DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Fantasy SKT: The Storm King's Thunder 3N - Fantastic Beasts and Where They Find You

Zindra
She moves quicker than most and soon gets close enough to Glork to see him reach a mask.

"Is that the famous CURSED mask of make you a kobold?" she calls out. "I think you would make a fine kobold!"

ooc: half elves move 35.

DM

The halfling does not rush ahead with those who choose to do so, instead plodding along on her mule (Tod), along with anyone else in the party who proceeded along at normal speed, or lagging behind if they all move faster.

Flycatcher does leap off her shoulder and keep up with Glork to be nearby when he reaches the mask, but doesn't do anything to prevent him from touching it. Perhaps she's interested in seeing if he turns into a kobold.

<Bern>

As the others seem to have things 'well in hand' with the 'new discovery', he continues to look for 'incoming' issues.

[[ lemme know if/when ya need a roll <g> ]]

DM

While Bern doesn't see any incoming issues, Zindra has been searching as well, including not only an immediate scan, but an investigation of tracks on the ground.

Unlike the sword where the party spent last night, this particular item-that-fell-from-the-sky has been visited recently; at least recent enough that footprints indicate humanoid investigation of it, and apparently a decision to leave it where it was. There are no signs of larger creatures passing through.

Yet.

Glork

Takes hold of the mask and finally turns back to figure out the shouting he heard. Seeing that he was being chased he growls thinking they want to take his shiny

DM

Kriv's comment about Glork breaking away from the group in case the mask was a diversion doesn't seem to have been heeded by the party, which is now spread out quite a bit, over several hundred feet of road.

The ogre has reached the mask, grabbing and pulling it to himself, although not yet attempting to lift the heavy and awkward prize. There are no obvious signs of any magical response to touching the mask, although he is growling at Zindra, and it's not clear if that's just his ogre selfishness or something the angry face of the mask is causing. Zindra and Sindar have apparently tried to keep up with the Ogre.

Between them and the rest of the party, Davroar and Jaliera jog toward the shiny, while the remaining adventurers and their halfling guest continue on at their earlier pace.

The sun shines high overhead.

OOC: I've tossed tokens onto the Roll20 map as I think you've all posted. Feel free to drag and move if I misinterpreted what you were doing.

Kriv

"We should have just left him to it, given we're unlikely to get it off him peacefully, and I find the idea of taking arms against a former travelling companion without excellent justification to be... distasteful."

Kriv saw no reason to pick up the pace, if need be he could take an oblique angle from the path and have a clear shot at the ogre if things turned hostile.

Zindra

She slows down as she sees that Glork had already picked up the item and keeps her distance, knowing how volatile ogres can get.

"Are you feeling alright? Finders keepers. You found. You keep. Nobody will take that away from you friend. Can we check it to make sure it is safe? Shiny things sometimes are dangerous."

Glork

Glork stops growling slowly looking at Zindra. "Glork keep? Shiny danger... us?"

Arus

A dispersed column can be useful for counter ambush. Though they trek along an open road, the Realms are a perilous place, full of magic and monsters that are rarely obvious.

So Arus keeps his pace and soothes his steed. He also loosens his sword in its scabbard though.

The triton nods in agreement with Kriv.

"The ogre has a child-like quality, I deem, and brings out the parent in our companions." he says. "Admirable natural instincts but let us hope a tantrum isn't in the offing."

Zindra
"Some things are danger. We should check. I like you Glork like you are. I don't want you to turn into a squishy kobold."

She would have gone on but it would confuse Glork.

Davroar

Jaliera asks good questions, but he does not have any answers either.

"Really don't know Jaliera... seems all these different giants are a lot more angry than usual. I've yet to see a storm giant to ask one."

Judging by the size of their weapons, Davroar would rather avoid them as much as possible, at least in any significant numbers. Looking ahead, he sees that Glork has already claimed the giant mask and so far nothing bad has happened to him, so at least it seems Jaliera's question of about these giant items are not cursed.

Catching up to Sindar, Zindra, and Glork he asks, "Hey Zindra, did you detect anything bad from it?"

Jaliera

She moves up alongside Davroar to talk to the others.

"It seems strange keep finding these huge items strewn all over the place. Davroar and I were just talking about them, theorising why it might be happening. Only guesswork at the moment as we don't have much information."

<Bern>

"There might be some conflict ... either between themselves or with someone or something else", he offered.

Glork

Looks at Zindra stupidly... "Kobold? Glork no kobold."

Zindra
"Good! Not yet!" she said with an uplifting tone. "But you should know that I would be a friend to Glork if he was an ogre or a kobold!"

Flycatcher

The halfling's companion tressym lazily flies circles around Glork and Zindra as they discuss the mask and its potential. She's sure to stay a good 60 feet or so away from them, just in case something goes kablooey.

Glork

Glork tries to pick up the mask.

Glork Strength check
Miales rolled d20 and got 8

DM

Glork is able to pick up the heavy mask -- it weighs about 100 lbs. However, Glork would immediately recognize that he'd not be able to outrun the party quite as easily if he were trying to carry this!

OOC: Glork is now encumbered; his speed is reduced by 10.

Sindar

He rides up and watches Glork. A small smile crosses his half-elven features. "Does it occur to anyone else that a giant masquerade ball might have been held in the clouds and that the drunk partygoers are dropping their stuff all around?" From the look on his visage, it is clear he is joking, but his eyes hold a twinkle; there is just enough odd in this world that it might, just might be possible.

<Bern>

"I was thinking that some sort of 'altercation' is more likely", he offered.

DM

There was no obvious magical interaction when Glork touched the mask. And even when he picked it up, nothing odd (like turning into a kobold) happened.

And even now, as Glork tries to find a comfortable way to carry the large mask, there's no obvious magical effects associated with it.

But something is happening. The perceptive, like Zindra, and alert, like Bern, notice it first. Whether through the ground under their feet or a rumbling noise out of place in the otherwise quiet surroundings... something is happening. Something... familiar, yet not common.

By the time a half a minute has elapsed, the whole party can feel and/or hear it. Rumbling. Not an earthquake... more like the sound of...

Hooves.

Many hooves.

To the north, through the sparse forest, a cloud of dust gives evidence to one possible source of the noise.

But also to the south, a similar dusty blur, from which the party can likely expect something will emerge soon.

And a few seconds later, it does. A half-dozen or more... hard to count just yet, mounted warriors riding in from the north. And another equally sized party to the south.

This might be a good time to adopt a defensive posture, for those not distracted by shiny things.

OOC 1: Roll for initiative.

OOC 2: You may want to review review mounted combat rules. Your opponents are all presently mounted, and riding fast. You have your choice of remaining mounted (as you are for traveling) or dismounting. Let me know your choices.

Glork

His shiny wasn't being help full. Too big for back and too big to carry. Glork was growing frustrated and almost was about to try bending the mask when he stopped himself. It would huirt his shiny if he did that.

"Zindra, Need help. Want to carry but need better way than holding eyelets."

He was oblivious to the threat until after he asked the question. But then he heard the rumbling and saw the dust. "They were here for Shiny..." He grabs his club and growls in defiance.

GLork Initiative
Miales rolled d20 and got 9

Davroar

It seems too coincidental to him having a large shiny object with two mounted groups converging on their position to be anything other than an ambush.
Davroar quickly figures that attempting to wild-shaping to a horse in order to outrun the ambush will probably not work. Two spells come to mind that might help, but he will hold off for the moment. They had come across the barbarians earlier, and perhaps they can parlay themselves out of this situation too. Looking to Jaliera, he asks, "It's an ambush! Yet, should we wait though to see if these groups might want?"

Davroar Initiative
Dugan rolled 1d20 and got 8

Jaliera

"Going to hide."

She looks for a place that is unlikely to be trampled and hides. She prefers to be less of a target and it helps her sneak attack. Hopefully these warriors have issues with each other.