Author Topic: First Stop, Giant Serpant  (Read 684 times)

Offline Asinjin

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First Stop, Giant Serpant
« on: April 12, 2023, 12:13:10 AM »
A recap for Terrorshard will get you xp.

It is the 27th day of the 8th month of 818.

Everyone gets 2000xp
The hand that rolls the Dice rules the world.

Offline Asinjin

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Re: First Stop, Giant Serpant
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2023, 08:42:15 AM »
Some notes from the trip so far:

Timberton is the logging town north of the wall of Hertoplowis that you visited.  Harold is the cleric of Habastly that lived there.

Justene is the agent from Hertoplowis giving you the information on Loahk.
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Offline Asinjin

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Re: First Stop, Giant Serpant
« Reply #2 on: April 12, 2023, 09:03:03 AM »
Also, a correction.  Sometime in last season I made a mistake in my notes and put us in 818 instead of 817.  We are in 817.

The Horarian campaign started in the 4th month of 816 and has advanced to the 4th month in 817 as the group is deciding how to find the high cleric's relatives.

This group of companions began the month where that left off and has advanced 4 months in its travels to the 8th month of 817.
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Offline Valdis

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Re: First Stop, Giant Serpant
« Reply #3 on: April 12, 2023, 12:45:17 PM »
Quick recap:

We met the final member of our (terrifying) motley band of adventurers, (NPC) Justene, who is an "agent" (spy) for Hertoplowis.  She has the intel on the places we should "destabilize".  We discussed how to get to LOAHK (the Land Of A Hundred Kingdoms), either walking or by boat.  Noting the size of 2 of our group we decided that walking would be better if not faster.  We then did what is arguably the smartest thing we have done with any recent party.  We bought a horse and carriage.  This allowed the slower members of our group to travel faster and cut our travel time to our destination in half.

During the trip, Justene, noticed that we all primarily kept to ourselves, and that there was blatant, aggressive animosity, between some of us.  Noting how we did not discuss even the weather between us, she suggested to Ender that, while we may have an idea of our companions abilities, we won't work cohesively in a group unless we practice.  We all thought that was a good idea so we then changed course to the nearest town to see if there was anything that was bothering them that they could not handle themselves.  Ender used a spell to find us a town and we went.  Once there, actually, they saw us a good distance away and sent guards to intercept us to find out what we wanted.  Then there was a "Laurel and Hardy-esque" interaction between us and the lumberjack guards where we told them we wanted to fight something to get used to fighting together, the guards thought we meant them and/or the town, we assured them we wanted to take care of one of their problems they couldn't handel themselves and they wouldn't even have to pay us, the guards thought that was more suspicious than us maybe wanting to attack the town.  Finally, after the guards ran back and got someone with more authority, we discussed with them some opportunities they thought we could handle.  One was stopping an encampment of lizardfolk from damming up the river upstream and holding the water ransom (This did not feel like enough of a challenge).  Then the Celric of Habastly stepped in and told us of a giant lizard creature (not of Scalehome) that was eating lumberjacks in the nearby Great Halfling Forrest.  That sounded way more challenging so we decided to do that.  We then spitballed ways to lure the creature out, as a big group with two individuals over 10' tall is a bit intimidating.  The possibility was floated of purchasing deathrow inmates from Hertoplowis and using them as "sacrificial bait".  Some of our collective seemed really keen on that idea.  In the end the muscle of the group said no and started walking off to the forest.  We got to the forest and started trying to find the creature but had little luck finding even a trace of it.  We came across a few Halflings who couldn't help us and then a Taffer who could.  (I should note here that Artur was the one who spoke to the halflings we came across and he told them that we were here to kill a giant lizard thing that was eating lumberjacks.  The halflings looked surprised at this info and immediately said their farewells)

The Taffer, led us as close to the den where this thing lived as it dared to go.  We proceeded cautiously forward, with lantern light helping those of us who can't see in the dark.  as we got to within feet of the den entrance and were discussing ways to entice the creature out, we heard a whistling from behind us, kind of like the kind you would use to call a pet, or a giant lizard creature.  The creature quietly left it's den and was only barely heard as it made it's way around us.  When we did see it it was outside our circle of light from the lantern we carried.  It reared up, it's eyes eight feet in the air.  It confounded several members of our group, the rest moved in and attacked with spells, fists, and swords.  Miya's spells sapped its strength and speed, Cowalk battered a section of it's serpentine body,  and Ragoth's sword cut it down before most of us could do anything except get into position to fight it.

That's where we ended it.

Offline Asinjin

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Re: First Stop, Giant Serpant
« Reply #4 on: April 12, 2023, 12:52:48 PM »
Quick recap:

We met the final member of our (terrifying) motley band of adventurers, (NPC) Justene, who is an "agent" (spy) for Hertoplowis.  She has the intel on the places we should "destabilize".  We discussed how to get to LOAHK (the Land Of A Hundred Kingdoms), either walking or by boat.  Noting the size of 2 of our group we decided that walking would be better if not faster.  We then did what is arguably the smartest thing we have done with any recent party.  We bought a horse and carriage.  This allowed the slower members of our group to travel faster and cut our travel time to our destination in half.

During the trip, Justene, noticed that we all primarily kept to ourselves, and that there was blatant, aggressive animosity, between some of us.  Noting how we did not discuss even the weather between us, she suggested to Ender that, while we may have an idea of our companions abilities, we won't work cohesively in a group unless we practice.  We all thought that was a good idea so we then changed course to the nearest town to see if there was anything that was bothering them that they could not handle themselves.  Ender used a spell to find us a town and we went.  Once there, actually, they saw us a good distance away and sent guards to intercept us to find out what we wanted.  Then there was a "Laurel and Hardy-esque" interaction between us and the lumberjack guards where we told them we wanted to fight something to get used to fighting together, the guards thought we meant them and/or the town, we assured them we wanted to take care of one of their problems they couldn't handel themselves and they wouldn't even have to pay us, the guards thought that was more suspicious than us maybe wanting to attack the town.  Finally, after the guards ran back and got someone with more authority, we discussed with them some opportunities they thought we could handle.  One was stopping an encampment of lizardfolk from damming up the river upstream and holding the water ransom (This did not feel like enough of a challenge).  Then the Celric of Habastly stepped in and told us of a giant lizard creature (not of Scalehome) that was eating lumberjacks in the nearby Great Halfling Forrest.  That sounded way more challenging so we decided to do that.  We then spitballed ways to lure the creature out, as a big group with two individuals over 10' tall is a bit intimidating.  The possibility was floated of purchasing deathrow inmates from Hertoplowis and using them as "sacrificial bait".  Some of our collective seemed really keen on that idea.  In the end the muscle of the group said no and started walking off to the forest.  We got to the forest and started trying to find the creature but had little luck finding even a trace of it.  We came across a few Halflings who couldn't help us and then a Taffer who could.  (I should note here that Artur was the one who spoke to the halflings we came across and he told them that we were here to kill a giant lizard thing that was eating lumberjacks.  The halflings looked surprised at this info and immediately said their farewells)

The Taffer, led us as close to the den where this thing lived as it dared to go.  We proceeded cautiously forward, with lantern light helping those of us who can't see in the dark.  as we got to within feet of the den entrance and were discussing ways to entice the creature out, we heard a whistling from behind us, kind of like the kind you would use to call a pet, or a giant lizard creature.  The creature quietly left it's den and was only barely heard as it made it's way around us.  When we did see it it was outside our circle of light from the lantern we carried.  It reared up, it's eyes eight feet in the air.  It confounded several members of our group, the rest moved in and attacked with spells, fists, and swords.  Miya's spells sapped its strength and speed, Cowalk battered a section of it's serpentine body,  and Ragoth's sword cut it down before most of us could do anything except get into position to fight it.

That's where we ended it.

Very nice, 75xp
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Offline Hero

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Re: First Stop, Giant Serpant
« Reply #5 on: April 12, 2023, 01:21:36 PM »
Zunder, this might help with your domain dilemma:
Substitute Domain

Temporarily swap a selected domain for another your deity offers. Lasts a day/CL.

Offline Zunder

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Re: First Stop, Giant Serpant
« Reply #6 on: April 12, 2023, 01:38:46 PM »
Zunder, this might help with your domain dilemma:
Substitute Domain

Temporarily swap a selected domain for another your deity offers. Lasts a day/CL.


Oh.. this is hot.  Definitely going to use that.

Offline Zunder

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Re: First Stop, Giant Serpant
« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2023, 01:35:01 PM »
I do scamper through the tree with invisibility purge in case I stumble upon the Taffer.. Then I speak..

While i'm not consistantly doing noble things - I believe we should ..
  - search it's lair, there might be something useful there.
  - gut it.. i'm sure there is something magical floating around in that belly
  - Take it's head back to TimberTown.. you know.. incase they feel generous.

Ender grins

« Last Edit: April 14, 2023, 01:37:22 PM by Zunder »

Offline Hero

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Re: First Stop, Giant Serpant
« Reply #8 on: April 16, 2023, 08:54:54 PM »
I do scamper through the tree with invisibility purge in case I stumble upon the Taffer.. Then I speak..

While i'm not consistantly doing noble things - I believe we should ..
  - search it's lair, there might be something useful there.
  - gut it.. i'm sure there is something magical floating around in that belly
  - Take it's head back to TimberTown.. you know.. incase they feel generous.

Ender grins
All good ideas.

Before we enter the snake’s den, Miya will ask her familiar to conduct some recon first.

Is there some check I can make to estimate number of HD? I assume this thing has more than 20 HD and can’t be animated by me right now but would like to confirm that somehow.

Offline Asinjin

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Re: First Stop, Giant Serpant
« Reply #9 on: April 17, 2023, 08:00:41 AM »

Is there some check I can make to estimate number of HD? I assume this thing has more than 20 HD and can’t be animated by me right now but would like to confirm that somehow.

You cannot animate it.
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Offline Hero

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Re: First Stop, Giant Serpant
« Reply #10 on: April 17, 2023, 09:08:34 PM »
You cannot animate it.
That’s probably for the best.