Backtracking

Continued from Chieftain's Room

The DM: Waking up at your camp on the 18th, you find the weather is not bad for Norway: a thin mist with plenty of visibility, no more than light airs that can just be felt and a pleasant temperature.

However, before committing ourselves to a furtherance of adventuring, let me first explain I'm slightly under the weather. I have a little to do this morning, so I'll be checking less rarely. And I'd like to be absolutely sure that everyone is up to speed on changes in character — and that includes Lexent, who also went up to 3rd just recently. This is the right time to ask questions about any new abilities you've acquired. I didn't have time to work them up, but I can get some details sorted right here, and work them up later.

The DM: Pandred, when you get back to your camp late on the 17th, you'll find Anduin there. He'd come into Treborg, heard some stories about your party, followed you out and found your camp, spoke to your followers there and has been waiting to meet you. He and Pandred get along very well from the start and though the relationship realistically builds over time, you may accept that he's your henchfolk and you're running him.

The DM: I've been thinking about Set Injury Lexent, and I think it should probably work, initially, that when you set the injury, three effects take place. One injury point is removed. You improve the character's mobility (which will depend on making up individual rules for each kind of injury eventually). And finally, you can aid the hit points gained the same way as aid rest works, with Pandred restoring 7 sup-points of injury per day, as opposed to 5. The injury page will need to be updated at little, to make the healing section there clearer, and the Set Injury page will need to be made, but for now consider this canon.

Lexent: Can we retcon to the night of the 17th? There were some things we wanted to accomplish prior to resting.

Pandred: I've changed Arduin's fourth spell from Purify Water to Shillelagh if you don't object, as his background allowed him to get proficiency in club.

For other questions I think I would most like to be clued in to what advantages Pandred gets from her new amateur Motivation sage ability, and what Natural Astronomy would provide for Arduin. Will it grant us some ability to avoid getting lost, or is that mainly a benefit while sailing? Should I add a sextant or anything similar to my starting equipment to allow use of the skill?

The DM: Motivation (sage study).

1. Improve Morale (sage ability) : All hirelings gain a +1 morale when within 60 feet of Pandred’s person or voice.

2. Recruit (sage ability) : the character has excellent skills at recruiting new hirelings for duty, with skills at finding new people. The character adds +1 ability stat to the hireling’s totals, per 5,000 city population, to stat desired, provided no single stat is increased 3 more than the least unincreased stat. Let me know if that needs an example.

3. Raise Group (sage ability) : essentially it allows you to raise a posse in cases where the enforcement of law and order is needed. I’ll put this into more medieval-speak when I write the page but that’s the short hand.

The DM: Yes Lexent, go ahead and run the night before, though remember you're too tired to do anything seriously work-like until you rest.

Lexent: Once things have settled down back at camp, I ask for a moment of Marit's time. I apologise to her for aksing her to open the door in the dungeon earlier, and thank her for her efforts of the day.

Lexent: How many hit points does everybody need, including hirelings? I show Marit as needing 1, and I'm down by 17.

The DM: Natural Astronomy has a good write up on the old wiki: http://tao-dndwiki.blogspot.com/2018/03/natural-astronomy-sage-study.html

Vafrandir: When I add my new HP, do I add it to my current as well as my max?

Lexent: Pandred, Don't forget to use your bottle on the 17th.

The DM: Lexent, casting a spell is hard work. When you’ve been staggering around doing heavy stress activities for 12 hours, you’re hardly in a condition to pray effectively. Why not just let it wait for the morning? I know, I know, you want the benefit of doing it twice, tonight and the next day. But I’m afraid not; you’ve spent your wad for the 17th. You’re pooped.

As regards Marit, she waves it off. “I’ve forgotten already,” she’ll tell you.

The DM: Vafrandir, yes. If your current is 10, and your max is 24, and you added 7 h.p., your current would be 17 and your max would be 31.

Lexent: Very well.

Lexent: Has my Olfactory Acuity added any types of potions or substances I can recognise?

Lexent: Other than using my spells and having Pandred use a healing salve from her bottle, I don't know of anything else we were planning to do on the 17th.

Pandred: Salve gives 2 to whomever is most needful.

Vafrandir: Understood.

Lexent: Are we going to head back up today, or would we like to rest a day? Helga is in the negatives and Asger is below half hit points.

Vafrandir: Let's rest up. We're not terribly bad off but we've had a good beating.

The DM: Lexent, yes. “Some potions” would include the most common: healing, heroism, sweet water, protection potions. Since this is an amateur ability, I should have covered this earlier. Marcule took a heroism potion; it lasted until he woke up the next day. You would have had time to sniff it so yes, the OTHER potion is also heroism.

Breakfast

The DM: Assuming you still want to cast that augury spell, Lexent. You removed the questions, so you’ll have to write them again.

Vafrandir: Out for a bit.

The DM: Remember that Aid can add more hit points than a player character’s maximum, so you may want to do that last after other healing takes place.

Marcule: In

Vafrandir: In.

The DM: Vafrandir, do you have any questions about the increased puissance list?

Lexent: We rest for the day. I use my Aid Rest to assist Vafrandir, Marcule, Helga, Asger, and Bjarni. Before sleeping I would like to cast my spells and encourage Pandred to use her bottle. The most injured was Helga, so I assume that those 2 points from the 17th went to her.

Pandred: Oh! Before I forget, I'm so sorry. Alexis, could you drum up Arduin's encumbrance? For some reason I can't use the excel sheet from your wiki: it saves as "read only" and I can't access the hidden sheets to copy the formulas.

The DM: What were the questions for augury, Lexent?

Lexent: I cast Augury and ask the following questions:

"Can Grond be reasoned with?"

"Will Grond retaliate against us tonight?"

"Is Grond bound to the dungeon?"

Vafrandir: I am curious about the details of Draw Speed.

Pandred: Thank you.

The DM: Vafrandir, it drops the number of AP to draw a weapon by 1. So something with 1 AP counts as zero, 2 AP as 1 and 3 AP as 2.

The DM: Lexent, in order, your answers are:

No.

No.

No.

Lexent: Thank you.

Vafrandir: All weapons, or just bows?

The DM: Oh, it means getting your weapon ready. Not drawing an arrow.

Vafrandir: Understood. Very helpful!

The DM: Out. 'Bout 45 min.

Lexent: I've created a hirelings page, (linked from the main page as well) to keep track of our hirelings.

I wasn't sure if we were each keeping track of our 'own' hireling's XP or not.

If any of the XP or HP totals are incorrect, please update them.

I did not include Odds, since he has his own page already that it looks like Pandred manages

I have also deducted wages for Valda for this month as today is the 18th

Vafrandir: Looks good, Lexent

Vafrandir: At this time, I'd like to take account of all the gems and who's got what.

Lexent: What details there are exist on The Search Continues. I think the only thing we specified is that we apportioned some of them out in shares to all of our hirelings.

Vafrandir: Yea, I'd like to be more specific (if possible).

The DM: In.

The DM: Is there anything else.

Pandred: We going for another dive today? Who is coming? Can we get Helga in fighting shape?

Vafrandir: How much did we get from Aid?

The DM: It’s been established you’re going to take the 18th to rest. You heal as 2 levels higher than ordinary; so for Vafrandir, 6 a day of rest. Doesn't count until the 19th.

Lexent: If no one has anything else for the 18th, I'll effect that healing.

Pandred: If we're resting, I'm good. Nothing further to add from me.

Lexent: I cast Aid on myself for 1+6+8=15

Lexent: I use the healing staff on Helga for 4+4+3=11

Lexent: "Pandred, would you let Vafrandir have a dose from your bottle, please?"

Lexent: I cast Cure Light Wounds for 3+4=7 and distribute 2 to myself, 2 to Asger, and 3 to Vafrandir

Night of the 18th

The DM: The weather actually cools a little towards mid-day, though the wind doesn’t pick up; the sky clears until there is one puffy cloud. Then, from out of nowhere, the temperature plunges, straight through cool until it is brisk. Out to the west, you see an enormous storm moving from south to north ... but you’re untouched by it. The wind doesn’t change at all. By the time the sun goes down, it has warmed a little so that it’s cool again, with a gentle breeze blowing out of the southeast ... though the sky is completely overcast.

The DM: Marcule is on watch and gives a start. It’s 2 AM and there is something very large approaching.

Lexent: May we finish healing before going to sleep?

The DM: This happens after you heal. It is technically the 19th.

Marcule: can i see anything with my infravision

The DM: Something about 9 to 11 feet tall and vaguely humanoid is moving across the landscape about 125 yards away. It is hunched forward and moving in an irregular fashion, but still seems humanoid.

Marcule: i cast thinamagig and produce a telescope, what do i see?

The DM: That cantrip doesn't allow a telescope.

Marcule: sorry my error, i would wake lexent and pandred quietly

The DM: Count yourselves awake.

Lexent: I begin strapping on my shield.

Lexent: I also awaken Vafrandir

The DM: Takes five rounds. The humanoid approaches slowly, not rushing, about five yards a round; so, a hundred yards away now.

The DM: Vafrandir is awake. There's something familiar about the way the shape is moving.

Lexent: Does Vafrandir recognise it as Dilhak? (hope, hope, hope)

The DM: Saying the name, everyone recognizes the giant immediately.

The DM: And as soon as the giant comes within 50 years, and sees your low fire, he recognizes you also and raises his hand in greeting.

Dilhak

Dilhak: "Didn’t expect to find you out here."

Lexent: "My goodness, you're every bit as tall as Vafrandir described."

Pandred: Vafrandir gets 4 from my salve. "Aye, he is. What brings you this way Dilhak?"

Dilhak: "On my way to Ioglefeld."

The DM: He’ll start to unload some food and a keg of drink from his backpack, and starts sharing the latter around.

Pandred: "Oh? What awaits you there?" I'll accept his offer gratefully, and offer what little the camp provides.

Dilhak: “Moving off to see family I have in Opland; I’ll be back before winter sets in. What have you been up to?”

The DM: Until tomorrow. Out.

Vafrandir: [Apologies, something came up suddenly, as things do]

Vafrandir: Pandred, I'm up full actually.

Vafrandir: "Dilhak! Good to see you. We've been cleaning out a goblin cultic temple...or something. Have you heard of Grond before?" I also inquire about Kullander. "Did you find your bear?"

Lexent: In.

The DM: In.

Dilhak: "I did not. I tracked Kullander north into Hordaland, into the north Dovrefjell mountains, and there lost its trail. I wounded it, however, so it will undoubtedly remain there, sleeping through the winter until next spring. I will fetch my cousin from Opland and together we will find the beast when it re-emerges."

The DM: He sees the back side of the decorative shield, leaning against your cart.

Dilhak: "What is that? It looks like a shield large enough for me."

Lexent: "Why, yes, It looks like it would be. What do you make of the images on it?"

The DM: He hasn’t seen the images yet, so we’ll take it you show him. He handles the shield easily, though you can remember that it took three of you to bring it up and out of the dungeon.

Dilhak: "This is very valuable; three or four thousand gold at least. But look at this."

The DM: He points at the image, where there is a shining light atop a mountain.

Dilhak: "Do you know what that is? It is the Kodar Gate, many thousands of miles to the east of here. They say that every goblin in the world descends from a people that came through that gate tens of thousands of years ago."