April 28, 2024

 

Sword 25, 5043  (cont)

 

Init:  V1, A, Be, Z, Bn.

 

A man is leaning against the door to our Secure Shelter.  He is dressed up super fancy and speaks a language we don’t understand.  We speak to him in Common and he responds: there haven’t been any warm bloods here in aeons.  Asks to tell him where our nest is – he will eat them first and let us live.

Arden says we don’t have a nest, we are travelers.  He says he will eat us then.  We ready ourselves for battle.  Zora sees the has fangs.

 

Round 1: 

Beari saves against Gaze Attack;

Arden saves against many hits; tumbles and attacks – miss, miss;

Beari: It’s a Vampire.  Ick!  Steps back and casts Sunburst for 69 (34);

Zora executes a partial charge, hits for 27, full attack for hit (28), hit (30), miss, miss;

Ben fails at turning, casts Recitation

 

Round 2: 

V1 tries Gaze on Ben, attacks Zora: miss, miss, hit (27 & -2 levels), grapples but Zora’s Close-Quarters Fighting gives an AoO on V1 for 32;

Arden miss, hit (15), miss, miss, hit (13);

Beari casts Mordenkaimen’s Sword (18);

Zora hits (31), hits (22), miss, miss, hits (33);

Ben attacks Beari, but misses;

 

Round 3: 

V1 tries Gaze on Zora, fails, attacks Zora: miss, hits (23 & -2 levels), miss, miss;

Arden hits (15), miss, miss, miss, hit (15);

Beari hits with Mordenkaimen’s Sword (15), casts Bigby’s Interposing Hand;

Zora hits (31), hits (29), miss, miss, hits (26);

Ben attacks Beari but doesn’t get past Bigby’s Hand;

 

Round 4: 

V1 tries Gaze on Arden, fails, attacks Arden: miss, miss, hit (26 & -2 levels), grapples, bites (-4 CON);

Arden: fails to escape, hits, kills;

Beari tells us that Ben is attacking her;

Zora grapples (and shakes) Ben;

Ben fails to escape;

 

Round 5:

Arden decapitates V1; starts searching body;

Beari waits for Ben to snap out of it;

Zora continues to hold Ben;

Ben continues to obey his domination.

 

A couple of minutes later Ben does snap out of it.  He apologizes to Beari.  By now the vampire body has been stripped and the possessions laid out for Beari to cast Detect Magic on.

Ben casts Restoration on Arden; Greater Restoration on Zora; Cure Light on Arden.

 

XP: 1,200 

 

On body:

Cloak of Protection +5

Gloves of Dexterity +2

Belt of Giant Strength +6

Ring of Protection +3

Amulet of Natural Armor +3

Breastplate +5

GreatAxe +4

Scroll Case with one scroll: Arcane 7th Vision; Arcane 7th Vision.

 

Sword 26, 5043

 

The next morning we continue down the road going East away from the castle.  We walk and walk and walk through the mountains.  The day is clear.

 

Sword 27, 5043

 

Clear in the mountains.

 

Sword 28, 5043

 

Clear and we are coming out of the mountains.  We see rolling hills ahead.  The road is decayed and in poor repair.

 

Beggar 1, 5043

 

Clear in the rolling hills.

 

Beggar 2, 5043

 

Clear, but windy from the North.  Good thing we aren’t flying.

 

Beggar 3, 5043

 

Same weather as yesterday.

A beasty charges Zora.  Its probably another vampire.  ICK! It is an Ubervampire.  It is quite unkempt and has no lyft.

 

Surprise Round: 

V2 attacks Zora: hits (12 & -2 levels) and grapples – Zora AoO for 27 (and grapple fails) and calls to Arden;

 

Round 1: 

Arden – partial charge: hits (13), 5’ step, hits (15);

Zora – hits (28), hits (30), hits (29), miss, hits (21);

Beari – casts Sunburst for (114/52), moves back;

Ben – casts Searing Light (54), kills.

 

Arden decapitates the body, searches, doesn’t find anything useful; Beari detects zero magic.

 

Ben casts Restoration on Zora.

 

XP: 95 

 

Beggar 4, 5043

 

Rolling hills, clear with heavy North wind.

 

Beggar 5, 5043

 

Clear and calm.  We come out of the hills and into the plains.  We wish it were planes!

 

Beggar 6, 5043

 

Heavy wind from North.

 

Beggar 7, 5043

 

Hazy; visibility is about 10 miles.

 

Beggar 8, 5043

 

Still in the plains, heavy wind from the North.

 

2nd WATCH

 

Arden and Zora listen and spot: nothing.

Someone is banging on the door of the Secure Shelter.  Arden wakes up Ben and Beari.  Ben wakes up.  Beari tries to stay asleep but wakes up when the Alarm goes off.

 

Round 1: 

V3 beats on door, with some success.

Beari casts Daylight on a stone and throws the stone toward the front of the house to light it up;

Zora stands by the door, ready for a target;

Ben casts Magic Circle Against Evil;

Arden reserves for the door to open: he will tumble through.

 

Round 2: 

V3 beats on door, which is looking damaged;

Beari reserves for door to be open, will cast Maximized Sunburst;

Zora continues to reserve for a target;

Ben casts Recitation, reserves for a target to use Turning on;

Arden continues to reserve for an open door to tumble through.

 

Round 3:

V3 beats on door, obviously using both hands;

Everyone continues their reserving;

 

Round 4:

V3 bursts door, everyone can see that it is an Etten Ubervampire;

Beari casts Maximized Sunburst (114/57);

Arden tumbles to far side of V3;

Zora hits for 28, 27, 27, 26, 29;

Ben’s Turn fails, casts Searing Light (44);

 

Round 5: 

V3 tries Gaze on Zora (fails) on Arden (fails), misses Arden, hits Zora (16 & -2 levels), miss, miss, miss;

Beari casts Mordenkaimen’s Sword, hits (21);

Arden hits for 13, 15, 14, 10;

Zora hits for 26, 33, 23, 28, 30;

Ben casts Weapon of the Deity on his mace, hits for 14;

 

Round 6: 

V3 cannot use Gaze because of Ben’s Magic Circle Against Evil, on Arden miss, hits (14 & -2 levels), miss, miss; on Ben hits (15 & -2 levels), hits (20 & -2 levels), miss, miss;

Beari Sword hits (18);

Arden hits for 13, 15 and transfers 5 to AC;

Zora hits for 37, 38, kills.

 

Arden decapitates, twice, strips body, finds nothing useful. 

Beari dismisses the Secure Shelter (and all its blood spatter); and casts it again somewhat away from the body.

Ben casts (first, at Zora’s insistence) Greater Restoration on himself, then Restoration on Arden and Zora.

 

XP: 1,368 

 

Beggar 9, 5043

 

Beari casts Detect Magicon the Etten stuff: none.

Weather is clear and calm.

Ben casts Heroes Feast for breakfast – last 13 hours, gives +1, immune to poison.  We will have this breakfast every day from now on.

We go back to following the road across the plains.

 

Beggar 10, 5043

 

Plains.  Calm.

 

Beggar 11, 5043

 

A slow-moving storm with drenching rain – we stay in the Secure Shelter for the day.  Ben teaches the others to play poker.

 

Beggar 12, 5043

 

Calm.

 

Beggar 13, 5043

 

Heavy storm with hail, bludgeoning damage – we stay in the Secure Shelter.

 

Beggar 14, 5043

 

Hazy but calm.  We walk.

 

Beggar 15, 5043

 

Calm; still plains.  We walk.

 

Beggar 16, 5043

 

Story so we stay in the shelter.

 

Beggar 17, 5043

 

Calm.

We are attacked by a vampire Gnome.

 

Surprise Round: 

V4 tries Gaze on Arden, fails.  Attacks Arden, misses.

 

Round 1:

Zora partial charge and hits for 27, 26, 25, 25, 27;

V4 Gaze on Ben fails, attacks Arden, misses;

Arden tumbles to flank; hits for 11, 13, 11;

Ben Turn fails, charges for 12;

Beari casts Magic Missile for 18;

 

Round 2: 

Zora hits for 38, kills.

 

Arden decapitates.  Strips body but finds nothing.

 

XP: 12 

 

Beggar 18, 5043

 

We see hills leading to mountains as we make our way up and the road is no longer straight.  After a day we have crossed the peak.  From the top of the final hills of this range, we can see quite a distance off to the East, cumulating in an ocean which is perhaps as much as 30 miles away.  The uncertainty is because, from the foot of these hills, extending to some distance out onto the ocean, there is nothing to see except a fog bank. 

From where you are the road drops via gentle switchbacks about 400’ down to what is most likely a costal plane; then what little you can see of it heads straight for the coast.

 

[End of Run]