Wolf Trouble

DESCRIPTION: The construction for the town seems to have gone well with the resources brought along with the ship. But we knew from the start we could not create a whole town from just that, so woodcutters went into the forests close by to gather some more wood but they encountered some trouble. It seems the woods in the vicinity are infested with wolfs and the woodcutters will not go back before they have been cleared.

SETUP  The colonists have begun the construction of many more buildings around the outpost.  Each day, major improvements are made.  The laborers consist of many of the other passengers that were onboard the Kelpie with varying degree of skill and ability.  A group of skilled woodcutters began work immediately at a small wooded patch to the north of the outpost.  They have returned from work this evening early. An aged man holding a small hatchet stands out of breath at the door of the outpost.  We've got ... <<wheeze>> a serious problem <<wheeze>>  He takes a moment to lean against the wall to catch his breath.  He has clearly been running and his age is showing.   NEXT SLOT IS WED MORNING SLOT This mission takes place in Mission Box 1 on the VTT

Are you ok old man? Armand asks concerned   What can I do to help?

Garenth see's this old man running into the outpost and senses trouble. He brings Goliath over to a fertile patch of grass and ties him to a nearby tree. "You be good now Goliath." Goliath gives out a "Heehawww" as Garenth walks towards the old timer now standing next to someone talking. "What's going on?"

Taking a moment to catch his breath, the old man continued.  I just got back from our make-shift lumber operation.  We began cutting down some trees but we uncovered a den of wolves .. They are snarling and growling and we refuse to go back to work with those beasts snarling at us.  They seem like they are protecting something.  Probably wolf cubs.  I'm certainly smart enough to know not to get in between a wolf and her cubs.  You guys look like the type that might be able to get them wolves out of there.  We need help.    The old man points you in the direction of the make-shift logging operation north of town .. bring some more friends if you can find them.  Those wolves look fierce.   

Armand looks uncomfortably at Garenth. I have never dealt with wolves before.  Have you? We will need some advice.  I would rather not be forced to kill them all.

Madella was on the scene. The tall Halfling druid watched Armand and Garenth talk to the old man. " I agree ," Madella chimed in, stepping forward, " We can't kill the heirs of the land, they just want to protect their territory ."

POST DAY 1 TIME SLOT 2 Armand, Garenth and Madella began making their way to the make-shift lumber yard.  They left word should any others decide to join them.   Looking around a bit they took a survey of the surroundings.  The lumberyard was set up just outside the woods.  A small area of trees had already been felled and a pile of smaller limbs was erected to one edge of the woods while a pile of larger logs set in a more central location .. In another area it seemed that logs were being chopped into smaller more manageable lengths and piled in a separate pile.  Axes lay stuck in stumps around the site.  The lumberjacks seem to have left completely.   (knowledge nature and perception checks.  The highest will be used and others will assist or not.  I will also accept profession lumberjack) NEXT POST DAY 1 TIME SLOT 3

Garenth moves forward cautiously, keeping his eyes open for any sign of the wolves. (OOC Knowledge Nature Check of 13 Perception 19 "was a nat 20 dang -1 wis" )

Armand walks slowly forward behind Garenth and casts detect magic (OOC perception check was 11 not trained in Knowledge nature)

GM POST DAY 1 POST 3/ DAY 2 POST 1 Moving about the lumber camp .. the group begins to search the area.  They notice something hidden up atop the pile of longer log pile but it is too hard to make out what it might be from here.  There are no sign of wolves at the moment.  No growls or barks or howls invade the otherwise quiet lumber camp.   Armand detects magic .. He first detects auras and then his eyes begin to focus on the details .. An aura seems to resonate from atop the pile of lumber but is hidden among the giant logs. NEXT POST DAY 2 POST 2

Madella follows after Armand and Garenth. " Maybe we should set out some bait ?" Madella says.  ((OOC I forgot to mention Madella is followed by her animal companion, Bitey the Raptor. He's not doing anything at the moment, just following Madella around, just thought I'd mention))

(OOC it was Armand that cast detect magic lol) "Guys I am getting a magical Aura from on top of the lumber pile. Watch my back"   Armand then slowly climbs up the log pile headed toward the magical aura.

//note .. anyone who climbs the logs should make a climb check .. DC 15 and if you fail make a reflex save to avoid toppling the logs DC 12 I probably should have mentioned this information before.  I will come back to post again in a couple hours on this one.

I'm going to post more on this tomorrow Slot 1 after some more information from the players here. I can take climb checks and perception checks to see if you can discover what is on top of the pile of logs.  I will then try to pick up the pace of the story a bit into the next part.

Madella feels confident climbing, and so tries to climb as well. It doesn't go as well as she intends. // Madella climb check 10 (3 + 7), Save 22 (Nat 20 +2). 

(OOC Climb Check 21(19+2)  perception check to see the magic aura 23 (nat 20+3))

Garenth stays on the ground looking around in case the wolves show up. (OOC Perception Check 9)

GM SLOT 1 DAY 3 Garenth sets up a guard position, watching carefully for any signs of wolf trouble. Madella makes her way half way up the logs when she gets her foot stuck in between two logs and has to take a moment to get her foot loose.  Armand continues to detect magic, systematically climbing to the top .. there he finds the source of the glow is beneath a wool blanket.  Removing the blanket he sees a small leather sack tied to the waste of an middle aged human male lying in between two logs.  His leg is bloody and he does not seem to move.  Based on the amount of blood, he is probably greatly wounded.  The blanket is smeared with some strong smelling fragrant oil. // Armand can attempt a heal check on the man or rummage through his things or whatever.    Climb attempts may be made again and any attempts of things you want to do with this body, blanket or glowing bag. NEXT SLOT 1 DAY 3

"Everything alright up there Armand?" Garenth has his blade at the ready knowing the wolves could show up at any time.

I will wait for this thread to progress further before continuing .. My Next Post In Day 3 Slot 2

Armand begins to treat that mans wounds. (heal 18) We have a wounded man up here. Armand announces to the group Garenth I am going to need some help getting him down once i bind his wounds. As Armand binds his wounds he looks the man over to see what he can about what made the wounds. (perception 10) One of you needs to check his leather sack.  That is where the magical aura is coming from.  Madella. Do you think if we gave Bitey a note he can take it back to town for us? It would be best if they sent a couple of men out with a cart to take this guy to town.  His leg is pretty bad.

Garenth sheathes his sword and straps his shield to his back, starting his climb up the logs. (OOC Climb Check 19 to climb up the logs to Armand and the wounded man)

GM Post Day 3 Slot 2 Garenth and Armand work together to bring down the wounded man.  They bind his wounds carefully and detect a weak pulse.  Removing the magical item from the leather sack, they can see that it is a chalky white milky potion that glows with conjuration magic.  There are other supplies in the sack that include rations, an empty waterskin, a deck of cards and a wooden carving of a crocodile.  The man does not stir at all as he is brought down from the pile of logs.   Next Post Day 3 Slot 3

" A potion. How odd ," Madella says aloud. In response to Armand, she says, " Yeeeh, Bitey can take a message to town. One of you will need to write it. I'm told my penmanship isn't ta best. "   Madella will take any note and gently tie it to bitey, sending him back to town. " Any idea what this potion is? I don't know much about magic, to be honest with you ," Madella said.

Armand quickly writes a note and hands it to Madella. Thanks Madella.  Hmm this potion looks interesting, lets check it out. (OOC Spellcraft check on the potion 15)

GM POST DAY 3 SLOT 3 (LATE) In examining the potion Armand is able to tell that the potion has a faint conjuration aura but cannot yet identify the subschool. // note all these detection rounds take place in one post .. out of combat time is as fast as you are allowed to move it along. When you cast detect magic and have located an object go ahead and make all the checks that make sense then. 1st Round : Presence or absence of magical auras. 2nd Round : Number of different magical auras and the power of the most potent aura. 3rd Round : The strength and location of each aura. If the items or creatures bearing the auras are in line of sight, you can make Knowledge (arcana) skill checks to determine the school of magic involved in each. (Make one check per aura: DC 15 + spell level, or 15 + 1/2 caster level for a nonspell effect.) If the aura emanates from a magic item, you can attempt to identify its properties (see Spellcraft ). // note you would use craft alchemy 15+ CL, Spellcraft 15 + CL or In addition to the standard methods of identification, PCs can sample from each container they find to attempt to determine the nature of the liquid inside with a Perception check. The DC of this check is equal to 15 + the spell level of the potion (although this DC might be higher for rare or unusual potions).  NEXT SLOT 1 DAY 4  EXCEPTION - Armand can make knowledge arcana and other checks he did not make for identifying the potion.  This can be done retroactively

NEXT SLOT 2 Day 4

(OOC just waiting for Armand to do his checks, not much Garenth can do at this point)

(ooc Knowledge arcana 6 perception 22) We need to get this potion checked out by someone that know more about this than me in town.  I am going to try to heal his wounds with magic. (ooc channel does 5 health to him)

GM Day 4 Slot 2 The woodcutter's wounds began to heal and he began to stir.  Slowly the magical energy found its way deep into the wound, weaving the fibers back together and restoring part of the wound in his leg.   Enough that he would eventually recover. His eyes shot open as he looked back to the right and the left ..  Who are you?  Where am I ..  looking around he noticed the woodpile It seemed to take a moment but his memory return.   Wolves ..   I had a dog, a wolf like dog once .. i thought .. Well I made my way to the cave .. The wounded man pointed in a direction off into the woods. Wolves are just like dogs right .. I mean it shouldn't have .. I probably shouldn't have ...  They weren't hungry .. they were just ... I don't feel so good. He closed his eyes again, moaning a bit about the pain in his leg.   Next Day 4 Slot 3

You need to tell me what you did. Armand says to the woodcutter  this is a major problem that has happened now.  Your actions have consequences and we would like to solve this without having to kill all the wolves.  What is the potion in your bag? And what did you do to the wolves?

Garenth speaks up. "Seems to me this fool probably tried to take a wolf pup from the den for a pet. I'm sure this has made the pack quite angry, we may not have a choice if they're going to keep attacking."

GM post Day 4 Slot 3 No. No I thought I could give them some food ... ..brought some game meat and was going...  The man points again into the forest.   The potion.  I ... Tried to drink but I passed out  moannn.   The pain.  Moannn Next Day 5 Slot 1

Armand looks at his companions his face troubled. He looks down at the wounded man. He then casts channel heal as many times as it takes to heal his wounds so they can get some answers out of him. (ooc i cant get into the vtt to roll the dice)

// note. he is at 0 hp so any channel will be enough to restore him to a useful state

i cast a single channel then and we begin to grill him to get all the answers we need about what happened

No GM Post Day 5 Slot 1 Waiting for more posts Next Post Day 5 Slot 2

Garenth waits for Armand's healing to take effect. (OOC There really isn't much Garenth can do at this point and honestly it seems like pretty much just me and Todd are posting on this regularly I was kind of hoping that this mission wasn't going to take more than a week.)

OOC you and me too buddy .. i was hoping to get a post from Snorp today as well..but we will proceed and move it along. with the new posting rules these will move faster and starting wed put us behind from the start .. growing pains.  live and learn. GM Post Day 5 Slot 2 The healing washes over the lumberjack who sits up He seems to have his wits about him now and tells his story much clearer now. So .. we were having trouble with the wolves .. so I thought .. maybe they are just hungry The others were afraid and left but I thought maybe a peace offering would satisfy the wolves hunger. I had just been hunting earlier this morning .. well i guess it was this morning Anyhow .. I caught a deer in the edge of the woods.  I cleaned the kill and I brought the carcass into the woods. I found a cave which I thought was the wolves entrance and sure enough .. there they were .. they came out to investigate ..  A mom and her 3 pups.  I hid to watch but they caught my scent .. the mother chased after me and gave pursuit She chased be back towards the clearing where I tripped and she grabbed my leg .. She tossed me about for a bit .. I played dead. She heard one of her pups and headed back off leaving me .. and returning, i presume to her cave but I was greatly wounded.   I knew I had to get to safety .. I climbed up to the top of the woodpile knowing it might offer some protection . removed my blanket from my pack and covered up because I was starting to shake .. I was about to drink my healing draft when .. I must have blacked out .. I don't even think I got it out of my sack.   I'm certainly glad you came along when you did. Next Day 5 Slot 3

"Well Armand I'm not to sure how to handle this. If we don't kill these wolves they'll continue the attack since we've intruded on their territory. We need this wood and I don't want some child out playing to find himself at the mercy of the pack. I don't want to kill the pups though, I'm not into killing needlessly. Maybe even someone in the outpost has more knowledge of raising animals and can take care of the pups. But what do you think on all this?"

I think we need to get a Druid here that can speak to animals to talk to the mother wolf and tell her we will leave her and her pups alone if she leaves us alone.  If that fails we will have to kill the mother pup and see how old the little ones are.  If they are young enough that they can be trained we can take them back and see if anyone wants to raise them.

GM Post Day 5 Slot 3 The woodcutter thanks the party and gives them his sack.   In exchange for your healing services .. Thank you.  I will return to the outpost to rest.  Returning briefly to town the party attempts to contact a druid.  One of the passengers aboard the ship was a druid and explains that even if they talk to the wolf .. it is still a wolf and lives on instinct .. If it is a grown mother it cannot be trained. Too feral.   They doubt they could convince it to move locations.  It is a sad situation but given the survival of the colony depends on the wood .. we may have no choice but to kill the mother, provided we bring the pups back, they could be trained for sure if they are indeed pups.  Even relocating a mother wolf would prove too difficult under the circumstances.   With this information the party returned to the woods and found the location of the wolf den.  As they approached, they tried to be quiet and keep their eyes alert to see any signs of the creature. Perception, Initiative, Stealth and Knowledge Nature Checks are applicable You are now ON THE MAP where your tokens are and you can move your marching order how you would like. Woods are considered difficult terrain unless you have woodland stride or something. NEXT Day 6 Slot 1

Garenth tries his best to sneak up on the den but doesn't see the branch as he's walking. "SNAAAAAAP" Garenth looks down just shaking his head but quickly looks back up for anything that may be coming to check the noise, his shield and blade at the ready. (OOC Sneak Check of 5, Perception Check of 19 (another nat 20 -1), and Initiative roll of 14.04)

With a heavy heart Armand walks toward the wolf den.  Knowing that we will have to kill this wolf has laid a burden on his soul.  Focusing on walking quietly he follows Garenth into the den. perception 9, init 8.01, stealth 2, knowledge nature 10 (unranked in it)

GM Post Day 6 Slot 1 (late - sorry) The mother wolf rises up at the entryway to the cave.  Her teeth bared, she begins a low and deep growl ..  She lowers herself as if ready to strike anything that approaches or leap forward to chase  Her hair stands up on her back. Garenth knows that clearly the wolf is protecting her young which reside in the cave.  Her posture is one that she will strike any moment but since wolves hunt in packs she lacks the ability to use their usual tactics Next Day 6 Slot 2

As soon as Armand closes to within 30ft He casts Acid Dart Ranged touch Hits ac 7 for 6 damage

((OOC so sorry I haven't been posting, I got sidetracked and didn't notice so much time had passed)) Madella was not very thrilled about the idea of having to kill a wolfmother, but being assured the pups would be raised she decided that it wouldn't imbalance the wildlife so much.   Seeing the wolf, Madella and Biety move in to strike, and hopefully make it quick. //Checks: Perception 25, Nature 20, Initiative 22.02. // Madella Attack: Misses AC10. //Bitey: initiative 20.03; Misses ac10.

GM Post Day 6 Slot 2 The wolf tries to retaliate but is unable to find anything to bite .. It growls ferociously at Snorp and her raptor   // Complete Miss Next Post Day 6 Slot 3