Questioning Nathan (and co.)

Currently the party is talking to Ferrence, Nathan, Joe. Nathan and Joe are both crossbowmen and tell you that there are two other members of their group a footman and a newbie (can't think of a better description for the minion).

Nathan tells the party that he can talk to the others and can get them to assist the party by holding down areas that you've already cleared to give the party a safe place to rest and to give warning if monsters come from behind. They're not really intersted in actually engaging the unknown monsters (which is why it took them almost a year to clear roughly five rooms). Nathen tells you he'd like to keep the horn as it's been in his family for a long time (which you're not too sure about...). He'd also like he and "his men" to keep their equipment and some gold for helping.

Ferrence doesn't mind accompaning the party, but tells you he can't be held responsible if he changes and begins attacking the party. One area or ranged attack at the wrong time could really turn a bad situation worse. Ferrence would like to keep his sword or at least his share of the gold.

There were only two crossbowmen in the encounter and both lived. Most of the men who died were "newbies" who used makeshift clubs. One footmen did die and their is a halberd on the ground (non-magical).

If you're going to take an extended rest, I'll need to know what items Miri will try to make before you rest.

Something doesn't add up. They keep telling us a year and Vren has only been here for several days. If we can talk to Ferrance way from Nathan and the other archer, I will ask him about when he got here and when Vren got here.

Krystoff wrote:Something doesn't add up. They keep telling us a year and Vren has only been here for several days. If we can talk to Ferrance way from Nathan and the other archer, I will ask him about when he got here and when Vren got here.

Their stories are pretty much the same. Ferrence, Vren, and his men arrived her shortly after helping Vren escape from prison. They tell you they ran past the lizardmen in the water room and headed north. They secured the large room with the pilars and surrounding rooms, then barricaded the doors. It was several weeks before they made their way south, and even longer before they took the "trap" room.

Miri and Kaddim whom have studied arcana say that this place could have different time attributes than the outside world.

David wrote: ...but saying we are friends and willing to work together then steal all their stuff just seems wrong by how it looks."

Miri: "We are NOT saying we are friends... We are saying we wish to make them allies. There's a difference. They did double cross us (by Vren's orders) the first time we offered a truce, and attempting to kill us means they should know the score. We gave them back their lives, their freedom (didn't tie them up), and are sharing their stronghold. We are even offering to help them escape with us when by all rights they should be dead from our battle. Or, at the very least, trying to take new turf from the Lizardmen et. al.
That's not common theivery. We're giving them another second chance, and that comes with a price. We're getting out of this prison, and if they want to offer us more than a sword & some gold to help us out, I'm all for it, otherwise, to the victor goes the spoils I say."
"On that note, I couldn't really give a crap about Nathan's horn..."

I am ok with being the dictators in this relationship but lets make sure they know it. This is one reason why I rather kill then save, so much easier on knowing who is the winner.

The party takes an extended rest and was not interrupted. Everyone is back to full health and all encounter/daily powers have been restored.

Notes:
Quinn, Sonya, and Candelos developed a fever during their rest and had a difficult time resting.
After the rest Sonya feels fine. Quinn and Candelos are currently -2 to Will defense.


Miri created two items, a circlet for Sonya and a set of bracers for herself.

What will the party do next...

Here is a link to a picture showing the recent things we have been through.

https://nwgamers.forumotion.com/online-role-play-gaming-f14/ferrence-and-vren-t223-30.htm

It looks like we can head north out of this room or head to the other locked door down south that Vren wanted us to open.

Oh and I guess one last question for Nathan et al; where have they been getting food for the last year or is that part of the magic of this place as well?

Dwarmaj wrote:What will the party do next...

Level up?... :-)
Miri will ask Ferrence is he noticed any symptoms before he changed... such as a fever that affected will defense.
Miri: "I say we hunt down an Ettin. Last we saw he was heading South, right?
Unless someone suggests otherwise, Miri will hold Ferrence's sword (if it's a longsword), Kaddim will hold Nathan's horn, and if someone can use the chain mail, they should wear it, otherwise, I say we convert it & all the gold to residuum. Soldier on South!
Post Script: the magic of this place negates the need to eat... we've slept here 2 nights already & haven't eaten anything.

Here's a map of where the PCs have been:



Sorry, no level up yet, the party has only gone through 6 encounters. Getting close though...

Ferrence's sword is a bastardsword.

Ferrence says he feels fine.

Dwarmaj wrote:

Sorry, no level up yet...

Ferrence's sword is a bastardsword.

Darn & darn! Unless somebody wants something we've found, Miri suggests converting everything to residuum and taking the other Southern passage from the water room... I think that's where the Ettin went.
Miri will also keep her same spells

Nathan says that there is one room that his group was never able to get into. The room is down the hallway his friends fled through and just past the talking statues.

Let me know who has what after you guys split up the treasure. I'll need to update the characters in the Character Builder. Thanks

Please send me a copy of Quinn, I honestly don't know much on him hence why I haven't spent any time asking for stuff.

David wrote:Please send me a copy of Quinn, I honestly don't know much on him hence why I haven't spent any time asking for stuff.

I sent you a PM on the messageboard requesting your email address (can't seem to find it...).


Where's the party going to head next? After the Ettin or to the room Nathan described?

I vote for the Ettin. We have a score to settle with him.

I agree. Ettin.

Sonya votes to explore the room that's south of here and a little to the east; this is the room that Nathan wanted us to look into, right? If we meet the Ettin along the way, so much the better.

Sonya is fine with letting Kaddim hold onto the horn.

Miri, since she doesn't use a shield, is still probably the best person to hold onto the sword and as long as Ferrence is alive, even if he is our "ally", someone in our group should hold onto the sword.

Sonya is fine with turning the gold and chainmail into magic dust. Sonya doesn't feel too inclined to give Nathan, Ferrence and the others anything except their non-magic weapons back if all they are going to do is sit and defend a room we can retreat to. If they were going to go with us and provide supporting missile fire (crossbowmen) and guard our backs (footmen, Ferrence) while we shouldered the brunt of the fighting, then I'd be okay with giving up some coin. They have to take a little more risk to merit getting more reward.

I'll give Nathan the horn. Tell him to blow it in case they are in trouble. I believe we have one person who can hear it.

Sonya votes to explore the room that's south of here and a little to the east; this is the room that Nathan wanted us to look into, right? If we meet the Ettin along the way, so much the better.

I'm not ready to trust Nathan. We don't know if he is sending us into a trap.

Miri, since she doesn't use a shield, is still probably the best person to hold onto the sword and as long as Ferrence is alive, even if he is our "ally", someone in our group should hold onto the sword.

Sure

Sonya is fine with letting Kaddim hold onto the horn.

Agree

Sonya is fine with turning the gold and chainmail into magic dust. Sonya doesn't feel too inclined to give Nathan, Ferrence and the others anything except their non-magic weapons back if all they are going to do is sit and defend a room we can retreat to. If they were going to go with us and provide supporting missile fire (crossbowmen) and guard our backs (footmen, Ferrence) while we shouldered the brunt of the fighting, then I'd be okay with giving up some coin. They have to take a little more risk to merit getting more reward.

Agree

Correct me if I'm wrong...

It sounds like the party is going to hunt down the Ettin. I'm assuming the party will take the doors to the west, go through the "water" room, then take the SW hallway.

Thia uses stealth and checks the "pit" room and it is pretty much as you left it. Periodically, zombies animate, climb out of the pit, then stuble around for a bit before falling back into the pit. Occassionally movement of the "bugs" can be seen. There is no sign of the Ettin.

There looks to be to hallways south. The hallway from the water room and the hall way from the "pit" room. Thia sees Ettin tracks going up and down both.

From about 30' away from the end of the hall you can see grass covering the ground. Green hedges block your view of the room. Thia see similar grass and hedges in the room south of the "pit" room.

As the party travels down the hallway south, what should be the party order?
Which room will the party check out?

Candelos will take the front left position in the colmun.
I say strainght south hallway. Anybody second the motion?

Sonya is fine with searching for the Ettin.

I say straight south also. I sense a more open area coming up. Sonya will be behind Candelos and she will sling her waraxe and her shield. She will have her loaded hand crossbow in her right hand and her magic hand axe in her left hand.

Fit me in where needed, probably towards the front, and south sounds good to me.

...Sonya steers Quinn to the front rank next to Candelos.
Kaddim next to me in the second rank, and Miri (w her high AC) and Thia (ranged attacks) in the back row.

As the party aproaches the room:
This dimly lit area is hotter and more humid than the other areas you've been in. Thick green vines grow from the ceiling down to the floor in massive clumps, forming dense curtains that block your view of the chamber. It looks like the vines have grown to form a sort of maze. The floor of this place consists of grass and soil with root braking through the ground in places.

Here's what you can see, who's going in first and where?

Ken, is it time for a new thread?

Sonya says, why don't we move to the SE, that's where I think I saw the Ettin last; I was the last one to see him. Perhaps go in pairs, with 5' between each pair to reduce the effect of area attacks...

Candelos will move in 10' and look to the east

Sonya will follow 10' behind Candelos and look toward the SW mostly, crossbow at the ready.