Plot Runner: Hernan (level 6)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Name | Race | Class | E Lev| CHP | HP | AC | For | Ref | Wil |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|Hilde |STORM_DW|Clr/Ftr | 4 | 28 | 28 | 22 | 8 | 2 | 6 |
|Keiko |HUMAN/TS|Ftr | 2 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
|Narah |HIGHBORN|Ftr/Hig | 5 | 42 | 51 | 23 | 7 | 2 | 4 |

APL: 4.5 (Keiko had to leave before the combat)

Threats:
2 Ankhegs (CR 3 each, total encounter level of 5)


In the shadow of Groaning Mountain, in the foothills of the Redridge Mountains on the northwestern corner of Alexandros, sit several fertile valleys, known for farming and cattle. The Diamond Valley, further out along the Groaning River, is populated primarily by halflings, and is now serving as a rest spot for groups heading out of the former warzone further north and east.
Pendleton has put out several calls for adventurers, with the help of local officials. During the war, the population of ankheg and other low-level but monstrous threats has increased without the efforts of militia and mercenary actions. Now, it is time to clean up, and help the struggling farmers and herdsmen from depredation.
But Pendleton's motives are, perhaps, a bit mixed. He is most curious about the ruins of an ancient dwarven hold: Khazad-dum Nivus Holvit, 'dwarf hold of the groin vaults.' He is not the only one, of course, but the few dwarves of the valley and scholars caught up in the midst of events are also curious about delving into history, for edification and profit alike.
Pendleton has called on a few adventurers to meet with him at the Dancing Maiden, a small inn in Maidenshead Valley, further up the mountain. This valley has a greater population of humans, and a few dwarven families, and has a small brewery connected in some convoluted familial way to Pendleton himself.
The three of you sit by a large stone fireplace to stave off the late autumnal chill, under a stone bust of a rather exuberant and topless dwarven lass thrusting out two huge pendulous... kegs, one in each hand, with a strange wry grin on her face. Her features are somewhat obscured by the ravages of time, but her nipples are painted bright pink.

Hilde liked the tavern immediately, and the bust in particular. She orders up a round of ale when she arrives, a couple for herself and a handful for the others when they show up...though she'll make the sacrifice and drink them too if need be. As it is she plops down and makes herself comfy, waiting for the meeting to begin.

Narah was eyeing the bust(and its bust) when she came in, and she's now eyeing Hilde in much the same, somewhat dubious, manner. "That sort of thing common where you're from, then?" she says, inclining her head in the direction of said painted dwarven stonework. She's not touched the keg that's been put in front of her, apparently content to let the Althean handle it for her. The Highborn woman is sort of slouching in her chair, looking more than a little tired and sallow-cheeked. It must be the weather.

With the war over, Keiko's found a lot more time for well... other pursuits. Namely, /not/ trudging around in some smelly sewers. This type of place, it's just her thing - well except for the rather odd statue of course... She sits indian style in her chair, peering absently into the large beer stein she holds in her hands. "Rather cozy place."

Hilde laughs at Narah's reaction to the bust, "Oh heavens no. Not in my hold. The men of my hold despised women. Why I think they'd have mated with their weapons rather than women if they could. Don't think there was a single imagine of a lass in the whole place. Now some other folks had stuff like this about. My family hated those families of course. As my father was prone to saying, "Womenfolk are a disgrace just by being born." She offers Keiko a big smile, "Aye! Isn't it?"

Pendleton grins at the adventurers, offers a small bottle of something smelling (and tasting) like grappa. "So my earlier efforts to reach the main ruin via one of the outlying holds ... well, failed. The underground road has collapsed sometime since the last record I had of an exploration about a century ago. There is another way in, the 'Nervous Hole' here in Maidenhead." One of the serving maids snickers, which Pendleton studiously ignores.

"It leads directly into the Groaning Mountain, but I had wanted to avoid it. There are a lot of stories of nasty creatures of varying types around there, and the locals avoid it. Still... if we want to uncover the riches of the past, we must brave the dangers. And by 'we' I mean, of course, you." He grins and offers a pour from his bottle.

Narah's eyebrows climb towards her hairline at Hilde's description of the menfolk back home, but apparently finds it wiser to keep her mouth shut on the subject. "Nervous Hole. Maidenhead. Groaning Mountains. Dwarf Hold of the -Groin Vaults-. What IS it with this area and its placenames?" she mutters, just loud enough that she's probably heard quite clearly by, at least, the people around the table. The offered pour is waves off with a flick of the hand from the dark-skinned woman as she considers the actual message of Pendleton's. "Said nasty creatures wouldn't happen to be of the shuffling, moaning, bad-complexioned type, would they? Because I had -quite- enough of that the last time."

"A disgrace just by being born? That's pretty... awful," the Tsurani murmurs, taking gulp from her ale. "Anyway, sounds pretty easy! Stab some monsters, get in, grab the loot, get out?" Yes, Keiko's rather... to the point. She obviously doesn't sweat the details very much at all! "It's just /dwarves/ I guess. Despite what /she/ just said... I dunno that I've met that many who /weren't/ drunken leches!" Obviously, she's had a bit of a different experience.

Hilde grins at Narah, "I would guess that they don't have the same problem with women that my folks did. But everyone calls groin vaults groin vaults. It's what they are after all." She drains a good portion of her mug then, turning to Pendleton, "Well Master Pendleton, I am happy to go off after this Nervous Hole and the Maidenhead, whatever it be. With these two along we can hardly fail aye?"

Pendleton mmms to Narah. "I don't THINK so... the folks around here haven't been beset by undead with any regularity, other than the occasional mad necromancer up in the hills or whatnot." In Ea, such a thing is, while not a daily occurance, something that happens with distressing frequency. "It's mainly the usual creepy crawlies underground... piercers, various ambulatory fungi, that sort of thing. Supposedly. There hasn't been anyone down there in a few decades, so stories tend to blend together."
The adventurers, and others, eat a rather thin soup and get some nice calorie-rich ale to fortify them before bed.
And the next morning, they're off! This valley is further up the mountain than Diamond valley, and the river here is wide, fed by several tributaries spilling off the mountain. Gold and ruby foliage nestled between lush green evergreens line the hills and rises up to the mountain.
As the group climbs up one of the ambling cattlepaths up toward the mountain, farmland and hamlets spread out in view below. The air is cold and damp, with a spray from cascading.
Ascending a less-used road of fitted stone, disjointed here and there over the centuries, lined with small designs worn by time into little more than blobs, the Nervous Hole comes into view. It is a large cavern mouth, perhaps 50' across, with a floor of joined stone. At one point the opening was shaped of stone, but the upper part has partially collapsed, lending it the appearance of a jagged, half-closed mouth. There is plenty of room to enter from one side.
As the group reaches the entrance they can just make out what sounds like a low moan from deep in the mountain, and a faint warm breeze drifting from inside, like breath. Then it goes silent.

Hilde huffs and puffs her way along with the others, carrying her cooking gear with her, along with the kitchen sink apparently. Her chinks pink up from the exertion, sweaty under all her armor. When they finally reach the entrance she sighs, "Almost makes me wish for a donkey. Almost." She takes a cloth and wipes at her brow and cleavage beofre stuffing it away and dragging out her hammer instead. "Well now...are we all ready?"

"Well that certainly looks inviting..." Keiko murmurs, peering at the cave. Why is it always a cave? Why can't it be a nice sunny field? Probably, nobody would pay her to do that, though. "Ready as I'll ever be, anyway. Donkeys are awful anyway, soon as you had one you'd wish it'd go away."

"Oh great," says Narah, sighing. If Pendleton had been there, he would have gotten SUCH a Significant Look. Really. "Moans. That's pretty high on my list of things that should -not- be coming from abandoned cave systems, archaeological excavations and old dwarven holds. Especially ones we're about to enter." As if for emphasis, she adds, "Damnit."
So the Veyshanti Highborn loosens the peaceknot from her sword, rummages around in the little sack she has with her to find a torch, and strikes a flint to light it. At the entrance, just before slipping in through the opening, she pauses, and gives Hilde a slightly less significant glance. "Cooking gear? Really?"

GAME: Narah rolls Spot: (9)+1: 10
GAME: Hilde rolls spot: (16)+3: 19

And into the mountain. The ruins are old, but the skill of dwarven stonecutting isn't renown for no reason. The central hall is broad, with elegantly vaulted ceilings (yes, groin vaults) repeating in squares, each corner descending into a submerged pillar. The panels between the legs of the vault are worked over with fine reliefs, though many of the panels are broken, or missing.
The group is following a roughly sketched map, transcribed from some centuries-old accounts, with a few notes marked: 'library? Record hall, musician's storehouse (??)' and a much underlined 'ALEHOUSE.'
The moaning gets louder, repeating every 10 minutes or so and accompanied by a breeze (or breath??) out toward the entrance.
The trio soon enters a series of corridors and chambers. Stepping into an unusally warm chamber, about 50' square...

===== Current Initiative Order =========
----------------------------------------
20 Hilde
----------------------------------------
18 Narah
----------------------------------------
17 A1
----------------------------------------
6 A2
----------------------------------------
========================================

(at this point Keiko had to leave)

Two large, shadowy figures sit in the dark room, amidst mounds of musty... something. There is a large crevasse in the ceiling, with a large pile of dirt directly below. The figures are nightmares, huge insects with legs, and brown horrible roach-like bodies, with a complex mouthparts. The ankhegs are alert, set low on their long legs and ready for the intruders.
It is at about this point that there is a cracking sound and, with a surprised yelp, Keiko drops out of sight as the floor gives way below her. Narah narrowly avoids her fate by hopping forward, but Hilde is thankfully out of danger. Well, of the floor, anyway... and there are the giant bugs, 10 feet from her face.

GAME: Hilde casts Bless.
GAME: Hilde rolls concentration: (13)+3: 16
Hilde yelps and stumbles away from the hole in the floor. She's about to turn to peer into it when she locks eyes upon the bugs. She yelps and jumps backwards in sudden fright, "Bugs! B-b-big bugs!" It seems like she isn't a fan of creepy crawlies. She raises her hammer in front of her, "Althea protect my companions and myself, your humble servant! Lend us your strength!"

<OOC> Narah says, "-'High Lineage (Ex): The mere presence of a Highborn can inspire others. Whenever a Highborn enters combat, delivers a rousing speech or another appropriately awe-inspiring action they can grant their allies a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and saving throws versus fear effects. This ability lasts for one minute per level of Highborn.'"

GAME: Hernan rolls 1d20+7: (9)+7: 16
GAME: Hernan rolls 1d20+7: (20)+7: 27 < Crit?
GAME: Hernan rolls 1d20+7: (8)+7: 15 < No.

GAME: Hernan rolls 2d6+7: (9)+7: 16
GAME: Hernan rolls 1d4: (1): 1
GAME: Hernan damaged Hilde for 17 points. 11 remaining.

Perhaps Althea distracted the first bug... as it lunges toward her and it's bite lands short. The second bug, alas... bites deeply in her arm, which begins to burn with some form of toxin. Up close they are even more horrifying, and it's easy to see why the farmers fear them.

GAME: Hilde casts Cure Moderate Wounds.
GAME: Hilde rolls 2d8+3: (8)+3: 11
GAME: Hernan damaged Hilde for -11 points. 22 remaining.
Hilde gasps at the sting of the bite and the even more frightening sensation of some sort of toxin burning into her. She nearly drops her hammer from the shock, the heavy metal head bouncing on the floor before she manages to catch hold of the shaft once more. "Althea perserve me!" She staggers backwards as the healing wave washes over her, thankfully giving her enough strength to snatch the hammer up off the floor in order to defend herself once more.

GAME: Narah rolls 1d20+12: (2)+12: 14
Narah, while Hilde is om nom nommed on by the big, scary bugs, has been busy, well... flailing wildly to keep herself from pitching backwards into the same pit Keiko disappeared down. "Gods -above-!" she swears, then freezes, momentarily, as she notices the ankhegs. "Oh shi--" And then, scrambling forward and around the dwarf, she yells incoherently, swinging that giant sword of hers in a semicircle, only narrowly missing lopping off a bit of Hilde's hair and... skittering uselessly off the large bug's carapace. Damnit.

GAME: Hernan rolls 1d20+7: (4)+7: 11
GAME: Hernan rolls 1d20+7: (16)+7: 23
GAME: Hernan rolls 2d6+7+1d4: (5)+7+(3): 15
GAME: Hernan damaged Narah for 15 points. 36 remaining.
Grapple check:
GAME: Hernan rolls 1d20+12: (16)+12: 28
GAME: Narah rolls 1d20+8: (9)+8: 17

Again, the first bug flails about uselessly, but the second... the creature has a torso vaguely like a preying mantis, and with the pedipalps or mandibles or chilicerae or whatever it has bites and latches ON to Narah's chest, then rears back, pulling her up into the air.
That ain't good.

GAME: Hilde rolls concentration: (17)+3: 20
GAME: Hilde casts bull's strength.
Hilde grunts and steps forward behind the cover of her shield. She gets close enough to touch Narah long enough to let a surge of diving power flow into the woman. "Althea bless my dear companion Narah! Lend her your strength my lady!" She grimaces at the close proximity of the bugs, but you got to do what you got to do.

Free from grapple:
GAME: Narah rolls 1d20+10: (17)+10: 27
GAME: Hernan rolls 1d20+12: (11)+12: 23

GAME: Hernan rolls 1d20+7: (8)+7: 15
GAME: Hernan rolls 1d20+7: (14)+7: 21

The blessing apparently does its trick, because with gritted teeth and a mighty grunt as though from herculean effort, the armoured, dark-skinned woman manages to wedge a plate-armour covered arm in between the pincers holding her fast and -HEAVE-, to her own surprise(and probably the ankheg's) managing to wrench them apart, depositing herself back onto the stone floor and reeling slightly, trying to stay upright. Narah manages to send the dwarven woman a glance of heartfelt gratitude for the boost before wading right back into close combat with the pair of horrors.

The bug to one side snaps at Hilde... the mouthparts skitter off her huge shield uselessly. Althea must be watching over her. The other ankheg, frustrated at its dinner getting away, bites at Narah again. There is a scrape against her armor, but it doesn't find purchase.

GAME: Hilde rolls 2d8+3: (11)+3: 14
GAME: Hilde rolls concentration: (15)+3: 18
GAME: Hernan damaged Narah for -14 points. 50 remaining.
Hilde sighs with relief as Narah manages to escape from the beast's grasp and with another touch she sends another wave of warm energy into her companion. "Blessed be the All-Mother!" Once she's got some of Narah's injuries cleared up she readies her hammer for battle, hoping to take the fight to the foes instead of being on the defensive.

GAME: Narah rolls 1d20+14: (12)+14: 26
GAME: Narah rolls 2d4+11: (7)+11: 18
SPLURTCH! Narah's blade bites DEEP into the armoured torso of the ankheg, sending out a gout of icky, icky... er, ichor, or whatever it is those things have inside their chitinous shells. "Oh, you FELT that!" hollers the dark-skinned woman, triumphantly, yanking her blade out of the oozing wound with a horrifying sound of chitin on metal. She's... grinning. Viciously. If not for the obvious symbols of Daeus on the Veyshanti's armour, one might be excused for thinking her a follower of Kor.

GAME: Hernan rolls 1d20+7: (3)+7: 10
GAME: Hernan rolls 1d20+7: (8)+7: 15
And Althea's grace continues... the horrible insectoid creatures rear back, dart forward with horrible biting... which the pair easily evade. From below there is a faint sound of cursing as Keiko tries to figure out where the hell she is.

GAME: Hilde rolls weapon9+1: (12)+2+1: 15
Hilde steps up next to Narah, joining the woman in combat now that they are both relatively uninjured. She shoves with her shield to set the beast in front of her for a hammer blow, but after a few exchanges she's only managed to skip her hammer off its chitin uselessly.

GAME: Narah rolls 1d20+14: (2)+14: 16
Narah swears some more - an inventive phrase involving horse dung, a desert oasis and thirst - as her blade once more simply skids off the smooth carapace of the bug she'd hit so handily earlier. And then it's spraying her with acid, and she's screaming more than in anger. OH GOD THE PAIN.

GAME: Hernan rolls 1d20+7: (1)+7: 8
<OOC> Hernan laughs. Narah, reflex save (acid spray from injured and desperate ankheg)
GAME: Narah rolls reflex: (6)+2: 8
GAME: Hernan rolls 4d4: (12): 12
GAME: Hernan damaged Narah for 12 points. 38 remaining.
The first, unhurt bug is going to bite that dwarf, dammit! SNAP. Nope.
The second, bleeding some clear ichor... is that bleeding? Seeping. In any case, very injured, rears back and hisses loudly. Then it SPURTS this acrid fluid all over Narah's torso. Oh gods... it's dripping into her cleavage. OH GODS IT'S BURNING.

GAME: Hilde rolls weapon9+1: (14)+2+1: 17
Hilde and the beast continue to exchange misses. Hilde hears Narah's cry of pain and with the distraction of her companion being hurt Hilde doesn't managed to land anything significant.

GAME: Narah rolls 1d20+14: (13)+14: 27
GAME: Narah rolls 2d4+11: (3)+11: 14
The OH GOD THE PAIN seems to help focus Narah, somewhat, because with a great yell of anger, pain and other associated emotions, she DRIVES her swordblade right back into the same wound she inflicted earlier, this time dragging the edge right -through- it, effectingly opening up the entire front of the ankheg's torso and letting a great welter of unidentifable... bug guts... out as the thing drops, nerveless, to the floor to quietly eqpire. With fire in her eyes and blood oozing from small pock-mark wounds where the acid sprayed on her cheek, the Veyshanti moves to the bug's soon to be joining it in the afterlife friend.
And expire, too.

GAME: Hernan rolls 1d20+7: (13)+7: 20
The remaining ankheg keeps up its end of the Hilde-ankheg dance, and snaps angrily, and ineffectually, at her. If it had any brains, it might consider the danger posed by creatures, however small, capable of downing its companion. But, well, it's essentially a bug.

<OOC> Narah says, "Is there a bug heaven?"
<OOC> Hernan says, "Yes. It's horrible."

GAME: Hilde rolls weapon9+1: (1)+2+1: 4
Hilde continues to smash at the Ankheg. Luckily for her at least it seems to be having as hard of a time hitting her as she is of hitting it. The two of them trade shots back and forth, scraping and battering at each other's armor, but none of the many hits seems to connect for any serious damage.

GAME: Narah rolls 1d20+14: (14)+14: 28
GAME: Narah rolls 2d4+11: (4)+11: 15
Barrelling into the second of the pair of creepy crawlies from the side, Narah manages to score a sizeable chunk of chitin off the back plate of the one attacking Hilde. She wrenches her blade loose, as before, and growls rather incoherently. Are we sure she's actually not a berserker?

GAME: Hernan rolls 1d20+7: (5)+7: 12
And Hilde's BEST BUGGY FRIEND continues to ineffectually fan her face. It's now hissing angrily. Well, probably angrily.

GAME: Hilde rolls weapon9+1: (2)+2+1: 5

GAME: Narah rolls 1d20+14: (6)+14: 20
GAME: Narah rolls 2d4+11: (5)+11: 16
One moment there's a great big bug scrabbling at Hilde's face with horrible pincers and mouthparts and EW. The next? There's a sickening, -wet- kind of crunching sound, the bug sinks to the floor and the sight is replaced by Narah standing there, dripping with BUG GORE and blood, breathing heavily and looking... well. Mildly annoyed.

"I hate bugs," says the Veyshanti Highborn, with feeling.

"Althea be praised!" Hilde shoves the huge bug away with her shield, then promptly hugs Narah. "You saved me Narah! I don't think I was ever going to hit that beastie!" She drops her hammer and uses her wand to heal up Narah completely. That done the hammer and wand are once more exchanged as she heads over to check out what happened to Keiko.
GAME: Hilde used a Wand of Cure Light WOunds.
GAME: Hilde rolls 1d6: (6): 6
GAME: Hilde used a Wand of Cure Light WOunds.
GAME: Hilde rolls 1d6: (5): 5
GAME: Hernan damaged Narah for -6 points. 44 remaining.
<OOC> Narah says, "You know, I misread 'Althea' there."
GAME: Hernan damaged Narah for -5 points. 49 remaining.
GAME: Hilde used a Wand of Cure Light WOunds.
GAME: Hilde rolls 1d6: (1): 1
<OOC> Hilde says, "Three times will do it. hehe"
<OOC> Narah says, "Isn't it 1d8+1 for a CLW wand?"
GAME: Hernan damaged Narah for -4 points. 51 remaining.
<OOC> Hilde says, "I don't know. Is it?"
GAME: Hernan damaged Narah for -3 points. 51 remaining.
<OOC> Hernan says, "That should do it,regardless. And yes, it's 1d8+1"

Once the pair gets cleaned off, they spend a good two hours trying to find a way to where Keiko is (and vice versa). The original patch of collapsed floor sealed off the small tunnel she fell into, which is apparently some kind of hypocaust heated from... somewhere.
When Keiko finally emerges from a ramp of collapsed stone, to where the other two are, her stray hair damp, her silk outfit clinging to her, soaked with sweat.
After a little more poking around, the trio have an uneventful return outside and then down to the inn.

Narah is, somewhat perversely, in a relatively good mood as the trio regroup at the inn. She's brought a sack full of what looks like some kind of mysterious meat, and instructed the innkeeper to have it prepared as if it were lobster. "It's a treat for Pendleton," she says, grinning toothily, upon any queries as to what the mystery meat might be, exactly. She's still wearing that toothy grin later, as the adventurers are assembled around the table under the... busty bust.

Hilde tends to everyone's scrapes, casts Mend on her armor as well as Narah. Then she's all happy as well, doing her normal routine of humming and singing while they walk. When they get to the inn she looks at Narah curiously, "Is that going to taste good? A delicacy? It looks more like a bug than a lobster to me, but if a lobster was walking around in a cave I guess I'd think it looks like a bug too."

The innkeeper looks a bit blank at 'lobster' comment, but simply nods and takes the meat. Later, around the fire, the group is gathered. Pendleton is quizzing the group on their experiences, and is thoughtful at the mention of the hypocaust. He takes a bite of the mystery meal and pauses mid-chew. He blinks, takes another bite, then coughs. "Well. At least this ankheg meat is fresh." He smiles to the group. "Hunger is the best sauce, eh?" He eats a bit more. But does not go back for seconds.
FIN