DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Fantasy SKT: The Storm King's Thunder 3J - Leaving Yartar

Zindra
"I won't stop you but if I am right and they are barbarians, a single, young, pretty girl like you could be their next prey. They might not roast you on the spit like that elk, but barbarians don't typically court their prey. If you decide to talk to them, Bern and I will hide with our bows nocked. If things go poorly, try and slip away from them. We'll provide cover fire."

Arus

He waits up, dressed and armoured within the force walls of the tiny hut.

Looking around, Arus scowls, muttering to himself:

"Shame old Leomund never got around to putting a tiny chair in his tiny hut."

Kriv

The Dragonborn scholar of the Art chipped in,

"Technically he did. The grimoires and legends speak of a spell called 'Leomund's Tiny Chair', which has been widely ignored by sage and magus alike for generations. I've never seen a copy of it."

Jaliera

She has her spells ready just in case. Thinks that color spray might be the most useful as it might aid her slipping away. She mentions this to the others, suggesting that if it does not go well then her biggest danger might be the big cat as she is sure it can track.

When everyone is ready, she will walk forward, not trying to hide until she should be in sight range.

"Good evening."

DM

OOC 1: Bern and Zindra "taking cover" at 140 feet doesn't work if Jaliera is moving forward, so I'm going to assume you're following stealthily behind moving from cover to cover (although given the light discussion below that's hardly needed) at something less than 150 foot range. You may correct me if that's a bad assumption.

OOC 2: Whatever ambient light there is from the sky is not applicable in light (pun intended) of the fact that everyone is walking towards, and looking at, the light of the (not so) distant fire, which would impact their ability to also see in the surrounding darkness. I'm assuming within 20 feet of the fire is brightly lit and the next 20 feet is dimly lit (lightly obscured) and you can see everything within that radius easily, and those within that 40 foot radius of the fire can't see beyond it easily. This is to the benefit of the party as the darkness essentially works as "heavily obscured" for them, assuming they aren't wearing shiny armor or wielding shiny weapons that reflect the fire. Bern and Zindra can also easily see Jaliera silhouetted against the lighter area.

OOC 3: I did roll for the patrolling guardcat, and the dice were not in Jaliera's favor... I don't have a map created because there was a chance it wouldn't be needed but for now everything is linear distance to the fire, so hopefully my descriptions are sufficient. Let me know if you absolutely need a map.

Jaliera moves slowly toward the fire, trying to judge how far the barbarians can see toward her so she can announce herself. However, she does not reach that point before she is seen by the patrolling feline, who announces herself first with a loud growl.

Still 100 feet from the fire, Jaliera can see the creature to her right at about 20 feet away, its grayish fur reflecting the firelight. It isn't moving, and is poised to pounce, but does not immediately attack.

Alerted by the growl, the barbarian on watch quickly calls out in the common tongue, "Eh! Who goes there! Identify yourself!"

The other four take the moment to put down their cooking or eating or jerky-preparing tools and put their hands on their weapons, in case they might be needed.

OOC 4: Jaliera (or anyone else) feel free to alter your greeting, and if you do speak up, also do a Charisma (Persuasion) check. Not yet going turn-based unless anyone wants to move more or start combat...

<Bern>

He continues to keep his bow ready, covering Jalera as she approaches those around the fire.

Jaliera

"I am Jaliera. I come in peace."

Jaliera Charisma/Persuasion
Gypsy rolled 1d20+1 and got 4

Kitty fodder?

Zindra
Zindra will wait to see how the barbarians and their kitty kat react. She makes sure to stay hidden.

OOC: That's precisely what I meant about where we were. Remember that Zindra can see in darkness up to 60 feet. Here's a stealth roll for you.
Zindra Stealth
Neptune rolled 1d20+6 and got 24

DM

"It's a trap!" one of the barbarians with a bow calls out, nocking an arrow and moving away from the fire into the dimmer area 30 feet from it, angling toward Jaliera's left side. One of his companion also nocks an arrow on his bow and moves toward her right in a similar fashion.

"Don't move, missy!" calls out the watchman. "Unless you want to be Lux's dinner! Who's with you?"

A fourth barbarian lights a torch from the fire, handing it to the watchman. The watchman draws his sword and he boldly starts to walk toward Jaliera with the flame held aloft.

The fifth barbarian tosses a small bag into the fire before drawing his sword and walking in the opposite direction to make sure they aren't being tricked. Burning whatever was in the bag releases an enchantment therein, making the fire burn a bright yellow, casting its light twice as far as before.

Control Flames
You choose nonmagical flame that you can see within range and that fits within a 5-foot cube. You affect it in one of the following ways:
You double or halve the area of bright light and dim light cast by the flame, change its color, or both. The change lasts for 1 hour.

Lux remains where she is, crouching at the ready and waiting to hear whether she'll get fresh dinner.

OOC: If Jaliera will be taking any other actions than obeying the order to not move, we'll roll initiative ... I've tried to set things up on Roll20...

[Nice post, AJ. ]

Arus
(in the tiny hut without a tiny chair)

The triton laughs out loud at Kriv's joke but then stops short.

"Art thou serious?"

<Bern>

Not very sociable, he thought as the group began to get weapons out. He scanned the group trying to decide who was the most likely to initiate trouble.

[OOC Jaliera init
Gypsy rolled 1d20+4 and got 18]

OOC:
Aqua, Zindra has been corrected on Roll20. And if you need any setup fixes, let me know. It seems that Bern's token has light turned on. I kind doubt that.

Mike, Don't roll on Roll20, just roll here. The only reason to use Roll20 is to make a good, functional, tactical map. If you need to move, I'll help you out. You can't teach old dogs new tricks, eh?

Since you seem to need it...
Zindra Initiative
Neptune rolled 1d20+3 and got 9

Zindra didn't get to do anything while Jaliera approached but she will have prepared for combat. I'll describe it below. This is pretty much her standard operating procedure in these combat situations.


Zindra
Cautious of the situation, the second she saw the potential threat, she had cast Hunter's Mark. She will move it to the dangerous looking feline. She really doesn't want to harm it but Jaliera's safety is of primary importance. She aims at the creature ooc: Readies an action. If it begins to move in a hostile manner towards Jaliera, she'll let loose with the two arrows she has notched in the bow.

[[ Bern Init MikeD rolled d20+3 and got 20 ]]

DM

The watchman trots [Dash] toward the sound of Jaliera's voice, sword in one hand, torch in the other, arriving face-to-face. He doesn't attack (yet?) but scans the visible light around her, not seeing anyone else but his pet. The two archers offset from the fire behind him now have a clear visual target should they need it.



The watchman issues a repeat of his previous question.

"Pretty lass like you ain't sneakin' around at night alone. Who's with you and why are you here?"

He gestures with his torch toward the cat, clearly visible in dim light now. "Don't lie if you want to live. Lux ain't eaten yet."

With his experience in the mountains, Bern can identify that Lux is a crag cat.

Crag cats, sometimes called "Hunters-of-Men", are predators that are well adapted to almost all terrains. Crag cats are grey during most of the year, but they turn white during the winter to better hide in the snow. The cry of a crag cat resembles a scream of terror in order to attract humans. Crag cats have extraordinary resistance to magic and are capable of reflecting spells back to their casters.

Meta: this is a monstrosity, not a beast, for spells which matter.

"We were curious about your campfire and wondered who you were. So I came to find out."

All true. Jaliera has a fluttering of nerves deep in her belly but knows better than to show fear. She is carrying bow and rapier but has not drawn either.

"We are searching for someone, just checking he is not here."

DM

The bow-wielding barbarian to the southwest of the campfire moves further out and away from the fire, still keeping his bow trained on Jaliera while he waits for the impasse to be broken.

It seems that while the barbarians remain suspicious of Jaliera, they do not wish to draw first blood, and her fearless but peaceful stance at least changes the tactics. The barbarian closest to the fire, who handed Jaliera's interrogator his torch, calls out an unintelligible word, with Lux appears to respond to. Fortunately for Jaliera, she does not pounce, but instead moves diagonally toward the path Jaliera followed into the camp, nose down to acquire her scent as she follows it backwards. The cat is still in the dim light of the torch and visible to all... for now.

DM

Meanwhile, back at the camp, a curious badger has been exploring at night, and discovers a dome in its usual hunting grounds. After exploring its circumference briefly, it finds a nice spot to begin burrowing, perhaps hoping to build a den underneath what it perceives as a giant rock.

The digging is quiet enough not to awaken those who are sleeping, but those who are awake may find some amusement in the animal's confusion.

Zindra

Very quietly she whispers to Bern, "We may need to get help."

[ooc: How far from camp?]

DM

The barbarian closest to the fire, who had earlier handed the watchman the torch and most recently gave Lux a command to track, strolls confidently and unhurriedly out toward Jaliera. While armed with a bow, it remains slung over his shoulder, and the hand-axe at his side also remains there, leaving his hands open. Something about his appearance or demeanor -- perhaps an older age, or maybe simply his calm attitude -- indicates that he's the leader of this group.

"We... welcome you," he begins, a pause and an emphasis on the plural in response to Jaliera's own statement. "You can see all of us," he continues, both hands extending with palms open to indicate his hunting party, again pausing for emphasis, "But we still can not see all of you." In context, the plural 'you' is clearly implied. "And we do not like surprises."

He pauses, and then calls out in a loud, booming voice easily understood by Zindra and Bern, "Show yourself and we will not harm you! No such promise if we find you first!"

Returning his voice to a normal level, he tells Jaliera, "We are hunters and expert trackers, although we are after elk, not warriors such as yourself. Come with me to the fire where we can share information about this person you seek and await the arrival of the rest of your party." His left hand extends toward Jaliera, accompanying the command with a gesture of friendship, while his right hand drops to his side, near the axe, subtly indicating that the request is not optional... and that she likely will remain a "guest" until others arrive.

"Aut," he concludes, apparently addressing the watchman and attempting to repeat the name he heard, using the common tongue so Jaliera is aware of the order. "Give Jal-ee-air-a your torch and go with Lux."

Said torch is offered with a grunt.

Meanwhile, the archer to the northwest of the fire also moves further away from the fire, maintaining aim.

Jaliera

She knows she can send a mental command to Whisper if they need help but it is not called for yet, Whisper remains safely aloft. The others are in their magic hut. Also safe she thinks. She hopes Zindra and Bern will come forward but does not call out herself in case it spooks these hunters. Things are in the balance at the moment.

She smiles and takes the offered torch.

"I thank you for your welcome. I have two friends with me and they have been watching. Not all strangers are as gracious as you. Would you like me to speak to them?"