Ariel: Okay, so I guess now we're at the start of the adventure, which means I have to admit I don't remember that much about what's going on except there's a basilisk and a cave.
Sasha: You could just go back through the notes or read on Claire's blog, you know.
Ariel: Have you seen how long the notes are?!? That would take forever!
GM Elle: Here, just read this card. It's basically what you heard from Gualmond and the other two members of his adventuring party.
Ariel: Oh wow, cool! I know you said you were giving us these cards when we found out about adventures we might go on, but honestly, I haven't got around to reading them before. This one says ... hm-hm-hmm ... monstrous beast ... hm-hm ... attacked Blind Hildi's farm ... hm-hm-hm ... a cave full of torn out eyes?!? Wait, this is the one we thought we ought to do next?
Sasha: Obviously, since there's a monster.
Ariel: I don't want my eyes getting torn out!
GM Elle: Maybe read the rest of the card.
Ariel: Hm-hm, hm ... ooh! Great treasures and powerful weapons from ill-fated adventurers who met their fate in the Dead Eyes Cave! That sounds a little better at least.
Akane: Yes. But if they were ill-fated and met their fate in the cave, does that mean there is illness in the cave and not just a basilisk?
Sasha: Monsters are an illness. And my sword's the cure!
Harriet: So what now? It's the end of the day, you said, Elle. Dilfriida asks if we're going to maybe hole up in the barn over there, assuming there's a barn. She's not in favor of trying to find this cave after dark.
MSG: Dolora points out that it's going to be dark in the cave whether it's day or night.
Claire: Filvius feels jealous about Dolora displaying her knowledge of caves, so he says something else he knows about caves, probably just something random like, "It will also be the same temperature in the cave whether it's day or night, because the temperature in a cave stays constant all year long."
MSG: Can I make a Bushcraft roll to see if I already knew that about caves, so I know whether to act jealous about Filvius knowing something I didn't?
Claire: Doesn't pretty much everybody know that about caves? Because if it's actually specialized knowledge, I probably should have rolled before I said it.
GM Elle: I'll let everyone know if their character says something they ought to make a roll about. Dolora's a dwarf, so I'd be really surprised if she didn't know that about caves.
MSG: Oh, that's right. I kind of keep forgetting I'm a dwarf. Dang, I wanted to roll.
Claire: Are you trying to rules-lawyer your way into an extra roll because you're hoping you'll roll a Dragon or a Demon and get a free extra advancement mark?
MSG: Sort of. But now that I see the look Elle is giving me, I'll definitely only ask sincere questions about whether I need to roll something or not.
GM Elle: Thank you.
Harriet: Dilfriida says, "Look, if you two want to talk about caves all night, great. But I'm going to head over to that barn and see if there's some hay I can bed down in."
Sasha: Whoa up there -- aren't we even going to knock on the farmhouse door and see if they've got any scoop on the monster?
Akane: Yes! Also, we cannot sleep in a farmer's barn without asking. That would be hay thievery, you scoundrelous halfling.
Claire: And the penalty for hay thievery is nothing to sneeze at.
Ariel: Boo! Wait a second ... did you two plan that one out?
Akane: Not in advance of Dilfriida's speech ... but I know Claire's enjoyment of punning, so I hoped she might.
Claire: You set 'em up and I will knock them down, Akane.
Harriet: Well, I don't know if the pun was in or out of character, but either way, Dilfriida says if someone's going to knock on the door, they should get knocking.
Sasha: I'll take care of that. Sir Quackenscrump tromps up to the farmhouse and bangs on the door with one gauntleted fist. "Hey! Anybody home? We're here to take care of the monsters for you."
GM Elle: There's not an immediate answer, and while you wait anyone looking around starts to notice that the closest of the mountains looks kind of like an eye. It's more rounded than sharp-peaked, completely bare of trees, and there's a cave about a quarter of the way up that gives the impression of a big pupil staring at you.
MSG: That seems weirdly distinctive. Can I make a Myths and Legends roll to see if I've heard anything about that? Seriously, I'm not just trying to wring an extra advancement mark out of you.
GM Elle: Sure, go ahead.
MSG: Nope. 14 is over my skill of 12.
Claire: Can I roll Awareness to see if I notice Dolora looking that way so Filvius can also wrack his brain for Myths and Legends?
Ariel: Ooh, two chances for a Dragon.
GM Elle: Just role-play your damned character. He's obviously on constant lookout for ways to one-up Dolora, and the mountain is very strange looking. Make the Myths and Legends roll, but not the Awareness one.
Claire: My Myths and Legends stinks ... but I roll exactly what I need, a 7.
GM Elle: You seem to remember reading or hearing something about a place called Mount Oculus ... maybe during the preparations the group made for their journey to the Misty Vale, or maybe when you were learning about basilisks way back when. Legends of the place from long ago described it as the lair of a basilisk, but supposedly there hasn't been a basilisk sighting in many years.
MSG: No one's mentioned seeing a basilisk? I wonder why ...
GM Elle: At any rate, that's about all you come up with, and just before anyone gets impatient enough to knock again, a woman's voice calls out through the door, asking who it is and what you want.
Sasha: Jeez, didn't I just say that? I'll clear my throat and say really loudly, "We're a band of adventurers who've come to destroy the monster of the mountains. Can you open the door? It might be easier to hear that way."
GM Elle: The door opens, revealing a middle-aged woman with unkempt brown hair and eyes that are entirely white, including the milky-pale pupils. She has dark circles under her eyes like she hasn't been sleeping well. She asks if you really said you're here to kill the monster.
Sasha: Or die trying!
Akane: That option is less appealing. Zedeja says to show more confidence.
GM Elle: She starts saying something about her niece, Gunhill. "You have to find her! You have to go and save her!"
MSG: What, did the monster take her?
Claire: If it did, she's probably stone or basilisk chow by now. It's been a while since the attack, hasn't it?
GM Elle: She stammers about not even being sure what day it is, then gets kind of incoherent. You get the impression there was an attack, and everyone on the farm but her was killed. She says something about other adventurers trying and failing.
Ariel: We met those guys!
Akane: Wisely, we have made more preparations than they did. Poison antidotes and knowledge about basilisks! Do not worry about so many of us being killed. Maybe only an unimportant halfling or such.
Harriet: Hey!
GM Elle: As more of her story comes out, you understand that Gunhill was away from the farm when the basilisk came, so she survived the initial attack. But then, after the first adventuring group came back and said it was too dangerous for them to go on after all their losses, Gunhill swore to go kill the creature herself, and has been gone a few days. "Please," the blind woman says, "it's only an hour or so to the cave. If you go right away, you might get there in time!"
Ariel: But it's already been a really long day. We had to explore a crypt and everything.
Sasha: Sepulcher.
GM Elle: She's extremely worked up and starts crying about how every hour might count.
Claire: Or it might not, if this girl's already dead.
Ariel: What an awful thing to say!
Claire: Filvius is just keeping it real.
Harriet: I'm going to butt in and say we've heard plenty. We need to get going.
GM Elle: Really? That's interesting.
Harriet: I mean to the barn. She's blind, correct? So it isn't as though she'll see us sneaking in there. Then we can head out in the morning after we've gotten a good night's rest. I'm not saying this part out loud, obviously.
GM Elle: She thanks you effusively for your bravery and begs you to bring her niece back to her soon.
MSG: If we can spare just a minute or two more, I'd kind of like to see if Hildi can tell us anything else about the basilisk.
Claire: Well we already know she didn't get a good look at it.
GM Elle: She says everything from that night was chaos ... people screaming, animals screaming, the horrible cries of the monster. She tried to run back to the house from the barn where she was milking the cow, but she thought she heard it slithering up behind her, so she dodged behind the chicken coop instead. She heard its rough claws scrabbling up the wooden side of the coop, but then the chickens all started clucking and crowing like mad, and the creature dashed away.
MSG: Aha, that's right! They're scared of chickens.
Claire: I'll ask Hildi if we can borrow a couple of her hens and a bag to carry them in to see if we can use them for defense.
GM Elle: She tells you you can have anything if only you'll find Gunhill. There are feed bags in the barn that you could use.
Harriet: The barn, hmm? Dilfriida says we should definitely head that way, then.
GM Elle: That's about all you get out of her.
Sasha: All right, let's go then. I'll tell her not to worry. "That monster will be dead by nightfall."
GM Elle: She's very thankful and tells you to be sure to latch the chicken-coop door after yourselves so the rest of her chickens don't get out once you have the ones you need.
Sasha: Geez, you'd think if she cared about the chickens she'd come out and help us catch a couple.
GM Elle: Allowing a peek behind the curtain, I was really just trying to move forward toward the adventure part. But if you'd like to role-play a chicken chase with Hildi monitoring, we can do it that way too.
Claire: Would Hunting and Fishing be applicable to chicken chasing? Because I'm down for some rolling to do that. I've been pretty disappointed so far in the mileage I've gotten out of putting points in that skill.
Akane: Zedeja could direct a chicken chase with authority.
MSG: Dolora could sing a calming melody to give the hens a bane on their evade rolls.
Sasha: Are we really thinking about doing this? I'm kind of sorry I opened my mouth.
Ariel: (That's what she said!)
Sasha: Grrr.
GM Elle: All right, then. Hildi accompanies you to the henhouse and tells you which chickens she'd prefer you take. "Old Bill is near the end of his roostering days, I think, and Pecky Penelope hasn't been laying well lately." She tells you what the birds look like, based on how Gunhill has described them to her. For her own purposes, she tells them apart by touch or the sound of their clucks, but obviously that won't work for you. Everybody who wants to take part, tell me what skill you think you'll use and how it would help.
MSG: Well, I was assuming I'd just pay the 3 WP to activate my Musician ability, but if I can roll Performance to calm them instead, I'd much rather do that.
Claire: Hunting and Fishing for me, which I think would give me an advantage on which way my quarry would be likely to bolt.
Ariel: I'll use Sneaking to sneak up behind one!
Sasha: Quackers is just going to watch. As a mallard, he's sort of rooting for his fellow fowl here.
Akane: Zedeja will roll Beast Lore to improve her commands in substance.
Harriet: I think Dilfriida's tactic will be to hold out a palm full of bird feed to lure them in and then use Sleight of Hand to catch them unawares by the neck.
GM Elle: Those all sound good to me. Roll 'em.
MSG: 11, so my tune should be at least adequate.
Claire: 6 for Filvius.
Ariel: 15 is just what I needed! The chickens don't see me coming.
Sasha: Soooo tempted to give you a taste of your own medicine there, Aers.
Ariel: What? Oh, haha!
Akane: The Beast Lore of Zedeja fails. Her commands are only typical in effectiveness.
Harriet: Meaning not all that much so, especially for Dilfriida. And I get an 8 for Dilfriida's Sleight of Hand.
GM Elle: No Dragons, no Demons, so you don't get any advancement marks but no one faceplants or accidentally crushes a chicken during the escapade.
MSG: We did solve a problem without using violence though, right? So that should get us a mark at the end of the session.
GM Elle: Well, it would have if you hadn't already solved several other problems without violence this session.
MSG: Ah. That's right.
GM Elle: With Old Bill and Pecky Penelope in bags, you're ready to go and Hildi retires again to the farmhouse. What does the group do next?
Harriet: Dilfriida's still going to agitate for getting some shuteye in the barn.
Ariel: Especially after chasing all these chickens, Fidu could for sure use a rest.
Sasha: We all know what Sir Q is going to say, right?
Akane: Zedeja provides many reasoned arguments for immediate departure toward this cave.
Harriet: Meaning she can't stand to see the group follow Dilfriida's suggestion.
Akane: Suggestions from a thievish halfling have only half value beside a real suggestion.
GM Elle: Sounds like two to two so far. What do Dolora and Filvius think?
MSG: On the one hand, if Gunhill's been in a basilisk cave for a couple of days already and hasn't died yet, I don't know if there's any hurry about getting to her tonight. But on the other hand, Dolora would rather not have to listen to Zedeja complain all night, so my vote is for heading to the cave.
Claire: Filvius has been waiting for ages to test out his knowledge of basilisks. When did I even make that roll?
MSG: Command + F in the notes document says ... whoo, way back in session 3!
Claire: I don't think I can bear to wait another night, then. I vote we go now.
Harriet: My character is disgruntled, but will acquiesce once it's clear which way the wind is blowing.
GM Elle: Then you head up the pass toward Mount Oculus. A strange quirk of perspective causes the cave's pupil-like opening to seem to stare directly at you through the entire climb, its gaze relenting only when obscured by the thickening mists or the scattered beams of sunset through gaps in the fog.
MSG: Damn, that's a cool description! Is that yours or out of the book?
GM Elle: A good GM never tells.
MSG: Oh, come on. If I have to I'll look it up myself once we're done with the campaign.
GM Elle: Extortionist. Fine, it was mine. I just opened up my mouth and that's what came out -- and Ariel, don't you dare say anything.
Ariel: Foo. That was going to be a good one.
MSG: Kudos on the spontaneous flavor text anyway, Elle.
GM Elle: Thanks. In the waning light of dusk, with the rising mists of the Vale ever-thickening around you, you reach the mouth of Dead Eyes Cave. It looks like this:
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The ground here is littered with bloody, torn-apart remains. Beyond the mouth of the cave lies pitch darkness.
MSG: Any of the remains look like people?
GM Elle: You can make a Beast Lore roll to identify them.
MSG: Ack, Demon.
GM Elle: Roll a die. Odd, you're convinced they're the dismembered, eviscerated corpses of Hildi's fellow farmers. Even, you think they're actually chopped-up basilisk remains.
MSG: 18.
GM Elle: Dolora is convinced that someone has gotten here ahead of the group and slaughtered the basilisk. You're sure the threat is gone, and you relax your guard so much that you'll go last when the next encounter happens.
MSG: I tell the group it looks like Hildi's niece was tougher than the old lady thought. "Look there and there. Definitely basilisk parts with sword cuts on them."
Claire: Filvius doesn't believe that for a second. My Beast Lore roll is 14. Dang, I needed a 13.
GM Elle: You're really not sure, then.
MSG: Dolora's going to prove herself right by making a strong case for these being basilisk remnants. Can I roll Persuasion?
GM Elle: Sure, opposed by each person's Beast Lore. Claire's 14 counts as her roll for this.
MSG: My Persuasion is 3.
Claire: Boo.
Ariel: 13, fail.
Sasha: 19.
Akane: 8. It's a success, but still defeated by the roll of 3.
Harriet: 14 for Dilfriida, whose Beast Lore is only 5.
GM Elle: Whoosh. Everyone but Akane drops their guard. Akane, you'll have a Bane on your Awareness to avoid being surprised in the next encounter.
Akane: I'm sure the vast awareness of Zedeja will still succeed.
Sasha: I'm pushing my roll because the idea that someone else killed the monster makes me so Angry. Pushing means I make the roll over, right? So I'm also going to use my Ill-Tempered ability to get a Boon on a skill roll. My rolls are 18... and 2! That means I beat Dolora, right?
GM Elle: Yes. You'll get to draw initiative as normal when the next encounter comes up.
Sasha: Yes! Can I also try to Persuade everybody that Dolora is full of crap?
GM Elle: Sure, but you'll have to roll under MSG's 3 again.
Sasha: No sweat. Watch this. Dang, 15.
GM Elle: Everyone assumes it's just your stubborn desire to kill monsters talking, so unless you want to push your roll ...
Sasha: No way, not for a measly 2 in 20 chance.
GM Elle: What's the group going to do, then?
MSG: Put on a light and head into the cave, I'd say.
Ariel: I'll get my lamp out.
Sasha: In we go, then. Quackers up front.
GM Elle: You push forward into the cave and find yourselves in an entrance chamber that looks like this:
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Before we get any farther, though, who's got those chickens in the bags, and what's up with Glinssa?
Akane: This is obvious to Zedeja as well. And if the cultist is here against all wise advice from an elder, then at least she must do her job and watch the cart and donkeys.
MSG: I'm good with that.
Claire: Me too. And obviously I don't need a chicken. The basilisk's dead.
Ariel: Oh, that's right. I was going to ask for a chicken, but Fidu definitely wouldn't want the extra hassle of carrying one when he thinks there's no basilisk.
Sasha: There's a basilisk, all right. But I need my sword and shield out, so I can't be bothered with a chicken.
Akane: Zedeja has doubts about Dolora's tale of basilisk parts, and is wise and cautious. She will bring both chicken bags.
GM Elle: Okay. The entrance chamber is damp and cool, its floor slick from the outside mists, the walls covered in mossy growth. You can see that the rock here is riddled with small hollows and narrow tunnels -- or possibly burrows. Just inside the opening is a dead body in black robes. Passageways lead off to the north and west.
MSG: Black robes, huh? That sounds familiar. I'll search the body.
Claire: I'll have a look at that moss. Everything else around here seems dead from the basilisk's gassy breath or something, so maybe there's something to this moss still being alive.
Ariel: Fidu is conserving his energy.
Sasha: I'm searching for fresh basilisk tracks that would prove it's still alive.
GM Elle: Dolora finds that the body is completely stiff, and that its eyes have been torn out. On one arm, you discover the same tattoo you've seen on other Sathmog cultists.
MSG: So now we have to be on the lookout for cultists.
Akane: Or possibly just for unwise groups who hire cultists to mind donkeys.
Harriet: I don't see any donkeys here, so I doubt that's what we're looking at.
Akane: Poor reasoning! Clearly this cultist did not effectively mind a donkey, so now it is gone.
GM Elle: Claire, you can roll Bushcraft about the moss. Sash, Quackers sees the trail of something large that looks like it has been dragged north from here.
Akane: Possibly: a donkey improperly minded.
Claire: Bleh. 18 fails on my Bushcraft.
GM Elle: It's a mystery as to why the moss is still alive when the mountain outside seems so barren of trees and other vegetation.
MSG: No goods or loot on the cultist's body?
GM Elle: None whatsoever.
Akane: More proof he minded donkeys for a poor-judgment party. Other cultists we discovered have been armed.
MSG: Okay, north where it looks like something's been dragged, or west where the tunnel looks smaller?
Claire: Where's that map those other adventurers made for us? We should probably have a look at it before we go any further.
Sasha: If I remember right, Quackers was the one who negotiated with Gualmond and his buddies for the map, and it's a map to a monster, so I'm pretty sure he would have kept it. I'll dig in my pack and get it out.
GM Elle: It looks like this.
MSG: Oh yeah.
Claire: How much did we pay for that again? Because it seems like a pretty chintzy map to me now that I'm looking at it again.
Ariel: Hey, at least we know not to bother wasting energy on that room to the left, since it's empty.
Sasha: Who cares how much money we paid? We're here and there's a monster to kill.
Akane: A person who said not to pay so much in the first place cares!
MSG: She's got you there, Quackenscrump. And there's pretty obviously not a monster to kill anymore.
GM Elle: While you're looking at the map and arguing, a noise comes from above. You see something scaly flash by one of the many openings in the rock up there, and a hail of stones rains down. Everyone roll Evade or you'll get hit.
MSG: 9.
Claire: 8.
Ariel: 3! Whew!
Sasha: My plate armor gives me a Bane, so I get a 7 and a 16, which fails.
Akane: It's 7 for Zedeja.
Harriet: 14 succeeds for Dilfriida.
GM Elle: Sir Q, one point of damage glances off your great helm.
Sasha: Look! What did I tell you? It was right up there!
MSG: That could have been anything scaly. I don't see any poison gas or anybody turned to stone, do you?
Claire: Does that count as our next encounter? Or are we stuck with the fallout from MSG's Demon roll until we actually get into a fight?
GM Elle: If you want it to count, we can rewind and instead of rolling Evade you'll all just take damage from being flat-footed during the rockfall.
MSG: I'm not a big fan of rewinds.
Claire: Fine.
Sasha: Could I tell which direction the scaly thing seemed to be moving? North or west?
GM Elle: You can make an Awareness roll with a Bane. It was dark up there and your lantern wasn't turned directly upward.
Sasha: Yeah, I've already got an Awareness Bane from my helmet, so I have to roll 3 times. Whoa! 3 ... 3! ... and ... 17. All right, I fail.
Akane: Zedeja retrieves a chicken from one bag. She will hold it under an arm. She offers the other bag. "Anyone desire a chicken, just in case? Not you, halfling!"
Harriet: I wasn't going to ask.
MSG: I think everyone but Fidu has a two-handed weapon, so holding a chicken would make it hard to fight.
Ariel: And Fidu's not convinced it would be worth the effort. Wait, are you offering me Old Bill, or Pecky Penelope? I definitely don't want to hassle with a hen that wants to peck me.
Akane: Old Bill is old, thus suited for old Zedeja. Penelope is the available one.
Harriet: Dilfriida points out that Fidu is really old too. Maybe the two of you should have an olding contest to see who really ought to get Old Bill.
Ariel: I don't know how we'd do that, but it sounds like even more work. Fidu is out.
Sasha: Okay, well, I'm heading north before standing around yapping makes that scaly rock-squirrel come back. Or whatever it was, since Dolora has obviously proven beyond a doubt that it wasn't a basilisk.
GM Elle: Are you waiting for Fidu to follow along close enough for the way to be well lit?
Sasha: Definitely. I can hardly see anything in this helmet anyway.
GM Elle: In that case, as you're entering the next chamber, you catch yourself before walking too far directly north. Most of the room is taken up by a pit that the floor slopes down into. There's a narrow ledge along the right side of the pit. It looks pretty tricky to navigate. From within the pit comes a dry, dense, musty odor, along with the sounds of slithering and hissing.
Sasha: How much lamp oil do you got, Wolfie? Maybe we should pour some down there and burn the snakes up just to be sure.
Ariel: Gosh, that sounds pretty cruel, and also why would I bring more than one lamp full? Lamp oil is heavy, you know?
Sasha: Eh, whatever. Guess I'll start edging my way around the pit. Anyone have any rope or anything you could tie to my belt to haul me up if I slip and slide down there?
Harriet: Dilfriida does.
GM Elle: All right, who's going to hold the other end of the rope, then?
MSG: I will. I'm pretty darned strong.
Sasha: There we go.
GM Elle: Okay, Sash, make an Acrobatics roll for Sir Quackenscrump as he edges around the pit.
Sasha: Bane on Acrobatics for my plate armor, so ... easy peasy with an 8 and a 12. Who's next?
MSG: I'll give it a go. My Acrobatics is excellent, and even if I fall, I'll be getting some first-hand knowledge about snakes. 14's a success.
Claire: My Acrobatics is a 7, so I'll be staying here.
Ariel: Same for me.
Akane: How close to the distant side can one move before needing the Acrobatics roll?
GM Elle: Here, have a look at the map. The really narrow part is just the last bit, so you can probably get within 4 or 6 meters before you have to roll.
Akane: Then the situation is ideal. Zedeja, Fidu, and Filvius will go close to the dangerous ledge, and Zedeja will use Levitate to move us across.
Harriet: Dilfriida says, "Hey, don't worry about me or anything."
Akane: You are skullduggerous. It's obvious your Acrobatics must be adequate.
Harriet: That doesn't mean I have to be happy about getting snubbed.
GM Elle: Mark off Zedeja's Willpower Points and make your roll, Akane.
Akane: So depleting to Levitate all these adventurers. Power level 3 is 6 WP. Oh. My roll is a Demon. Can a Demon be pushed when casting spells?
GM Elle: Unfortunately, the answer is no. And you have to roll a d20 on the Magical Mishap table.
MSG: Hey, maybe you'll get de-aged like that wrinkly old hermit.
Sasha: I'm not sure I want to see a Zedeja who's full of youth and vigor.
Akane: The roll is 16.
GM Elle: Nope, definitely not the de-aging result. The spell backfires and does the opposite of the intended result. The three of you tumble down into the snake pit, taking d6 damage each and then another d6 from snakebites. Claire, 2 points and then 1 point. Armor doesn't help against the snakes.
Claire: Well, 2 points total damage I can take.
GM Elle: Fidu takes -- ouch, 6 points followed by 1 point.
Ariel: Yikes! Somebody throw me the rope!
GM Elle: Zedeja's damage is 3 points and then another 3 points. You also all need to make WIL rolls to resist fear.
MSG: Snake pits are a bitch, apparently.
Claire: I make my save with a 6.
Ariel: Ooh, me too!
Akane: Zedeja has less fortune. Another Demon. More no-pushing, I assume.
GM Elle: That's pretty much the rule for Demons. Roll d8 to see what Zedeja's Fear result is.
Akane: 4.
GM Elle: Your face goes white as a sheet. You and all other player characters within 10 meters who can see you become Scared.
Akane: There can't be three Demons in a row. Zedeja immediately Levitates again. 9 is a success.
GM Elle: Are you levitating up to where Quackenscrump and Dolora are, or back to where Dilfriida is?
Akane: Zedeja decides she is persuaded by the arguments of Dolora. No basilisk here! It's a retreat.
MSG: Dolora doesn't like the idea of quitting so soon, but she is happy to hear Zedeja has listened to reason.
Akane: Zedeja decided only! She did not announce.
Sasha: Okay, well toss me that lamp then so I can keep going and kill this monster.
Ariel: We need the lamp to get out!
Claire: Actually, I can use a magic trick to give us a light.
Ariel: Well ... but I think it's a bad idea to be throwing a burning lamp across a pit.
Sasha: I'll come back for it, then.
MSG: You've got that Bane from your armor. I'll go back. 15 one way, 14 on the way back.
Harriet: Dilfriida points out that she could have just brought the lamp with her, since she has no intention of staying in the Zedeja half of the group. I'm going to have to carry it anyway, since I'm the only one who can fight one-handed.
MSG: Great, the more the merrier, and Dolora had no problem with that ledge, so she's no more dour than usual when you point that out.
Claire: Splitting the party ... we all know what a good idea that is.
Sasha: Too bad everybody but Quackers got hornswoggled by Dolora's Persuasion, and Quackers isn't about to back down anyway.
GM Elle: All right, does the retreating half of the group just head straight back out to the cart and Glinssa?
Claire: I mean, I could try to heal us up. But then I'd be out of WP just like Zedeja is.
Akane: Zedeja still has 6 WP. Her WIL is superior.
Claire: Whatever, the point is we'd need to do a Stretch rest even if I got us all healed, and apparently if we spend more than a stretch in a room, we're going to get showered with rocks again.
Ariel: Yeah, I'm all for going back to the cart.
Sasha: We'll meet you back there with a basilisk hide. Or head. Or whatever seems like the best trophy.
Harriet: Hopefully some treasure too.
GM Elle: All right, the cowardly lot makes it back to the cart without issue. Dilfriida needs to roll her Acrobatics to get around the pit.
Harriet: 16, which is just what I needed.
GM Elle: Tell me how you proceed north, then.
MSG: Hmm. I would have assumed we'd just stride confidently forward since we know there's no basilisk. But something about the way you said that makes me think maybe we should be more careful.
Sasha: Quackers is in the lead, and he's definitely expecting a basilisk, so he'd be moving cautiously, probably keeping his eyes mostly toward the ground in case the monster jumps out and tries to stare him down.
GM Elle: In that case, roll Spot Hidden.
Sasha: 17.
GM Elle: As he enters the next chamber, Sir Q walks right into a bear trap. Roll Evade or it snaps shut on you.
Sasha: A bear trap? That really pisses me off! Who puts a bear trap right where the basilisk-killing heroes are going to walk?
Akane: Possibly someone else trying to kill the basilisk?
Sasha: I'm using my Ill-Tempered ability to get a Boon on the Evade roll. Aha! Dragon and a 9.
GM Elle: I'll say the Dragon means you skip so agilely away from the trap, it returns some of your confidence and lets you remove the Scared condition.
Sasha: Awesome! I didn't think that condition was very realistic for Quackers anyway.
GM Elle: As soon as you land on your feet, a figure leaps out from behind a nearby boulder --
Sasha: Basilisk! Get it!
GM Elle: Actually, its a human -- she's young, with long, dark hair that's streaked with foul-smelling dirt. She's wearing a blindfold, but has a sword in one hand and looks prepared to use it.You see now that against the eastern wall of this rocky chamber lies a blanket and what looks like a backpack. Behind the woman you see that the northern wall is a great pile of jumbled rock, and the floor of the chamber is scattered with loose stones.
MSG: I'm guessing this is the niece. I'll say, "Easy now, miss. We're friendly, and the basilisk is dead."
GM Elle: Her face goes slack with ambiguous emotion and the tip of her sword wavers. Is she relieved the monster is dead, or distraught that she's been cheated of her revenge on the creature for killing her family?
Sasha: Or is she just not as gullible as the rest of my group is, and the bard's dumb-ass statement has her gobsmacked?
GM Elle: Whichever it is, Dolora should roll Persuasion to see if she calms down at the reassuring words.
MSG: 8, easy success.
GM Elle: Hesitantly, and in a whisper, she asks if you're sure the beast is dead.
MSG: Yes, definitely.
Sasha: No, we're a hundred percent not sure at all. Pretty much the opposite in fact.
GM Elle: She appears confused, maybe a little aggravated, and asks, "Well, which is it?"
MSG: There are ripped up basilisk parts all around the entrance to the cave. Someone or something clearly did the thing in.
GM Elle: The blindfold crinkles as her brow furrows. "Are you sure those weren't farm animals?"
MSG: I don't think farm animals could have done that to a basilisk.
GM Elle: "No, I mean --"
Sasha: Look, lady, you can argue with this dwarf all day, or you can point me at the basilisk. Your choice.
GM Elle: She points at the north wall and says, "I think its lair is on the other side of that heap of rocks. There's a narrow passage that may lead through, but I haven't worked up the courage to try it -- it's a really tight squeeze.
Harriet: Dilfriida asks what's with the blindfold. "Seems like that will make it pretty hard to fight the thing."
GM Elle: She says there are a bunch of cultists in the cave, and she saw the basilisk attacking them. One of them dropped dead after locking eyes with the creature. Then one of the others scared it off by chasing right at it with a chicken. She retreated because she didn't want to fight them, and since then she's been trying to make up her mind whether to go back to the farm and get some chickens and somehow use them to pin the creature down in a dead end where it can't escape. She doesn't know if she can get out with the blindfold on, but she's scared that if she takes it off, the basilisk will look into her eyes like it did that cultist.
Sasha: I'll ask her where this passageway is. I want to have a look at it.
GM Elle: She leads you over to one edge of the rockfall. There's a dark, narrow opening there, all right. It looks like squeezing through would take an Acrobatics roll.
Harriet: Dilfriida wonders if it might be a good idea for us to go and take out those cultists, since they have chickens. Just in case this lady is right and the basilisk is still here.
Sasha: How many times do I have to tell you it's still here? Just bring that light over and let's go in.
Harriet: Dilfriida says, "I don't know ... maybe we should put on blindfolds too, just in case."
MSG: While we're at it, let's just drink up all these poison antidotes we worked so hard to get, even though the evidence is still pretty clear there's no basilisk.
GM Elle: Gunhill asks if there's something wrong with the dwarf.
Sasha: She's hung up on being a know-it-all. But that's actually a good idea about the antidotes. We ought to at least be carrying them individually, even if we don't want to drink them yet. Who's got them?
MSG: They're written on my sheet, so I guess me. Reluctantly, Dolora hands them out. There are only 3, though, so we don't have one for Gunhill. That's her name, right? Gunhill?
GM Elle: She acknowledges that it is, and asks how you know.
MSG: I'll tell her we stopped at the farm and talked to her aunt.
Sasha: Enough with the backstory -- can we get going into this crawlspace?
GM Elle: Like I said, it's a tight fit, so what's your crawling order?
Sasha: Me first, obviously.
Harriet: I guess I should go second with the lamp, but I'm tying something over my eyes as a blindfold. I do still have this bandage I've been carrying around the whole campaign.
GM Elle: That will do. While blindfolded, you fight as though in complete darkness. That means you can't dash or fire ranged weapons, and you have to make an Awareness roll to attack an enemy.
Harriet: Will I be able to use my Backstabbing ability?
GM Elle: I'll say yes, since that's really a matter of whether the creature is distracted by an ally. But I'm going to require a second Awareness roll for you to be certain there's an ally close enough. If you fail that Awareness roll, I'm going to give you a 50/50 chance of spending the WP with no benefit, even if the map shows that the conditions are right.
Harriet: Harsh, but simultaneously generous, to be honest, since realistically I don't think fighting blindfolded would be plausible to begin with.
Sasha: Okay, then, in we go -- me, then Dilfriida, then the bard, then Gunhill if she wants to tag along.
GM Elle: She says she'll come.
MSG: I hope she's got Acrobatics skill, since the rules say NPCs have a rating of 5 in anything that's not listed in their stat block.
GM Elle: You'll just have to wait and see if she gets stuck. Sash, make your Acrobatics roll.
Sasha: Rolling twice because of the Bane ... 16 and 16, but my Acrobatics is 17, so I'm good.
GM Elle: Hettie, I'm giving you a Bane as well because of the blindfold and the possibility the lamp gets hung up on something.
Harriet: Still fair, I think, but I'm starting to see a real possibility of this blindfold being a major mistake. Well, damnation. I don't fail, because my higher die is a 3. But I waste a Dragon since only the higher die counts.
GM Elle: Both of you are successfully squirming your way through, then.
MSG: No Bane for me, and I succeed on a 12.
GM Elle: Gunhill rolls ... and whispers, "Hey darn it ... I'm caught on something ..."
MSG: I shh her since hopefully we're trying to be sneaky here.
GM Elle: If so, I'm giving you a Bane on Sneaking because of the tight conditions and loose rock.
Sasha: Quackers is itching to get at the basilisk, and he's still Angry, and his intelligence is 8. I don't think he sees any point in trying to sneak in his plate armor here.
GM Elle: Then in that case, you come out into a larger chamber, reeking of rotting flesh and whatever godawful stench a basilisk makes. There are skeletal remains everywhere, along with heaps of decomposing eyes that have been ripped from the sockets of the creature's prey. In the center of the room, the basilisk itself awaits you, a hideous cross between an enormous serpent and a grotesquely over-sized chicken. It opens its bloodstained beak, and shrill cry of rage splits the air. Here's what the map looks like. The basilisk is where the number 6 is. Everybody draw initiative.
MSG: 8.
Sasha: 4.
Harriet: 9.
GM Elle: The basilisk gets the 6 and the 10. Gunhill will try to free herself on 5.
MSG: Any chance she could trade that 5 to one of us PCs?
GM Elle: She's both vengeful and fearful, so I don't think she's going to delay. Sash, you go first.
Sasha: Obviously, I'm stepping up to slash at it. A 15 is exactly what I need, so I'm spending 3 WP on my Dragonslayer ability for an extra die of damage. Eh, only 14 total points.
GM Elle: Your sword cuts through its scaly hide, but you can tell it's pretty well armored. Gunhill's turn -- she remains stuck. Now the basilisk. It sprays a greenish-yellow cloud of poison and corrosive stomach acids. All PCs within 10 meters are affected by a lethal poison with potency 15. Sash, your number to beat is 13. Hettie, 9, MSG, 9.
MSG: 4 for me.
Sasha: 7 wins it for Quackers.
Harriet: I roll a 16. Can I see the poison rules before I decide whether to push the roll?
GM Elle: Basically, d6 damage per turn if you fail, or d6 damage on your next turn if you succeed.
Harriet: I'm going to call that a Disheartening choice. I push and get a 10, so I push again and get, whew, an 8.
GM Elle: Dolora, it's your turn, and you take 5 points from the poison.
MSG: Moving up to smack it with my greatclub. I roll a 2, so that's ... 17 points.
Harriet: Nice.
GM Elle: You're up next, Het, and the poison does 4 points to you.
Harriet: Ouch. I'll roll Awareness to see if I can figure out how to close in on the thing. 13 fails. And now I realize I should have swapped with the basilisk so I could dodge if it hits me with a physical attack. I wouldn't have to roll Awareness to dodge, would I?
GM Elle: Nothing in the rules says you would. But you couldn't dodge this next attack anyway, because it lets out a cacophonous roar that threatens to make everyone's ears bleed with its volume. Roll against Con or you'll fall down, become Dazed, and lose your next turn.
MSG: Yikes. Glad I made it. 4.
Sasha: 17. A little scary, but my Con is 18.
Harriet: Mine is not nearly 18, and I roll a 19 anyway. I'll become Exhausted to push the roll. A 3 succeeds.
GM Elle: New initiative, then.
MSG: Ugh. The 10.
Sasha: Also ugh. 9.
Harriet: 4 for Dilfriida.
GM Elle: Basilisk on 2 and 5, Gunhill on 8. But she blew her Con roll last round, so she's stuck anyway. A blue glow lights up the basilisk's eyes, and it turns its gaze on Sir Q. Make a WIL roll.
Sasha: 10. I'm good.
Harriet: Dilfriida tries her Awareness roll to move in and attack. An 8 succeeds. I've only got enough WP for 4 Backstabs, and I hate the idea of wasting them, but I also don't think we're going to last 4 full rounds if we don't keep damaging this thing, so I go for it. Second awareness check is 17, so I waste the points. Another 17 on my attack, but my Knives skill is 18, so I hit for 9 damage.
GM Elle: Considerably less than 9 after its armor, but you do at least nick it. On initiative 5, the basilisk takes a peck at Sir Q with its vicious beak. Dodge it or take it, Sash? The beak looks very sharp.
Sasha: Damn it, I'm still going to take that poison damage from last round's gas attack on my turn. All right, I'm mathing this. If I take 6 on the poison and shrug off 8 from my armor, it's going to need to do 20 points to take me down. I'm going to risk it. Quackers really wants to cut this thing some more.
GM Elle: 3d8 damage, but I roll 3, 3, and 2.
Sasha: Hah! Nothing! My turn, right?
GM Elle: Yes. 3 points from the poison.
Sasha: Watch this. Er, nope, 17. I'm becoming Disheartened to push it. That's better, 15 is what I needed. Dragonslayer for 3 WP gets us to ... 23 points.
GM Elle: You carved a pretty good hunk out of it there. MSG?
MSG: That there is a Demon.
GM Elle: Oof. Not only do you miss, but, rolling on the melee Demon table ... your wild blow slams your club down between two nearby boulders. You'll have to take an action to make a Strength check to free it. New initiative.
MSG: Yes! 3!
Sasha: Even yes-er -- 2!
Harriet: Unremarkably 6.
GM Elle: Basilisk on 4 and 10, Gunhill struggling to free herself on 5.
Sasha: Take this! Hitting on a 12, Dragonslayer for 19 points.
GM Elle: Your blade whicks right through its neck, sending its cursed chicken-head sailing.
Sasha: Hot damn!
Harriet: Dilfriida asks if that means she can take her blindfold off.
Sasha: Sure does. Let's start turning this place over for treasure.
GM Elle: You find 80 coppers, a silver bracelet worth 50 silver, a large shield, and ... Dilfriida, make an Evade roll, because you step on a rusty nail and it's going to go through your shoe if you fail.
Harriet: Wonderful. And look, a Demon.
GM Elle: Ouch. I'm rolling an extra die for that, and you take ... 8 points.
Harriet: Good night! I'm practically dead.
GM Elle: It was apparently a very big nail for your little halfling foot to come down on.
MSG: Maybe we should do a stretch rest here. I'm thinking we're probably safe from random encounters in the creature's lair.
Sasha: The smell isn't what I'd call conducive to rest, but sure.
GM Elle: All right, everyone roll d6 to recover HP and d6 for WP. You also get to remove a condition.
MSG: I'm in pretty good shape now.
Sasha: Quackers is pumped.
Harriet: Dilfriida only got back 3 hit points, so she's still Scared and Disheartened. She'd be greatly in favor of getting the ahem out of Dodge.
MSG: Works for me. Apparently there are still some cultists somewhere around, but we could come back for them with the rest of the group.
GM Elle: If that's your game plan, everyone needs to make Acrobatics checks to get past the snake pit ledge.
MSG: Should maybe one of us go first and then we can have two people on anchor duty with the rope, so Gunhill doesn't end up falling down in the snakes?
Sasha: Good plan. Quackers definitely doesn't want to have to go in there and drag her out.
GM Elle: Sure. I'll give her a Boon on the Acrobatics check, and if she fails it she can make a Strength check to hang onto the rope. Who's going across first?
MSG: I'll give it a shot. Made it with a 7.
Harriet: Dilfriida will take some of that safety rope action, as long as its available. With the Boon, I make my Acrobatics.
GM Elle: Gunhill blows both her Acrobatics checks, but makes the Strength check. Dolora can make a Strength check to haul her up on the far side.
MSG: 15, easy success.
Sasha: And a 6 for Sir Q. I'm bringing that basilisk head, by the way.
GM Elle: No random events on the way out, so you make it safe and sound to the cart. Which seems like a good place to end the session to me. Experience questions ... explored a new location, solved a problem without violence, participated, faced a dangerous enemy, and I think you all gave in to your weaknesses, so 5 advancement marks each on top of any Dragon or Demon marks.
MSG: Sweet.
Claire: Nice session!
Ariel: Yeah, tons of fun! Even if I got snakebit.
tune in next time to see if we go after those cultists!
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