(02) The Moat House

[mgtremaine]

Tass looks up from Inventorying his bag, "Not sure why I grabbed this I don't smoke...what time to go, goody" He heads of with Thanis to scout ahead...shhhhhh

[mushgnome]

Stern scavenges a crossbow and quiver of bolts from the battlefield. "Next time I will not be caught flat-footed," he vows to no one in particular.

[zygarti]

Flin quickly thanks Goldwen for tending his wounds before standing guard at the opposite side door of the Moathouse than whichever side Stern is on, just in case. He thinks briefly about going to loot the corpses but assumes Tass has probably already done so well before he was awake. Flin awaits further words from Thanis or Tass.

[waysoftheearth]

Stern scavenges the cleanest crossbow he can find from the many available among the murdered foreigners under the moat house tunnel. They are not the prettiest make he has ever seen, but clearly they are functional. He relieves another fellow of a belt case that hold almost a score of red-feathered bolts. Meanwhile, Flin takes a guard position opposite the portcullis and watches as Thanis and Tass lope off into the morning mist. The pair quickly vanish from sight of those remaining... and then the waiting begins...

[waysoftheearth]

...maybe 10 minutes tick by uneventfully after Thanis and Tass' departure.
With the mist absorbing much of the forest sounds, the morning is eerily quiet. Only the gurgle of the mire's treacle-slow current is audible.

Suddenly, there comes a wild flapping noise, as if an invisible flock of geese were taking flight. And as soon as it came that sound stops; replaced by an awful sniffing...

Lo! There, upon the causeway among the corpses, are several winged women dropped from the blighted sky. Their faces are initially low, sniffing the dead, but they suddenly raise them--bare breasted--to sniff the air about, and growl in dissatisfaction as their cursed eyes fix upon the Stern and the others under to moat house!

The ref fumbles about with a few dice (random encounter determination)... culminating in a surprise check:

Will the monsters surprise the players? 1d6=5 yes!
Will the players surprise the monsters? 1d6=2 no.

Encounter distance 1d3=3, so 30 yards. Let's have them out on the causeway... among the dead seems appropriate.

Note that the portcullis gate is between them and you.

What say you venturers?

[rredmond]

Any candle wax about?

[waysoftheearth]

Any candle wax about?

You could post IC that either Garamon searches for candle wax, or else that he simply grabs some candle wax from .... and tell me where he gets it from. If it's highly plausible and/or believable it will fly. Otherwise I'll tell you if it doesn't happen. Remembering that we are down to moment by moment action here, so... running upstairs to search for candle wax in the officer's quarters (for example) would take some time.

[rredmond]

Garamon prepares to throw a non- magical spear if the creatures become in any way aggressive or start to sing.

Was just scanning for wax to plug one’s ears. Just in case; hopefully if Garamon was guessing correctly there would be some obviously nearby. One never knows! Not searching for it though, preparing for inevitable battle.

[waysoftheearth]

Was just scanning for wax to plug one’s ears. Just in case; hopefully if Garamon was guessing correctly there would be some obviously nearby. One never knows! Not searching for it though, preparing for inevitable battle.

Yes, I guessed as much. I would hazard that fingers stuffed immediately into ears would be the best and most urgent ear stops. Searching and/or reaching for wax, then forming and fitting a pair of plugs, is not going to be quick enough should they being to sing.

The good news is, there is a portcullis gate between them on the bridge and the players in the arch under the moat house. I think I recall someone raised it in the morning... will have to go back and check. However, kicking the release to lower the gate in a big hurry would not be the worst idea I've every heard!

[mushgnome]

Stern lowers the portcullis (if it isn't already) and test-fires his new crossbow at the winged abominations.

It was before my time but I think Garamon shut the portcullis here: viewtopic.php?p=37533#p37533