The Third Adventure

Mushgnome's Hobbet-centric PBP

Moderator: mushgnome

Posts: 2042
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:17 am
Location: San Diego, Ca

Post by mgtremaine » Sat Oct 31, 2020 6:18 pm

Re: The Third Adventure

Kiplyn would have given way to Noh acknowledging that the young Druid knows far more then he about such things, but when he says she is gone he bursts into tears. "That's not right, it not right. She just took a tumble we hobbit are made of sterner stuff then that, she's ok can't you see, she's right here, she doesn't want to cross over she wants to stay with us. We're not done, our story isn't done. Don;t just stand there all of you, you need to help her. We have lure her back, my great-great grandma used tell me how the young can have choice, they can leave this world or stay." Kiplyn gets our water and food and pipe weed and places it around her, dabbing here lips with fresh water. "See all these things you like here, you need stay, if we get back you can even have the first slice of pie" kiplen starts to rock back and forth gently stroking her head and chanting her name. "Dame Simonetta, its not your time. Dame Simonetta, Dame Simonetta, Dame Simonetta
[f=4]Wen the Pale, Elf Hero/Spellbinder (MV 12", AC 9, HD 4/2, hp 11/11, FC Hero, L) helm, bow[/f]
[f=47]Kiplyn Sorefoot, Hobbet Thief (Lv: 4 AC: 5 Hp 12) Leather+Shield+Dagger, Sling[/f]
[f=59]Tass Purrfoot (Agile Hobbet Varlet, MV 9′′, AC 7, HD 2, hp 8, FC 2 men, SV T7, N)[/f]

Posts: 2042
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:17 am
Location: San Diego, Ca

Post by mgtremaine » Sat Oct 31, 2020 6:20 pm

Re: The Third Adventure

Best I can do :), I think Kiplyn truly believe that death is not final and that all the weird things we've seen so far only support that he really thinks her spirit right there in the room and just needs to come back.
[f=4]Wen the Pale, Elf Hero/Spellbinder (MV 12", AC 9, HD 4/2, hp 11/11, FC Hero, L) helm, bow[/f]
[f=47]Kiplyn Sorefoot, Hobbet Thief (Lv: 4 AC: 5 Hp 12) Leather+Shield+Dagger, Sling[/f]
[f=59]Tass Purrfoot (Agile Hobbet Varlet, MV 9′′, AC 7, HD 2, hp 8, FC 2 men, SV T7, N)[/f]

Posts: 2843
Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2013 11:12 pm
Location: Upper Miskatonic Valley

Post by mushgnome » Sat Oct 31, 2020 6:48 pm

Re: The Third Adventure

Kiplyn's sacrifices are unimpressive to the Great Old Ones, so I'm not giving him a MYTH check. I like his water-and-pipeweed ritual, so I'll give 1-in-6 first aid (as a temporary 1st-level "deputy" druid). I'm going to wait to roll the dice, for a couple more players to check in with their actions, stack everybody's rolls.
[f=59]Stern (Strong Hero, MV 9′′, AC 3, HD 4, hp 20, FC 4 men/hero, SV F4, L)[/f]

Posts: 1067
Joined: Mon Jul 18, 2016 4:09 pm
Location: Gibsons, BC, Canada

Post by kipper » Sun Nov 01, 2020 12:36 am

Re: The Third Adventure

mushgnome wrote:Dame Simonetta sees a light, and she floats toward it. There was something she was right in the middle of, but now it seems like a forgotten dream. As she approaches the pearly gates, her heart leaps with joy to see a familiar face: Her beloved Snooky!

But what is wrong? Instead of recognition, Dame Simonetta sees revulsion in dear Snooky's eyes! "What's wrong, Snooky? It's me, Simonetta," she tries to say, but the words won't come. Dame Simonetta touches her larynx to figure out what is wrong with her voice, but she feels only the vertebrae of her neck. She tries to touch her lips, but feels only teeth and her bony jaw. Horrified, she holds her hand up in front of her face, and sees only a bony skeleton's hand!

Snooky cowers in the shadow of the Bone Woman and urinates in terror. The pearly gate begins to creak shut with a metallic grinding sound and nobody visibly operating it. The sun moves through the sky with accelerating speed, and the afternoon shadows are lengthening to evening with each passing second. A chill wind makes the fallen leaves dance around Dame Simonetta's bony feet.

What does she do?
Dame Simonetta is saddened, it's breaking her heart that her presence is only causing Snooky grief. "Get along now Snooky, get back inside before the gate closes." She moves so as to herd Snooky back through the gate, she can at least use Snooky's fear for good cause.

Posts: 1448
Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2015 4:34 pm

Post by acodispo » Sun Nov 01, 2020 4:10 pm

Re: The Third Adventure

"Thank you, Chegs!" mutters Willie, before tucking the hammer back into his belt & scrambling down the rope to join the forlorn scene below.

"Oh no! Dame S. There must be something we can do..."

He quickly drops his pack on the cave floor & lights Lantern III, holds it close while digging through the pack.

"I must have something in here that can help... Oh wait! What about my pocketses?"

He thrusts a hand into his pocket and pulls out ... a tooth! The enamel seems almost to glow in the lantern light.

Before anyone can stop him, he gently opens Dame Simonetta's mouth, places the tooth (like a ghoulish medicine tablet) on her tongue, and presses her lips closed again!

"Me Mam always said that there was an Old Bone Man, standing in the middle of the road on the Other Side. His job was to stop canny-bulls -- you know, like them ghouls -- from getting past! If he knew you'd been eatin' other folk, he'd send you right back! Maybe with Hobbet bones in 'er mouth, the Old Bone Man will think Dame S is a canny-bull & send her back to us!"

Whether this horrible idea truly springs from a tale told by his wise old Mam or is just the first creeping signs of the madness he fears is waiting for him in these dark caves, who can say? He turns his eyes eagerly to watch the Dame's progress toward life or away from it...
Willie gambles on his newly-acquired MYTHOS rank. :o
[f=47]Wilibald "Willie" Whitfoot, F1/T1 (M 12", AC 6, HD 1+2, hp 9/9, L) gambeson+helm, shield+warhammer[/f]
[f=59]Witherun [Agile Hero, MV 12′′, AC 6, HD 4, hp 16, FC 4 men/hero, SV F4, L] hide+helm, shield+dagger or bow[/f]

Posts: 2843
Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2013 11:12 pm
Location: Upper Miskatonic Valley

Post by mushgnome » Tue Nov 03, 2020 11:46 pm

Re: The Third Adventure

Neither Kiplyn's earnest plea nor Willie's macabre sacrifice have the desired effect. The Hobbets can only look on helplessly as their friend's fate is out of their hands!

Meanwhile at the border of life and death, Dame Simonetta faces a difficult choice. She herds Snooky back through the pearly gate just as it shuts, and then the Dame is locked outside! Before her eyeless sockets, the walls of Paradise seem to grow and distort, as if to menace and taunt her: now you'll never get in!

Feeling uncannily like she's being watched, Dame Simonetta whirls around, and realizes she is surrounded by dozens of skeletons! They are calmly standing in a ring around her. Some of these Bone People have weapons, shields, helmets, armor or clothing. Their equipment is primitive but well-kept; these don't look like the ragged, undead variety of skeletons. Oddly, this sight doesn't make Dame Simonetta feel terrified as she should, but rather it gives her a sensation of wellbeing and strength.

Their leader is a towering skeletal woman fully five feet tall! She wears a veil made from the exotic hide of a beast, and carries a glaive made of a metal not from this earth. She raises her hand in greeting, then opens her jaw to speak. Her words are a dry and raspy whisper, but if Dame Simonetta listens real hard, she can just barely make out the meaning...

And then with a jolt of pain, Dame Simonetta is back in her own body. She is unconscious and only dimly aware of her surroundings, but she can tell that she's alive and being cared for.
Kiplyn's healing attempt 1d6=3, failure

Willie's mythos attempt 1d6=4, failure. If he'd rolled a 6, it would trigger a SAN check!

With her Constitution 7, Dame Simonetta has 40% chance to withstand adversity, rolls d% = 100, a perfect roll!!!

She is stabilized and unconscious at 0/8hp. Her Mythos increases to 2. The doctor calls for pancakes!
[f=59]Stern (Strong Hero, MV 9′′, AC 3, HD 4, hp 20, FC 4 men/hero, SV F4, L)[/f]

Posts: 2042
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:17 am
Location: San Diego, Ca

Post by mgtremaine » Wed Nov 04, 2020 7:44 pm

Re: The Third Adventure

Kiplyn notices Dame Simonetta breathing more steady... "She's going to make, I knew it. We have to get up and out of here. Any ideas on how to move her?
[f=4]Wen the Pale, Elf Hero/Spellbinder (MV 12", AC 9, HD 4/2, hp 11/11, FC Hero, L) helm, bow[/f]
[f=47]Kiplyn Sorefoot, Hobbet Thief (Lv: 4 AC: 5 Hp 12) Leather+Shield+Dagger, Sling[/f]
[f=59]Tass Purrfoot (Agile Hobbet Varlet, MV 9′′, AC 7, HD 2, hp 8, FC 2 men, SV T7, N)[/f]

Posts: 1448
Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2015 4:34 pm

Post by acodispo » Thu Nov 05, 2020 2:51 pm

Re: The Third Adventure

Willie, not knowing whether his ghoulish gift provided the needed restoration or not, is slightly disturbed when Dame S. seems to be turning the corner, but pleased nonetheless.

"Well, thank -- whoever is responsible. Now, maybe we can put together a sling?"

Willie pulls out his rope. He's pretty good with knots, and reasons he might be able to devise a makeshift sling or hammock out of the 50 ft of rope, which two Hobbets could use to carry the Dame out. The hard part will be getting up the slope! He's pretty strong, so Willie volunteers to try the following: he'll secure Dame S. as gently as possible to his own back (setting aside his pack & weaponry for someone else to carry to the top of the slope), then scale the slope using Dougal's rope (already in place).
[f=47]Wilibald "Willie" Whitfoot, F1/T1 (M 12", AC 6, HD 1+2, hp 9/9, L) gambeson+helm, shield+warhammer[/f]
[f=59]Witherun [Agile Hero, MV 12′′, AC 6, HD 4, hp 16, FC 4 men/hero, SV F4, L] hide+helm, shield+dagger or bow[/f]

Posts: 2843
Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2013 11:12 pm
Location: Upper Miskatonic Valley

Post by mushgnome » Thu Nov 05, 2020 4:17 pm

Re: The Third Adventure

Turn 26

Willie expertly crafts a sling out of rope and preps the unconscious Dame Simonetta for transport to the surface.

Halfway up the slope, Willie triggers a small avalanche of gravel and starts to slide three steps back for every step forward. He holds desperately to his precious human cargo, sacrificing his own body to the bumps and bruises as he loses the battle with gravity and begins to tumble.

Noh remembers how Willie saved him before, and wants to return the favor. The druid reaches out his hand and catches hold of Willie. With his other hand, he manages to snag a firm rock outcropping, and then he gets both feet solidly under him. Noh catches Willie, Willie arrests Dame Simonetta's fall, and Dame Simonetta hallucinates visions of Bone People dancing at the fringes of her vision! Carc sees this all happen and laughs to himself, stupid hobbitses, why don't they just fly up?

The other Hobbets scurry to form a chain, and with care and patience, all reach the top safely. Our Heroes catch their breath and ponder their next move.
To clarify, the party only has one rope (Willie's). All the other rope got used up in Ursa's 'experiment.' Dougal has been assisting with the other end of Willie's rope: point man or anchor man as needed.

Rope Use is a Thief skill, and Willie succeeds with 1d6=5.

Now Willie must pass a Climb check: 1d6=1!

Noh tries to catch the falling Willie, but he's not a thief, so his odds of success are only half chance. And he succeeds with 1d6=5.

Your DM rules as the fall would not be life-threatening, this is the most dramatic thing that will happen, and the other PCs don't need to make Climb checks. They can piggyback on Noh's successful roll as the lead/guide climber.

You're at #8 on the map. Anything else in this area of the dungeon, or back to the surface as quickly as possible?
[f=59]Stern (Strong Hero, MV 9′′, AC 3, HD 4, hp 20, FC 4 men/hero, SV F4, L)[/f]

Posts: 2128
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2013 3:33 pm
Location: Just west of St. Louis

Post by ehiker133 » Thu Nov 05, 2020 5:23 pm

Re: The Third Adventure

Dougal tries to urge the others to action to get back to the surface. "I'm hungry. Most of us are injured. Let's act like a tree and leave."
[f=47]Dougal Blackfoot (MV 9", AC 6, Lvl 4, HP 10/10) [/f]
[f=59]Goldwen (Sagacious* Abbess, MV 9′′, AC 6, HD 2+1, HP 9, FC 2 men, SV C3, L][/f]

Return to “Hobbets of Hornpipe”

Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited
Designed by ST Software.