June 7, Near the Broken Airship

Continued from June 5, East of Treborg

The DM: The fog lifts and leaves a thin layer of high, icy clouds across the sky. The weather remains cool and the ground a little damp, as you strike out across the tundra towards the valley that Dilhak indicated. This takes you to a small pond, a highland tarn, about 50 yards across, where water has collected like a cistern. It is clear and very slightly turquoise in colour, allowing you to see right to the bottom. You can see Dilhak's footsteps along the cold, wet sand ringing the pond. This is where you find the axe.

It is a battle axe, four times the normal size. Pandred can lift it with her strength, and might even be able to wield it, but the swing would throw her off her balance for certain. The head is made of stone with a gnarled, twisted wooden handle, which looks like driftwood. The wood feels as hard as the head. The axe's edge has been polished and made sharp. There is blood on the stone.

Pandred: I will take it, and heft it o'er my shoulder, and while we should scurry back to our giant friend, part of me hopes to land a truly calamitous blow with this thing. Let's mosey.

Embla Strand Seconded.

The DM: As you do, you'll hear a growl. A silver-grey wolf will climb up onto a rock, about 15 yards away. The pond is on your right and the wolf is on the other.

Wolf!

The DM: I need to start with a surprise roll. Vafrandir, you're nominated. Please roll a d6.

Vafrandir: I roll a [4].

The DM: You're not surprised. Pandred, please roll initiative.

Pandred: 1. Sorry guys.

The DM: I also roll a 1.

Round 1

The DM: So, the attack will be simultaneous. The wolf is going to stride very rapidly forward (not a charge) at Pandred, moving stride-8 to 1307. The players can throw weapons at the wolf anywhere along its track, or move to attack it in 1307, but even if it is stunned (because simultaneous) the attack on Pandred will still happen.

Go ahead and take action.

Vafrandir: As I'm in melee range of 1307 already, I'll attack with my sword once it's reached us. 3 raw, 5 to hit; 1 raw, 2 dmg.

The DM: miss.

After the wolf has moved.

Marcule: I cast chromatic orb.

The DM: noted.

Embla Strand I approach 1 hex and swing my battleaxe. 18 on the die hits AC -2 for 4 damage.

The DM: That hits.

Pandred 14 hitting AC 4, damage 9 with a normal axe, or whatever the new axe is +3 from strength.

The DM: That's a little confusing. I'm assuming you're not using the giant's axe; was there some other "new axe" I gave you that I've totally forgotten about? Anyway, it hits also.

Pandred: I did mean the giant's axe, which you indicated I might be able to wield, albeit with consequence. I mean, when am I gonna get to use it again? I just don't know the damage die, or if it's just d8 + some more.

Strangeness

The DM: As Embla and Pandred hit, the wolf blinks out of existence.

Pandred: If it's a spell, let's run. If it's a teleporting wolf, let's run. Let's run!

Vafrandir: All three of those are extremely attractive options to me at this moment.

The DM: lol! That is no way to get treasure!

I've realized I forgot to attack Pandred with the wolf. I roll a 6 on a d20, which misses. The attack would have happened before it blinked out.

Embla Strand Let's wait just a moment. I'm curious. If this bites me/us on the posterior, I apologize in advance.

The DM: You're quite certain that you hurt the wolf with your attacks. The weapons struck what felt like flesh and the wolf's body reacted to the blows.

Just now the wolf is not evident. Waiting for action.

Vafrandir: These vanishing enemies quite honestly terrify me. I'll not run, but let's cautiously proceed back towards our camp. If the wolf is here, it'll make its presence known.

Embla Strand Do my Heightened Senses hear or smell anything that might shed light on the situation?

The DM: The fact that you cannot smell or hear anything out of the ordinary suggests strongly to you that the creature is not invisible (have to make a note of that on the wiki).

Marcule:I continue to hold my spell.

The DM: That seems wise. What of Vafrandir's suggestion? If you've hurt the wolf, it may not be anxious to re-engage with you.

Embla Strand Fair enough. Let's return to the airship.

The DM: Who is carrying the axe, and how does the 30 lbs. affect your encumbrance? Also, if Marcule holds onto the chromatic orb, it will very greatly slow down the party's movement.

Pandred: I am, and it drops me from 4 AP to 3. Let's move along. I'm curious about this wolf. I want to fight it. But if it doesn't want to fight, I want to wiggle on out of here.

The DM: I find myself wanting to wait for Marcule; but conceding that the party has voted to return to camp, I must assume that the spell is dropped and lost for the day. Condolences. As you gather yourselves, heft the axe and begin, Embla will see the wolf reappear about fifty yards away. It is sitting on a patch of bare rock, gazing at the party — and appears to be decidedly translucent. As you move along a little farther, it begins to parallel the party.

Vafrandir: "Friends, we will have to deal with this threat and I'd rather not lead it back to Dilhak in his condition. Is there anyway to prevent its disappearance?"

Pandred: "I don't think there's much we can do. I'll guard Dilhak when we return, but this creature is outside our ability to capture or slay unless it comes to us." The ship could be defended, hopefully. If this creature is some spiritual envoy of the bear, then that's bad. If it's a cool wolf, that's interesting but not relevant. If it's the astral servant of some other power in the area, a druid or a mage, that's something to deal with when we come to it.

The DM: Then?

Embla Strand Let's return to camp.

Vafrandir: I concur. We'll continue to keep an eye on it (assuming it remains at least somewhat visible).

Pandred: I third. For curiosity, did it look like we struck a blow? Ha, maybe the wolf is the axe's guardian or something, and we had to prove ourselves worthy.

[OOC-DM: Sorry. My daughter appeared unexpectedly, with grandson in tow, and we ended up going on a shopping run and visiting. I should have said, but one thing followed another and I'm only getting back to a computer now]

The DM: As you're walking along, as I said, the wolf is shadowing you; and it will, after twenty minutes or so, come forward of you and cross your path, until it stands in your way.

Embla Strand I step forward and brandish my axe. "Move!"

The DM: it will turn towards you, still translucent, so you can see the stone and short grass through it. At five hexes away, it will stand and growl.

Marcule: I would like to cast -Snap- behind the wolf.

The DM: the wolf turns, startled; and for a moment becomes corporeal.

Vafrandir: I try to charge the wolf...but I roll a 19 on my wisdom check and am unable to muster the confidence to do so.

The DM: you can still hurl a weapon.

Vafrandir: Alas, I have no hurlables. I hope my companions can take advantage of the wolf's temporary solidity.

Pandred: I'm a companion! Can I stride-4 and swing, or is it 5 empty hexes away, then sitting in the sixth?

The DM: Pandred, you can if you win initiative with me. I roll a 4.

Pandred 6! I'll swing with the big axe: 18+1, hitting AC -1! If the big axe uses d8 it's 8+3 or 11! If not, I can roll a different die.

[OOC Vafrandir: Are we active again? I assumed we were taking the week off.]

New Start

The DM: Funny, I thought we got further than this. Opening New Start.