Rollohi-ep04-script

4.1 Monsterbaiting

Weather no change, or even finer. Moon near full.

The grim task of chumming the forest for monsters is under way.

Eryn has recovered both hp she was down, and of course, all others have recovered from fatigue.

 

Watch 1, does the task finish no and... a patrol of hobgoblins finds them

Is it a full patrol no and... just using the Basic edition numbers 1 appears

Neither side is surprised. The hobgblin will attempt to disengage ad flee but not leave a trail. But its mv of 90 is 30 slower than any of the light foot so called.

Will Kylie go alone no but she will move at her own speed

Original range 80. Kylie immediaty gets to decent longbow aim and hunts the weaving hobgoblin using 5 arrows. Distance traveled 530 feet.

Evasion: Kylie manages to lose sight at one point but picks it up next round.

Is it still forest yes but with small meadows

Are there signs of other hobgoblins no but it is patrolled sometimes

Loot: 22 copper 52 silver

 (Kylie wonders about bounties)

Watch 2 weather looks like rain again

(Crab spiders for the monsters)

3 appear no surprise characters have got bait and hide? Yes

On a 1-4 do the party achieve surprise yes

Characters are high but not unapproachable

Range to bait 40yds

Eryn, jack, the halflings have shortbow

Mage and cleric have sling

Kylie longbow

All bows hit their mark! The slings max out.

The nearest spider takes 11 damage and is dead

Rpund 1

Characters 6 spiders 3

Anothrr riond

This time Eryn maxes out but good hits from Kylie and Jack. The next spider, the biggest, is down.

Monster ML 7. The remaining 1 grabs a corpse and retreat. Evasion.

Spider 3 moves a full 120' away

Does Kyle let it run no.

 

Round 3 charscters 6 spider 6 (Evasion)

Evasion chance 456, no and... those making their DEX check will stay at the same 40 yd range

Kylie makes a DEX check of 09 to maneuver down while not losing line of sight. Eryn fails. Jack makes nat1 meaning he too has no disadvantage. The halflings make it down but are losing distance.

Kylie and Jack get their shots home for 12 of 12hp.

 

All three spiders are available to be cleaned out and turned into trophies, poison and soft armor,

They haul the corpse back. Then gather the spiders.

 

Do they extend to watch 3 yes but... decide to bury the corpses before night.

 

No monster.

Weather stays much the same with spots of rain and no wind at all

Burial duties!

 

They gather rocks from the Tor and make a big cairn over the bodies

Do they keep the freshest one no

 

Hot bath time!

 

White hot rocks are needed to scald the spider inside out. Yes.

4.2 Looking around us

Meanwhile, back in Hidden Springs, the merchant Ajiwe and his muleskinner Ygyourn are hard at work "repackaging" all the supplies and tools for the great enterprise.

Will Ajiwe need to get supplies and labour soon? No but... about four more days will see food supplies used up.

Did the brigands have more than a days' supply? No

Is Ygyourn experienced at foraging? Yes. Is Ajiwe? Yes but... from more settled areas.

Forage: no

Buildout: no and... day 1 is just about moving stuff around and getting the hot spring available for two sexes.

As the sun disappears, the weary hunters return with three spider carcasses and some coin and weaponry from a hobgoblin patrol.

Meeting

"Sure, but let's make it after we get a really hot fire going and process part of the carcasses."

The merchant point of view: caution (2) vs the adventurer view: (4) proceed but don't expose ourselves.

"But I'm paying you"

"If that's the concern, we'll take our stipend to date and we'll associate our own plan."

Ajiwe dramatically swings his position around!

"I'm just spitballing here, no need to be angry"

The plan for the next week: Forage while mapping out hunting chances. Be very cautious of hobgoblin patrols and if possible, try to work out where they have their base.

Time jump: the next four days, moving from the full moon to waning gibbous.

Forage: it takes four days until a decent area for hunting is found. Meanwhile the hunters eke out their supplies with Ajiwe's supplies and brigand leftovers.

Tracking while that happens

I'm going to try Cairn 2e dice-drop, skewed to the "tough" terrain by adding 2. I roll a 4. Then I drop 4d6. Results are 3 5 3

  5. It is two easy zones separated by tough in the north, and the entire south of the map is tough.

Western easy: the foothills leading via Best Pass to Fort Stoutheart. Eastern easy: plateau. Central tough area between them: the woodlands and onsen.

Southern tough area: Marshlands.

Hunting prospects

 1. West in the foothills: animal, humanoid, vicomte patrols

 2. East on the plateau: animals x 2, humanoid

 3. Around the forest: animal x 2, vicomte patrols

 4. South into the marsh: flyer, insect, undead

The party maps this out (6 yes and) very thoroughly, even though the hunting/foraging takes four days to show any result.

[Checking back in on Yormsley. During the full moon does he encounter a human patrol? Yes and... wipes it out.

Does this lead the vicomte to set a reward? 3 no but... he is aware of the loss of a patrol

Does Yormsley bend his path back towards our heroes? Yes.

Does he get back within the 2-day window remaining of the full moon? No but... he enters the map

just after it]

The return job

After the four days' hunting/mapping is complete Ajiwe presses for a mission to the Vicomte's eastern lodge. There, he can confirm his licence and present a case for a road to be built through the woodland to Hidden Spring.

Yes but... we will need to travel and forage at the same time.

In terms of the future, on return from the lodge, the party votes to hunt for meat (primarily) up on the plateau next. Once they have enough meat to jerk or smoke they can expand operations and even hire on hirelings.

How complete are the Hidden Springs quarters. Complete (5).

4.3 Yormsley again 

Day 1 of the return. Weather no different from seasonal average but neither is it improving. During the middle watch, the sky clouds over and light rain falls. During watch 3, it clears away to fine and the sun sinks vividly behind the foothills.

Do they lose the direction: no but at the end of the day, Ajiwe has no landmark left to use.

"We'll need to find a campsite. I have no real idea how far south of the vicomte's lodge we are"

There's a hail from the growing dark. Yormsley, looking if possible even more ragged, steps forward to be identified.

Ajiwe is extremely cautious about the appearance of the man. According to the others, this fellow was traveling somewhere. Why is he still on this beat?

Ajiwe fails a CHA check to draw Yormsley out.

With 11 people available for watch, Ajiwe takes himself and Ygyourn out of the night watches.

The party feels that the previous three lots of three worked OK but... Pod and Cied ask that they swap watch from breakfast to first. They swap with Eryn and Kylie. Jack wants to take first watch and Kylie, after thinking for a time, opts to take breakfast shift.

[The rest during 1st and 2nd watch for Kylie: it makes no real difference, Elves do not get a "waking sleep" feature in OSE]

Has Yormsley hostile intent? No, but he has no love for the party either. He is using their scent to throw off any hounds the vicomte's huntsman may be using.

Does he understand the atrocity he committed? Yes and... has decided to relish it. He's looking forward to the next full moon where he can lose his humanity again.