At this moment, the lone unoccupied beetle chases Engelhart across the floor, leaving Engelhart with his next move. Lothar is 8 feet up the twine rope, before Engelhart's move. I will presume he continues to climb, but he is free to change his mind if he wants.
Since Engelhart still hasn't rested or removed any of his clothing, he receives 1 more heat damage.
If Lothar continues to climb out, I'll have to retire the above table; after that point, Lothar won't be able to get experience from what happens to Engelhart, so I'll have to continue with a unique table. Once Lothar is out and free, and no longer judging time in rounds, he will get experience. Engelhart will not until he is no longer in damage and can take stock of himself (as Lothar would do on the surface).
Here's the final total for experience:
39 comments:
Bugger, didn't know my first move would have constituted a rest, being that it was still in the heat of combat and that I had moved.
I'll get right on the rolls, I'll go for the obvious flank attack, 3 AP to take the long route to 0704 and cap it with a slam:
Attack roll: 16, mod to 18 (heh.)
Damage roll: 2.
Tell me what's what.
I wrote the definition of rest in the text on the 12th round:
"Unless he rests (uses only 1 AP to do no more than move or locate something to drink) . . ."
Got to read these posts, Engelhart.
That 2 damage kills your bug. It dies.
As things stand, then, the battle is suspended; Lothar can climb up and out, and Engelhart can . . . well, let me know.
There's no combat, the beetles aren't attacking, so let me know what you intend, Engelhart. Your beetle had 1 hit point; since you took no damage, the bonus is unchanged and the present x.p. table can be updated ~ unless you get yourself into another fight.
I read correctly then. My initial move, as postulated, would not have constituted a rest, justifying my confusion at your saying it would.
Thank God that the bug is no more. Started rolling on the carpet and the die seems to have taken to my gentleness, I figure.
I'll... take off my jacket, sling my hammer, shoulder my shield.
There's a _terrible_ temptation to start knocking arrows into the oblivious beetles, picking them off one by one with Lothar's aid.
Ditto for lighting a torch or three and hurling them at the beetles while suspended from the twine.
But would it be fair for people wanting back in on this trip? Probably not...
My stupidity, Engelhart. I read your first comment as moving back to 0607, not 0407. I guess I should read the damn comments, huh? That one is back on me.
I am up and out then, rolling onto my back and breathing the cool air, totally not freaking out at nearly dieing. Totally...
Lothar, Aleksandra's backpack is laying near you. It contains 5 torches, a thieves' pick, 2 fish hooks, a dress, 2 dice, 21 copper coins, a club, 6 cigars, and a chemise. A rolled up bearskin is tied to the top of the pack. There is a flint laying next to the hole, within reach.
Apparently Rowan and Gudbrand went down with their earthly goods on their bodies.
Careful with that temptation, Engelhart. Poking those bugs some more is liable to agitate them into attacking again. I recommend tying my quaterstaff (and anything else you feel comfortable grabbing off the floor) to the bottom of the rope and then climb on out of there.
It's still shortly after one, correct? Would we have enough daylight to trek back to Stavenger? That'd come to 12 hours of hiking today. I imagine there'd be some kind of "forced march" damage for attempting it, but the benefit is we'd be able to tumble onto the doorstep of Engelhart's grandfather and rest for a few days (or a week, so I can get over this sickness... like I ought to have done before we came out on this ill-conceived misadventure).
If we can't make it back tonight, either due to limited light or travel damage being too perilous, we'll have to make a fire, cook some food, and try to erect some sort of shelter to keep from freezing during the night.
Taking stock of food, I've potatoes. 8 lbs of potatoes. Not the most interesting, not the most advantageous, but enough for the two of us for one day. And easy enough to cook on a campfire. Engelhart, do you have any food on you? I don't remember who had jerky.
Tears streaming from his eyes, Engelhart inhales, grasps his wooden cross and tremblingly crosses the barrow floor, whispering in prayer above the clicking cacophony of mandible rending flesh:
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."
I cast Sanctuary at a discreet distance, grab Lothar's Bow and Staff, tie them to the twine with a crude knot and make good my ascent.
While Engelhart climbs I assist as best I can to get him out as quickly as possible.
Into Lothar's view comes this figure of bereavement-clad youth. Haunted eyes forcing their way up into the sun's cusp, Cross clenched between straight teeth.
Engelhart drops heavily onto the green hill to cry, to thump the ground, rip out tufts of grass, to shout and to ask of Him "Why", with gnashing teeth. This he does, for a long spell.
At length, he adresses Lothar, a pained tone walled between grieving gasps:
"Verily, o Lothar..."
"...The Good Lord giveth, and He taketh it away..."
...
"Though outside the Lord's pale, these were good men... stout folk, this much is true."
...
"I had vainly conceived of bringing them into the fold, ME - whose only preachings have been to the fish!"
"Alas, in this I failed, for want of time, for want of perseverance or of conviction"
...
"Yet... they do deserve a burial, He would not have spared me otherwise."
"But I should be forever wary of sharing the fortunes of heathens."
...
"I am due to return to this place, God's grace permitting, but I won't do so without a good company of hearty Christian men at my back."
"Tell me, o son of Sven, will you be one of them?"
"I've had little attention paid me from men of the cloth in my upbringing, as my parents were criminals in the eyes of the town. Yet, though I thought for sure we all would perish in that dark hole, something brought us two out alive. If your god is one worthy to follow even after a tragedy such as this, I will follow him with you. But I will need to know more of him, and of myself, before I can decide. Please, give me some time and teaching. I will give you an answer by Sunday."
"So be it, then."
"Let us be on our way, I beg you, to get us far from this accursed place, into welcoming shelter, either our port of origin or somewhere else, I know not."
"In this, I defer to you second only to God, o Lothar. Get us back to our fire. That we may return another day and do right by the fallen."
Alright. First order of business then is to assess our options. The way I see it, we have 3 options.
First, we can try to make the trek all the way back to Stavenger right away and rely on your grandfather to put us up when we get back. This plan may involve some sort of penalty for extended travel time, being that it will mean 12 hours of intense hiking in a day, on top of 12+ rounds of combat.
Second, we could try going back halfway, to the lake, and try the alternative trail that may (or may not) lead to some kind of hunting cabin an unknown distance from the trailhead. Could be an hour, could be four. Which path may put us in shelter for the night, but may also end up causing us more pain than just going back to Stavenger if it takes longer to find than three hours.
Third, we could make camp here and set out in the morning. This is, I think the riskiest depending on weather and the potential for forced march damage. We'd have to have a fire going, certainly, as the temperatures are only going to get colder as night falls. I've not got enough clothing to sleep comfortably in the current climate, even if I borrow Aleksandra's bear skin. Getting colder will only make it worse, I don't know how much a fire will do to ameliorate that, or even if we can keep it going through the night. I had planned on taking shelter in the barrow when we first set off, obviously that option is off the table. Now I think our best bet is in the ruined farmhouse.
We do have enough food to last us, though, even if it is just potatoes. Did you bring the leftovers you received out with you? We could make a pretty good meal from that if you did. Do you have alternative suggestions or ideas?
Alexis, what information can you give us about the courses of action I've outlined?
Playing catch-up, then.
Don't forget Aleksandra's things.
Yes, it is shortly after one o'clock. If we argue that you left about an hour after I set this post, then you're right Lothar about the potential time. However, being that the ranger survived, it takes LESS time to return than it does to head out. Going out, you're scouting the best route, taking a few blind turns and short forays to the next hill to make up your mind. On the way back, you already know the right route. I'd say this will knock off about 25% of your time back, or about 90 minutes. That means it should take about 4.5 hours back, meaning before dark and only half an hour after a typical 10 hour day of travelling.
You and Engelhart will have to eat six pounds of food each today, due to the combat. That is in keeping with my present food rules.
I do count both of you as being OUT now, so please take your experience. I have updated it for the last kill that Engelhart made. It isn't enough for either of you to go up a level, but it is a fine bump.
Lothar, take your bow and staff.
If you wish to get baptised, there is typically a tithe to be paid.
Engelhart, I really hope you brought the leftovers with you. I think we can eat them cold before we head out, and finish filling our bellies when we return to town. Since getting back to Stavenger tonight will not hurt us, I recommend we grab Aleksandra's pack and move out as soon as possible. I can't carry the whole thing by myself (it's 25 lbs), so if we could split it between us (or if you carry the whole thing, Engelhart) I'd appreciate it.
Thoughts/comments?
Apart from the correction regarding time back to Stavanger, I find nothing lacking in Lothar's suggestions.
It is funny how an online campaign can let me sit down and figure out things I normally take for granted.
It is surprisingly difficult to find how much a campfire warms a person. I find nothing for a fire's effect on CLO, nor what the temperature is within 10 feet of a fire, nor how more comfortable a person is sitting next to a fire as opposed to not.
I do have a figure that says a cooking fire will burn about 5-10 lbs. of wood per hour; and while I don't have a figure for how much wood can be gathered, I'll rule that it takes 10 minutes of searching without a hatchet/wood axe (not a war axe!) to gather that much wood. Two persons could thus find an eight-hour night's wood in about 40 minutes. With an axe, I'd cut that time in half.
I'll further rule (until I have better information) that a fire will raise the temperature for four persons by 4 degrees C, provided it is kept burning. This will then drop 1 degree per hour if the fire isn't tended, and will correspondingly use 75%, 50% and 25% of the fuel normally needed.
Just things to consider.
Thanks for the reminder about the food. I still had it in my head it was 3 pounds for a combat day.
I'm sure the fire info will be relevant in the future. I will try to perform some experiments and gather data about campfires in the coming weeks so that some data exists.
How much is the baptism tithe?
As a cleric would say, "How much you got?"
Probably about 20 g.p.
On the Immersion cleric sage ability it says "To be a 'believer,' a character need only make a declaration of their intention to follow a religion. This enables them to receive the benefits of certain clerical spells and rituals."
Would this kind of "dry" declaration be enough for now?
Damn my memory.
Clearly, I have remembered that wikipedia entry inaccurately. I think I wrote it something like four years ago and I have not yet had a character ask to be immersed or ask to immerse someone else in that time.
I will abide by the wiki. I just want to add that there is a ton that I have written there, that I've forgotten (that is why we write these rules down!). Please do not hesitate to bring them up when you find them.
We will call a "declaration" nothing more than kneeling in front of minimum 1st level cleric and agreeing to be of that cleric's religion.
I have updated the wiki slightly, adding that the declaration can make one subject to excommunication if the tenets of the religion are subverted.
Engelhart's preference lies with hearth and home, but I'll go with whatever the Scout decides.
I had roughly 3 pounds (the ceiling to my first Encumbrance milestone) of leftovers of the Easter feast. That was when we first set out, I assume they'd not much depleted for the short time we've been on this journey.
I can carry the pack by myself, but I will be at an AP penalty, no idea how that translates into our marching progress rate.
One last thing: let us at least draw the twine back up, lest any creepy crawlies come from down below.
Engelhart, any food you brought along with you starting the day would count off the six pounds you need to eat, whether it was eaten before or after the combat. The weight indicated is for the whole day, not just after you've fought.
Do we need to eat before traveling?
I won't ding you in time to get back, unless you want to cook something. Nor will I ding you if you want to walk hungry for four/five hours until you reach Stavanger.
Let us go. The next post beckons.
Indeed. We head back, complete with Aleksandra's pack and the twine rope.
Don't forget the flint laying on the ground.
{tonight, I'm going to work on hirelings, a bit on the bard and on my novel, which is going well again. I'll pick this up some tomorrow night]
Ah yes. I had already mentally tucked it back into the pack.
All right, I have one more point of business. Lothar, can we take it as a given that you'll stay a week with Engelhart's grandfather, and Engelhart, is that fine with you?
If we can agree on that point, moving forward, I'd like to set the next post a week from today, on April 26th.
Good?
I'm good with that.
Good as done.
The next post is up.
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