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[03] The Ziggurat

Posted: Wed May 28, 2014 11:25 pm
by waysoftheearth
A brief council is had and it is determined that [p Hired Man,clothes,dagger,torch,12,3/3]Poitr[/p] shall hold the camp while the main company investigate the structure in the mire. Master [p Halfling,leather,short sword,open hand,9,4/4]Potts[/p] will boldly scout ahead, and attempt to approach the site from the flank, while the rest of the company approach--cautiously--by the most direct route.

So be it...

Re: [03] The Ziggurat

Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 12:11 am
by ratikranger
| I don't like the name "Ziggurat" one bit... |

Re: [03] The Ziggurat

Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 12:28 am
by aspiringlich
Shield raised, spear at the ready ...

Re: [03] The Ziggurat

Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 1:18 am
by DuBeers
[pc human, fighter]Biratlan[/pc] attempts to watch every direction at once(!), but concentrates on being an excellent rearguard.

Re: [03] The Ziggurat

Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 2:19 am
by waysoftheearth
| It is now the 3rd wilderness exploration turn (a.k.a. day 3 since departure).

However, we will now switch from day-long wilderness exploration turns to ten-minute dungeon exploration turns. Although we're not in an underground dungeon yet, the dungeon exploration timescale is useful in and around towns and stongholds, and for exploring the upper works of dungeons too. I will annotate turn numbers as "3.x" where 3 denotes the current wilderness-exploration turn number, and x denotes the current dungeon-exploration turn number.

The company has an overall movement rate of 9" (90 yards per turn outdoors)--as does Master Potts individually--but the swampy terrain will reduce this by half. You are allowed two such moves per exploration turn, so your overall cautious movement rate is 9". |


The company sets off in the agreed upon marching order:

[p Halfling,leather,short sword,open hand,9,4/4]Potts[/p] is approximately 40 yards ahead and off to the right-hand side of the main column.

Then come [p Man,mail+helm,spear,shield,9,8/8]Arcus[/p] and [p Man,plate+helm,spear,open hand,12,9/9]Magnus[/p] up front. Then,
[p Halfling,mail+helm,dagger,shield,9,7/7]Tumbly[/p],
[p Man,cloak,dagger,lantern,12,4/4]Sullivus[/p],
[p Man,mail+helm,hammer,shield,9,6/6]Vergas[/p] and [p Man,mail+helm,hand ax,shield,9,8/8]Biratlan[/p].

| Note that with 40 yards between Potts and them, the main company are very likely to be beyond the 10-60 yard encounter distance should Potts be surprised. Unless a foe were to burst out of the ground or drop from the sky directly between them.

At the company's movement rate it will take three turns to reach the structure proper, and the referee will check for an encounter each dungeon exploration turn: for turn 3.1 1d6=3, for turn 3.2 1d6=5, for 3.3 1d6=6. Ah ha! |


The mire seems eerily quiet once the company are properly within it; the mist is hungry to swallow even the insistent squelching of their boots. Master [p Halfling,leather,short sword,open hand,9,4/4]Potts[/p] is ahead with his short sword bared, and his senses alert for any trouble; the others trail him at a respectful distance as a well armed column...

For some minutes they press on in this fashion with the camp site slowly receding behind them and the bulk of the mysterious structure drawing nearer before them; its shape becoming ever more distinct. Soon it becomes apparent that there are other, equally imposing shadows lying deeper in the mists, but what these might be remains unclear. For now.

It is not half an hour before the company draws close enough to the first structure to identify it as some kind of ziggurat of crumbling stone. It squats partially subsided in the mire and overgrown by moss and heath and other swamp-life. The near-face of it appears to have long since collapsed leaving a wide, daunting breach--and entry--to its dark interior...

| An outdoor encounter was indicated for turn 3.3 (the third dungeon-exploration turn), so the referee rolls on the wilderness encounter table for swamp areas, 1d20=4, which indicates there are dinosuars in the vicinity. There are six terrestrial types so the referee dices again, 1d6=3, to find there are 2-8 Stegosaurs grazing here! 2d4=4, so there are four of the great beasts.

Potts is alert and cautious, so there is only a 2 in 6 chance that he will be surprised, 1d6=6. So he is surprised! But Halflings are especially canny in the outdoors so the referee allows a 4 in 6 (rather than the standard 2 in 6) chance that the dinosaurs are surprised too. The ref rolls 1d6=3 for Potts, which is just enough to surprise them too.

The encounter distance for surprises is 10-60 yards; 1d6=1 so it's just 10 yards! |


...getting still nearer to the ziggurat [p Halfling,leather,short sword,open hand,9,4/4]Potts[/p]' senses are tingling; something's not quite right here, but what? Suddenly a dark patch of "heath" nearby moves! And a huge, reptilian head heaves itself out of the swampy vegetation with a mouthful of sopping thatch. It's beady little eyes meet his and bulge with surprise as the whole of the massive beast jerks reflexively back and it gives a sonorous bleat.

Three more of the beasts are likewise grazing in the swampy vegetation right in front of the breach and stagger back in alarm. They are four huge Stegasaurs!

| Potts and the stegosuars are surprised and neither can act in the surprise turn, but the rest of the company--50 yards distant--can respond to the disturbance. |

What do you want to do?

Re: [03] The Ziggurat

Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 2:39 am
by aspiringlich
| We might want to wait and see if they're aggressive. If we don't provoke them, they might not be interested in us. (But Potts might want to back away slowly.) |

Re: [03] The Ziggurat

Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 2:43 am
by DuBeers
Recognizing the beasts as herbivores, [pc human,fighter]Biratlan[/pc] attempts a threat display by raising his arms wide with shield and hand axe held high (making himself appear as large as possible) and advancing on the stegosaurii while trumpeting and howling loudly. He hopes to intimidate the beasts into retreating and will be very careful to leave them a clear and obvious line of retreat.

Re: [03] The Ziggurat

Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 3:26 am
by ratikranger
Vergas moves to protect Sullivus in case we find ourselves getting charged in the next few seconds. But he also tries to position himself in such a way that Sullivus may still cast. For now Vergas will stay as quiet as possible, although he may join Bertilan if it seems like the threat display might be working.

Re: [03] The Ziggurat

Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 3:58 am
by waysoftheearth
[p Man,mail+helm,hand ax,shield,9,8/8]Biratlan[/p] is presently 50-60 yards away from the Stegosaurs, so they might not even see him. Does he want to run toward them to attract their attention?

| At the onset of a combat (or potential combat) encounter the timescale automatically shifts to one-minute combat turns.
Normally I'd gloss over this, but for the sake of completeness I'll now need to annotate the turn number as 3.3.x where the first 3 is the wilderness-exploration turn number, the second 3 is the dungeon-exploration turn number, and the x is the combat-turn number. Erk!

Biratlan's personal, cautious movement rate is 9".

But he can also flee or pursue at four times his regular rate (which would normally be 9", but is halved in this case due to the swampy terrain). So he can run (through swamp, wearing mail, carrying a full pack) at a flat tilt of 18" which scales to 180ft--or 60 yards--per combat turn.

Therefore Biratlan can reasonably run across the 60 yards distance to the Stegosaurs within his upcoming combat turn (which is overall turn number 3.3.1). |

Re: [03] The Ziggurat

Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 7:45 am
by discuit
Potts stands frozen in shock (surprise round) as beasts of this nature are something he thought were only found in drunken tales and legends! Once he regains his calm however he will begin to back away in the direction of his comrades!