

The raven ducks down into the rafters for total cover, or the best he can get!

Bliss says, "Mookie! Are you okay?"

Mookie answers, "Kid, I will be if I don't get hit again!"

Bliss frowns, pops up, shoots at R3, and pops back down under his cover. He picks R3 because R3 is not in combat, and it is harder to shoot accurately into combat.

Bliss's luck turns, and he hits AC21 for 7 damage.

His stealth while sniping (at -5) is 22.

(currently fired three bolts of this clip)

[DM StevenVdB] - "Ok, so NOT the boy with the apple"  d20+9=25 ; d20+9=19 ; d20+9=29 ; d20+7=26 ; d20+1=6 ; d20+1=18 ; d20+2=15 ; d20+2=6 ; d20+10=28 ; d6=1 ; d20+10=12 ; d6=4 ;
Monday October 13th, 2014 4:45:49 PM
(Has anyone heard from Fatine / MattC?)

Muprhy casts an Entangle spell to trap all archers... then he guides his Small Air Elemental to make a Fly By attack on F1 moving further in the direction of F2. (3 rounds - 1 more round I think?)

Hazel has Faoil make an fake attack in order to have him free from R2 and gain flanking bonus himself against R1. He charges drawing his axe yet fails to connect again...

Alleah hopes to Calm everyone to stop more bloodshed...
F1, F2, R1, R2, and Faoil and the Elemental all need to make the DC17 Will Save or be Calmed (meaning you can not make any hostile or destructive actions next round - unless you get hurt by any of the Barn attackers)

Shel repositions hoping to get into the action soon.

Mookie ducks after having been shot severly. Bliss is worried but the old Raven won't be so quickly defeated. Angered Bliss hops up, shoots and ducks away in hiding again. R3 is hit by Bah...

Fatine observes the action from within the barn...

------------------------------------------------
F1 Reflex save vs Entangle: 25 - succes
F2 Reflex save vs Entangle: 19 - succes
F3 Reflex save vs Entangle: 29 - succes
R3 Reflex save vs Entangle: 26 - succes
F1 Will save vs Calm Emotions: 6 - failed
F2 Will save vs Calm Emotions: 18 - succes
R1 Will save vs Calm Emotions: 15 - failed
R2 Will save vs Calm Emotions: 6 - failed

F1, R1 and R2 have no intention to hurt anyone and just try to get out of the vines. However they don't run away as they still have a task to fullfill...

F2 isn't affected by Alleah's spell and succesfully moves in the vines. Not reaching the end of the vines he fires at the Elemental that is stalking him... HITS AC28 for 1 HP... ARGH...

R3 gets out of the first patch of vines and follows along the side of the barn.
F3 also avoids the vines and tries to get out of them as well. Not seeing Bliss nor Mookie on the roof he aims for the nearest target... being the elemental. Hitting AC12 - damage 4HP

the map

---------------------------------------------

R1 - AC21 - 12 damage - CALMED 4 rounds
R2 - AC21 - 0 damage - CALMED 4 rounds
R3 - AC21 - 0 damage
F1 - AC20 - 3 damage - CALMED 4 rounds
F2 - AC20 - 0 damage
F3 - AC20 - 7 damage

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11  d20+6=25 ; 4d6=13 ;
Monday October 13th, 2014 5:09:32 PM
Shel moves forward to N 21, and takes a shot at F 2 with her Scorching Ray spell. "Get out of here and we'll let you go. Keep fighting and we'll have to hurt all of you!"

OOC: Ranged Touch Attack hits AC 25 for 13 points of fire damage. First 2nd level spell used today.



Fatine AC 17/14/15, HP 23/23 (Matt C)  4d4=8 ;
Monday October 13th, 2014 5:44:51 PM
Fatine steps a bit closer to R3 and raises her arms, pointing her hands palms-out toward the enemy. Fire erupts from her hands and she cackles with glee.

cast burning hands, damage 8, reflex save 15 for half damage

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d100=51 ;
Monday October 13th, 2014 11:02:45 PM
OOC to DM: In the previous round Alleah moved to N16. Also, the calming effect only lasts for 3 rounds, not 4 I'm afraid

Alleah calls out to the calmed opponents "You can lower your weapons, if you wish. We will not attack you"

Alleah spies a few targets who look to have eluded her. For now anyway.

"You boys have had a very hard day. Why don't you try relaxing for a minute?" (Cast Calm Emotions again at Z20 to affect R3 and F3. Leyline check: 51 = Pass. R3 and F3 to make a Will save vs DC17 or be calmed)

-------------------
Spells available:

Cleric
0 : Unlimited
1 : 3

Blood Witch
0 : Unlimited
1 : 3-2=1
2 : 2

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 37/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16  d20+1=12 ; d20+9=20 ;
Monday October 13th, 2014 11:07:32 PM
Faoil Will Save: 12
Faoil looses all will to fight and drops in his place, licking his wounds.
Hazels sees some magic has stopped many of the enemies, and looks for one that is still fighting. He sees R3 skulking about and charges against him (hope he reaches, I couldn't find the updated map).
Hazel Charging Power Attack Greataxe Roll: 19 (It was really a +8)
He misses yet again...

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 37/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Monday October 13th, 2014 11:08:31 PM
If able, Hazel will delay to see if R3 is calmed, in that case he will look (and miss) another target :P

Murphy HP 32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d20+6=24 ; d20+6=15 ; d20+6=19 ; d4+1=3 ; d4+1=3 ; d4+1=4 ; 3d6=14 ; 4d6=13 ; 4d6=16 ; d6=6 ; d6=2 ; d6=5 ; d20+13=21 ; d20+13=26 ; d20+13=24 ;
Tuesday October 14th, 2014 5:29:45 AM
[Air elemental saved vs Calm in Private to DM roll early this morning: Rolled 1d20=17 - made it by a whisker]

With authority Murphy commands, "Pyörivän tuuli häntä kiinni ja saalis toinen, sitten pudottaa korkealta!"* and points to F2 and F3, then to a point about 40 feet above the ground, roughly over Y24.

The elemental again begins to spin, forms another funnel of air, descends upon F2 (who must make a Reflex save DC 12 or suffer 3 hp damage as though from a slam attack; and a second Reflex save DC12 or be sucked up into the vortex, to be carried where the wind wills), then (saving vs entangle 24) flies over to F3 (same exercise as for F2, w/ 3 hp damage if 1st save failed; elemental saved vs entangle 15 - and ignore 3rd d20+6=19 - fat-fingered that). If it has at least one of the two attackers captured, the elemental ascends to about 40 feet in the air, and releases its captives. If neither F2 nor F3 were taken up, the elemental goes after R3 (who must make appropriate saves w/ 4 hp damage if 1st save failed), rises into the air and drops R3 from 30 feet altitude onto Y20. If they fall, damage is: F2: 13; F3: 16; R3: 14. Nonlethal portion of that damage is F2: 6; F3: 2; R3: 5 [Sorry, but the elemental has no notion of avoiding apparently calmed people.]

Once he sees the elemental beginning its new work, Murphy takes a moment to look around. He turns and glances to the west, north and east, in case others besides the six who have come may be trying to sneak in. [Perception to the west: 21; to the north: 26; to the east: 24] As he looks he walks over to AB13. If no one was spotted in the areas behind the present activity, he returns his attention to the south.

*["Whirl, wind, and catch him and catch him also, then drop from on high!"] - translation from Auran

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Tuesday October 14th, 2014 7:05:09 AM
OOC: Sorry Faoil/Hazel for the calm! :)

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 37/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Tuesday October 14th, 2014 9:53:19 AM
No problem, worked great, as Faoil was hurt...

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP5of11) (Cayzle)  d20+13=33 ; d20+12=17 ; d20+19=36 ;
Tuesday October 14th, 2014 1:59:03 PM

Bliss watches carefully (Perception 33).

He looks for a target using this prioritization: NOT Calmed. Not engaged in battle. Hopefully he can find someone ... maybe F2?

He pops up and fires a bolt at his target, hitting AC17, a miss.

Then he ducks down back under cover. Stealth 36.

OOC: Die roller has not been kind to me! I've rolled a 2, a 3, a 9, and a 5! Oh well :-) That's four bolts shot of the current clip.

[DM StevenVdB] - "Ok, so NOT the boy with the apple"  d20+2=10 d20+1=18 d20+9=23 d20+9=16 d20+9=18 d20+9=26 d20+7=17 d20+7=16 d20+9=29 d20+10=21 d6+1=5 d20+10=12 d6+1=6 d20+9=19 d20+10=24 d6+1=5
Tuesday October 14th, 2014 4:22:16 PM
Shel repositions herself and fires a painly ray at F2. It seriously sizzles his skinn making the lad howl in pain...

Fatine intends to cast Burning Hands vs R3 but while Fatine is still inside the barn, R3 is outside. Also, she can not see R3 through the windows (per visible area's earlier)...

Alleah (starting at N16 indeed) hopes to calm all the Barn attackers and casts her disrupting spell once again...

R3 Will save vs Calm Emotion 10 - FAILED
F3 Will save vs Calm Emotion 18 - SUCCES

Faoil too is enthralled by the Witches Calming Spell and feels no need anymore to fight the Barn Attackers... instead he drops to the ground and licks his wounds...

Hazel sees many of the enemies have stopped fighting through the disruptive Witchcraft but notices R3 skuling about... he charges forward with his Greataxe but then that Witch again tries to calm emotions! Hazel too please make a DC17 or be calmed. (I will hold the charge or otherwise you would possibly waken R3 from the spell)

Murphy's Elemental has just one more round in this plane before it returns from where it came from and our Druid intends to make good use of the Elemental's strength...

The Elemtal makes a Whirlwind over F2 (F2 reflex save vs Whirlwind DC12 : 23 - succes - no damage) and tries to pick up the Fire Starter (F2 second reflex save vs DC12 : 16 - succes - not picked up). Then the Elemental goes after F3... (Reflex saves F3: 18 and 26 - no luck ;-) ) and tries to end with R3 (reflex saves R3: 17 and 16 - no luck!)

And with no one captured inside it's vortex, the Elemental winks out of existance...

Bliss notices the Elemental has woken F2, F3 and R3 again from their calmed status. So he fires at F2 but misses... Mookie remains hidden.

----------------------------------

F1 dislikes the spell casters... He repositions and fires at Shell. Hitting AC21 - damage 5HP

(F2 reflex vs Entangle: 29 - succes - he breaks free)

F2 was hit by Shel... she as well aims for his attacker and hits AC12 - damage 6

(F3 reflex save vs Entangle: 19 - succes)
He moves out of the Vines and then aims for Hazel hitting AC24 - damage 5HP

None of the Barn Raiders feel compelled to attack... instead they move forward towards the entrance of the barn... the doors are wide open... no one is keeping them from entering the barn...

They have no intention to KILL nor to DESTROY... perhaps to steal?!?

R3 remains in place... calm yet with no clear path of escape available.

---------------------------------------------

R1 - AC21 - 12 damage - CALMED 2 rounds
R2 - AC21 - 0 damage - CALMED 2 rounds
R3 - AC21 - 0 damage - CALMED 3 rounds
F1 - AC20 - 3 damage
F2 - AC20 - 13 damage
F3 - AC20 - 7 damage

Fatine AC 17/14/15, HP 23/23 (Matt C) 
Tuesday October 14th, 2014 6:49:51 PM
(sorry, didn't quite understand positioning)

Fatine moves as fast as she can to get close to the enemy, at which point (if she still has actions left), casts her Burning Hands. If she can't get close enough to cast, she keeps moving until she is for next round.

Murphy HP 32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d20+1=6 ; d20+13=32 ;
Tuesday October 14th, 2014 10:55:40 PM

[Murphy ended his turn at AB13, not at V13.]

Murphy didn't see anyone coming from the west, north or east - he decides to descent to the ground and go back into the barn. He is rather bothered that they do not seem to have reduced the number of active opponents, but he has lost sight of three of them, so decides it is time to see what is happening in the barn.

The halfling runs down the roof, jumps down 5 feet from the corner from AC17 to AD17, and continues his run, this segment northward to the barn doors. He opens the door at AD14, and enters, shutting the door behind him, and finishing his run at AB15. "WHO ARE YOU TRESPASSERS? LEAVE IMMeDIATELY!"

However, he is not too intimidating, as his voice seemed to squeak on the word 'immediately.' [Intimidate: 6] He wonders why things that seem so easy for some of his elder siblings, and his father, come so hard to him.

His perception, however, is still pretty good, as he looks to see what is going on in the barn -seeing what he can see, hearing what he can hear. [Perception: 32]

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Kim for Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11  d20+6=12 ; 4d6=10 ;
Wednesday October 15th, 2014 7:13:26 AM
Shel again attacks F2, trying to take one of the baddies out of the fight quickly. She blasts another flaming Ray at the halfling (ranged touch attack AC 12, damage 10). She then moves 20' north toward Alleah, trying to stay away from melee.

[Gerald has problems posting from his smartphone, asked me to post what's above -Kim]

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d100=4 ;
Wednesday October 15th, 2014 8:23:14 AM
These people just have to stop. Alleah huffs and walks towards the door of the barn. She was going to Lesser Geas the pants off these guys. Not literally of course.

Wardd though has other plans for the witch, and sees fit to move the leyline just outside her reach.

(Cast Lesser Geas on one of the raiders in the barn. Leyline check: 4. Fail! Lose the spell)

-------------------
Spells available:

Cleric
0 : Unlimited
1 : 3

Blood Witch
0 : Unlimited
1 : 3-2=1
2 : 2-1=1

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11  d20+6=9 ;
Wednesday October 15th, 2014 10:24:11 AM
OOC: thanks again for posting for me, Kim! When I can post from my office on the regular computer everything is fine. But posting with an Ipad or Iphone is a nightmare most of the time. Last night, my post just wouldn't stick for the life of me!

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 37/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16  d20+4=12 ; d20+2=3 ;
Wednesday October 15th, 2014 11:37:39 AM
Hazel Will save: 12
Hazel feels at ease. Why to fight? Fighting is bad, hurts people.
Faoil is hurt!
He quickly goes back towards Faoil and starts to bandage him.
Heal check: 3 (considering -4 as he don't have a Heal Kit - natural 1 anyway)
"Easy boy! You will be ok..."
He tries to use the blanket to bandage his dog, a tear in his eye.

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP5of11) (Cayzle)  d20+12=26 ; d6+2=5 ; d20+19=24 ;
Wednesday October 15th, 2014 12:57:09 PM

Bliss pops up and shoots at F1 or F2, whichever is not engaged in melee and is the more wounded, if Bliss can tell.

He hits AC26 for 5 damage!

Then he snipes down and hides. Stealth 24.

That's the last bolt in that clip!

[DM StevenVdB] - "These people just have to stop!"  d20+9=19 d20+9=25 d20+10=22 d20+10=19 d6+1=3 d6+1=6 d20+9=17 d20+9=12 d20+11=22 d6+2=3 d20+11=23 d20+11=28 d6+2=8 d6+2=3
Wednesday October 15th, 2014 4:00:13 PM
Fatine notices the two Barn Raiders entering the barn. He goes closer but just fails to get close enough to cast his Burning Hands spell (range 15ft)...

Murphy, indeed starting at AB13, can't see anyone else approaching the barn so he decides it's time to check what goes on in the barn yet doing so he jumps into the Entangle area... Murphy please make a Reflex save vs DC13 to avoid the grappling vines in order to make it as far as the doors. (Those doors are still closed so you won't get inside...)

Shel again attacks F2 with another flaming ray but he fails to hit hte Fire Starter.

Alleah's fed up with these guys and walks towards the barn doors with the intention to cast another spell upon their behinds... yet this time Wardd is not with her.

With the Calming effect washing over Hazel and Faoil the ranger is no longer interested in fighting anyone. Instead he cares for his wounded companion... (effect lasts 3 rounds - Faoil has 2 left)

Popping up again from the roof Bliss fires at F2 and hits! (I took the nearest enemy as target)

-----------------------------------------

F1 only sees harm in Shel, only this time F2 has noticed the Tiny Witch upon the roof! He growls something at his companion and together they move further North in chase of Shel...

F1 hits SHEL AC22 - damage 3HP
F2 hits SHEL AC19 - damage 6HP
(SHell please update your header!!)

F3 can't see Bliss either and faces nothing but vines around him... in a daring move he tries to dart through them towards the barn (reflex save 12 vs DC13 - failure) but he get's stuck in them...

R3 feels at peace and he as well walks towards the Barn doors...

With Alleah casting a spell vs R1 and R2 they both wake up from their peaceful compulsion... now they see Alleah behind them and Fatine in front... Alleah is closest...

They turn around and attack Alleah!

R1 hits ALLEAH AC23 - damage 8HP
R2 hits ALLEAH AC28 - damage 3HP

----------------------------------

the map

---------------------------------------------

R1 - AC21 - 12 damage
R2 - AC21 - 0 damage
R3 - AC21 - 0 damage - CALMED 2 rounds
F1 - AC20 - TOUCH AC 14 - 3 damage
F2 - AC20 - TOUCH AC 14 - 18 damage
F3 - AC20 - TOUCH AC 14 - 7 damage

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11 
Wednesday October 15th, 2014 4:44:54 PM
OOC: Sorry, DM, I can only update my header on the days I'm in the office, much like rolling dice, lol. I'm here today, so I got it updated.

"How's about some help over here?! We are getting swarmed!" Shel looks around and sees the numbers against her, freaking out just a bit. She moves up to 0 15, and casts a spell catching both R2 and R3 in the radius.

OOC: Cast Color Spray. Dc 15 Will save to avoid. I think I can get both those baddies in the cone while missing Alleah entirely.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP12/26; AC 14/14/11 
Wednesday October 15th, 2014 4:45:32 PM
OOC: Attempting to edit my header.

Fatine AC 17/14/15, HP 23/23 (Matt C) 
Wednesday October 15th, 2014 5:56:05 PM
Fatine finishes her move toward the two raiders and raises her hands, letting orange and red flames shoot forth, cackling with glee as the target is roasted.

can i use the rolls I had before? damage 8, reflex 15 for half

Fatine AC 17/14/15, HP 23/23 (Matt C) 
Wednesday October 15th, 2014 5:56:07 PM
Fatine finishes her move toward the two raiders and raises her hands, letting orange and red flames shoot forth, cackling with glee as the target is roasted.

can i use the rolls I had before? damage 8, reflex 15 for half

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP5of11) (Cayzle) 
Wednesday October 15th, 2014 5:59:19 PM

Bliss ponders casting some spell, but what one? No one is giving him orders. He'll stick to what he does best ... keeping low and reloading his bah!

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 15/26  d20+10=18 ;
Thursday October 16th, 2014 6:06:38 AM
Any bravado Alleah had is quickly taken away by the attacks of the two men. "Bliss! Help!" Alleah makes a run for it

(Withdraw to P13 first - to avoid AoO - then continue withdrawing around behind the building ending at X9)

Perception: 18 - Are there any attackers on the north side of the barn? Just wondering...


Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 37/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16  d20+2=22 ;
Thursday October 16th, 2014 1:16:56 PM
Hazel Heal Check DC 20: 22 (Natural 20! Woohoo!)
Uh Oh... Treating deadly wounds takes 1 hour of work. Guess it wont help at all... Can we say it helped somehow?
Hazel keeps trying to help Faoil and his wounds.
"Much better boy! Go with Alouryn, she will take care of you."
Hazel asks Faoil to go, and the dog complies.
"Hey, you! Leave my friends alone!"


Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP5of11) (Cayzle) 
Thursday October 16th, 2014 4:06:17 PM

Bliss calls out, "No worries, Miss Alleah! I'll be there in a flash!"

"And Mookie too!"

The raven jumps. "Wait, what? Me with all my blood on the outside?"

Murphy HP 32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d20+9=27 ; d20+2=5 ;
Thursday October 16th, 2014 4:37:08 PM

[Last round: Murphy had jumped down to AD17 (not AC18). Murphy easily saved vs entanglement and made it to the barn doors. There are no plants growing in the pathway, as entanglement requires some vegetation to allow for growth - and there is a hard, presumably dirt, pathway leading to the barn doors. As we had not declared we had locked the doors, Murphy does whatever is necessary to open at least one of the doors (lifting the latch, pulling the rope, turning the knob, sliding the door?) wide enough to slip through.

This round: Murphy hears sounds of combat at the far end of the barn. He dashes forward and barely manages to climb (Climb DC5: rolled 5) up onto W3, at Y14, taking advantage of the ropes that wrap the canvas over the wagons as handholds for the short ascent. Having already rolled for Perception once inside the barn (d20+13=32), the druid scopes out the situation inside, and prepares for next round.

Murphy HP 27/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Thursday October 16th, 2014 4:38:52 PM

Note to Fatine:
Remember that Murphy lent you his wand of cure light wounds (50 charges) and gave you the command word shortly after we arrived in the barn.

Fatine AC 17/14/15, HP 23/23 (Matt C) 
Thursday October 16th, 2014 6:00:03 PM
Thanks Kim! I didn't realize that, must have been when Cayzle was posting for me, and I didn't see it when I reviewed. Fatine has something more useful to do now!

[DM StevenVdB] - "These people just have to stop!"  d20+2=14 ; d20+2=17 ; d20+7=16 ; d20+7=23 ; d20+10=20 ; d20+10=11 ; d6+1=5 ; d20+9=26 ; d20+10=14 ; d20+13=17 ; d20+13=14 ; d6+2=8 ; 2d6=5 ;
Friday October 17th, 2014 4:27:03 AM
Shel is getting swarmed and his worried that things aren't looking too good right now. She repositions and casts color spray on R2 and R3...

R2 will save vs Color Spray: 14 -- failure -- stunned for 1 round

R3 will save vs Color Spray: 17 -- success

Fatine closes in on the 2 Raiders that are engaging Alleah. The Witch cackles with glee as the fire roasts the Barn Raiders 1 and 2.

R1 Reflex save vs Burning Hands: 16 - Success

R2 Reflex save vs Burning Hands: 23 -- success

Without anyone giving him orders, Bliss is left in the blind and he wonders which spell to cast. Unsure what to do he reloads his Bah.

When she suddenly is attacked by 2 Barn Raiders Alleah's bravado is quickly take away! She Withdraws to P13 and then runs to the North side of the barn.

Hazel manages to stop the bleeding from Faoil's wounds. The dog is thankful and licks his master's hand and wounds. Then Hazel asks Faoil to go to Alouryn... the dog complies leaving Hazel alone. Hazel then nicely asks the Barn Attackers to leave his friends alone... anyone thinks they will comply?!

Murphy dashes forward in the barn as he hears a fight on the other side of the wagons. He barely manages to climb onto the wagon and observes the scene on the other side... what happens is pretty obvious... He sees Alleah turn tail and run... Fatine casting Burning Hands but failing to hurt anyone. He does notice that some spell came over R2 as a little bit of drool dangles of the Barn Raider's mouth.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

F1 and F2 still only see Shel to be the most threatening. Despite Hazel's nice request to leave his friends alone they do not seem to be impressed by his request...

F1 Hits SHEL AC20 -- 5HP

F2 Hits SHEL AC11 -- Natural 1

F3 once again tries to get through the vines (Reflex save 26 -- Success) and darts forward towards the window of the barn... He sees Murphy climbing onto the wagon and takes aim for him...

F3 Hits MURPHY AC14 -- no hit

R2 is out cold for 1 round.

R1 and R3 want to get inside and only see Fatine standing in their way towards the wagons. R3 is still calm for 1 more round so doesn't see any reason to hurt the Witch but his companion shows him where to stand... thus they are flanking Fatine.

R1 Hits FATINE AC17 -- Damage 8 + 5HP Sneak Attack

Seeing his Rapier slice open Fatine's side the Barn Raider madly laughs...

"RUN YOU FOOLS... THIS AIN'T YOUR FIGHT!! THE CARGO IS OURS!!"

----------------------------------

the map

---------------------------------------------

R1 - AC21 - 12 damage
R2 - AC21 - 0 damage -- STUNNED 1 round
R3 - AC21 - 0 damage - CALMED 1 round

F1 - AC20 - TOUCH AC 14 - 3 damage
F2 - AC20 - TOUCH AC 14 - 18 damage
F3 - AC20 - TOUCH AC 14 - 7 damage
---------------------------------------------

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP5of11) (Cayzle)  d20+12=27 ; d6+2=8 ; d20+19=22 ;
Friday October 17th, 2014 5:00:53 AM

Reloaded, Bliss looks for Alleah, but she seems to have run away!

"Funny, I never thought we were very organized in the Fist, but compared with this?" Bliss says to Mookie, "This is just crazy-town!"

"You're telling me, Kid!" says Mookie, still hiding flat among the rafters. "But are you just watching, or doing something?"

"Well, that one over there looks like a good target," he says.

Bliss shoots down from the rafters at Stunned R2. Considering "stunned" means "no dex bonus and an extra -2 to AC," Blis hits AC27 for 8 damage to R2.

Then he ducks back down among the rafters. Stealth 22.

(Shot 1 of a new clip)

Murphy HP 27/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Friday October 17th, 2014 5:48:15 AM

"All inside, to the wagons!" shouts Murphy, knowing his friends are scattered here and there by now.

[Actions post later today]

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 15/26  d100=82 ;
Friday October 17th, 2014 7:25:12 AM
"Run you fools? Seriously, who says that!" Alleah's courage returns and she cautiously makes her way back towards the battle. (Move to O11)

"You there, stop fighting, sit down on the ground and prepare to honestly answer every question I have for you" (Stop concentrating on the Calm Emotions spell from earlier. Cast Lesser Geas on R2. Leyline check=82. Free spell! R2 to make a Will Save vs DC18 or obey Alleah's instructions)

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP7/26; AC 14/14/11  d20+6=21 ; 4d6=14 ;
Friday October 17th, 2014 8:59:55 AM
Shel was beginning to hate teh little halfling that kept attacking her. "F1, leave me alone!," she yells as she fires a bolt of flames directly at him. She then moves 20' north, trying to get away.

Ranged Touch Attack for Scorching Ray equals 21. Damage equals 14.



Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 37/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Friday October 17th, 2014 2:34:23 PM
When Fantine stops concentrating in her spell Hazel get back his (aggressive) senses!
"What the hell! Hey, I am back! Get away from my friends!"
He picks up his axe, and moves towards F2, smiling fiercely.
Don't say I didn't warn you!""

[DM StevenVdB] - "These people just have to stop!" 
Friday October 17th, 2014 4:21:50 PM
Due to posting instead of last night I'll wait a bit longer for Fatine to post. I'll make Friday's post on Saturday.

Fatine AC 19 (17/14/15), HP 10(15)/23 (Matt C) 
Friday October 17th, 2014 5:14:13 PM
Note to DM, the burning hands reflex save is only for half damage. You noted that Fatine failed to hurt anyone, but she dealt 4 damage (half of roll) to each of the two enemies

DM Steven : Argh yes you're correct here! I'll adjust HP's

Second note: I don't think Fatine is flanked. The enemies are not directly on both sides. I believe to be flanked R1 would need to be in space U15, not 14

DM Steven: Nope they did get flanking bonus. In order to determine if you're flanked or not you make an imaginary line from the center of both attackers. If this line crosses two lines of the square you're standing in you're flanked. Even if it would be but a corner of the square it will be sufficient.


Fatine gasps at the sudden pain in her side. She takes a step to space U16 and casts Beast Shape on herself. She immediately transforms into a raven and flies above the enemies as toward Shel.

DM, I can't quite tell the best way to get to Shel, but Fatine flies the most direct way possible, trying to stay above and out of reach of the enemies. Fly speed is 30ft.

AC increases to 19[/b]



Murphy HP 27/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d20+6=19 ; d20+6=22 ; d20+13=31 ; d20+3=17 ;
Saturday October 18th, 2014 4:58:00 AM
Murphy walks over to the other edge of the wagons, and tosses down a tanglefoot bag (ranged touch attack 19) on the bellowing rogue who just attacked Fatine. "Just what is it that you find so enticing about poultry, dead meat and cloth?" As there is a clay pitcher on the edge, he nudges that over with his foot to land upon the rogue's head, hopefully knocking him out (hit AC 22) (if such action be allowed - earlier posts establish Murphy had placed clay pitchers at several places along the edges of the wagons).

"Did Genokal send you?" he asks, seeing if any of the rogues respond to his query. [Perception: 31] Does Murphy recognize any of their assailants from around town, or from time he has spent in Angel Springs, or occasional visits to Hovel? [Knowledge: Local: 17]

[Regarding F3 - he is shooting through fish net. Might that not interfere somewhat with the accuracy of his shots?]


[DM StevenVdB] - " All inside, to the wagons!"  d20+1=20 d20+9=16 d20+7=15 d20+11=17 d20+11=19 d6+1=2 d6+1=3 d20+10=20 d6+1=6 d20+9=14 d20+9=12
Saturday October 18th, 2014 4:25:33 PM
Up in the rafters Bliss reloaded his Bah and looks for Alleah... looks like she ran away! In a brief chat with Mookie they discuss the ill-organized Humble's Sword compared to the Fist... The tiny witch again shoots from her hideout and aims for the stunned R2...

"All inside, to the wagons!" Murphy shouts...

With renewed courage Alleah turns around and makes her way back to the battle. Looking at R2 she casts a spell to take hold of his actions...

R2 WILL save vs Lesser Geas: 21 (should have been a +2 instead of +1 - Success (OMG!)

Shel begins to hate the Halflings that keep attacking her! "Leave me alone!" she shouts while she fires a bolt of flames at F1!

Hazel regains his wits as Alleah stops concentrating on her spell... he quickly scans the battle and hurries besides F2...

Fatine gasps at the sudden pain in her side and steps back... shapechanges into a raven and flutters up out of reach from the Barn Raiders... The Raven Witch quikcly flies towards Shel...

Murphy walks on top of the wagons to the other side to get a helicopter view on the attackes and tosses a Tanglefoot bag at R1

R1 Reflex save vs DC15: 16 - success (he's not glued to the floor - he now has -2 on attack and -4 on dex)

(Ooc... ugh... not sure what to do with the clay pitchers... I'm going to consider this to be a makeshift trap. Trapmaking required skill and time. Putting a clay pitcher and kicking it towards the target is a fairly weak trap. I'm giving R1 a Reflex save DC14 or get hit by the pitcher for 1d4 damage)

R1 (Glued) Reflex save vs DC14: 15 - success.

--------------------------------------

F1 and F2 smell blood and they see more of the Humble's Sword appearing again on this side of the barn. The continue to concentrate on Shel...

F1 hits SHEL AC16 - damage 2
F2 hits SHEL AC18 - damage 3

F3 can't see Murphy anymore and runs West towards the next window... but comes in short to fire inside. He does however notice Hazel is back on his feet! He shoots Hazel in the back!

F3 hits HAZEL AC20 - damage 6HP

R1 moves along the wagons and looks up where to climb best without having Murphy above him...

R2 and R3 are respectively no longer stunned nor calmed...

Only Murphy is inside (neither of them spots Bliss preception 14 and 12).

Both rogues turn around and shut the barn doors!! They put the wooden beam on the inside in place locking the door... leaving the Fire Starters outside...

Then they grin at Murphy... thinking he's the only one still inside... Bliss and Mookie know better!

----------------------------------

the map

---------------------------------------------

R1 - AC21 - 16 damage (-2 attack rolls / -4 DEX)
R2 - AC21 - 12 damage
R3 - AC21 - 0 damage

F1 - AC20 - TOUCH AC 14 - 17 damage
F2 - AC20 - TOUCH AC 14 - 18 damage
F3 - AC20 - TOUCH AC 14 - 7 damage
---------------------------------------------

Murphy HP 27/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Saturday October 18th, 2014 10:19:30 PM

The Map

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP5of11) (Cayzle)  d20+12=14 ; d20+12=16 ; d20+19=20 ;
Saturday October 18th, 2014 10:50:23 PM

Mookie stays pressed flat against the rafter. He does not want to show a feather!

Bliss is willing to chance it! That's what he does best!

He peeks out, fires at R1(-4 dex and already badly wounded = easy choice!) and then dodges back behind the cover of the beams.

[OOC: rolled to hit AC14 with a nat 2! UGH!]

Bliss aims, and though he does not know it, his aim is off. At the last moment, Mookie pokes him with his beak just as he pulls the trigger! [OOC: Using hero point on the reroll]. The distraction actually improves his aim, but against AC16, it is still a MISS!

Is Bliss at least half way competent at hiding again? Natural 1 for a Stealth check 20 says NO!

[Oy! The die roller hates me!]

OOC: Used this fight -- 1 full clip, 2 bolts in a second clip, 1 hero point wasted!

Mookie whispers, "Time and chance, Kid. Time and chance happeneth to them all!"

Murphy HP 27/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d2=2 ; d2=2 ; d2+13=14 ; d20+13=18 ;
Sunday October 19th, 2014 12:02:00 AM

As Murphy had saturated the area in front of the barn doors repeatedly with water before they set watches, renewing the soaking a few times during his watch (as mentioned in prior posts), he now casts soften earth and stone in a square area framed by R12 in the upper left and U15 in the lower right, pulling it back so there is about 1' of uneffected area immediately along the wall and right next to the door. Things have gotten suddenly very muddy.

[R2 & R3 need to Reflex save vs spell dc 16, or be stuck for d2=2, d2=2 rounds respectively, and unable to move, attack, or cast spells. If one makes his save, he can move through the mud at half speed, but cannot run or charge.]

"I'm sorry I cannot give you a warm welcome, but you are the intruders here. Save yourselves, and leave... at your earliest opportunity." He moves over to Y13, preparing to deal with the semi-glued R1 should he attempt to climb up on the wagons.

[Perception: 18 (d2+13 was supposed to be d20+13), so had to re-roll]

Side note on movement environment in the barn next to the wagons (which may not have been reflected in prior combat positioning): The wagons have slanting out a pair of wooden tongues, each with a pair of harnesses for the four ponies which pull them These likely go out about eight to ten feet to the left of W1, W2, & W5, and a similar distance to the right for W3, W4. So, R1 is standing next to, or would have to try to climb up on top of, the wooden tongue to the left of W5.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP2/26; AC 14/14/11 
Sunday October 19th, 2014 12:22:08 AM
OOC: Per my last post, Shel should be located 20' further to the north, right about the same square Alleah is currently located in. Shel is also down to 2 HP currently, fyi.

Shel fires off one more Scorching Ray at F1 and moves to Q9, trying to stay as far as way as possible from the bad halflings.

OOC: once again, would someone please roll a d20+6 for my ranged touch Attack and if it hits, 4d6 for damage? Thanks in advance.



Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Kim for Gerald) HP26/26; AC 14/14/11  d20+6=15 ; 4d6=15 ;
Sunday October 19th, 2014 1:33:39 AM

Ranged touch attack: 15, damage 15 for Shel's Scorching Ray

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 15/26  d100=58 ;
Sunday October 19th, 2014 5:54:54 AM
"Wardds double headed coin!" Alleah is growing frustrated at the lack of effectiveness of her spells this evening.

"You there! Stop this nonsense! Surrender, sit down and prepare to answer all of my questions honestly!" She once again tries a Lesser Geas, her last for the day.

(5ft step south to O12. Leyline check:58=Pass. Cast Lesser Geas on F1, or if he is dead, F2. Will Save vs DC18 or obey Alleah's instructions)

-------------------
Spells available:

Cleric
0 : Unlimited
1 : 3

Blood Witch
0 : Unlimited
1 : 3-2=1
2 : 2-2=0

Murphy HP 27/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Sunday October 19th, 2014 11:05:11 PM

Oopsie: I had meant to say he moved to W13, rather than Y13. Staff sling, attack of opportunity should R1 attempt to climb (or jump up) and all that. If you will allow that correction:

Murphy says, "Hi. I suppose you value your noggin' somewhat more than I value your noggin' at the moment. Get going that way," he motions with his chin toward the barn doors his companions have just blocked. He wonders how this rogue might fare against a bear.

Fatine AC 19 (17/14/15), HP 10(15)/23 (Matt C)  d8=6 ;
Monday October 20th, 2014 10:19:15 AM
Fatine flies down next to Shel, banishing her spell as she lands. "Hey dere!" she smiles at Shel. "You be bleedin' all o'er dis here pretty grass. Let's fix dat." She taps Shel with the wand of cure light wounds. The wand glows for a moment, and it could be that Shel's faces becomes a bit more flushed again.

wand of clw healed for 7

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP9/26; AC 14/14/11 
Monday October 20th, 2014 11:19:28 AM
"Thank you, Fatine! These awful people are driving me crazy! I'm not sure being first in line at the sale was worth all this..."

OOC: this is the original Black Friday! Updated HP total in this post.

[DM StevenVdB] - The tide is about to turn!  d20+7=9 d20+7=11 d20+1=4 d20+10=11 d20+10=13
Monday October 20th, 2014 4:21:20 PM
Mookie stays hidden well among the rafters... Bliss is willing to chance it! He peeks out and aims for the impared R1 but gruesomely fails! Even with the heroic help from Mookie the bolt still goes wide... To make it all worse, he bad aim has caught the attention of the Barn Raiders and they spotted Bliss automatically!

Prior to the battle Murphy indeed saturated the area in front of the doors with water. Now's a good time to try a new spell! The wet soil around R2 and R3 become thick mud...

R2 Soften earth and stone REFLEX save vs DC16: 9 - FAILURE - stuck for 2 rounds
R3 Soften earth and stone REFLEX save vs DC16: 11 - FAILURE - stuck for 2 rounds

Then Murphy prepares to give R1 also a nice welcome...

Shel, badly injures and close to Alleah, casts another scorching ray at F1... The Fire Starter is badly burned and crumples lifeless to the ground...

Sending blasphemous words towards her deity Alleah gives her Lesser Geas one more try... it's now or never!

F2 Lesser Geas WILL save vs DC18: 4 - FAILED

This time she's capabale of taking control of the Fire Starters mind!!

Flying next to Shel, Fatine brings in the healing wand!

Hazel is surprised by the dart in his back...

----------------------------------

F2 sits down and waits... prepared to answer Alleah's questions honestly... (OoC : oh I hate it when you witches take hold of my minions - ;-))

F3 sees one of his companions go down and the second just sits down?!? He moves away from the barn and once again shoots at Hazel...

F3 hits HAZEL AC11 - NAT1!!

R2 and R3 are stuck in thick mud and are unable to do anything!

R1 of course still has goo sticking to his clothes - he sees Murphy awaiting him up on the wagons and Bliss up in the rafters... He moves backwards 5ft, drops his rapier and switches to a Shortbow... Immediately he aims for Murphy!

R1 hits MURPHY AC13 - FAILURE!

Wow... bad vibe on the Barn Attackers this round!!

----------------------------------

The Map

---------------------------------------------

R1 - AC21 - 16 damage (-2 attack rolls / -4 DEX)
R2 - AC21 - 12 damage - STUCK FOR 2 ROUNDS
R3 - AC21 - 0 damage - STUCK FOR 2 ROUNDS

F1 - DEAD
F2 - AC20 - TOUCH AC 14 - 18 damage - LESSED GEAS SUCCESSFUL
F3 - AC20 - TOUCH AC 14 - 7 damage
---------------------------------------------

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP5of11) (Cayzle)  d20+12=32 ; d20+12=14 ; d6+2=6 ;
Monday October 20th, 2014 6:49:43 PM

Abandoning stealth, Bliss just fires away!

Aiming at R2: Nat 20! Follow up crits against AC14, so no crit.

Bliss's bolt hits for 6 damage to R2.

Used up: a full clip, 3 bolts from a second clip, a hero point.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP9/26; AC 14/14/11 
Monday October 20th, 2014 7:46:11 PM
Shel was getting taxed by her expenditure of magical energy. "Hazel, the tide is starting to turn...can you go take care of F3? Looks like Alleah has F2 in hand for the time being."

OOC: Shel delays until she sees how the rest of the round transpires.

Murphy HP 27/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d2=1 ; d20+13=20 ;
Tuesday October 21st, 2014 2:39:33 AM

R1 must have stepped back to U12, as at the north end of V12 is a pillar, also the close-to-the-wagon tongue. So he is now in the area of effect of the soften earth and stone spell. Reflex save DC 16 or be stuck for d2=1 round, unable to do much that is effectual. Either that, or, moving backward around and through harness gear, he may want to also add a reflex save versus tripping over said gear. Maybe the tongue or such may preclude him getting stuck - though if he stands upon it, it may slightly sink into the mud toward the left side of U12. If he fails his save, he will be unable to shoot an arrow for a round. With mud and tripping hazards, I should not be surprised were he to end up sitting on his bum, or flat on his back. That is for our DM's dice to determine, however.

Murphy calls up a wind wall to twice encircle the nasty murderous robber (R1), so that rather than two feet of thickness, the amount of wind is doubled as it winds in a spiral right up next to him, as in this illustration. The wind will buffet the upper left corner of the canvas of Wagon 2 as well a bit. Good thing it's tied down with ropes and canvas. Will that be enough? The post in V12 will also be blown on by the wind, but is likely made of sturdy stuff. The wooden tongue(s) and harness material also may be whipped about by the hearty wind - perhaps battering the rogue into submission?

Murphy steps back over to V14, and yells, "So, shall we kill you, or will you promise to open the barn doors and flee once you are unstuck? You can die in the mud for all I care, but I want at least to give you an option." He begins the first line of a slow chant in the auran tongue, his eyes focused narrowly upon the two rogues held fast.

[Perception: 20]

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 15/26 
Tuesday October 21st, 2014 2:39:44 AM
Finally Wardd smiles on Alleah. It has taken 4 spells, but she finally has managed to contribute to this combat. But ... now what?

She saw the raiders shut the barn doors, and with her strength there is no way she'd be able to open them by herself.

"The windows!" she calls out. Alleah heads back to T9 (according to the earlier map, there was a window at that position). Once there, she opens up the shutters to look inside.

(Move action to T9
Standard action I guess to open the window shutters

Note the Geas'd guy: "The geased creature must follow the given instructions until the geas is completed, no matter how long it takes. If the instructions involve some open-ended task that the recipient cannot complete through his own actions, the spell remains in effect for a maximum of 1 day per caster level." In this case, the duration is up to 3days.

-------------------
Spells available:

Cleric
0 : Unlimited
1 : 3

Blood Witch
0 : Unlimited
1 : 3-2=1
2 : 2-2=0

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP9/26; AC 14/14/11 
Tuesday October 21st, 2014 11:56:49 AM
Shel moves 20' south to O 16, and targets F 3. "You saw what I did to your friend over there, didn't you? Now, throw down your weapon, and let's talk this all civilly! If not, I'll burn you too! I have strong and powerful magic, you see! Do I need to use it or not?"

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP9/26; AC 14/14/11 
Tuesday October 21st, 2014 11:57:56 AM
OOC: will someone roll an Intimidate check for me on my last post? My modifier is +9. Thanks.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 15/26  d20+9=26 ;
Tuesday October 21st, 2014 12:35:12 PM
OOC: Rolling Intimidate check for Shel: 26

[DM StevenVdB] - The tide is about to turn!  d100=74
Tuesday October 21st, 2014 4:04:27 PM
The gloves come of! Bliss abandons stealth and fires away! Even though it's no critical hit the bolt does draw blood...

Shel calls for Hazel to take care of Fire Starter 3 while Alleah has nr 2 under her control.

(I'm rolling a 50/50 chance that R1 was clumsy enough to step right into the mud... 74 - no he didn't. Instead he stepped to U11 avoiding the mud)

Murphy once again call upon the forces of nature and calls up a wind wall to encircle the robber R1. There's just no way he can get through that curtain of roaring wind!! He can't even fire an arrow at Murphy...
The Druid then steps to the side of the wagons and threatens the stuck Barn Raiders. Both try to wriggle free out of this mess but don't answer (yet).

Pleased that Wardd finally smiles on her, Alleah tries to see how they should get back into the barn... F2 will just simply remain seated until Alleah will ask her questions... just as she commanded him to...

"The windows!"

She walks up to the Northern window (I'm assuming you'll avoid the Caltrops?) and tries to peek inside.

Shel refrains from further slaughter and intimidates F3! The Fire Starter is seriously demoralized and decides running is the better option! (he runs away South - double move - running speed)

----------------------------------

Well now...

F2 nicely waits for Alleah...
R3 and R2 are stuck for just 1 more round...
R1 is trapped in a Wind Wall...

hmmm...

Nothing else they can do!! The Humble's Sword have prefectly incapacitated the Barn Attackers!
Brilliant!!

----------------------------------

The Map

---------------------------------------------

R1 - AC21 - 16 damage (-2 attack rolls / -4 DEX) - TRAPPED IN WIND WALL
R2 - AC21 - 18 damage - STUCK FOR 1 ROUNDS
R3 - AC21 - 0 damage - STUCK FOR 1 ROUNDS

F1 - DEAD
F2 - AC20 - TOUCH AC 14 - 18 damage - LESSED GEAS SUCCESSFUL
F3 - AC20 - TOUCH AC 14 - 7 damage - RUNNING AWAY
---------------------------------------------

Fatine AC 19 (17/14/15), HP 10(15)/23 (Matt C) 
Tuesday October 21st, 2014 4:30:11 PM
OOC: did Fatine get to heal Shel?

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP5of11) (Cayzle)  d20+12=15 ;
Tuesday October 21st, 2014 4:42:09 PM
Bliss takes another shot at the same injured one: he hits AC15, a miss. That leaves only one bolt in his current clip.

"You guys better give up if you know what's good for you!" he shouts down. "Dying is not worth it!"

Murphy HP 27/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Tuesday October 21st, 2014 8:28:36 PM

Fatine - yes, once. If you use the wand again, you can heal her more - which is not a bad idea at all. Hazel and Alleah also are in need, though perhaps Shel's need is greatest at the moment.

With the wand, reroll any 1's, until you get anything 2 - 8.

ADM Kim

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Tuesday October 21st, 2014 9:07:18 PM
Sorry for my missing post! I can only say the computer ate it!
So, did we win? Sweet!
Good work!
Hazel will go to the attackers and disarm them...

Murphy HP 27/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Tuesday October 21st, 2014 9:16:17 PM

Murphy casts longstrider upon himself, increasing his base speed to 30.

"If you cast your weapons - all of them - onto the ground, tell me you surrender, and lift the barrier for the door, I will attack you no more. Until you do that, though, we shall continue our attacks. You have six seconds to decide. You can start now with the words, then with the actions."

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 15/26  d100=45 ;
Tuesday October 21st, 2014 9:41:34 PM
OOC: Assuming people survive this combat I have plenty of healing channels and spells to spread around. Feel free to save the wand if you like

Alleah calls in to the barn through the window "All of the enemy have been taken care of out here". The silence outside the barn should confirm this. "Shel, Fatine and I are ready to cast spells through the windows at any remaining foes inside the barn. They are well and truly surrounded"

Readied action: IF R3 does not drop his weapon, cast Lesser Confusion. Leyline check:45=Pass. R3 will need to make a Will Save vs DC16 or be confused for 1 round

-------------------
Spells available:

Cleric
0 : Unlimited
1 : 3

Blood Witch
0 : Unlimited
1 : 3-2=1
2 : 2-2=0

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP9/26; AC 14/14/11  d20+9=20 ;
Wednesday October 22nd, 2014 8:22:31 AM
Happy to see the outside contained, Shel tries to peek through the window and assist in any way possible inside. If she can see, she yells at any foe she can locate. "Your friends have run away out here. Your are alone, and we are pretty darn mad. If you don't surrender, you might not be allowed to leave under your own power!"

Intimidate 20.

Fatine AC 19 (17/14/15), HP 10(15)/23 (Matt C)  d8=7 ;
Wednesday October 22nd, 2014 1:30:16 PM
Fatine taps Shel once more with the wand. She seems fascinated by the glowing and twinkling, tapping the wand over and over with her finger once the glow stops again.

heal shel for an additional 8

[DM StevenVdB] - The tide is about to turn! 
Wednesday October 22nd, 2014 5:17:01 PM
Bliss takes another shot at the Barn Raiders but once more he's unable to hit anyone.

Checking where he's needed most Hazel walks up to the barn doors which are closed on the inside.

Murphy casts a spell on himself to make him faster and then advises the Raiders to lay down their weapons... Standing on top of the wagons and just prior to casting his wind wall Murphy had a good look at the man's face. It doesn't ring a bell. The other two are still quite some distance away... too far to determine if he has ever seen them before... to far especially in mid combat... (I was't ignoring this Kim...)

Looking throug the window Alleah shouts that all the others outside are dead! She prepares to cast a spell if the Raiders don't give up.

Shell too looks through the windows and tries to persuade the Raiders to give up. Once again he is intimidating enough to demoralize both Barn Raiders...

Enthralled by the healing wand Fatine continues to patch up Shel...

-----------------------------------

The barn raiders didn't quite believe Murphy nor Alleah but are intimidated by Shel...
Crawling free from the mud they drop their weapons. One of them says: "Stop stop... we didn't know anyone was in here..."

Now perhaps Murphy has a chance to recognize one of them... but they are not from Humble's Ford...

F3 is out of sight and keeps running at full speed.

----------------------------------

The Map

---------------------------------------------

R1 - AC21 - 16 damage (-2 attack rolls / -4 DEX) - TRAPPED IN WIND WALL
R2 - AC21 - 18 damage - INTIMIDATED
R3 - AC21 - 0 damage - INTIMIDATED

F1 - DEAD
F2 - AC20 - TOUCH AC 14 - 18 damage - LESSED GEAS SUCCESSFUL
F3 - AC20 - TOUCH AC 14 - 7 damage - RUNNING AWAY
---------------------------------------------


Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP5of11) (Cayzle)  d20+12=16 ;
Wednesday October 22nd, 2014 6:46:05 PM
Bliss shouts, "Okay, just stay still and we won't kill you!"

He holds his bah ready -- ready action to shoot if any enemies attack or try to run away.

Readied shot if needed: Hits AC16 a miss. LOL! This has not been Bliss's fight! Hope no one triggers that shot!

:-)

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16  d20+5=14 ;
Wednesday October 22nd, 2014 11:32:35 PM
Hazel quickly moves to disarm and get the bandits together.
"Time to start talking, boys! if you tell me who you are, and who sent you here, maybe we will let you go. If not, we will make sure you do hard time in jail!"
Intimidate Roll: 14

Murphy HP 27/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d20+6=21 ;
Thursday October 23rd, 2014 3:26:08 AM

Murphy climbs down the ladder by the side of Wagon 1, hustles from V15 to V16 to R16, then moves, one hand touching the barn wall lightly, somewhat leaning into the wall to traverse the one foot wide solid ground, gets over to the wooden bar, lifts it slightly next to R14, and slides it toward R13. He pushes the door open and puts one foot out. "Come inside, Hazel, others. Mind you not step in the mud. This fellow here," he says, indicating R2, "will hold his hands behind his back so you can tie his hands together. After him, do likewise for this fellow," and he indicates R3.

Making sure that Hazel, Alleah and Fatine can either come in, or stand guard on the muddy rogues, he then walks along the far left side of R13, R12, to R11, then heads over toward the wind tunnel surrounding R1. He readies a tanglefoot bag in one hand, and, calculating the time it will take for the wind to die down, plans to toss the bag at R1 as soon as the winds drop. He tells R2 & R3, "I won't hurt him, this will just encourage him to not get himself killed by doing something stupid."

Readied action, ranged touch attack AC 21 vs R1.

[I described at least two, up to three rounds of action prior to the tanglefoot bag. - Just want to lay it out, as I may be way busy in the next day or two.]

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP9/26; AC 14/14/11 
Thursday October 23rd, 2014 7:04:19 AM
Shel calls out through the window. "Let's get ths barn door open so we can all get together, and talk about things. We need to figure out who sent these fellows and what exactly they were looking for. Then we can go pay their boss a visit!"

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d6=3 ; d6=2 ; d6=6 ; d8=7 ; d8=2 ; d8=5 ; d100=60 ; d8=6 ;
Thursday October 23rd, 2014 9:29:01 AM
OOC: Not sure if we are still in combat rounds or not. I'm assuming not...

Alleah will take the small manacles from her pack and offer them to someone to 'cuff' one of the bandits.

"Um, I have one guy outside geased and ready to talk. Part of the order I gave him though was to sit down. Trying to get him to stand up or forcibly move him somewhere else could break the spell. Does anyone want to interview him outside with me?" Alleah is careful not to use the word interrogate. It just feels like the wrong word to use. She's just going to have a friendly chat with a man sitting on the grass at night.

"Also, who needs some healing?" Alleah will use all three energy channels to heal whoever needs it - even the 'baddies'. Everyone is healed for 11pts

But there are people still wounded. Alleah first treats Shel (Cast CLW. Shel is healed for another 8pts)

And then there are the raiders. When they are safely restrained, Alleah approaches R1 and R2 and tenderly lays a hand on each of them. (Cast CLW twice. R1 healed for a further 3pts. R2 healed for a further 6pts). Though they may be intimidated by Shel, or view the others as hostile, Alleah does not like making enemies.

(OOC: Please ignore the d100=60 and d8=6 rolls. Thought CLW was a 1st lvl Witch spell)

Alleah has now expended all her healing abilities for the day.
-------------------
Spells available:

Cleric
0 : Unlimited
1 : 3-3=0

Blood Witch
0 : Unlimited
1 : 3-2=1
2 : 2-2=0

Fatine AC 19 (17/14/15), HP 10(15)/23 (Matt C)  d20+4=5 ;
Thursday October 23rd, 2014 1:44:01 PM
Fatine nonchalantly walks to R2 and R3. She removes a blackened, disgusting-looking skull from her pack and carefully positions it in front of them. "Dis be dee Skull o' Listening an' Eating," she says. "You answer my friends' questions and play nice, because it knows if you be lyin'. Don' upset it, now, or it eat you. I haven' fed it in a few days now..."

Unfortunately, Fatine is giggling the whole time, and doesn't seem to do much to further scare the enemies.

intimidate roll 5, natural 1. Thought I could keep them scared...

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP9/26; AC 14/14/11 
Thursday October 23rd, 2014 6:39:25 PM
Shel can't help but shoot Fatine a sideways glance, watching per performance. She rolls her eyes at seeing her break character quite so easily. Mental note to remind her that laughing isn't exactly scary, Shel thinks.

[DM StevenVdB] - "Time to start talking, boys!" 
Friday October 24th, 2014 4:05:54 AM
And so the Humble's Sword has neutralized all 6 culprits. With a bit of combined effort you manage to get the Barn doors open (avoiding the mud) and tie their hands. All 3 Barn Raiders are inside. Two of them seriously dirty from getting stuck in the mud and the other one seems to be rather drunk from the wind wall around him. Neither of them tries to escape or avoid what's coming.

Outside, one of the Fire Starters lies dead on the ground... his skin scorched and burned. Another just sits there waiting for a chat with Alleah. The third one has got away...

Healing is given to those who need it most. The Raiders look quite surprised as Alleah also heals part of their wounds.

Fatine hopes to scare and intimidate them a bit more so they will tell everything. Whe she digs up the blackened, disgusting-looking Skull o' Listening an' Eating the Barn Raiders look a bit frighthened... but as Fatine tries to intimidate them she just can't help but giggle the whole time! The Barn Raiders look at each other but don't dare to speak or laugh.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONGRATULATIONS - Each of you gains 1750Xp

We're indeed out of combat...

Also, you are free to nominate any of your fellow players for an extra Hero Point.


Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Friday October 24th, 2014 5:08:36 AM
All of them! They did very well even with Hazel striking nothing but empty air in the battle!
Lesson: Stick to the basics... Hazel weapon is the Sling Staff. Don't accept substitutes!
"Want me to go fetch the Guard Captain, or can Mookie fly them here?"

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP9/26; AC 14/14/11 
Friday October 24th, 2014 7:08:15 AM
Once the group of baddies is corralled, Shel turns to address them. "You see there are only five of you, and you know why. My fire magic is strong and powerful and I will burn the rest of you if you don't give us information! Who sent you? What were you sent here to accomplish? Speak quickly, bencaustic the fire in wants wants to get out, you know what I mean?"

OOC: could someone roll my Intimidate check for me, please? +9 modifier. Thanks.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d20+10=23 ;
Friday October 24th, 2014 9:58:44 AM
Alleah sighs and rolls her eyes. "I'm going to have a talk with the guy sitting outside. Please don't kill anyone until I get back. Oh, and there's still one on the loose out there. Anyone want to keep me company?"

Perception: 23

She heads out to where the geas'd man is patiently waiting. Alleah smiles as she approaches the man, and then eases into her friendly "interview".

"Hi! My name's Alleah. What's yours?" After that, the questions come pretty quickly, covering the employer, the raiders, their goal, recent goings on in Humbles, and finally about the man himself. She's been on the receiving end of numerous interrogations, so empathises with how the man must be feeling. She wants him to feel comfortable. Well, as comfortable as someone whose mind is being dominated can feel.

The last few questions she asks are of a more personal nature. She wants to get a feel for this guy. If there is a chance he can reform then she would like to give him that chance. Wardd allowed her to get in his mind, under the light of the moon. That's quite a sign in her opinion.

OOC: DM, I don't expect answers to every question but just wanted to illustrate how thorough Alleah plans on being. She may act all nice about it, but does plan on getting results :)

---------------------
The Alleah Lighttouch Interview Questions
About the person who hired them...
- Who sent you? What did they look like? Where did you meet them? When did you meet them? Was anyone else present? How did they locate you or how did you locate them? Have you worked for them before? Were you paid in advance or do you have to collect payment elsewhere? Where? When? How much? Were any bonuses offered?

About the enemies...
- What is your name? What are the names of the people you worked with tonight? What were their roles? Have you worked with them before? When? Where? Were any of the drivers or merchants who travelled with the cargo involved with you? What crimes have you committed in the past? Are there any warrants currently outstanding on you?

About the job...
- What specifically was your job? What were you told of the specifics? Was your target the cargo? Was your target any specific item of cargo? Did you know it would be guarded? Did you know who would be guarding it? Were there any expectations of what would happen if you were caught? Have you had any involvement with any official in town? The Mayor? The temple of Ffloy? The temple of Flower?

About recent goings on...
- What do you know of the break-in and assault at the mayor's house recently? What do you know of the recent theft of tobacco in Humble's Ford? What do you know of the recent request to vandalise the blacksmiths shop?

About the geas'd guy...
- Where do you live? Do you have any valuables there? What? Are they hidden? Where? Do you have any family dependant on you? If I was to let you go free, what would you do? If you were offered an honest living, would you give up a life of crime forever?

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11  d20+9=29 ;
Friday October 24th, 2014 10:53:19 AM
OOC: Here is my Intimidate roll from this morning's post. Natural 20 for a total of 29!!

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Friday October 24th, 2014 12:49:15 PM
OOC: Way to go Shel!

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP11) (Cayzle)  d20+1=13 ; d20+6=14 ; d20+6=20 ;
Friday October 24th, 2014 4:04:15 PM

Thanks for the healing," calls out Bliss to whoever was so nice.

"Ah ... I needed that," says Mookie. happy to be restored to health.

Bliss was looking for unbroken bolts to salvage, when Hazel mentions Mookie going to fetch the guard.

"Hey, I can do that!" says Bliss. He renews the Reduce on himself and casts Enlarge on his spirit familiar.

His untrained Knowledge Local check is a 17 (put +1 in the die roller, but should have been +5). "I remember where that is!"

He sets off on Mookie. Bliss Ride 14, Mookie Fly 20.
He hops on Mookie and

Murphy HP 27/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Friday October 24th, 2014 7:59:00 PM

Murphy heads over to the tent, and grabs two sets of halfling-sized manacles, to add to the one that Alleah provided, and places those around their prisoner's wrists, carefully locking each one, ensuring that it is secure. Then he moves the rope that had been used for their wrists, and uses it to hobble their legs - they should be able to shuffle along, taking short steps, but not break easily into a run without falling down.

He helps the somewhat dizzy R1 stand to his feet. Holding one elbow, he escorts him with his shuffling feet across the barn to a place behind the tent, and sits him down.

Speaking quietly, he says, "So, I grew up here around Humble's Ford. Kind of like this place. You're not from around here, eh? So, where did you grow up?"

He will ease into the questioning, asking a number of innocuous questions, then broadening the scope.

Goal: Try to find out who hired them, under what terms; what they expected to find; how they planned to get it away from the barn; to whom it was to be delivered; and for what compensation.

Was the fire meant to cover up the robbery? Did you have any concern for the horses? Why did you still continue to attack after you saw we opposed you?

Murphy HP 27/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Saturday October 25th, 2014 4:27:01 AM

In addition, Murphy will ask the name, and the names of his companions. He asks how he came to associate with the others.

He does the same thing with R2, then R3 - separating them for questioning, asking similar questions of each one. Depending upon the answers, he may explore what they say in more depth. If Shel, Fatine or Hazel want to do the same, or to join in the questioning with Murphy, he welcomes it.

Also: Alleah asked that at least one person accompany her as she questions the fellow seated outside. Which one of you will do so? Murphy is busy inside the barn. Having two sets of ears to listen to F2's answers might be good, so that the entire burden does not fall upon Alleah alone.

==============
Hero Points

Good job, friends - and DM!

I think Bliss deserves a hero point for the intelligent way he set up a sniping post. Though few of his bolts found the mark - he did some damage, and helped to draw the focus away from Murphy, which drew fire away from the druid. Murphy always is appreciative of those who keep others from hurting him! [Also, the interplay between Mookie and Bliss always makes for great comic relief :-) ]

Shel deserves one for her nearly unrelenting attacks against the enemy in the face of accumulating damage that she absorbed from their assault - and also for well cowing them at the end. "Speak quickly, because the fire in me wants to get out, you know what I mean?"

Hazel was bold as usual - and did a terrific job playing meek and gentle following exposure to the calm spell, rallying back to his testosterone-rich self once the calm was lifted. I did enjoy the tender moment with his faithful hound, Faoil, as Hazel sent the injured animal back to the safety of his beloved fiancée, Alouryn (who no doubt healed the dog instantly upon its arrival). And, right, Corsario - the sling staff is definitely your ranger's weapon of choice.

Alleah tried, and tried, and tried... and finally succeeded marvelously, helping to wrap up well the outside defense, and setting the scene for a masterful interroga... er, interview with one of the raiders. Also, thanks for the munchy hit point recovery. Her mercy toward our opponents was also a nice touch.

Fatine was at a disadvantage, since Matt's internet access failed early on, and I think it was a bit of a challenge to play catch up once he returned to play Fatine. I cannot quite see that her actions once he returned to rise to the level of earning a hero point. Matt, you have done a terrific job of developing a PC with a unique personality, and idiosyncratic accent. I love your character. If I might make a suggestion, rather than losing an opportunity to advance the action with Fatine, if you have a question - sure, ask it. But first assume it was successful, and state what she will do next. There was a another day adjacent to that in which you missed posting - so that is two days lost for an important PC in the midst of a battle. Hint: I had a question or two for Steven which I asked in a 'Post Private to DMs' (that little check box just above the 'submit' button). (And - maybe you did use it - but since I'm not a DM, I can't see it!)

Not everything that Murphy did was effective, nor were all his actions allowed. But I tried with each post to move the action forward. There are some similarities between this game and chess. A seemingly minor move at one point can have glorious (or disastrous) consequences one to several moves later. As I post, I try to figure out what things my character would be aware of, and how he might use elements of the situation to the party's advantage.

Now, you did so nicely, Matt - managing to have Fatine escape the assault of the inside raiders, and go the rescue of Shel. Actually, from halfling witch to rescue owl to healing halfling - perhaps that merits a hero point. It was a brilliant, timely move (especially as Shel was down to 2 hp, and Fatine was also injured).

So, I take it back: I also nominate Fatine for a hero point.

Also, for our DM, Steven VdB: Well done. Your assault troops took advantage of our, uh, not highly organized defense in order to get inside the barn from two sides. Also, starting out with fire on the roof was a brilliant opening gambit. And: Why did your raiders make such good saving throws against my air elemental's whirlwind attacks? No fair! ;-)

Honestly, I have enormous respect for you and other dedicated DMs. Yours is a formidable task - coordinating all the NPCs, figuring out their strategy and tactics, then pulling together the disparate actions of all the PCs, calculating the consequences, then generating the next set of responses - massive work. And thank you for the map. In combat, without a map, I feel quite at a loss. With a map, I can get my bearings - I think it helps out everybody - players and DM alike.

A satisfying encounter. Well played, all.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Monday October 27th, 2014 12:03:17 AM
After the interview/interrogation, Alleah makes her way to the raider that was killed. She takes a knee and places her hand to the dead mans chest whilst uttering a small prayer "Forgive us, Gargul, lord of life and death, for sending this man to you. We pray you see fit to send his soul to the Lands of Rest and watch over his family" With that, she closes the dead mans eyes.

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP11) (Cayzle) 
Monday October 27th, 2014 9:57:09 AM

Bliss flies -- on Mookie-back -- to the local constabulary, looking for someone in authority to come help with the prisoners.

[DM StevenVdB] - A time to tell... 
Monday October 27th, 2014 3:39:09 PM
(Sorry for not posting last Friday. I kinda needed a day off)

Hazel ponders about how the battle went and his poor choice of weapon. He seems to forget that it was 'friendly fire' that had him quite calm for some time during the fight as well...

The Barn Raiders are seriously intimidated by Shel! They only have eyes for her and are shaken for 2 rounds...

Realizing there's someone waiting for her outside, Alleah sighs and rolls her eyes. Seems like the 'interrogation' will have to take place outside.

Bliss decides he's best and probably fasted to fetch the guard. He shrinks and Mookie grows... and together they fly away in the darkness.

Murphy uses the manacles on the Barn Raiders and slowly starts interrogating them as well.

---------------------------------

THE INTERROGATIONS

1) Alleah

Who sent you?: "We call him 'The Recruiter'..."

What did they look like?: "He always wears a grey hooded cloak... I have never seen his face as he keeps in dim light."

Where and when did you meet him?: "We met him a couple of days ago in Angel's Spring

How did they locate you or you locate them?: "He 'recruited' us...

Have you worked for them before?: "No... this was our initiation rite... if we would have succeeded we would become actual members of the guild..."

Were you paid?: "There was no payement... we were offered to become members of the guild."[/b]

What is your name?: "Quotiln Lightouch"

What are the names of the people you worked with tonight?: "Norril Arcanegrin but... he's dead isn't he? I don't see Sharil Hollysharp anymore? Did he run away? Shatiln Gladdenstone (R1) and his brother Thoendithas (R2) and Frukul Milltall (R3) are in the barn I think..."

Have you worked with them before?: "No"

Were any of the drivers or merchants who travelled with the cargo involved with you?: "No

What crimes have you committed in the past?: "Small robberies... "

Are there any warrants currently outstanding on you?: "I don't think so..."

What specifically was your job?: "Set fire to this barn so the cargo would be destroyed..."

What were you told of the specifics?: "Not much... we were given oil and flame arrows. 3 were to throw oil on the roof and we were to shoot at the oil with 2 flame arrows each. It would have set the barn a flame quite quickly... we didn't know someone would be guarding this barn..."

Was your target the cargo? :"Yes, it was supposed to go up in flames with the barn."

Did you know it would be guarded?: "No"

Were there any expectations of what would happen if you were caught?: "We would have no more contact with the guild if we failed..."

Have you had any involvement with any official in town? The Mayor? The temple of Ffloy? The temple of Flower?: "No"

What do you know of the break-in and assault at the mayor's house recently?: "They were also 'Recruited' but failed..."

What do you know of the recent theft of tobacco in Humble's Ford?: "A example job from an initiate... I don't know who... I will never be a member of F.E.A.R. "

What do you know of the recent request to vandalise the blacksmiths shop?: "I don't know ... perhaps something F.E.A.R. has planned?"

Where do you live?: "Angel Springs"

Do you have any valuables there?: "No... I'm but a poor worker looking for something to do

Do you have any family dependant on you?: "No"

f I was to let you go free, what would you do? If you were offered an honest living, would you give up a life of crime forever?: "There's nothing else I can!?"

2) Murphy

@ R1: So, where did you grow up?: "My parent's place." but then he looks into the eyes of Shel and quickly adds, "Angel's Spring"

One by one Murphy questions the Barn Raiders...
with aid of Shel's intimidating presence the Barn Raiders squeel and tell everything Murphy want's to know...

R1: Shatiln Gladdenstone
R2: Thoendithas Gladdenstone
R3: Frukul Milltall

In any case, the stories from each of the Barn Raiders sound rather coherent and Murphy and Shel are able to put the different bits and pieces together to the following info:

They were hired by someone they seem to call "F.E.A.R.'s Recruiter" but they don't know who he is... It was their task to set fire to the barn and thus destroy the cargo. Compensation would be to become First Initiates from F.E.A.R.
They say they didn't know anyone was in the barn but cared not about the horses... when they saw the Humble's Sword they had to fight for otherwise everything would be ruined.


Well now... that's a lot of info for a nights work!

Fatine AC 19 (17/14/15), HP 10(15)/23 (Matt C) 
Monday October 27th, 2014 6:17:05 PM
"Hmm," Fatine muses, tapping a finger on her chin. "Wasn't dere someting 'bout a grey hooded man recruiting people at dat bar what doesn't like you all?"

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Monday October 27th, 2014 7:37:23 PM
"What were you supposed to do if you succeeded? How were you to contact FEAR after the job was done? Maybe we could put together a ploy to fool them, assuming that fool that ran off is smart and lays low for a few days. I'm getting sick and tired of these guys coming after our town...I'd like to be. Able to switch roles and out some pressure on them for the time being."

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Monday October 27th, 2014 8:01:25 PM
"Thankyou, Quotiln for being so honest with me" Not that he has much choice in the matter "Can you tell me a few more things please?

- When you say guild, is it this 'F.E.A.R' thing you are referring to?
- You wouldn't be able to tell me what 'F.E.A.R.' stands for, would you? Perhaps where they are based?
- If I were to put in a word with the local guard to set you free, and I was to give you payment of 2sp a day - with the first year paid in advance, as well as a place to board - how would you feel about becoming a handyman or gardener? If you agree to do this honestly and not betray my trust, I in turn would never cast a spell on you again without your permission"

This whole 'F.E.A.R.' thing doesn't sound good. Alleah doesn't imagine it's a club of people who sit around throwing tea parties. Not nice tea parties, anyway.

As for Quotiln, well in her line of work Alleah takes omens very seriously. Wardd - the master of luck - chose for her (a 'former' thief) to meet this specific man. Under the moon (Wardd's moon). And affect him with a mind-effecting spell (Wardd the god of mental illness).

---------------------
OOC: An untrained hireling gets paid 1sp/day (30gp/year). Alleah is offering the man 2sp/day (60gp/year) to act as a handyman-in-training to work around town and care for her pony when she is not in Humbles.

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Monday October 27th, 2014 11:00:22 PM
Hazel mumbles...
"I bet those FEAR guys are Ffloy followers. Well, at least we defeat them, and ruined their plans."
He smiles and congratulates his friends.
"Well done! Don't talk about this to Alouryn or she will want me to be "Calmed" all the time!"

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Tuesday October 28th, 2014 4:55:50 AM

Murphy is impressed with Shel's fierce mien - and the effect her threats have upon the subdued raiders. Already standing high in his estimation, she has stepped it up another notch.

[will post more... have to switch computers]

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP11) (Cayzle) 
Tuesday October 28th, 2014 11:12:49 AM

Bliss and Mookie continue on their errand.

"Should I shout "Fear! Fire! Foes! Awake!" asks Bliss.

Mookie scoffs. "Nah, only halflings in books say that."

[DM StevenVdB] - A time to tell... 
Tuesday October 28th, 2014 7:17:12 PM
Fatine muses that she has heard tales about this greay hooded 'recruiter' more than once... Shel asks how F.E.A.R. was to contact the raiders onve the job was done.

"They would contact us..." Frukul says...

Shel takes it one step further and wonders if they could plot against F.E.A.R....

Quotiln continues to talk more with Alleah...

- When you say guild, is it this 'F.E.A.R' thing you are referring to? "Yes"

- You wouldn't be able to tell me what 'F.E.A.R.' stands for, would you? : "Federation of Evildoers, Assassins and Robbers"

- Perhaps where they are based?!. "No"

- If I were to put in a word with the local guard to set you free, and I was to give you payment of 2sp a day - with the first year paid in advance, as well as a place to board - how would you feel about becoming a handyman or gardener? If you agree to do this honestly and not betray my trust, I in turn would never cast a spell on you again without your permission.: "I don't know... I don't know gardening... actually I don't know anything... stealing is all I can..."

Hazel though is convinced this thieves guild F.E.A.R. are Ffloy guys.... ofcourse Hazel might be a bit biassed

Mookie and Bliss stand in front of the guard's house and wonder how they should wake him...

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d3=3 ; d3=3 ; d3=3 ; d3=3 ;
Tuesday October 28th, 2014 7:27:21 PM

After a time of interrogation, Murphy gets together with Alleah to compare notes. He is impressed with the perspicacity of her questions, and the dignity she afforded her subject - even offering him a path out of the way he had been attempting to go. Quietly he says, "What you have done, and are doing, is worthy of respect, Alleah. I am glad you have joined up with us for a few tasks. I hope you will continue with us."

===
"Yep, Fatine. There was a hooded fellow. Now, how do we find and unhood him?"

===
"Hazel - why would someone associated with Ffloy attack a shipment sent out by followers of Ffloy? Don't let resentment of the supplanting of Flower's Temple cloud your reasoning, friend. If Ffloy's followers attack Ffloy's followers, then their house will not long stand.

"No, this is someone opposing that faith - or at least trying to upset their efforts to spread prosperity. We need to ask: What does F.E.A.R. - whoever they are - have to gain by opposing the followers of Ffloy?"

Then he laughs. "So, someone managed to get you calmed down?" he laughs aloud again. "Oh, Hazel, that so does not fit you!"

===
Fixing the roof. "I'm going to see if I can mend the roof where the fires were." He uses one of the ladders, searches the grounds and the roof for shingles that were lifted by the air elemental. He gathers them together, and takes them to the damaged area. (I rolled d3's to see how much of each area he could restore with the available materials - feel free to overrule this, but it looks like he managed to gather all the materials, and could fully mend each spot - save the charring, of course). He spends a few minutes, or however much time is necessary, to mend each spot, putting in place the shingles. He then goes over to Bliss's sniping post, and effects repairs to that, too. Hmmm... all that time helping his father in this toy and music shop, with woodworking and such, seem to have paid off - he did a good job, there, and the sniping post is closed up now. He returns to the interior of the barn.

===
"So, let's wait for the constabulary." Murphy yawns. He takes a ladder, lays it under the tongues of the wagons. He walks on that, and picks up the broken pottery where he kicked it down. He begins to put away the various items he had set out, taking them over to the tent, making sure things are folded, packed. He really wants to sleep.

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Tuesday October 28th, 2014 7:36:19 PM

[I posted the above before I saw Steven's DM post.]

Learning of Quotiln's confession that all he knows is stealing, Murphy sits down next to him. "I heard a wise man say once, 'Let the thief no longer steal. Rather let him work with his hands, and give to the poor.' Now, you and your fellows were willing to burn down this barn, with no regard to the lives of these ponies here inside. Alleah could have you learn to work with such animals, and to care for them. 'A righteous man has regard for the life of his beast,' is what my great-grandmama used to say. You know nothing but thievery? What a poverty of education you have had. She offers to let you learn an honest trade - to do something that will, in time, earn you respect, if you do it well. And to help you respect yourself. Thievery? Robbery? That is an evil shortcut. Thieves care not for the lives of those they harm. A bad time in the afterlife is due them. Often thieves attack other thieves. Such a life can be brutish and short. Choose life, fellow. Choose to do what is right. Perhaps heaven sent us to stop you from walking a pathway that leads towards death. Think over her kind and generous offer."

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Tuesday October 28th, 2014 8:20:41 PM
"They are both right. Thievery can lead you to a dark quick end. If I were you, I would jump at the offer. Gardening could be fun...vegetables are quite delicious. Growing some with your own hands might teach you a bit about respecting others' things."

Shel turns to the others out of range of the thieves. "Why in the world does the FEAR outfit have it out for Humble's Ford? Is there anyone in town who might have made such a strong contingent of enemies recently?"

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Tuesday October 28th, 2014 9:31:47 PM
Alleah smiles and nods to Shel and Murphy. She wasn't sure how the group would take her trying to reform (and employ) the man that just attacked them.

"Noone is expecting you to be a brilliant gardener or a handyman savant. You are no doubt good with your hands, and you may find other skills easy to pick up. Just to try your best and make an honest living. You may be surprised, you may find happiness in it. And let me tell you this, you are speaking with one who knows. I have been in your shoes before." Alleah doesn't often talk about her early life to others, but hopes the honesty of her words might further influence the man "Find your place here in Humble's Ford with us, and I will do what I can to aid you and teach you. I offer again, 60gold pieces a year to stay here and live a life of honesty. Do you accept?"

Of course, should the man accept, there is then the issue of the guards. Hopefully the group has earned enough good will with the Mayor and Broker Laughshield that they can help see this man stay out of jail.

This "F.E.A.R" outfit though is another matter. "The greater wealth and prosperity of the town could see it attract more crime. It's the natural way of things. Or it could be an element that is not happy with Ffloy moving in. I'm not saying the followers of Flower could do such a thing, but perhaps there are other groups that dislike Ffloy even more?"

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Tuesday October 28th, 2014 9:43:01 PM
Hazel laughs at his friends words.
"Well, maybe you are right, it doesn't make sense for them to burn his own stuff... or does it?"
Hazel gets a quizzical look.
"So.. how were this guys going to get paid? How where they to contact the hooded guy?"

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP11) (Cayzle) 
Wednesday October 29th, 2014 11:00:20 AM
Bliss cancels his Reduce so that he is regular size. Then he starts banging on the door. "Wake up, Mister Policeman please! We need help! Sorry to disturb you! Hello!"

If that works, great. If not, after a minute Bliss casts Enlarge Person on himself, and in a bigger, deeper voice, and with stronger knocks on the door, he says, "HellooOoo! Mister Officer! Excuse me! Please wake up! We need your help! Mister Policeman! Hey!"

When the door opens, Bliss blurts out, "Come quick! Please! We have criminals we captured who tried to burn down a barn and steal stuff! We grabbed them mostly, but one ran and one died. We need you to come take them to jail! This way!"

[DM StevenVdB] - A time to tell... 
Wednesday October 29th, 2014 6:28:38 PM
Quotiln listens to what Murphy, Shel and Alleah have to say... he quietly ponders what they've been saying... getting all dirty in a garden isn't exactly what he had in mind but who knows... now that he won't be admitted into F.E.A.R. he'll need to find a different 'job'.

"Ok... I accept... but I'don't know if I'll be cut out for such work..." he honestly replies. Affraid that his honesty might get you all angry at him. He doesn't quite know why he said that though...

Later the Humble's Sword wonder what an organisation like F.E.A.R. wants from Humble's Ford... Alleah might be right that greater wealth will of course attract crime as well. Looks like Humble's Ford will have both.

Bliss bangs on Garret Ostbrook's door to wake him. The Guard comes quite angry to the door...

"Who in the name of our Lord Mayor has the audacity to make all this racket in the middle of the night!!"

He raizes his eyebrows as Bliss starts ranting about burned down barns and dead criminals...

"Lad you'd better not be telling no jokes or I'll have ya... C'mon let me get my gear on and then we'll be on our way..."

5 mins later, Bliss and Garret are on their way back to the barn.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Wednesday October 29th, 2014 7:57:33 PM
Shel nodded at the thief's words. She was hoping he was honest and would turn from his career of crime. "We do need to figure a way to out these FEAR people. If we do nothing, something really bad might happen to the Ford."

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Wednesday October 29th, 2014 11:46:05 PM

"Yes, you are right, Shel," Murphy answers. "Looking at the larger picture, too - do they hold any alliances with the people from the Red Hills? And here in town - who is working with them? Who benefits from what they're doing, or trying to do?"

"So, what was going on outside the barn, as I was inside most of the time?" Murphy asks of Hazel, Shel, Alleah, and, though she went outside only toward the end, Fatine. He wants to make sure he understands what all happened, for when the constabulary arrives, should Bliss's (& Mookie's) mission succeed. He ensures the prisoners are fully secured first, and not able to reach each other - and going somewhere where they can be kept in sight, but far enough away to not overhear their conversation. Perhaps they should leave at least one person at a time to watch over them, with a couple of tanglefoot bags, just in case.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Thursday October 30th, 2014 3:13:55 AM
"Well.. um .. " Alleah begins, tucking a loose tuft of hair behind her ear self-consciously "I've kind of offered Quotiln - that's the gentlemen sitting here - a job"

She goes into detail to explain to Murphy, Bliss, and whoever wasn't present during the interview.

"I have offered to pay Quotiln one years worth of wages in advance. In return he has agreed to lead a life of honesty. He is happy to try different tasks and help where he can. Whether gardening, simple handywork, looking after the animals. Wherever he finds his talents may lie. I want to make this very clear: he will NOT be a slave - " Alleah looks to the group, then to Quotiln to make sure he understands too "I will be his employer and he my employee. He is free to come and go and do as he pleases. If he wishes to educate himself, then I will offer what help I can."

With that, Alleah dismisses the Lesser Geas she had cast on Quotiln. He is now free to act however he chooses. The young girl extends a hand to help the man to his feet.

--------------------
OOC: Can someone refresh my memory - did we agree to all go in on the purchase of a house in Humbles? My thinking is for Quotiln (if he stays honest) to act as the caretaker for us

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Thursday October 30th, 2014 3:43:34 AM

[We were given a house by the elderly TossCobble couple, yes. It would be nice to be able to locate it on the map.]

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Thursday October 30th, 2014 3:46:05 AM

Murphy tells Alleah, "If he commits to the year of - shall we say, apprenticeship? - then I am fine with that, Alleah." He then goes on to make clear that he wants to understand the course of the battle outside - as close to a 'blow by blow' account as people are able to make.

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP11) (Cayzle) 
Thursday October 30th, 2014 7:17:37 AM

Bliss literally hops up and down. "Come on! Come on! Don't let them get away, mister, please!"

Mookie cocks his head and says, "Take a pill, Kid. The others have them well in hand."

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Thursday October 30th, 2014 12:22:24 PM
Hazel eyes widens.
"Pay him a year in advance!?!"
About Murphy's question about what happened outside of the barn, he shrugs.
"It's better if you don't know... I fear it was not my best moment."

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Thursday October 30th, 2014 4:56:36 PM

As Hazel reacts to Alleah's statement that she will pay a year in advance, he says, "Uh, you can do that. Aside from his word, what then holds him to his commitment? What if you pay him half, and the rest on a weekly basis?"

Responding to Hazel's reluctance, Murphy says, "I need to know about their attacks. If you want to leave out what you did, or what happened to you, I don't mind. We need to establish that they were using deadly force against us, unprovoked, and that we did but defend against their assault. Bliss is getting the constable, right? So, help me out, here, buddy. Help us out."

As mentioned before, Murphy is keep this sort of conversation away from the ears of the prisoners.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Thursday October 30th, 2014 6:30:37 PM
"Yep they certainly did Attack us unprovoked. I think I still have holes in me from the arrows they kept hitting me with. That's when I magicked one with fire. He didn't make it, I'm afraid. After that, the other one ran off. Alleah calmed the last one down right quick. All of them were trying to injure us most heinously."

[DM StevenVdB] - A time to tell... 
Thursday October 30th, 2014 6:58:30 PM
Murphy and Shel discuss the matter concerning F.E.A.R. It's clear something needs to be done or at least try and expose the organization.

Once the team is back together Murphy wants to know what happened outside, Alleah confesses the deal she made with Quotiln. Paying a year in advance though sounds crazy to Hazel! However Alleah thinks Quotiln might be cut out for taking care of the House the Cora and Eldon Tosscobble gave them. The house is near the river banks a bit outside the towncenter...
Quotiln eyeballs Hazel, Alleah and Murphy and then simply nods... looks like that idea makes sense.

Shel and Alleah talk to Murphy about the attacks on the barn. The fact that they attacked quite unprovoked is quite disturbing...


A bit later Bliss, Mookie and Garret Ostgood arrive back at the barn...

Constable Ostgood looks around. He checks the barn, the tied down raiders and each of the Humble's Sword...

"How can it be that whenever there's trouble you are around?!? Tell me, who's barn is this? Who owns those wagons? What were you all doing here in the middle of the night!! And... who killed that man? C'mon I need answers!"


Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d20=12 ; d20+4=11 ;
Thursday October 30th, 2014 10:12:58 PM
Alleah has a quiet word with Hazel and Murphy "The way I see it, I pay him 60gp and he works for a year. Great. Otherwise he takes the money and runs. If that's the case, then I've just paid a thief 60gp to never return to Humble's Ford. Either way, there's no longer a threat. Besides, I had him geased when I was asking him the questions and making him the offer. He had to tell the truth and couldn't lie. He agreed to try"

-------------------

When the constable arrives, Alleah does her best to try and explain things.

"Thank Wardd you are here officer!" "That oughta disarm him..."

"So, we were employed to guard this barn here and whatever was inside. You know Broker Laughshield, right? Anyway, we don't know exactly who owns the barn, just that the Broker wanted us to keep things safe. Oh, I have a contract here somewhere I can show you to prove this" Alleah will reach into her bag-of-holding and quickly produce the exact item she is talking about.

"This shows that we are here lawfully. As for the wagons, again, I don't know exactly who owns them. We were employed - again by the Broker - to see they made it here safely. Oh, I have a contract for that too!" Another dip in the bag-of-holding and another contract produced

"So yes, that explains why we're here and what we were doing. These chaps - " she indicates the prisoners, including Quotiln " - were employed by someone else to destroy the barn, the wagons, and whatever goods they were transporting. If it wasn't for Broker Laughshield's foresight in employing us to be here, the whole lot could have been ruined"

"As for the dead person, I believe his name is Norril Arcanegrin. We were only defending ourselves against his attack. I'm pretty sure that whoever defended themselves tried using non-lethal means first" She shoots a glance at Shel. Alleah isn't sure exactly what was tried and wasn't (Bluff: 11)

"One of the raiders did escape however. He goes by the name of Sharil Hollysharp. It may be wise to do a check of the surrounding farms and check that no ponies have gone missing. He will likely be trying to get as far away from here as possible"

"And this gentlemen is Quotiln Lighttouch..." Alleah pauses for an uncomfortably long time. How did she not notice this earlier!?! "Lighttouch? What in Wardds name! I'm a Lighttouch! Could Quotiln be related somehow?" Alleah has used false names far and wide. Why, even in Humble's Ford she goes by the name Alleah Highhill. Amongst the group, only Bliss - who has travelled with her for so long - knows her real name. That Quotiln is a Lighttouch completely changes things for Alleah. She MUST know more about the man. But now is not the time...

"I'm... I'm sorry. Where was I? Oh, that's right, Quotiln. He has renounced his ways and will be staying with us for a while. Amongst all the raiders, I have no intention of seeking charges against Quotiln."

"Wow, who knew contracts could prove so useful. Maybe working for these Ffloy guys isn't such a bad thing?"

Diplomacy: 12

------------------------
OOC: Hi DMs - not sure if Quotiln's surname was intentional on your part or not. If not, nice coincidence :)

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Friday October 31st, 2014 12:28:43 AM
With Murphy before the constable arrives
Hazel eyes look down when he answers Murphy.
"Is not what they, or I, did... is what I didn't. I was pretty useless this time. And it was the first time I was actually paid for protecting you all and the cargo."
---
To Alleah and Quotiln about the pay in advance.
Hazel shrugs.
"It's your gold... spend it as you like."
He eyes Quotiln.
"It's your skin. Try to take advantage from her, by stealing again, escaping with her money, or misbehaving in any way, and my dog and I will find you."
---
When the constable arrives
Hazel stands behind his friends, lending his moral support, holding his (useless) axe.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Friday October 31st, 2014 1:05:43 AM
Though Hazel and Alleah haven't seen eye-to-eye on Ffloy coming to down, she does admire the way he spoke to Quotiln. It came across - to her - like he was acting as a big brother. It was ... sweet.

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Friday October 31st, 2014 8:31:54 AM
"Just lucky that way, I guess," Murphy answers Garret Ostgood's first question. "Alleah explained it pretty well. These fellows - most of 'em from Angel Springs, as far as we've been able to ascertain, tried to burn the barn down, shot at us with bolts and arrows, thrust at us with rapiers, tried their best to harm us, had no regard for our lives or the lives of the ponies stabled here. I'm not sure who killed the fellow outside, but he and his companions were sure trying to kill us to start with.

"I'm sad that one died. I am glad that there was no greater loss of life tonight. We asked them to leave, to lay off their attack multiple times. They refused every offer to break it off, until we made it so they had to stop."

He lays out briefly their escort of the caravans from just outside Angel Springs to here, and reiterates LaughShield's instructions.

"We set out lights, so if anyone did decide to attack, they would see the barn surrounded by light, and ought to have figured that the place was guarded. Though they claim they did not know anyone was inside, except for the ponies, when some of us came out, they continued their assault. Feel free to question them yourselves, Constable. Then you can compare what they tell you with the notes that we took on what they had to tell us."

He turns toward Quotiln. "This fellow was the first to heed our appeals to stop, and perhaps merits a bit more leniency than the others." Then he regards the others, looking each in the eye. "But if any of them are of like mind to learn an honest trade, well, we can discuss that with them one by one.

"But for now, we yield them into your care. I am thinking that at least three of us ought to remain to guard the barn, the ponies, the cargo, but we can send three with you if you wish us to help you deliver the marauders into custody. Or, we can watch them until morning, if that would suit you better, sir."

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP11) (Cayzle) 
Friday October 31st, 2014 11:18:49 AM

Bliss stands at attention. "Yes, what Miss Alleah said, sir," he says if asked to add anything.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Friday October 31st, 2014 11:38:37 AM
Shel adopted the same posture as Bliss. She hadn't enjoyed her previous encounters with law enforcement in the Ford, and she was in no hurry to deal more with them. Especially since it was she who had struck a killing blow against one of them.

She pretended to not pay much attention to the discussions, but in actuality, she was listening intently.

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP11) (Cayzle) 
Friday October 31st, 2014 1:08:16 PM

Bliss winks at Shel while remaining at attention. He's an expert at doing stuff like that ... years in the Mailed Fist taught him how!

[DM StevenVdB] - A time to tell... 
Sunday November 2nd, 2014 3:21:07 PM
(A late Friday post :-) )

Constable Garret Ostgood listens to what you're all saying. He takes the contracts Alleah's showing and eyeballs each and everyone of you.

"So Mr. Laughshield is hiring mercenaries to protect some of his belongings?! Has he also given a licence to kill to the lot of you? And what about you?", he asks the Barn Raiders.

"Well Sir Constable Sir, we were also asked to come and check on the barn to see if no one was robbing any of the cargo! But when we came here they were allready inside covering up the cargo they would take with them! When we approached the lit barn they jumped out and started attacking us! They killed one of my friends sir... a good friend he was... he didn't have to die but they just kept on coming sir... they are mad men... we had no chance! Sir Constable Sir and now they turn up with fake documents claiming we are the bad ones... ", Shatiln says

Quotiln looks funny as Shatiln tells his tale but doesn't speak up. Of course he only has to speak truth to Alleah...

"I see..." Garret Ostgood begins, "I don't know who sent you lads here but perhaps you will all be more talkative later. Well then there's nothing else I can do than to ask you all to come with me to the guard house so we can invite Mr. Laughshield tomorrow morning to give some explanations... and he'll have a lot to explain or so it seems...

If you (he says to the Humble's Swords) are doing here what you claim you are doing than you should have no objections to join me... if so, I'll have to fetch the guards...

Help me disarm these men and let's get on with it..."

The fact that Garret Ostgood doesn't require you all to hand in your own weaponry must mean at least something good no?

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Sunday November 2nd, 2014 5:42:23 PM

"Constable Ostgood - I believe they already have been disarmed," Murphy says of the bound raiders.

"Mercenaries? Sir, a mercenary is someone who cares only about getting paid for a job. I resent that term used of us. I am a citizen of Humble's Ford, since my infancy. I love this, my hometown. You already saw how we defended the mayor and his guests against potential murderers. You have seen us defend shopkeepers. We countered a threat to the Valley by the giants.

"I was taught to obey those in authority. I was also taught to keep my promises.

"These folks have already tried to destroy the barn and its contents. People of Humble's Ford observed us riding into town guarding the wagons. You can check with Pirnook Deeppockets - he can verify, I think, that I was in there today purchasing a number of items to help protect the cargo - including the tarps we placed over them, and the ropes we used to bind them together - you can see that the ropes fasten together the wagons."

"The words which fall so adroitly from the lips of Shatiln here are belied by the evidence before your eyes. We covered over the wagons and bound them together to make it harder for someone such as these raiders to come and take them away. I made that area by the barn doors muddy to preclude the easy movement of the wagons out of the barn.

"And look at the shafts of some of the missiles they sent up to start fires on the roof. Compare those with the shafts still left in their quivers." Also, I can show you on the roof the charred areas where they tried to light the place on fire. They threw flasks of oil up to the roof, then shot the arrows up there. Poor Hazel got shot in the back by one of them.

"Sir, would you be so kind as to allow at least a few of us to remain here to guard these goods placed under our charge? You know me - and many of the rest of us - and you know my family. I give you my word that between now and dawn the only place I will be is in or around this barn, to carry out the contract agreed to in binding covenant with Broker LaughShield. And once he comes to the barn and relieves us of our duty, I will render myself fully into your custody, if that is what you desire.

"Left unguarded, the livelihoods of many citizens of Humble's Ford may be threatened by other robbers and thieves should more come for these goods. Besides, some of the animals need care. Is it wise to completely abandon this cargo, these ponies, this livestock, and these valuable goods?

"One of these criminal members ran away. Who knows whether or not he might try to bring reinforcements tonight? Perhaps some members of the militia might be awoken, and sent to guard, as well."

He thinks a little more. "Or, take me in, along with these attackers, and let my companions remain until the morning, if each one will promise to remain here to watch over our charge."

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Sunday November 2nd, 2014 5:45:55 PM
"If we get wrongfully arrested again, I'm moving out of this town. I'm getting pretty sick and tired of being wrongfully accused for things I didn't do here," Shel grumbles to the others as she follows,along peacefully.

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP11) (Cayzle) 
Sunday November 2nd, 2014 6:08:30 PM

"Well, no," says Bliss, getting a stubborn look on his face. "I signed a contract saying I would protect these wagons. How can we do that if we're in jail? We gotta stay here all night. just like we agreed. Breaking a contract is like breaking a law."

Then he whispers to Murphy, "And Mister Murphy, that's not a very nice thing to say. I'm a mercenary. So are lots of my friends. We do good work for people and they pay us. What's wrong with an honest day's work? Plus we fight lots of bad guys, so that's good too."

Mookie mutters, "Oh snap, wildshaper!"

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d20=11 ;
Sunday November 2nd, 2014 10:21:37 PM
Alleah tries a different, more subtle approach with the Constable...

"As you wish Constable. You are in the position of trying to establish who is telling the truth. It is not something one could expect you to know off the top of your head, in the middle of the night, outside a barn. Obviously you need to investigate further and I will do whatever I can to assist. And if that means you need to incarcerate me for the night, then so be it.

I would be happy to come with you to explain our version of events, sign a statement and what not. However, since we do have a contract with the Temply of Ffloy I think it would be best if my friends here stayed with the wagons and completed the contract. As far as I know, this is the first contract the people of Humble's Ford have had with the new Ffloy folk. It wouldn't look good if the very first contract was broken now, would it. Not with everything they have already invested in the town. One could only imagine what would happen if they had to leave so abruptly

Since we have a contract signed by the Broker himself, I think it would be best to try and see it through to the letter. If you have any objections to this, I would be happy to summon the Broker - or Mayor - now that it may ease your mind? Or perhaps having the town guard here at the same time would ease your mind that there are no wrong-doings going on?"

She isn't intending for this to sound like a threat. More of "I understand you are in a difficult position, and if you want someone higher to give you the ok, I can arrange it". (Diplomacy: 11)

She then asks a question to the group "Anything in that contract say we have to obey all orders of the local law enforcement, and if so, do we still get paid?" Deep down Alleah is still a mercenary at heart.

Alleah has used up nearly all of her spells. Should there be a second wave of raiders she is not in a great position to aid the group. If anyone can be spared, it is probably her.

OOC: Note to DM - Alleah dropped the geas on Quotiln last round. If he wants to lie (or act freely) he can now do so

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16  d20+5=15 ;
Monday November 3rd, 2014 1:43:25 PM
Hazel nods at Shel.
"Alouryn and I will go with you. Damn i can't believe this. We are the only thieves that go looking for the police."
He says to the constable:
"Maybe some of us should remain here, to keep and I on the good. My good friend Quotiln can stay with me. And we may have a good friendly chat about who is the thief and who the protector of the goods."
Hazel goes to stand nose to nose with the bandit.
"Do you have a contract too, lier? What do you think, want to stay here and discuss with me?"
Intimidate Roll: 15
In any case he will comply with the constable demands.


Fatine AC 19 (17/14/15), HP 10(15)/23 (Matt C) 
Monday November 3rd, 2014 3:09:44 PM
Fatine looks skeptically at the constable. "No, tank you, sir. I won' be sittin' dee night away wit' you, but I am happy to wait here until morning and do my job. I won' be leavin' dee area, since I gave my word to guard dis here warehouse.

"You can leave some o' dem guards here if you like, you can come back in de mornin', you can do dis any way you like, but I gon' be sittin' right here and not goin' to any silly jail."

Fatine sits back against a tree and puts her hands behind her head, content to let the constable do whatever he pleases.

[DM StevenVdB] - A time to tell... 
Monday November 3rd, 2014 4:06:29 PM
Muprhy isn't too happy to be called a 'mercenary'... a term to discribe well.. basically the tasks you've been doing for Iangold Laughshield anyhow. Bliss doens't mind the description though and checks with Murphy.

Shel's fed up with being wrongfully accused!

In any case, most are dismayed with the suspicions of the old guard and angry at the barn raider's reply.

"Do you have a contract too, lier? What do you think, want to stay here and discuss with me?" Hazel barks and pretty soon Shatiln backs down...

"Well then... I don't think you would be coming for me now if you would have bad intentions now do you? Ok... I ask 2 of you to help me get this lot behind bars while the rest stays here to keep an eye on the barn. I trust you folks not to dishonor my trust... "

You herd the Barn Raiders together (including Quotiln) and two of you (who?) accompany Garret Ostgood to the Guard station.

The rest stays in the barn... There are still a good 5 hours till sunrise...
Let me know how you plan on spending the rest of the night so I know how to prepare the ... second wave ...

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP11) (Cayzle) 
Monday November 3rd, 2014 6:22:18 PM

Bliss urges Alleah and the other person to come right back after dropping off the prisoners. "I hate the idea of splitting up. One time my old pals tried that, and people died."

Bliss plans on just staying awake with Mookie until dawn. "They won't catch us asleep again, right Mookie?"

"I suppose we can sleep the day away instead," the raven answers.

Bliss and Mookie resume their perches in the rafters, peeking out of the hole in the roof (and recasting reduce) every so often.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Monday November 3rd, 2014 7:29:18 PM
"What the heck. I'll be your volunteer with Alleah. Let's make this quick however. If they try to void my contract since I'm not officially at work here, I'm going to sue to seek recompense, that's for sure. Murphy, keep all these others out of trouble and we'll be right back lickety split. Bliss has the right of it, though...I wouldn't trust going back to sleep. Something's fishy with all this and Id expect more trouble heifer tonight's through."

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d20+4=17 ; d100=17 ;
Monday November 3rd, 2014 10:41:00 PM
"Thanks Shel" Alleah gives the sorcerer a friendly elbow and wink "Would be boring to be alone otherwise"

It is only then that Alleah realises what sort of predicament she may have placed herself in. What if she is still locked up when the sale day starts? What if she misses out on scoring a bargain? What if all the good 'stuff' gets sold quickly? Why, this is no good at all! She had better be released very very early the next day!

"Just a moment while I gather my things, officer"

Alleah tries to get a quiet moment of out earshot of the guard. "I'll try and find a window to sit near at the guard office. We should be able to stay in contact with a message spell"

OOC: Alleah can cast Message with a range of 130ft. Assuming the barn is, say, 300ft away from the guard house, then another witch placed in between could act as a relay between Alleah, Shel and the rest of the group. If Alleah can't get out of earshot of the guard, then Bluff to pass secret message: 17

She then returns back to the guard as if nothing has happened.

"I've used up most of my spells for the day anyway. Although if you will permit me, officer, I will see that the dead man's body remains preserved for posterity - and your evidence" If she is given permission from the officer, Alleah will cast Gentle Repose on the corpse. (Ley line check: 17=Pas. The body will be perfectly preserved for 3days)


Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Tuesday November 4th, 2014 12:26:06 AM
He says goodbye to Alleah and Shel.
"Don't let those guys get away. Or talk his way out of this mess. Try to tell our "boss" what happened."
He goes looking for his Sling Staff, and will stay outside, patrolling again, this time without Faoil.
"If I sit down I will probably fall sleep..."
Perception Roll: Tried to roll, but it says: "Error loading XML document (error, undefined)"

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16  d20+11=31 ;
Tuesday November 4th, 2014 12:28:41 AM
Perception Roll: 31, Natural 20! Woohoo!

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d20+13=21 ;
Tuesday November 4th, 2014 5:01:49 AM

Murphy considers Bliss's words. He also thinks over just what a mercenary is. A person hired to do a job, usually involving the use of arms. He was about to answer, but delays his response as others discuss options.

As Garrett Ostgood and the members of the group decide that two shall go - Alleah and Shel, Murphy adjusts to the situation.

Murphy helps tie the hobbled and manacled prisoners together in one line with a rope, so as to make it hard for any of them to attempt to split away from the others.

He cuts some strips of canvas long enough to serve as gags, ties each one firmly behind the head of each prisoner. They can breathe through their noses. "Constable Ostgood, these simple gags in their mouths should make it hard for them to call out or give instructions to others while on the way."

Taking the two women aside before they leave, he has a few words. "Alleah - if a bird or a bat or other critter shows up, and moves its head in two circles to the right, then in two circles to the left - it's me," Murphy whispers quietly to her as she and Shel prepare to leave with the prisoners and the constable. He tells Shel the same thing in a similar manner.

He strikes one of the last sunrods on the ground to cause it to light, and hands it to Shel. He instructs her out of earshot of the prisoners. "Wave it in a circle overhead if all seems well. We really should figure out other signals, but I'm so tired I can't think of any. If you see someone you don't know heading to the barn, move it up and down twice, then point in the direction you see movement - if you have a chance to do so. Shoot, toss it up in the air once or twice if it looks like someone is trying to rescue the prisoners." He brushes a lock of hair off her face and over her ear. "Take care, come back as soon as you can."

He gives a tanglefoot bag to Shel, one to Alleah, and one to the Constable. "A safe way to slow folks down, if necessary."

To Shel and Alleah, he says, "Say, once the prisoners are locked down - do you suppose you can swing by Alouryn's place, and bring her with you back to the barn? - and Faoil, too. We can use their help." He knows that Shel knows where Alouryn lives - though likely, Alleah also does.

Otherwise, he watches in silence as the hobbled prisoners begin a slow trek toward the constabulary.

Mercenariness
Before Bliss ascends back to his hidey hole in the roof, Murphy says, "Sorry, Bliss. I didn't think of it that way. The word 'mercenaries,' I mean. I've always hear the term used with a measure of scorn. But, I guess... well. I guess I am, at least at the moment, technically, a mercenary. But I'd prefer to think of myself as an adventurer, who loves and wants to protect and defend his community... who just happens to be getting paid for his work." He shrugs, "But, hey, I guess tonight I'll be a mercenary. Did Broker Laughshield really give a 'license to kill' as the constable suggested?"

Those Four Still At The Barn
As they consider their guarding work, Murphy says, "All right - Bliss - your sniper post looks good. I might be back up on the roof, myself, in a bit. Mookie, you'll help keep him awake? And Hazel, you want to patrol outside? Sounds fine. Fatine - what do you think about staying up on top of the wagons? If someone else comes, you can be a last line of defense - and also warn us if someone sneaks past us."

Little Notes
Murphy takes a sheet of paper, and, using folds and the edge of his knife, cuts it into strips. He jots down a variety of notes, and a brief word summarizing each note on the back of each strip. He places these in a pouch, which he tucks into a pocket.

Then, taking a blanket with him, and using the ladder already outside, he climbs up on to the roof, makes it to the peak, then sits down, wrapping the blanket about him, looking out on the side opposite of Bliss's viewpoint, as well as casting side-to-side looks every half minute or so.

[Perception: 21]

Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP11) (Cayzle)  d20+13=14 ;
Tuesday November 4th, 2014 6:46:08 AM

Bliss looks a little abashed. "It's okay, Mister Murphy. I got my dandruff up, is all. I should be more polite."

Bliss's perception check on guard duty: 14. It has been a long day.

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Tuesday November 4th, 2014 2:34:26 PM

"Bliss, don't worry about 'polite' with me. We are working together. You have great skills and ideas. Tell me the truth, tell me what you think. If you think I am out of line or missing something, don't worry overmuch about my feelings.

"It is good for us to treat each other with respect - it should not be necessary for us to resort to insults." He then adds with a smile, "Although teasing is fine from time to time!"

As they sit atop the roof, he carries on a conversation with Bliss - and lets him know what he said to Alleah and Shel.

"We should come up with signals. Maybe some whistle signals. A whole lot of them, so we can communicate information from a distance. Perhaps some hand signals. The whistle signals could also be translated to other things. Like, maybe hand clapping, or drumming, or tapping.

"Have you ever figured out a set of tactical or informational signals before, Bliss? Or maybe you know of some, Mookie - you have a lot more experience at some things that we do. I've only done a small set, but I think we need a bigger, uh, vocabulary."

[DM StevenVdB] - A time to tell... 
Tuesday November 4th, 2014 5:01:56 PM
Alleah and Shel decide to help constable Ostgood in getting the prisoners back to town. With care and ingenuity Murphy helps making sure they won't try to get away and if they try he givesbsomebtanglefoot bags to take care of that.

The ones that stay behind are reluctant to see their friends leave and worried for falling asleep during thz last hours of this night. Thei thoughts are with their friends, their 'boss' and how he will think about all this. Mookie and Bliss get up into the rafters again and are soon joined by Murphy who dislikes another sneak attack... He and Bliss share their thoughts on what being a mercenary means... Perhaps to stay awake?

Hazel to stays awake and this time without Faoil he patrols the area. Nothing will get near this time without the ranger spotting them!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Slowly the hours go by. Huddled in his blanket Murphy fights the sleep. Mookie is more quiet than ever and with big red eyes Bliss tries to lookout for trouble. Hazel has almost accidentakly stepped ob the caltrops which he forgot about due to being tired.

At the guard house the prisoners are behindb bars and Alleah and Shel have been offered some warm soup with some bread and if they wanted a cosy place to rest while they wait till morning

Morning comes uneventful...
Slowly the sun peaks over the horizon...

The barn now shows its burn marks on the roof...
This could have gone completely wrong had it not been for the Humble's Swords!!



Bliss (AC22, HP23) & Mookie (AC18, HP11) (Cayzle) 
Tuesday November 4th, 2014 5:10:01 PM

Mookie cocks his head, getting lost in reminiscences triggered by Murphy's questions. "Best answer is always telepathy. Until then, poor man's telepathy is Message spells. Dragon heroes get rings of telepathy. I remember it at the Emerald Dragons Elevation Party. The Kid's mom was no Dragon, but her pal Aztyr cast permanent telepathic links connecting everyone in the group. That was sweet. She got away with that for free somehow, but I think the Gericko shut that nonsense down last time he tinkered with the mechanisms behind the clockwork that runs the multiverse." The raven sighs. "Somebody always goes too far, and then we can't have nice things any more."

"Sure my mom was a dragon!" exclaims Bliss.

"Sure, sure, Kid. Fierce as a dragon, she was, sure. She just never got invited to the Consortium. Probably because her and her friends blipped around so much and never left a forwarding address. Until they got that castle, but who's gonna look for Dragons in Aisildur?"

"Anyway, why not?" the jaded bird says to Murphy. "Fool around with flashy lights and secret signs," he says, slightly condescendingly. "But it's easier just to Bluff your secrets to your pals, if you got any expertise in that. On the other wing, if you want to communicate at a distance, you're just doing it wrong. Splitting up the party is a sure-fire way to get killed. Especially when you're all poods at the start of your careers. Better to stick together. The tricksy witch and the caster chick shouldn't oughta gone off with the cop, you ask me."

"Huh!" says Bliss. "I hope they're all right."

Mookie caws, laughing. "Kid, you saying that practically guarantees they'll get in a fix. Only thing you coulda said worse was that they were going to retire tomorrow."

Bliss claps his hands over his mouth and looks afraid to say anything.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Tuesday November 4th, 2014 7:47:57 PM
"Don't worry, Murphy. We will be fine, or I'll get into a fight with the guard. Either way, it'll be interesting," she smiles, as she turns to leave. "Oh, and like I said, you be careful too. I expect something fishy..."

*****************

Shel grumbles the whole way to the guardhouse. "We always seem to find trouble here, Alleah. You might want to find a better class to hang out with. Your name will be mud soon enough, if you pal with us it seems.". Despite her misgivings, Shel happily tucks into a bowl of soup, and dunks her piece of bread, finishing every last drop. "Having to use so much magic always makes me really hungry. But, I'm hungry most of the time," she smiles at Alleah, much happier at being given a warm meal.

Fatine AC 19 (17/14/15), HP 10(15)/23 (Matt C) 
Tuesday November 4th, 2014 8:25:16 PM
With morning, Fatine yawns and climbs down from atop the wagon. "Now where be dis man wit' our money? Ol' Fatine is tired and needs her nap!" She whistles for Crow and feeds him a few bites from her carefully packaged and packed rations.

Sidling up next to Bliss, she muses, "How long do we wait for dem to come on back afore we go an' git dem? I don' wanna see dem in any sort o' trouble, yea?"

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Wednesday November 5th, 2014 1:04:53 AM
Alleah greedily slurps some of the soup, and nods to Shel "You know, trouble just has a way of following me around. Perhaps I'M the bad influence" The girl grins broadly and wipes some excess soup from the side of her mouth.

When she has had her fill, Alleah offers the bowl of soup to the prisoners - seeking more bowls if required. She is careful not to provide them any cutlery. Wouldn't want a prison break on her accord (today).

"Don't worry" she whispers to Frukul as she passes him in his cell. "You have nothing to FEAR". Alleah puts a strong emphasis on the word fear. Frukal was inside the barn when Alleah was making friends with Quotiln, and wouldn't know she was aware of the F.E.A.R outfit. Perhaps this will lull him into a false sense of security?

She takes a seat and sits outside Quotiln's cell "So where are you from, originally?". Alleah is bursting to find out more about a fellow Lighttouch. Could they be related? Could he be a cousin twice removed? Who knows.

Alleah will also have a quiet word with the guard "Excuse me, but, can I ask what that man's bail might be set at? I think he is being charged with vandalism. He didn't actually hurt anyone"

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d12=12 ;
Wednesday November 5th, 2014 4:38:01 AM

Murphy takes in Mookie's ideas, mentally storing them for possible future application. He does not always quite understand everything the bird is talking about, but values what he can garner.

Now that the sun is up, there is livestock to attend to. The ponies, and the wagon full of critters.

"Good job, friends. Let's attend to the animals. The Broker or one of his representatives should be along soon."

He sticks his head out of the barn. "Hazel - come on in and help with the canvas for a minute, would you? Hey, see anyone coming yet?"

Murphy enlists help from his companions to take the slitted canvas off of the wagon with the livestock. He will fill several buckets with fresh water from a create water spell, and provide it in various smaller containers to the chickens and other animals in the wagon which bears them. He also will provide a small measure of food for the animals. After that for the ponies.

He yawns several times, and stretches his limbs, but keeps on working.

Since the extra gear was localized to the tent, he figures he will come and get that later in a few loads with the cart he left at the stables next to his family's burrow and workshop. He adds the slitted canvas, folded, and tied with a bit of the rope, plus the rest of the rope to the stack of items. He then moves to take the canvas off of three of the remaining four wagons. He rolls the long strips of canvas, then ties them into bundles, placing them next to the tent. Several coils of rope are neatly laid.

"Anyone want some clay pitchers?" Murphy asks his friends.

He thanks Fatine for her use of his wand to help out Shel. "How badly was she hurt when you started to help her?" he thinks to ask.

After finishing up most of these tasks, he mentions, "Once we have handed off the goods, I hope to get a good spot of sleep."

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Wednesday November 5th, 2014 2:43:32 PM
Before leaving out to patrol Hazel gets near Murphy.
"Don't worry about the "mercenary" word. We are not. Mercenaries do whatever they are paid to do. We won't. We defend our town and friends, and if those Ffloy guys pay us for it, all for the best, as money they have, but not much else. But we are not for sale, not our conscience. I'll see to it."
He smiles at his friend and clips his hand on his shoulder, maybe a little more strongly than necessary, in a male-bonding gesture.
---
At Mookie's somment about telepathy Hazel smiles.
"I don't think I want people reading my thoughts. Nor I think people will like reading them."
He let's a laugh out.
---
With red eyes Hazel hears Murphy calling him inside to help. He mumbles to himself...
"I was hoping to skip that part... oh well, back to work... you want to get married in style, doesn't it boy?"
He goes back, with dry mouth.
"Do we have some water to splash on? I need to wake up, at least until we get out of here."
He helps his friends to pack everything, and he declines on the pitchers.
"I will need to go see Alouryn and Faoil before crashing out."
OOC: In the Halloween LnB games Hazel won two prizes, and I am looking for someone to make good use for them:
Miniature jack-o-lantern: This pumpkin may be thrown as a ranged touch attack with a range of 30'. A successful hit affects the target with an effect identical to the cause fear spell (CL1st).
Marphy says to have Fatine getting one of them, so, who wants the other?

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Wednesday November 5th, 2014 2:54:20 PM

Once the chores are complete, Murphy sits down and writes out a summary of the goings on in and around the barn, covering two pages of text.

[DM StevenVdB] - Now where be dis man wit' our money? 
Wednesday November 5th, 2014 3:40:39 PM
Like clockwork Iangold Laughshield walks up to the barn the next morning. He stops a moment when he sees the burn marks on the roof and spots Murphy perched up there in a blanket. He might miss Bliss and Mookie though...

Then he walks up a bit faster...

He sees Hazel walking around as if he's sleeping...

He starts running!

"THE GOODS?! WHAT HAPPENED!!! "

Iangold runs up to the barn (not knowing about the caltrops...) questions is... do you stop him or let him take his chances :-)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at the guard house Alleah and Shel have spent a cosier night.

"Rise and chine lasses... time to go find Mr. Iangold and question hum about the contracts and such... these are well behind bars"

As Alleah asks about bail Garret scratches his chin...
"I don't know lass... it's a bit uncommon. Depending on Mr. Laughshields explanation there might not be any reason for keeping them behind bars and just send them home..."

------------------------------------------------------------------

You got the XP
Personally I don't feel anyone deserved a Hero Point - this battle was to disorganised
Not sure where you have left the gear... do you give it to Garret Ostgood or keep it to yourself?
You have disarmed the 6. Have you also taken their armor and rest of their gear?

Fatine AC 19 (17/14/15), HP 10(15)/23 (Matt C) 
Wednesday November 5th, 2014 3:47:57 PM
"Watch out for dee pokeys!" Fatine starts, then cuts off as Iangold decides to rush forward. Hopefully he misses them, though if he doesn't, Fatine is hard-pressed to avoid a few giggles.

"We took good care o' dee stuff what wen' dee lil' buggers come 'long an' try to burn dem. No worries Goldy!"

Bliss (AC20, HP27) & Mookie (AC18, HP13) (Cayzle) 
Wednesday November 5th, 2014 5:13:57 PM

Bliss yawns. "I guess I was too tired to think of stripping the loot off them."

Mookie laughs. "If that one was willing to take 60 gold a year as a living wage, odds are his gear was crap-all, or he just coulda sold his gear and lived without working at the same pay."

The tiny fellow turns to see the cleric who hired them coming up fast.

"Hey mister!" Bliss shouts, "Watchout for them pointy things!" he points to the danger.

He comes down to talk with Iangold.

OOC: Updated link to newest version of PC sheet.

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Wednesday November 5th, 2014 7:53:44 PM

"Hail, Broker Iangold LaughShield. Stay on the paths, and you won't step on the caltrops!"

Murphy comes down from his perch where he has been writing up the events of the evening. "Here - this will explain everything - and the goods are well cared for, and intact." He tosses the blanket over his shoulder and descends the ladder, so he can then actually hand over the parchment he inked. "We even fed & watered the animals."

He walks with the cleric - showing him where caltrops were placed. "We'll pick those up, of course. And the sunrods will die out soon - but it's daylight, so, no need for those anymore."

{more shortly - interrupted}

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d20+5=18 ;
Thursday November 6th, 2014 6:21:58 AM
Upon entering the barn (am assuming he comes in through the west side - where most of the ponies are), he can see the wagons all gathered together in the center of the barn. Wagon #2 still has canvas covering it. "We had all five wagons covered with canvas for protection, and had them roped together to make it hard for any potential robbers from getting away with them quickly. But we just took the canvas off of four of them, and laid it over there," Murphy points to the area next to the tent.

"Fatine, Alleah, Shel, Hazel, Bliss and Mookie all did great. Six halflings out of Angel Springs attacked last night, tried to set the barn on fire, and were shooting arrows at us, trying to stab us with rapiers. So, we stopped them. Sadly, one fellow who did not relent on attacking the women outside died. We managed to subdue the rest. One raider spilled the beans, telling us at least some things about who hired them. A fellow in a gray hood. They said they never got a good look at his face. It's all in that parchment I wrote out for you.

"All the ponies are fine, and we just gave them breakfast. Oh, Shel and Alleah went with the constable to escort the prisoners to lockup. They should be back pretty soon, now.

"Aside from the raid, it was a quiet night. How are things with you, sir?"

==========
Backstep to Hazel
I missed Hazel's words just before my mention of Murphy's writing out a summary (we posted close to the same time). In earlier response to him:

Murphy nods his head in agreement with the tenor of his friend's expression as they discussed the term 'mercenary,' and his reference to conscience. As Hazel claps him firmly on the shoulder, the druid has enough presence of mind to brace for the manly action, and does not embarrass himself by tripping or falling [Reflex save: 18]

When Hazel asked for water - Murphy shows him a couple of pitchers full of fresh water. "You really need some sleep, brother."

==========
Disposition of raiders' equipment
We took all their weapons and gear, but not clothes or armor. I realize I did not give full details, but, when Murphy ties someone up and puts manacles on them, he makes certain they do not have hidden knives or other tools, such as lockpicks and the like on them. If they had something hidden deep inside their armor, well, they still have that. The rest of their stuff (including pouches, bags, backpacks, etc.) should be neatly laid out next to the tent. Unless the constable directs them otherwise, he has no intention of returning their weapons and other gear.

==========
Gear Murphy bought for barn defense
Murphy lists several items he purchased for this night's job in the document he handed to Iangold LaughShield.
He offers to let the cleric retain those items he wants to keep at 80% of their purchase value (and is willing to be negotiated down to 75% with no argument). He notes that he especially does not need all the canvas and hemp rope - which may be useful at the market. He also says there is no obligation for the broker to purchase anything, as Murphy took it on his own initiative to buy the materials in order to carry out the assigned work.

Items purchased by Murphy for guard job
GP Value - Description
100.0 - 50 sunrods - 25 used, plan to keep 10
060.0 - 4 sets of manacles, halfling size (plan to keep 1)
000.5 - 25 clay pitchers (2 broken)
003.0 - 6 buckets (plan to keep 2)
010.0 - 10 sets of caltrops (slow assaults outside)
016.0 - 160 square yards of canvas (covered wagons)
020.0 - 5 fishing nets, 25 sq ft ea (covered barn windows - plan to keep 2)
004.0 - 4 grappling hooks (plan to keep 2)
010.0 - 500' rope, hemp (wrap wagons, other uses - some used to tie up assailants)
050.0 - 10 sets block and tackle (plan to keep 2)
005.0 - 10 hammers (plan to keep 2)
001.2 - 6 ladders, 10' (plan to keep 1)
000.5 - 10 10' poles
010.0 - 10 pounds sealing wax
002.5 - 25 sacks (plan to keep 10)

Listed, but plan to keep
750.0 - 1 wand of cure light wounds (used some, keeping)
100.0 - 5 smokesticks (not used, but keeping)
010.0 - 10 watersacks
000.1 - 10 candles

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Thursday November 6th, 2014 6:37:02 AM
Alleah checks in on Quotiln to make sure he is comfortable and to see if there is anything he needs. She takes a small handful of sweets (won in the LnB Halloween Contest) from her pocket and - after checking its ok with the guard - gives them to Quotiln. "I'll make sure you're out of here as soon as possible" she tells him "Just try and relax in the mean time"

Alleah gently shakes Shel by the shoulder, checking if she is awake "Psst! Are you awake? It's time to go and check in on the others" she says gently. Some people don't wake up well and can lash out at those nearby. Alleah has known far too many of them. In her experience, waking someone up should be a gentle experience made as pleasant as possible. Who knows what dream you are robbing them of!

Alleah thanks the officer for his hospitality, and for sharing the soup. She provides the details of where she is staying, and asks that any updates on Quotiln be provided to her asap.

After that she is ready to make haste towards the barn. Hopefully the others had an uneventful night. Hopefully. "Strange. I am more worried about the people than the goods" she observes "They must be growing on me"


Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Thursday November 6th, 2014 7:32:57 AM
Shel smiled when Alleah woke her. This was easily Shel's most pleasant experience at this guard house. "Let's get out of here. It'd be nice if they'd let us grab a bite of breakfast to take to the others. I'm sure they are starving by now. Missing first breakfast will be tough on Murphy and the others.".

Whether or not she is able to grab a loaf of bread or not, she happily joins Alleah in heading back to the others. She was concerned, but hopeful nothing crazy had happened.

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Thursday November 6th, 2014 10:25:57 AM
Hazel smiles when A**gold arrives and runs towards the barn. He silently prays for him to step on the caltrops.
"Easy man! The goods are ok. So are we, thanks for asking!"
He hopes they got paid quickly, so he can go back to sleep.


Bliss (AC20, HP27) & Mookie (AC18, HP13) (Cayzle) 
Thursday November 6th, 2014 2:56:37 PM

Bliss smiles when he sees Shel and Alleah arrive back. BUt then he sees Shel has food with her.

"BREAD!" he exclaims. "NOT FAIR! I'm hungry too!"

He looks at Shel's bread with pitiful eyes.

Fatine AC 19 (17/14/15), HP 10(15)/23 (Matt C) 
Thursday November 6th, 2014 6:35:28 PM
ooc: cheking in. going to be out tonight so may not get back on until morning.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Thursday November 6th, 2014 7:49:08 PM
Alleah tries to stealthily check her sleeve cuffs for any signs of the soup she enjoyed earlier. If Bliss was disappointed about not getting any bread, how would he feel if he knew there was soup too!

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Thursday November 6th, 2014 9:11:26 PM
"I brought the bread for you all, you silly goose! I know how hungry guard work makes a person. Nibble on this until we have the chance to get some real food. How did the rest of the night go? Anything strange happen? More FEAR types?"

[DM StevenVdB] - Now where be dis man wit' our money? 
Friday November 7th, 2014 6:22:13 AM
Sorry sorry sorry folks...
Snowboard lessons yesterday ended with an apres ski... I'm glad I made it to work this morning...

Posting in an hour...

[DM StevenVdB] - Now where be dis man wit' our money? 
Friday November 7th, 2014 8:49:39 AM
The Humble's Sword see Iangold running up the barn. Not willing him to step onto the caltrops Fatine is the first to stop him... Iangold stops abruptly and looks around to see where the caltrops are. Bliss too alert Iangold of the pointy things.
Murphy hops down from the roof and hands over the writings he made during the night. His handwriting shows signs of being cold 'n tired by still Iangold can read most of it.
With big bulging eyes Iangold reads the text and then follows Murphy to the barn.

Iangold Laughshield listens intently at what Murphy has to say and especially when Murphy gets to the point where one has been spilling the beans Iangold is all ears. He sighs when it turns out the only clue they have is the gray hood 'n cloak...

Before Alleah returns to the barn with Shel, she checks on Quotiln. It still struck her that apparently he shares the same last name... could he be a distant relative?! But of course no one here knows her real name! So how could he?
Having woken up Shel quite nicely the two return to the barn with some bread 'n butter for the rest who are still at the barn.
Bliss first had the impression they had none for him!! But Alleah quickly dissipates his dissapointment in saying there's plenty for everyone.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iangold Laughshield is happy to see all the goods made it through the night.

"Excellent job my friends!! Excellent job... Payement will come like we agreed upon... I thank you for having taken care of this cargo. It hasn't been without danger it seems... From here I will take care of the goods and prepare the Sale's Days. Tomorrow we ring the Trade Bell which will signal everyone to come. If you want to have a first go at the goods here, you may want to join me tomorrow morning... We will go to the trade square early so make sure you're awake by then... "

Before he leaves he hands everyone the 250Gp he promised with of course the obligatory receipt to be signed by each of you...

"One last thing... I did hear one of you is planning a wedding? In case you're looking for a place to party this barn could be something no? With a little decoration here and there you can fit in quite a crowd! I'll arrange you a fair deal of course..."

After than Iangold leaves. A number of Ffloy followers assemble near the barn and begin taking care of the cargo... You're no longer needed here...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Based on Murphy's explanation I'm assuming you've taken the following from the Barn Attackers...

- 6 x CLW potions (6 x 50 Gp)
- 3 x +1 rapier (3 x 2320GP)
- 3 x masterwork rapier (3 x 320 Gp)
- 3 x masterwork dagger (3 x 302 Gp)
- 3 x masterwork buckler (3 x 155 Gp)
- 3 x masterwork Crossbow
- 3 x masterwork Shortbow

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A CINEMATOGRAPHIC INTERMEZZO ...

During the day in a place nearby...

A gray hooded cloaked halfling, 'The Recruiter', kneels in front of a table in what looks like a basement...
Behind him 3 other halflings stand - their faces also hidden all dressed in gray...
In two rows, one on his left, one on his right, stand 10 more Halflings... these are dressed in black cloaks

The Recruiter: "Master I'm sorry... it was the Humble's Swords ag... " the recruiter starts but he is swiftly silenced!

Grand Master: "SILENCE!!! I'm tired of your excuses!! You have failed me the last time..."

A spell is cast and the 'Recruiter' falls lifeless to the pavement...

Grand Master: "You!" he says pointing at one of the 3 who stood behind the 'Recruiter', "You have just been promoted..."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Friday November 7th, 2014 11:06:57 AM
Before the Broker leaves...

"Broker Laughshield, sir, I'm trying to help one of the raiders. He wants to live an honest life, he just didn't know how. I've offered to employ him as a bit of a handyman, however, he's still locked up in the guardhouse for the moment. The officer there said it would be up to you as to his fate. Is there any way you could see it that he be released into my care?" Alleah looks up at the broker with the biggest, saddest eyes she can make.

After the broker leaves....

"Looks like we have the rest of the day off. Anyone have any plans?"

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Friday November 7th, 2014 11:46:34 AM
Shel mingles with the followers of Ffloy. "now when is the sale starting? Mister Iangold said I could have first crack at some of the items.". She hops into the wagon with the three or four particular items she had fancied. "You there...these are mine. Keep them and have them laid up separately. There's a gold piece or two in it for you, if no one else gets them first. You might even put a note on them that says property of Shel. I'll be by there early on the sale day anyway."

Shel had never had this much gold in her pocket, so she wasn't worried about one or two as a tip for good service.

"I don't have any plans, Alleah. Other than getting a nap later on. I'm sure everyone else is pretty tired as well."


Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Friday November 7th, 2014 12:30:22 PM
After Iangold finishes talking, and he gets his pay, he asks:
"By any chance you have a grey cloak you wear sometimes? About the weeding, I think I will pass, and marry under the clear sky, between flowers. But thanks anyway."
After hearing his responses he goes to his friends.
"Gotta go check on Faoil, and sleep a while. See you around!"
From his tired smile you know he is not only thinking in Faoil. He leaves to look for Alouryn and his faithful dog.

Fatine AC 19 (17/14/15), HP 10(15)/23 (Matt C) 
Friday November 7th, 2014 1:43:28 PM
"Aye, ol' Fatine is tired too," Fatine yawns in between words. "I tink maybe I grab some sleep, den maybe we can look around more for dis grey-hooded fool what keeps causin' us trouble? Someone gots to know some ting 'bout him, yea?"

Fatine AC 19 (17/14/15), HP 10(15)/23 (Matt C) 
Friday November 7th, 2014 1:44:58 PM
updated character sheet

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d20+13=22 ; d20+13=33 ; d20+13=16 ; d20+13=31 ; d20+13=23 ; d20+13=19 ;
Friday November 7th, 2014 6:43:23 PM

Murphy stifles a yawn. "You're welcome. And thank you," he says as he receives his share of the payment.

"I am trying to figure out who keeps sending people to do bad things here. Most of them are from out of town, as far as I can tell. You, Broker Iangold," he says, using the cleric's first name with the title rather than his family name, "have motivation to see Humble's Ford prosper. Those recently promoting attacks on businesses seem to want fear and confusion to gain a foothold here. Why? I do not understand what they think to gain. Does someone want to set up a protection racket, but they need to let us know we need protection, first?

"I do not want such corruption to come here. This has been a fairly friendly place in times past. What can we do to help keep it that way?" he ponders aloud.

"Look, I am thinking - whoever sent the raiders will not want to fail. Most of us need to get some sleep today, as there was little enough of that last night. But later today maybe a few of us will look around, ask around. I would like to make certain that no one is allowed to successfully disrupt the first Trade Day in a long while. I would be happy to join you early tomorrow morning. Might I suggest you get some reliable folk to watch over the grounds tonight where the Trading Fair will be - and, no, I don't think we'll be available ourselves," he adds quickly - he doesn't want his friends to get too worn out.

He turns to his other friends before all scatter. "How about the rest of you? Shall we gather first at our new digs early in the morning, then head over to the site of the fair together? I'm going to sleep at the place the TossCobbles gave us. This afternoon I'll cart over a few beds. We should get things set up there over the next few days, if we can."

He thinks of one more thing. "Hey - can someone help me pick up all the caltrops? Bliss and Fatine - you laid them down. Could we put those back into bags? And afterwards feel free to scatter to the winds until the morning. Of course, if you don't want to help, that's fine. Also, getting together tomorrow morning is optional - but if you'd let me know if you think you'll be coming, I would appreciate that."

And he sets out to pick up all the caltrops, and all the spent sunrods from around the barn, with help, if others help. He puts the bags next to the tent.

"I'm going to get the cart, and start hauling these things over to the river burrow. I'll try and get some of my brothers to help out, so you all can do whatever you need to do."

Plans
Murphy lets others know his planned itinerary for the day, and welcomes any who would join in.
1. Get cart (taking his ponies to pull it) and make about 3 trips to haul the gear to the river burrow from the barn.
2. Use cart to take two bunk beds & bedding from his home over to the river burrow. Does someone else want to buy some more beds from the store in town?
3. Sleep from about 10am until 4pm (Murphy only got 2 hours sleep before the raid).
4. Eat for half an hour
5. At 4:30 See if Hazel and Alouryn need anything. Talk with them for maybe half an hour about their wedding. If Shel is available at that time, she may want to join in - and anyone else may feel free to do so, too.
6. 5pm Stop at Pirnook's store to pick up a few items.
7. 5:15pm See what's been going on in town, walk around, catch up on news for an hour or so
8. 6:15pm Eat some more. Gotta keep in shape
9. 7pm Back at the river burrow. Change into an owl. Fly reconnaissance over the town and surrounding area for almost an hour. Enjoy eating aerial insects as he does so.
10. Murphy plans to go to bed early - about 8pm
10. Get up at 4am. Fix tea. Wake friends who may be staying at the river burrow. Prepare spells. Wash hair.
11. 5am Head over to square to see what is going on there. Ask around. Be nosy.

[To DM Stephen & other DMs: Please, on the Humble's Ford map, would you show where Iangold Laughshield's barn is? Also, where the river burrow given us by the Tosscobbles is - and, if either are off the edge of the map, perhaps an arrow pointing to where they would be. I realize it may be hard until the Woldipedia is restored.

Oh, and where on the map will the Trade Fair be?]

[To fellow players: Feel free to inject yourself into any of Murphy's activites. Perhaps Mookie might want to fly with Murphy, give him a few pointers. Maybe Fatine's Crow would want to join in? I wonder if anyone would be curious about two crows and an owl flying together. Should Murphy shapechange into a crow, instead? I'm open to suggestions!]

[Six Perception rolls: 22; 33 (nat 20); 16; 31; 23; 19]

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Friday November 7th, 2014 7:21:21 PM
Habeus Corpus


The body of the lamentable Norril Arcanegrin's remains to be dealt with. Shall next of kin be sought? Should he be buried in the town cemetary? Murphy consults with both Iangold Laughshield and Constable Ostgood on the matter.

It would not do to leave the body at the barn.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Friday November 7th, 2014 7:24:11 PM
Shel will definitely join in for meals today. She will also want to head with Murphy to check on the wedding party. After she makes plans, she heads straight for a nap.

Bliss (AC20, HP27) & Mookie (AC18, HP13) (Cayzle) 
Friday November 7th, 2014 10:46:07 PM

Bliss is falling down with sleepiness.

"Someone, get the Kid a bed," says Mookie.

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Friday November 7th, 2014 11:59:06 PM

Murphy takes Bliss over to his place. There are plenty of beds available during the daytime. He tells his mother the gist of what happened at the barn. "Feed him something good when he wakes up, Mama." He winks, "As if you'd do anything less than that."

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Saturday November 8th, 2014 9:18:27 PM
OOC: hey gang, how are we going to divvy up the loot we just took from the baddies? There's some good coin there. Everyone take a CLW potion, and sell the rest? Or does anyone plan on using a magical rapier?

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Sunday November 9th, 2014 4:49:07 AM

OOC: The weapons are valued at a total of 11,286 gp. Now, Hazel expressed a desire for a shield - he might take a masterwork buckler - or turn in a pair of them for, say, a medium shield. Murphy would like one masterwork dagger. Let's see if anyone else wants one or more of the items. After that is determined, then we can turn in the remainder for 50% value in the Catacombs. And, yes, for the sake of simplicity - each PC take a CLW potion.
- 6 x CLW potions (6 x 50 Gp)
- 3 x +1 rapier (3 x 2320GP)
- 3 x masterwork rapier (3 x 320 Gp)
- 3 x masterwork dagger (3 x 302 Gp)
- 3 x masterwork buckler (3 x 155 Gp)
- 3 x masterwork Crossbow (3 x 335 Gp)
- 3 x masterwork Shortbow (3 x 330 Gp)

[DM StevenVdB] - Now where be dis man wit' our money? 
Sunday November 9th, 2014 1:18:25 PM
Iangold frowns at Alleah's request to help one of the attackers.

"A strange request Lady Alleah... these men have tried to destroy the barn and murder you! But I will listen to your request and may decide not to press charges upon this man provided that you make sure he stays on the track of justice..."

Shel mingles with the followers of Ffloy as they start taking care of the goods and wagons. She points how the items she wants to buy at tomorrow's Sale Day.

"You'll have first go at the items as promised Lady Shel... just be there in time..." they chuckle as they see Shel's sleepy eyes.

"A grey cloak?" Iangold asks as Hazel inquires about a cloak like that, "... no I do have a cloak but it's not grey... I'm sorry... And if you want to marry under the clear sky I don't have any problems with that of course. Please let me know if I can help with anything. After all you and your friends have helped Ffloy on a few occasions already!"

"You are right Mister Murphy... prosperity attracts crime. One can not thrive without the other... I will do everything in my power to bring a halt to these criminal activities. When the time comes I hope I may count on you to help me win this battle against crime."

----------------------------------------

The Burrow Eldon and Cora Tosscobble have offered you is near the river banks. There's no location on the map but perhaps we can settle on the following. If you travel South towards the river from the Dancing Pig you walk straight towards the burrow in casu. Unless you would prefer a different location, feel free to make a suggestions should that be the case.

The barn is somewhere between Humble's Burrow and the Temple of Ffloy - also no clear location on the map.

-------------------------------------------

Then the group takes care of the falled Norril Arcanegrin, clear the place and find a place to crash... everyone hopes Ffloy's followers have this matter well in hands for it would be dissapointing to see the cargo go to waste now that they have so well defended it...

-------------------------------------------



Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Sunday November 9th, 2014 11:38:57 PM

Philosophical / ethical disquisition on the proposition 'Prosperity attacts crime'
"I think that prosperity can thrive without crime - if the people who prosper are upright in heart, stout in purpose, and diligent in vigilance," Murphy responds to Iangold's assertions. "Crime also can abound where there is poverty. Crime is a matter of people taking shortcuts at others' expense. A poor man can be upright and honest. A poor man can be twisted and a fraud. A rich man can be praiseworthy and show noble character. A rich man can be reprehensible and wickedly crafty.

"Now, where there is prosperity, those whose character is poorly formed might say, 'Aha! How can I rob them of what they have gained?' whereas one of well formed character might say, 'Aha! I see their hard work and diligence which produced this gain. I also shall work hard that I might be productive and prosper.'

"Neither wealth nor poverty determine virtue. One can carry virtue in abundance, as one can carry virtue in want. Though each condition may have its own challenges and temptations, neither condition serves as a valid excuse for criminal behavior. What attracts crime? Hearts that are bent away from good. In an honest town, one might leave one's door unlocked, even silver on the front porch, with no fear of loss. In a town where the wicked dwell, neither locks nor guards are absolute proof against thievery or thuggery."

The young halfling scratches his neck. "Do any of Ffloy's teachings touch on the financial benefits of virtue?" A sincere question that, the answer to which the druid is keen to find out. "Of course, I know you are busy, so if another occasion would be better to address this question, I can wait."

A Matter of Burial
If neither constable nor cleric object, Murphy will arrange with the gravediggers to prepare a plot for Norril Arcanegrin, and a stone engraved with the following words. He will pay the engraving fee, and for a coffin.
Norril Arcanegrin of Angel Springs
He tried to burn a barn
and slay a fair lass
He now lies here
a-mouldering 'neath the grass
When a mutually agreeable time can be found, and the gravesite is readied, he will suggest to his companions a ceremony be held to lay the raider's bones to rest in the next day or two.

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Sunday November 9th, 2014 11:41:13 PM

Oh, and the date of death will also be listed at the bottom of the tombstone.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Monday November 10th, 2014 4:43:18 AM
Alleah isn't used to being referred to as 'Lady' It's enough to cause her to blush. "Um .. er .. thankyou, sir" she stammers through her thanks to the Broker.

--------------------------

During the day Alleah does some small amount of shopping, too keen to wait until the sale day begins. And when she finds a moment, she confides in Bliss.

Bliss has travelled with Alleah for some time, and knows much more about her than the others do - including her real name.

"And that's just it. This, Quotiln. He's a Lighttouch too. There's no way he, or anyone else could have known I would be here. It's Warrd at work, I tell you. He chose for the two of us to meet. I must find out more about Quotiln. If we are related somehow, then I would feel bound to see that he was taken care of properly. But I don't want him to know the truth"

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Monday November 10th, 2014 1:12:46 PM
Other than eating and napping, Shel doesn't do much the next morning. She does follow Hazel and Murphy to go check on the blushing bride. "What work on the wedding have you done, Alouryn? Have you picked out your colors yet? How about some flowers? I don't think you ever told me what your favorites were...we need to be sure we have plenty for the festivities. Do you have to have a night of partying beforehand...a bachelorette's party? We can drink a bit and howl at the moon, if you want!"

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Monday November 10th, 2014 2:12:35 PM
OOC: About the loot, I changed my mind, as Sling Staff is Hazel weapon of choice. So he will sell the other weapons and do what he does best, with the weapon he uses the best. I'll add the CLW potion and I think a CLW Wand is in order with he rest of the money.
About the wedding planning, he will "let" Alouryn to decide (can't it be otherwise :P ) the details, while worrying about the costs (as it should be).
The next day he will accompany Murphy being nosy, and trying to find clues to implicate "those Ffloy guys" in the new crime-wave.

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Monday November 10th, 2014 7:03:37 PM

OOC: Murphy will take only 1 potion and 1 masterwork dagger. He recommends Hazel consider outfitting himself with a +1 sling staff. However anyone wishes to allocate the remainder of the funds should be fine with him.
An idea, though: If you spend 1500 gp, you can get a Cure Light Wounds wand that is without limit on charges. Murphy's CLW wand has 48 charges left. If the party obtained the more enduring wand, we could use that most of the time. The charged one could be used as needed for active combat situations in addition to the unlimited variant. When we had two clerics in the party, healing was not as much of an issue. Now with one cleric light (Alleah - witch 3 cleric 1), supplemental healing is much more of a concern (and thanks, Rob, for Alleah's healing wave at the end of the barn combat).

[DM StevenVdB] - Now where be dis man wit' our money? 
Monday November 10th, 2014 7:08:42 PM
Murphy ponders the symbionts Prosperity and Crime and is interested what Ffloy education has to say about the financial benefits of virtue...

Iangold holds his departure for a few moments to think about that question...

"Well now Mister Murphy... Perhaps in time you will follow some of our courses... See for yourself..."

During the day Alleah seeks out Bliss and consults him about what to do or think about the fact that Quotiln, the one she had under her control, is a Lighttouch like her... Is this all but a big coincidence or could they be related?!

Shel and Hazel go to see Alouryn. Since she no longer goes out on wild adventures she has temporarily been staying with Eldon and Cora Tisscobble. They have been planning the wedding indeed and have planned tje wedding two full moons from now!! Like Hazel desired it will be a wedding under the clear sky...

"And now that the day has finally been set it's time tobthriw an engagement party!!" Eldon says out loud, "when the sale days are over we will throw a party for our two lovebirds!!

But rather than spending a quiet day Hazel is fixated on implicating Ffloy followers in the latest crimes!!


The day slowly passes. The little town is bustling with sounds. Everyone appears to be very enthousiastic!! When evening falls the Humble's Sword sleep already ..

You wake up early the next morning after a good uneventful night..Time to prepare to travelling with the caravan...

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Monday November 10th, 2014 8:03:39 PM

Murphy likes the idea of a party for Alouryn & Hazel after the trading days wrap up.

Wait. What? Travelling with the caravan? Where is the Trading Fair taking place?

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Monday November 10th, 2014 8:57:59 PM
OOC: yeah, color me confused. Another caravan guarding mission? I don't rmember agreeing to it, not that Shel minds too much, I don't guess.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Tuesday November 11th, 2014 5:07:11 AM
"You know, I was thinking of something last night. What if I was to disguise myself and vandalise the blacksmiths? Someone could tip him off, or we could pay for the damage afterwards. But it may be a way to infiltrate that FEAR group. If they think I'm a vandal, then perhaps they might try and recruit me?" Alleah suggests over 1st breakfast.

Bliss (AC20, HP27) & Mookie (AC18, HP13) (Cayzle) 
Tuesday November 11th, 2014 7:06:33 AM

Bliss and Murphy

Bliss wakes up refreshed, hearing Murphy talking about crime and propsperity.

He casts his Reduce spell reflexively, because he is still half in his dream.

"Isn't that funny, Mister Murphy? I was dreaming about you, and here you are? Was that you in my dream because I was hearing your voice? Dreams sure are funny."

Yawning, Mookie wakes from his perch on the headboard of the bed Bliss had been sleeping in. "If I had dreams of Murphy, I'd call them nightmares! Give me worms and lady-ravens, please!"

"It kind of WAS a nightmare!" says Bliss. "We were trying to fight criminals, and Mister Murphy kept trying to give me money, because I was a mercanary! I kept saying no thanks, it was okay, but in my dream you were real insisting! 'It's okay, we got prosperity, we can afford you,' you kept saying."

Bliss laughs, but it is more a shaky nervous laugh than a joyful one.

==========

Bliss and Alleah

When Alleah confides in Bliss about the prisoner, Bliss grins. "This is great, Miss Alleah! It would be like if I found a sister I thought I had lost, or a cousin. All my family in the world is dead except for Aunt Priss, and she was sure mad at me, which is why I left."

"What am I, chopped liver?" caws Mookie.

"And Mookie, sorry," adds Bliss.

"So if you can find someone in your family, isn't that a good thing? You should ask him about his relatives and see if you can figure out how. Is your family from around here, do you think?"

"Maybe Miss Fatine can read your fortune and tell you if you really are related."

==========

Bliss and Party Business

Bliss is not worried about the loot. He'll take a CLW potion and then just asks for his share in cash. "How much did the Kid earn?" Mookie caws. He looks over the loot pile ... "Three of those and three of those ... that'll be about ... carry the two ... couple hundred there ... I figure the kid has at least 600 coming to him, right? Don't try to cheat him, either, I got a mind for numbers like a trap!"

"Mookie!" says Bliss.

Bliss is more worried about that grey cloak guy. He agrees with Fatine and Hazel. "We gotta find that guy, for sure!"

Mookie adds, "Yeah, I bet we would get a big reward for taking him down."

Bliss says, "Hey! We are heroes! We don't care about that!"

The tiny guy is still clearly grappling with being a hero vs being a merc.

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Tuesday November 11th, 2014 12:16:55 PM
"Another trip? Where to now? I need to go sell some stuff, I'll be back shortly!"
Remind me: Somebody got the Pumpkin magic item besides Murphy?

[DM StevenVdB] - Now where be dis man wit' our money? 
Tuesday November 11th, 2014 6:38:51 PM
When the Humble's Sword get together to divide the loot they casually talk to one another. Bliss shares his nightmares that involved Murphy. Alleah confides about Quotiln to Bliss. Hazel and Alleah scheme about setting up a trap and see if they can infiltrate F.E.A.R.!

But when the time comes for the caravan to go towards the trade square the Swords are puzzled... Yet another caravan guarding task?!

"Ah it seems there are some parts of Humble's Ford history that are no longer known by you younglings 'n strangers... Perhaps Mr Murphy the parents of your parents' parents heard their parents' parents talks about what their parents told about their parents...
Back then Humble's Ford was prosperous mainly thanks to the lucrative sales they had with the giants of the South... Of course Giants were not allowed to enter Humble's Ford or in fact they were not allowed to cross the river! Therefor, just accross the river, a trade square was created. Whenever the Giants or the citizens from Humble's Ford wanted to trade they rang the Trade Bell. A large bell that was placed in the center of the square...

Before I initiated the Sale Days I checked the square... Even though it's deserted and ill maintained the Bell is still there and I'm sure we can re-initiated the old traditin...

So, no guard duties for you my friends... But didn't you plan on getting your hands on a few things??

Anyhow, the wagons leave for the trade square. It's just 5mins accross the river... Shall we?

Lady Alleah... May I invite you to walk with me? ", realising that's perhaps a strange request he quickly adds, "I'd love to hear why you would want to save one of those criminals that attacked the barn last night... "

The 5 wagons you guarded last night axcompanied with at least another 5 wagons and perhaps a douzen smaller carts all take the road towards Trade Square...

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Tuesday November 11th, 2014 7:06:40 PM
Shel was disappointed in herself for not thinking to ask where the sale was actually going to be. She happily followed with the others, and the sale wagons, heading to the trade square.

"You are going to try and deal with big'uns? What will happen if they get any funny ideas, and you know, try to eat the whole lot of us? I've not had good experiences with the couple of big'uns I've met!"

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d20+10=29 ; d20+10=24 ;
Tuesday November 11th, 2014 8:02:14 PM
It is indeed a strange request to be invited to walk with the Broker! How should she act? Should she take his arm? Should he take hers? Should she walk beside him as an equal, or trail him a few steps? This is all so confusing. And he keeps referring to her as 'Lady'. Ok, that part she likes.

Alleah brushes some stray hairs behind her ear self-consciously. Not knowing how she should act, she tries to follow the Broker's lead and 'go with the flow'.

"Broker, sir, I must admit that I did cast a spell upon the man - Quotiln - when he was trying to attack the barn. I compelled him to tell the truth, and he expressed a desire to live an honest life if given the chance. Perhaps you and Ffloy are having a bad influence on me, as 60 gold pieces to set a man on an honest life seemed a bargain" Alleah laughs awkwardly, unsure if the Broker has a sense of humour

"Either I have spent 60 gold pieces to have a handyman around town, to help us and others, or, I have paid 60 gold pieces to a scoundrel who will disappear and not show his face in Humble's Ford again. Either way, the town should be better off"

Sensing the chance to have a frank conversation with the Broker, Alleah changes topic. "It is curious. No sooner had we arrived in the barn than they were there to attack it that very night. One could suppose that they were opportunistic. However, they claim to have been employed by an organisation. F.E.A.R, I believe they called it. That would suggest they knew about the wagons in advance and had time to plan and prepare. Have you heard of such an organisation? That they have such information about both Humble's Ford and your goods is a bit alarming"

(Sense Motive: 29)

Alleah had debated whether or not to tell the Broker what the group had learned about FEAR, but he would no doubt have heard from the guard when he interrogated the prisoners. No, best to be honest with the Broker.

(Perception: 24)

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Tuesday November 11th, 2014 11:43:47 PM

Alleah's suggestion

"Sounds like something that, what's his name? Trufflefinder? Ah, no, Troublefinder," Murphy corrects himself. "Bill Troublefinder used to infiltrate the, the Sons of Thread. Back when they... No, the Sons of Dread. Right. But he would go in to find out what they were up to, then get word back to the good guys so they could help to thwart their plans.

"I've been wondering if there is someone bad who has infiltrated the Ffloy group, and is trying to mess them up from within. Huh. Well, Alleah, it's something for you to think about. But haven't a few people seen your face with us?"

With Bliss & Mookie

As Bliss wakes up, Bekka Lilly Burrows Leafwin Pipewood, Murphy's mother, lays out milk fresh from the morning and eggs, bacon, toast and apple juice, plus some earthworms that young Billy brought in a bucket for Mookie. She asks Mookie if he would like anything else. "I've got some more eggs scrambled up, if you have a liking for that," she tells the crow.

Murphy must have been telling his mother about his earlier conversation with Broker Iangold Laughshield as he took apart a bunk bed for transport.

"Yes, you are right, Bliss. Dreams can sure be interesting." He gets a glass of apple juice from his mother as he sits for a moment with the little fellow. "You know, it's not a problem being paid for work you are good at. I guess, growing up around here, though I've gotten paid for some things I do, I didn't think of myself as, as a mercenary. More as an adventurer. I think, so long as we are careful who we agree to do work for, it is not a bad thing to use our skills in the employ of others. My own fear for myself, though, is that I might end up agreeing to help someone out, who ends up not doing things that are right. What do I do then? I am thinking, if I ever sign an agreement with folks from Ffloy, that I will add a clause which maintains I have a right to terminate my contract without prejudice should I be asked or required to do something illegal, unethical, immoral, or just bad for some reason or another. Maybe I'll ask my lawyer great uncle for his advice on how to word it. He lives in Angel Springs these days. Berry 'Books' Gardner Pastna is his name. Have you met my Grandma Eglantine here in town? You have to try her rumberry pie. Anyway, Berry is her younger brother."

Fearing he may have gotten a bit too technical, he brushes back his wavy sandy hair. "So, anyway, Bliss - it's all right to be a mercenary - so long as you choose the right side to fight for."

Onward

Murphy, relieved that it's a very very short caravan, goes along with the others, after he has heard the Broker's explanation. "I should see if our mayor might let me spend some time catching up on history by reading from his library."

Sardok HP 35 AC 20/15/16 
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 12:26:59 PM
A man in rough brown homespun and a scholar's cloak slowly overtakes the traders' caravan. His clothes are plain but the pony he sits astride is of fine breeding. He gazes passively at the wagons overloaded with merchant goods. Despite his stoic demeanor, his heart is aflutter at again being in a new place with an uncertain future ahead. Such new sights and sounds awaken in him a memory of another time, at a place not overly far from here....

"Oh Sardok, what a wonderful place for a farm! We can put the kitchen over there, and the fireplace here, and the bedroom over there...for the children."
"Yes, Iona," he said, beeming like a child at Harvestfest, "we've been blessed mightily, and Powers willing, we'll never have to leave....."

The man gives his head a little shake to clear out the unwelcome phantom. Perhaps if these merchants are overly burdened by an abundance of wine he might find grace enough to relieve them of a skin or two.

Fatine AC 19 (17/14/15), HP 10(15)/23 (Matt C)  d20+2=20 ; d20+6=11 ; d20+4=16 ;
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 3:42:40 PM
Fatine nudges Murphy and Alleah, and leans over her pony toward Laughshield. "Uh . . . dere be some strange guy movin' up on us. Dat be one o' your customers, or do we got another fearer comin' on?

"Fearer? Fear-man? We need a name for dose fools what been botherin' us."

Knowledge (local) check 20
Perception check 11
Sense motive check 16
(all related to the stranger)

[DM StevenVdB] - Now where be dis man wit' our money? 
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 5:51:58 PM
Shel freaks out once she finds out Iangold intends to re-initiate trade not only in Humble's Ford but also with the Biguns...

Iangold just smiles and says : "That should be ok... after all it's to their intrest also! It's especially the Biguns from the North that used to be problematic... hence the Great Towers along the Northern edge of the Crescent Valley!"

Iangold's request to walk with Alleah strikes her as perhaps odd but somewhat flattering also!

As they walk Iangold observes her carefully sideways...

"Please... call me Iangold... or Ian if you like..." Iangold says as Alleah refers to him as Sir. As Alleah tells him how she made Quotiln tell the truth and how 60gp was sufficient to help the culprit on an honest life he laughs out load... perhaps a little exagerated?! Is he nervous?!

When Alleah skillfully brings the conversation to the F.E.A.R. matter his face turns stern...

" I had the feeling an organisation had their eye on this town... they are to destroy what we are trying to build. When I said Crime and Prosperity go hand in hand I wasn't joking... it makes me angry!! The robbery of some pipe weed... the attack on the major's dinner where we first met... I just knew they would try to steal the goods... that's why I turned to you and your friends Lady Alleah... I had the feeling you could be trusted...

Now we know their name... but I shall nor 'fear' them!!

I hope we will be able to combine forces and wipe out this organisation from this Valley!"

Alleah senses anger, nervosity, 'fear'?, ...

During the short trip towards Trade Square Murphy and Bliss and Fatine discuss the latests events and how they might need to deal with F.E.A.R. at some point. The suddenly Fatine gives Murphy a nudge as she spots the stranger who is apparently either drunk or caught in dreams of past life...


Ooc, friends please welcome Sardok (Brian)!
Pausing a day to give you some time to get aquanted in game. Then we reach the Trade Square for the sale days to start!



Bliss (AC20, HP27) & Mookie (AC18, HP13) (Cayzle) 
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 7:23:12 PM
"What's wrong with humans and other big folk?" asks Bliss.

"Beats me, Kid," says Mookie.

"All kinds of people can be heroes, right?"

"Your mom was a hero. And she was big. Bigger than a human. She even belonged to that hero's club of hers."

"Huh! There's a hero club?"

"Yeah, it's called the WAL or something."

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d2=1 ; d20+10=14 ; d20+10=30 ;
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 9:01:39 PM
"Thankyou ... Ian" Alleah tests out the Broker's nickname. Why some of the others don't like this man is beyond her. There is probably much she could learn from him. Perhaps he could be a sort of mentor?

Alleah then smiles as Fatine tries to come up with a name for their apparent new foes "What about fearies? Takes some of the menace out of their name when you say someone is off with the fearies?"

"Hmmm.. could this fellow on the pony be a fearie?" Alleah wonders "Time to consult Wardd". The young girl takes her coin from her pocket and gives it a flip (d2=1. Heads. Use your head)

"Well, he wouldn't be here all alone amongst so many good folk if he was. And there's no way to know without prying for more information anyway. Huh, should have asked Quotiln if this mob had some sort of secret handshake"

Alleah gives a short, sharp whistle to gain the man's attention.

"Hi there!" she flashes him a trademark beaming smile and wave "Couldn't help but overhear you looking for a place to farm. The name's Alleah, and if you don't mind me saying, you're very close to the perfect little hamlet."

Alleah stays very close to the Broker. She's ready to act as a bodyguard for the man should the need call for it.

Perception: 14
Sense Motive: 30
Ready standard action to use self as a halfling-shield for the Broker if he is attacked

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16  d20+11=20 ;
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 11:06:07 PM
OOC: Sorry for missing "yesterday"'s post... can I do it now?
YESTERDAY'S POST
Hazel lloks at the man arriving, and grabs his sling staff with both hands. He tries to distinguish who he is, and what is he doing there.
Perception Roll: 20
TODAY'S POST
Hazel silently stand behind Alleah, in a "protective" stance, eyeing the big stranger.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Thursday November 13th, 2014 7:02:18 AM
Shel wasn't in an especially friendly mood either. She didn't know very much about humans, so she stood back behind the others, waiting for more information from the human before greeting him.

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Thursday November 13th, 2014 7:10:48 AM
OOC: Um, I made the assumption the man was a Halfling. Please correct me if I'm wrong

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d20+13=15 ;
Thursday November 13th, 2014 8:08:38 AM

"Huh? What?" Murphy asks Fatine when she nudges him. He was busy thinking over a few matters, and barely glanced in the direction she pointed out. Just another traveller, plenty of them coming through town lately. His attention was further diverted by the conversation between Mookie and Bliss.

"Right - the Woldian League of Adventurers. Kendry and Selithe belong - plus several of the others who traveled with them. The WLA has a training outpost over in Angel Springs." That gets his mind wandering down a new pathway. Why not the WLA? Expensive, though. But amazing training.

[Perception: 15 - rolled a 2]

Sardok HP 35 AC 20/15/16 
Thursday November 13th, 2014 9:19:53 AM
The stranger acknowledges Alleah's greeting with a respectful nod. He takes pause as Hazel quickly brings a weapon to hand, but otherwise takes no umbridge, as if he's seen enough of such actions and regards it as neither insulting nor hasty, simply a thing that is done.

"Evening ma'am," he says in the accent of a local. "I was once a farmer and a locksmith, but that was long ago. Can't say I've much interest in such things now. It...didn't turn out too well. But I am new to this part of the 'Valley. So if you don't mind me asking, why is it that the whole town seems to be moving closer to the Red Hills? Wouldn't they want to stay on the other side, where it's safe?"

OOC: *chuckle* Sorry, since everyone is a Halfling, I used 'man' to mean 'male Halfling' not 'male human'. And I meant that dialogue to be internal dialogue. I probably should've held off until I learned the formatting! =)

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16  d20+11=30 ;
Thursday November 13th, 2014 10:57:03 AM
OOC: I was wondering how a human get into the game! Welcome!
Changing Hazel actions for today:
Hazel sees the new guy Alleah greets, but quickly dismiss him. Another new face in the crowd. He just hope he is not another of those "Ffloy guys". Enough of them already.
He moves quickly to the fair grounds, trying to get there first, and looks around, patrolling the area, trying to detect any possible danger (and cheap wedding dresses).
Perception Roll: 30 (+2 if forest)

Bliss (AC20, HP27) & Mookie (AC18, HP13) (Cayzle) 
Thursday November 13th, 2014 3:06:37 PM
Bliss wants to hear more about this Woldian Adventurer place in Angel Springs.

But someone new has arrived on the scene!

Bliss hops over to Sardok. Bliss is an unarmed half-size halfling. He is only a foot and a half tall. Unarmored, carrying a big crossbow.

Hi mister," says Bliss. "I like your cloak. Are you going to the market fair too? I'm Bliss."

Fatine AC 19 (17/14/15), HP 10(15)/23 (Matt C) 
Thursday November 13th, 2014 9:06:28 PM
"Fearies! Ha! I like dat name," laughs Fatine. She eyes the newcomer a bit warily, then leans over and whispers something to Crow. The raven alights from her shoulder and flies off and away from the halflings, then spots a smaller bird and begins the chase.

"No, stupid bird!" she calls. "I said go check out dee new-" she shrugs. "Nevermind. Hello dere, stranger!"

Bliss (AC20, HP27) & Mookie (AC18, HP13) (Cayzle) 
Friday November 14th, 2014 5:38:15 PM

Bliss sees Fatine's Crow's antics and laughs.

Mookie just gapes. "Ugh. And I'm related to that?"

Sardok HP 35 AC 20/15/16 
Friday November 14th, 2014 6:39:07 PM
Sardok chuckles at the antics of these village-folk that seem to be as close as family.

"So, with all these merchant goods in one big place, it's a good thing that this town is safe. I mean, y'all probably don't get much crime around here, yeah?"

Since the caravan has slowed to walking speed, he dismounts his pony and leads it. Leaning down, he grins and shakes Bliss' hand. "Pleased to meet you, sir. That's a mighty big 'Bow for such a little'un. You sure you can use that? And, yeah, it's been a spell since I seen a fair proper. Might lose a bit o' coin, if'n there's a good deal t'be had."

As he introduces himself, he remembers another first meeting. Another group. Another handshake.
"Well, you may as well meet the rest of the survivors. I'm Monpezat."
He blinks hard to bring himself back to reality. These people aren't those people. Nothing that bad can possibly happen twice.

[DM StevenVdB] - The Trade Square... 
Friday November 14th, 2014 7:24:09 PM
As the caravan rides towards the Trade Square the mood is light and merry.
Best way not to fear your enemies is to make up names... 'fearies' is the first that pop to mind with Alleah and Fatine! Fearies it becomes :-)

But when they see the stranger their nerves are on edge... after all he could well be just another 'fearie'...

Alleah is the first to greet him but none the less stays close to Iangold, ready to protect hil should it be needed... Hazel is on edge and Shel isn't particulary in a friendly mood...

Sardok returns Alleah's greetings but isn't offended with Hazel drawing his sling... with the accent of a local he introduces himself.

Hazel doesn't waste time and wants to make it to the trade square first...
Iangold too is anxious to get there and ring the trade bell...

As Hazel and Iangold make it to Trade Square they are both amased with what they see... the center of the square has a stone pedestal where the trade bell should be... the pedestal is destroyed and the bell's no longer there...

"No!" Iangold gasps as he sinks to his knees...



Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Friday November 14th, 2014 8:26:16 PM
"What has happened? Where's the bell," Shel gasps at the chaos in front of her. "Who would have destroyed such a nice pedestal? Would the Fearies have done this?"

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d20+10=24 ; d20+7=16 ;
Friday November 14th, 2014 9:10:26 PM
It has been some time since sale days were held here. Could the damage be recent? Judging by Ian's reaction, he had expected everything to be in fine condition. In all likelihood he inspected the area more than once before arranging this particular sale day.

Yes, most likely the damage is recent.

Surely the ringing of a bell is more ceremonial? Can't someone just yell at the top of their lungs "Sale's on!"? Alleah has the presence of mind not to ask these questions of the Broker just yet. He seems distressed enough without her asking (what could be) insensitive questions.

"I can't imagine a bell being light. Are there any tracks?" Alleah takes Iangold's arm to help support him.

(Perception: 24
Knowl Engineering: 16 - to try and determine what might be needed to carry a bell away (a cart, a crane, 6 strong horses, etc)

Sardok HP 35 AC 20/15/16 
Friday November 14th, 2014 9:51:56 PM
Sardok stands, holding his pony's reins and looking nonplussed.

"Yall got kind've'a queer tradition. I thought y'all had an actual bell or sumpin'."

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16  d20+11=19 ;
Friday November 14th, 2014 11:38:15 PM
"Well, I don't think you ready need the bell to start, right?"
Hazel tries to see where the bell was taken too, or tracks around the trade square.
OOC: Can I use his last 30 roll for it? If not, I'll make a new one. 19.

[DM StevenVdB] - The Trade Square... 
Saturday November 15th, 2014 4:29:30 PM
Holding Friday post for more player posts

Bliss (AC20, HP27) & Mookie (AC18, HP13) (Cayzle) 
Saturday November 15th, 2014 4:59:58 PM

Bliss looks confused at first. "What, a bell was supposed to be there?" he asks. "How big was it? What did it look like?"

He smiles, "Maybe some heroes should help find it?"

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim)  d20+13=30 ;
Saturday November 15th, 2014 8:46:05 PM

Coming out of his reverie, Murphy notes the stranger has been introducing himself to Bliss. He hears Fatine and Shel referring to the 'fearies' - he chuckles at that nomenclature. Though he planned to introduce himself to this fellow, Iangold's reaction at the recent vandalism grabs his attention.

So, he takes a close look, as some of his friends have been doing, at the area around the pedastal which bore the bell. He walks in a broadening spiral around it, looking to see if he can perceive which direction the bell may have been dragged or wheeled away, until he finds a trail that might be followed [Perception 30]. If he finds obvious (or subtle) signs that might lend a clue, he will share them with his friends, and ask Hazel for confirmation.

Sardok HP 35 AC 20/15/16 
Saturday November 15th, 2014 10:11:38 PM
At Bliss's casual statement, a rue smile crosses Sardok's lips.
"Yeah. I guess some heroes should."

His eyes close tight. He swore to leave that life behind. To start fresh, after.... Perhaps turn his hand to being a locksmith again. But no. Every time he tries to get out they PULL him back.

He takes a clearing breath and his eyes open. He allows the smallest part of his focus to scan the scene in front if him. His brain, unbidden, begins rattling off the tale, still carrying the voice of Monpezat...
"Alright, people, we've got masonry smashed and a ceremony bell stolen. A bell means metal and needing a pedestal means not-small, so we're talkin' 2 to carry, 1 driver, 2 lookouts and a commander. That's a six man op minimum. The locals sound like they've got good intel with recent eyes-on of it being not-stolen, so that means recent, and that means night op. Night op and organized usually means one of two things. It can mean Humans..."

"Or orcs."

Perhaps unaware that he's spoken, Sardok cracks his head to the left. It's a subtle movement, and one long-practiced. His threadbare scholar's cloak responds and shifts ever so slightly to reveal the dull-grey hilt of some edged weapon jutting over his right shoulder, it's grip well-worn from long use.
And his internal report is far from done.
"This is not a high-value target. This isn't a grain-silo or a guards' barracks or central armory. This is sentimental, probably symbolic. Which means that someone wanted to send a message. Something political. Possibly get some fear going or spook the civvies. So that means this is no local gang hit or smuggler's feud. This is BIG. Someone is looking at the whole en-chi-lada. Helms down and shields up because..."

"War is coming."

[DM StevenVdB] - NO!! 
Sunday November 16th, 2014 6:14:50 PM
"NO!!!!"

With Iangold on his knees the Humble's Sword begin asking questions...

Shel asks where the bell was and wonders if the fearies did this...
From Iangold's reaction Alleah deducts the broker wasn't expecting the place to look like this. As a matter of fact she assumes Iangold had checked the place before the Sale Day's were on...

"I was here but a few weeks ago! Yes the place was bewildered but the Trade Bell was there! The structure that holds the bell was damaged but the bell was still there... The bell was magical! Made of Gold! Oh well not gold of course it was a gold plated bronze Bell... probably close to 300lbs!!! Now it's gone..."

Alleah checks for tracks...

Hazel wonder why the bell is needed in the first place...

"There can't be a Sale Day without the Trade Bell!! " Iangold says more or less angered...

Murphy spirals around the pedestal looking for markings... tracks... anything
...

Sardok analyses the situation... besides these folk's strange habbits he examines the structure... he muses about the size of the bell and the task force that could have taken it... he has his doubts Halfling could be behind all this... Orcs?

Gradually you observe the scene. You can find a moderate indentation in the ground next to the pedestal where the bell ringer used to stand on... then drag marks of something heavy that lead away from here. You also find a Greatclub... the kind used by the Idafeatu's Ogres! Looks like Sardok came closer than the truth perhaps than he could possibly know!

"Who would want the Trade Bell??" Iangold shouts!


Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Sunday November 16th, 2014 7:25:03 PM
"Itd take a big'un to carry a club that size! Those no good ogres...Id hoped they might leave us be. But, at least, we can follow those drag marks. It will take something or someone mighty strong to boss the other big'uns around and make them do this," Shel gulps, thinking about that powerful Idafeatu.

Sardok HP 35 AC 20/15/16 
Sunday November 16th, 2014 9:36:59 PM

Sardok steps close to where the club lay and gazes at it a while. As if he still stood next to him, he can hear Monpezat chattering away....
"Oh. Mah. Goodness. That is a pretty club. Ain't that pretty club? That is a mighty pretty club. An' look at it just layin' here. Just layin' here that pretty club for any and all of us to see it right here and admire it. Ain't that a sight? Them ogres went through all that trouble to take that bell and smash that base, but then a club that pretty got left. Don't that just seem a might strange to you?

Sardok turns and storms straight to Iangold. Any who are talking to him are roughly pushed aside, with apology neither offered nor given.
"Iangold! I need maps and a list of all the Big'un settlements within range of that bell! If he does anything but immediately assent, Sardok continues. "Oh confound man! Even if you care nothing for your own head, if you do not act NOW, all of these people are going to die! You need to send out diplomatic riders to all those settlements informing them of the theft and that you had nothing to do with it!" His eyes sweep the massing throng of merchants and port-bearers. "If you have not a man among you for such a task, I volunteer myself."

He turns to Shel, simply assuming that Iangold will carry out the tasks.

"I'm not assured that Ogres did this, but we are meant to think they did. Look, there's ogre sticks and drag tracks. But think you a pair of 800 pound ogres would waste time dragging a measly 300 pound bell? And, oh yes, this no single-job. The bell was magicked, so we may assume that, when struck, it's smallest sound would be heard for miles around. Would any single being, Halfling to Hill Giant, risk lifting such a thing on his own, knowing the smallest misstep would bring the whole population of Humble's Ford and Red Hills down on his head?"

Here he takes pause, and catches Murphy's eye. Slowly, he nods, as if confirming some mutual, silent question. Softly he mumbles "Now, if I had me a bell that would bring every Giant in Red Hills a-runnin, where would I put it?"

He turns to where Bliss, Fatine, Alleah, and Hazel have been conferring. "Y'all keep talking about 'faeries'. Has there been a gang or anyone stirring up trouble here recently?




Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26  d20+7=12 ; d20+10=16 ;
Monday November 17th, 2014 4:41:06 AM
"Likely it is the symbolism of the bell that they wanted to damage, rather than the bell itself. Someone wants to ruin Trade day, and perhaps cause harm to the town as a result" she tries to comfort Ian.

Alleah tries to rack her brain for any historical references to the Trade Bell, or perhaps, people or groups historically opposed to Trade Day. Her knowledge of history though, isn't that great (Knowl History: 12)

She smiles to Sardok "Um, sorry friend, I didn't catch your name? And please, you may not know but this man is a Broker of Ffloy. Please try and show him due respect" (OOC to Sardok: A broker being a member of the Ffloy clergy). Alleah would have people show due respect to clergy, whether they follow Wardd, Ffloy or Flower or any other of the Gods of the Wold.

She then continues "Anyway, this group calling themselves 'F.E.A.R' have been trying to cause some trouble in Humble's Ford. We've decided that to take some of the menace out of their name that we'll call their followers 'fearies'" The young halfling smiles proudly.

This new guy is pretty clued. Alleah too has her doubts that ogres were behind this.

Alleah eyes the greatclub, planning to throw it into her bag of holding. "Perhaps I should take this with me, I mean us? You know, for evidence"

"Anyone here any good at tracking?" Alleah will casts a clerical cantrip - Toro's Taur Try (Centaur version) - on anyone who wants it to aid tracking skills. Being untrained in survival skills, she has no confidence (or ability) in being able to follow tracks on firm ground.

Perception: 16

Bliss (AC20, HP27) & Mookie (AC18, HP13) (Cayzle) 
Monday November 17th, 2014 11:26:24 AM

Bliss asks Hazel, "Hey Mister Hazel! Where's Faoil? Maybe he can get a scent off the club and follow the trail? I can explain it to him with a Speak to Animals spell. He's a good doggie!"

Bliss says to Sardok, "Mister, you got some good ideas. Why don't we team up? Are you an adventurer?"

"And Miss Alleah, sorry, I'm no good at tracking. That's why we should let Hazel and Faoil do it! He's a ranger, right? Rangers are good trackers. Cast you spell on them, maybe."

Sardok HP 35 AC 20/15/16 
Monday November 17th, 2014 12:37:45 PM

Sardok stands confused for a moment, but a moment only. "Apologies, ma'am. I'm Sardok. And although I'm from around here, you could say that I'm a long way from home."

"As this seemed a momentous occasion, and he seemed the man of greatest import, I assumed him to be the mayor of this burg. Apologies, Broker Iangold, but the danger still stands. If you would serve Ffloy best, please do find your sheriff or whoever you call your official and see that messages are sent. 'Lest others of greater stature and lesser temperament seek to place blame, and retribution, upon the wrong parties."

"We've got one rule around here, rookie.," said Monpezat. "And that is: 'He who stands with me shall be my brother.'"

"Aye, you've the right of it. That drag-trail is the only clue we have, and we'll need to watch each others' backs, afore this play is done. Lead on, Brother Bliss, and we'll teach these vagabonds the true meaning of Fear!"

OOC: Getting in my Monday post.

[DM StevenVdB] - NO!! 
Monday November 17th, 2014 5:42:29 PM
DM Jon's returning to guide you through the 'Finale'


Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Monday November 17th, 2014 8:07:30 PM
"How 'bout it Hazel? You and Faoil up for some tracking? I can cast a spell to help you both if you like?" If they are agreeable Alleah will cast Toro's Taur Try to give each of them a +2 bonus to survival for 10mins.

"Pleased to meet you Mr Sardok" Alleah continues beaming and extends a straight arm and hand out to the man to shake

"Mr Sardok does have a point, Iangold. Others could be in danger if they are not warned. Perhaps we should escort the traders back to the safety of Humble's Ford before we proceed. And might I add, rather than allowing the day to be taken away by the malice of others, perhaps the sale could proceed in the Humble's Ford town square? Or perhaps out the front of the Temple? Show that you are not going to be scared away"

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Monday November 17th, 2014 11:22:57 PM
Hazel smiles to the girls.
"Who ordered a tracker? I am at your service, ladies. I didn't brought Faoil, but I will go fetch him, and I am sure we can track whoever did this. Iangold, how much is your bell worth? Because id hiring time. Be preparing your contracts while I go fech Faoil. Humble's Swords, you have 1 hour before we depart, get ready!"
Hazel smiles while he runs for Faoil. A new adventure is beginning.
OOC: Is Faoil healed? Do I start rolling Track?

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Tuesday November 18th, 2014 12:06:28 AM
"Perhaps we should all travel back with you Hazel? It is only 5 minutes, and we can see the traders safely back before we set off into possible danger"

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Tuesday November 18th, 2014 4:18:52 AM

Murphy notes Sardok a bit more closely as the halfling begins to make observations and declarations. There is something familiar about him to the druid. As he thinks about that on one level, on another he considers what the cleric Ffloy said. He approaches the cleric, and quietly asks, "Broker LaughShield - it may be an old tradition - but are you certain no one may buy or sell or trade in the absence of a bell?" He wants to be certain that the cleric thinks through his statement.

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Tuesday November 18th, 2014 7:21:40 AM
"Murphy makes a good point. Why does there have to be a dumb old bell for a sale to take place? I'm perfectly happy to buy what I want no matter if there is a bell or not. Does it have some special significance or something?"

Sardok HP 35 AC 20/15/16 
Tuesday November 18th, 2014 3:29:06 PM
Sardok shakes Alleah's hand firmly, then leans in a bit closer. In a low voice he asks, "Contracts? I admit I'm at a bit of a loss here. Do we need a lawcrafter?"

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Tuesday November 18th, 2014 4:15:49 PM

Murphy also says to the local chief cleric of Floy, again quietly. "I cannot speak for all of my companions, but I'm willing to do what I can to retrieve the bell without pre-arrangements or guarantee of pay. This is for the good of the community - to recover what has been stolen - to travail against those who attack our people or attack our welfare. I need no contract. Besides, I wish to be, to a certain extent, my own hobbit, making my way with my friends, and helping my people. If someone offers a reward for good work, then I will not object. But, let me do this without guarantees and stipulations and codacils."

Sardok HP 35 AC 20/15/16 
Tuesday November 18th, 2014 4:32:57 PM

Sardok pauses a moment, then continues to Alleah, with an air of understanding a play into which he has only entered at the second act. "Ah, I did not grasp it at first, but I think I take your meaning. I had assumed, wrongly, that him being clergy, he'd give suitable reward for the return of his property without prodding. But I'm a stranger here, and if it is custom among the people to need a contract to see that a fair day's work gets a fair day's pay, then an hour's delay is no great injury. Afterall," he looks down, sheepishly, "not all of us have a bag of holding. Ah," he says, his face brightening again, "speaking of which, yes, a good idea you have to take the club. It may provide some clue if we happen to run in to any actual ogres."

Fatine AC 19 (17/14/15), HP 10(15)/23 (Matt C) 
Tuesday November 18th, 2014 4:57:29 PM
"Don' people spend money without bells?" Fatine asks. "An' if it be dat big, I bet it be dose big'uns you all mentioned what took it, no? Were dere guards here? Anyone watchin' dee big bell?"

Shrugging at the predicament, she climbs up onto the pedestal and calls out clearly, "RING! RING! Dere. Now people can buy tings." Looking at Iangold, she asks, "What, too soon?"

Bliss (AC20, HP27) & Mookie (AC18, HP13) (Cayzle) 
Tuesday November 18th, 2014 7:41:15 PM

Bliss gets a defiant look on his face. "No contract for me. I want to be a hero. I'm not going to be a mercenary any more."

Mookie adds, "Not that we would turn down any reward or such that might come after the fact." He pauses, thinking. "Or before."

Ignoring his familiar, Bliss looks at Alleah. "Is that okay, Miss?"

Bliss (AC20, HP27) & Mookie (AC18, HP13) (Cayzle) 
Tuesday November 18th, 2014 7:43:11 PM

Mookie caws in laughter when Fatine "rings in" the market festival.

"You're a fair belle, toots!" he says.

DM Jon! 
Tuesday November 18th, 2014 8:27:01 PM
"There doesn't have to be a bell for the merchants to do business," Iangold says perhaps a bit petulantly, "but we do need it for Sales Day. It is both a symbol and a message to those that hear it. Signals the start of peaceful trade, Ffloys holy work." Iangold comes his feet as he finishes and wipes off the his knees where the ground had stained them. he straightens up and regains the dignity of his office, "In the face of the theft of the Trade Bell, I would ask that on behalf of the temple of Ffloy the Humble's Swords seek out the guilty party and retrieve it. I can offer you.. " his mouth moves silently a moment a he seems to do some sums in his head, "3000 gold for its safe return. if you would escort us bac to Humbles Ford I can give you half before you depart in search of the bell with the other half due upon your safe return... .. I will have one of my brothers quickly script a addendum for this task to your existing contract."

"if this will suffice let us be off so that you can begin your search all the quicker." Iangold says and then moves off to speak with the merchants and other halflings to assure them that the situation was being taken care of.


Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Tuesday November 18th, 2014 9:21:19 PM
Symbols can be powerful. Alleah knows this. How would she feel if she lost her lucky coin? No other coin could replace it. She purses her lips, believing others in the group should have shown more sensitivity to the Broker.

"Ok, well, let's see the Broker and merchants back safely to Humble's Ford. Whoever stole the bell could seek to stop the trading by killing the traders themselves. Once they are safe under the protection of the town guard, we can then set to tracking the bell down"

She chuckles and smiles to Bliss "You're not in the army anymore, Bliss. You are free to do as you choose"

Finally, when he looks to have a moment free, Alleah will approach the Broker "Ian, sir, might I ask for one other thing? Could you please consider my request for the alleged fugitive Quotiln to be released into my custody? I would be happy to pay for his bail out of my share of the bell reward"

Hazel (Bob Danderfluff LaRue) HP: 31/43 AC: 18/14/15 - Faoil: 7/13 AC 18/13/16 
Tuesday November 18th, 2014 10:55:15 PM
"Well, I am no mercenary either, but weddings are expensive... Let's go, then, time to find a bell!"

Murphy HP 32/32 AC 16/14/14 CMD 14 (Kim) 
Wednesday November 19th, 2014 2:34:14 AM

Murphy decides that he loves Fatine. Oh, not in a particularly romantic fashion - he just admires her gumption and the funny way she has of looking at things, and doing things.

"I will vouch for Alleah's appeal to have Quotiln released into her custody," Murphy pipes up when Alleah repeats her request, "and will do what I can to keep an eye on him."

As they discuss the mission, the druid adds, "We will need a wagon to bring the bell back. My cart is likely too small for that. Let's get a wagon, two sets of ponies to haul - one to pull, one to spell them off. Unless someone has a better idea."

Alleah -- RobC -- AC 15/14/12 -- CMD 12 -- HP 26/26 
Wednesday November 19th, 2014 7:36:25 AM
"That's good thinking, Murphy. But we don't know where the bell might be yet. What if it's up a mountain or down a cave? Somewhere a wagon can't go. Between Fatine, Bliss and myself, we can cast Enlarge Person spells all day long. That oughta give us the strength to move the bell if we all work together." Thinking she may have hurt Murphy's feelings, Alleah adds "I just don't want something to happen to your wagon or ponies if we have to leave them somewhere"

Bliss (AC20, HP27) & Mookie (AC18, HP13) (Cayzle) 
Wednesday November 19th, 2014 11:47:27 AM

Bliss laughs. "That's right, Miss Alleah! We can just make ourselves giants and carry that bell! Easy peasy!"

Shel Breezelee Kromnite (Gerald) HP25/26; AC 14/14/11 
Wednesday November 19th, 2014 1:04:48 PM
Shel nods in agreement to help rescue the bell. 3000 gold was a considerable sum...it could change she and her family's life forever. "I'm in, contract or no. Let's track down this bell."

Sardok HP 35 AC 20/15/16 
Wednesday November 19th, 2014 5:09:17 PM
Sardok nods at the proposal of the Broker. If'n you'll add me to tha' addendum, that's a fair pact, if you'll have me." He mounts Aqautaine and makes ready to escort the merchants back to town.

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