Huge Tracks

NAME: Huge Tracks TYPE: Challenge, Standard PREREQUISITE: None MISSION LEVEL: 3 SLOTS: 6 DESCRIPTION:Some strange tracks have been discovered in the plains 20 miles outside the outpost. The scouts were unable to identify them except that they had the appearance of a huge sized reptilian creature. It scared them so much they stopped scouting immediately and returned to town.

SETUP Agela looked up from her desk where she was checking inventory.  She paused with her quill in her hand finally registering what Phylun had said to her.   What do you mean they were HUGE tracks .. how big where they?   Phylun spread his arms out as wide as he could.   Each foot was this big.  I'm telling you .. whatever made these tracks is some kind of Dragon .  Agela paused ..  Ok .. lets send out a scouting party .. We don't want any surprise dragon attacks, whatever this thing is.  She knew exactly who would volunteer for another apparent suicide mission.   Gather up Harold and his brute squad.  Send them in here at once .. They are going to want in on this. Player posts for Day 1 Slot 1 - // Reminder: You may now post more than once per time slot outside of combat.

As Flint approached the indoor place that One who smells of honey was using as her office he nuzzled the side of Pack leader's  leg, sniffing at the belt pouch that held his treats.  As they came to the place that stopped the outside and started the inside Pack leader  gave Flint a treat and he laid down in the sun to enjoy it while Pack leader and One who smells of honey  began noising.  Soon other mans  began to show up, each paying their proper respect to Flint before going to the indoor place. As Harold approached the small building Agela was using as an office he patted Flint's head as the big cat nuzzled his leg.  Knowing what Flint wanted, Harold reached into his belt pouch and pulled out a few treats and tossed them to the left of the entrance.   Enjoy friend, and relax.   Carefully entering the room Harold says, You sent for me maam?  

Rusty walks into the building, in a good mood. "I'm here to help" . seeing only Harold he moves to a corner and waits for the others.

Agela looks up from her work, Yes, yes I did. We've found some tracks, big tracks holding her arms out wide my scout says about this big. But I know how stories about fish work, I want you to go check it out, make sure there are no threats to the town and if there are then you know what to do.  Where are the rest of your friends Harold .. This thing is big .. I don't recommend you and Rusty taking it on alone.

As Zordlon goes into the room he pauses to pet Flint before going in "To there's giant reptile tracks? Anyone want to take a guess at what it is? Perhaps it's a 4ft lizard that isn't dangerous at all."

     Ren found his way into the room having heard that some people were needed and overhearing about huge tracks. as he walks in he see's Zordlon, Harold and Rusty are already there.  "Good day everyone, what is this about monitor sized tracks?" After being showed the whole arm routine Ren continues. "If we assume the ratio of foot size to accual size is accurate, we could be dealing with something the size of a dragon... Are you sure you aren't exaggerating?" Ren asks the scout. "Regardless we need to check this out, if it ends up being a dragon or something like it we may just need to run for our lives." 

" Luckily 'pant' we have the magic stones 'pant' if we do need to run." - To no one's surprise, Prytania got a bit late to the meeting. After a small silence trying to get some breath, she continued:  "Yea, I know I'm not the explorer type, but I just NEED to get out of this town for a day or two... Trust me, I'm getting sick of working at the stalls while hearing Armand shouting stupid dwarf songs across the street all the time and waiting for the invisible creeprs to appear plus everyone is walking around telling cool stories"  -phew- Look, I just  need to get some fresh air so...  Are you ok with me joining?  I can help in case one of you guys gets really hurt, that thing sounds dangerous and an extra hand is always nice "

Outside:  Flint lazily raises his head as Female with weird smell  goes darting by. Inside:  Harold welcomes Prytania to the party.  You are always welcome Prytania.  And don't sell yourself short, I saw you in action a few times on the boat, you know how to handle yourself when things get dicey.   

     Prytania dashed in late and out of breath. It seemed that she wanted to get out of the town for a while. I guess she is going to need to build some self confidence before the diplomacy meeting huh. Harold spoke as well. " You are always welcome Prytania. And don't sell yourself short, I saw you in action a few times on the boat, you know how to handle yourself when things get dicey. "  "Agreed, from what I've seen you are quite capable, given what we could be facing I would never turn down a caster of the divine. And besides, that energy of yours has quite the battlefield presence, your skill is appreciated." 

(OOC what is zordlon?) "Yes i get the amazing tale of. wait a minute i haven't found anything yet." (OOC this is technically the day before he knocks on deaths door)

Agela knew that the group was ready and capable.  Listen, I put together a few adventuring kits.  The supplies are in the other room.  Grab a kit for your party.  You never know what you are going to need.  Prytania .. you will see some scrolls on the shelves in there .. I know you can cast them so take one bundle.  I arranged them in bundles for parties that could actually use them.  She motions to the door leading into the next room.   We have no idea what this thing is.  I wish I could tell you more about it.  If these tracks really are as big as he says .. it could be a dragon but it could also be a dinosaur of some kind.  I hope it is the latter.  Surely a dragon would have flown over to check us out by now this close to home.  I can tell you the location is about 20 miles from here so it will be a trek.  You are sure to have good conversation along the way.  Do you have any more questions before you head out?

"just one. why would it be preferable there is a dinosaur not a dragon?"

     "just one. why would it be preferable there is a dinosaur not a dragon?" Zordlon asked.      "Dragons can fly, cast magic and breath fire, you tell me Zordlon, but I'm sure we'll have time to discuss the pros and cons of dinosaurs and dragons on our 20 mile trek." Ren moves to take some supplies, keeping his ears open to anyone else asking a question. "Prytania, can you make these into cure scrolls fast? I don't know much about the intricacies of magic." Ren took one off the shelf and examined it. 

"Personally i prefer something we can actually reason with rather than a rampaging monster who's only purpose or thought is to kill everything it sees."

Harold slaps Zordlon on the back, Aye, but the rampaging monsters make for more fun.   Turning to Ren, what's in that kit?

"We could have a great fishing story..." "I hope we all are up to the challenge."

A quick survey of the pack shows it contains the following materials 1 grappling hook & 50 feet of rope 2 mild poultices 1 compass 1 hex map 6 empty water skins 6 trail rations 1 vermin repellent 1 tar bomb 1 blank journal for recording information 1 small cooking pot flint & tinder 1 sunrod 1 antitoxin 1 antivenom 1 winter blanket The bundle of scrolls contains the following scroll of remove poison scroll of cure light wounds scroll of lesser restoration scroll of bulls strength scroll of endure elements

Prytania grabbed the scroll bundle and placed them in her scroll case (" There will be enough time to decypher them while travelling... ") - " Thanks Agela, hopefully we won't need them, but they're nice to have around just in case! " -  Said with a smile as she closed the case. She then picked up the adventuring kit and opened it near the team - " Ok... let's see what do we have here... "

Zordlon grins when he sees the tar bomb "May i have the tar bomb?" 

     "Well, let's get going as soon as possible, it would be prudent to find this beast quickly." Ren looks around before grabbing the 2 poultice antitoxin and anti venom as well as some rations. These potions could come in handy, and these poultice seem similar to the one's I made last week. "Take what you need or what you would be comfortable using. We could have one person carrying everything if they are strong enough but I don't like to take unnecessary risks like that." 

"... I will go fill these up..." Rusty takes the water skins." I can carry anything left over."

Gathering their things, the group headed off towards the location of the spotted footprints.  Phylun had at least marked the hex map with the area he thought was close to the footprints.  It shouldn't be too difficult to find.   After traveling for a full day - 20 miles was too far to reasonably travel in one day - the party makes camp at a small grove of trees in the plains.    Some monkeys looked down on them from within the trees.  They seemed more curious than anything else but seem to be of considerable number.  As night begins to fall, the group makes sleeping arrangements. // I will need knowledge nature, survival and perception checks.  You may make foraging checks and set up camp in any way you would like.  I have set up the area on Map 3.

Pezzack steps into Agela's office, inquiring about a rumor he had heard regarding a new, huge creature that needed to be investigated and, if necessary, killed. She informed him of the party that had just left to investigate the matter. The bird-faced druid thanked her, and hurried off to catch up with the party, pausing only for occasional foraging of things that caught his eye. Taking a brisk pace, he managed to reach the party shortly before their stopping point for the day. He assists with camp setup, and offers to take first watch. (OOC: Knowledge nature:20; Survival 25, Perception 19, Survival for foraging is 14, for three people)

Ahh, I love being on the trail, get to stretch your legs.   Harold says after camp has been set up and everyone is settling around the fire, enjoying dinner. // Knowledge nature: 27, Perception: 26, Survival: 9 (Survival for foraging: 28)

     "Not bad to move around a bit. I am glad there is a hunter among us, if you can track small animals I'm sure you can track a creature of the size we are looking for." Ren finishes up his food and searches around for a flat rock. Before bringing it back near the fire. He begin's sharpening his katana on it.  Actions:  Knowledge Nature: 5 Perception: 11 Survival: 17 

The party is well equipped for survival in the wild.  They easily trap some game and have plenty of food to go around.  The meal isn't too bad with Harold's cooking skill and they even thrown in some seasonal herbs they found while traveling.  With no clear roads or markers it could be easy to get lost but looking on the map they clearly note the grove of trees and the symbol of monkeys.   Monkeys are probably not going to be much of an issue but they can be quite curious.  They are intelligent and if provoked will swarm up and can become dangerous in large numbers.  Many monkeys have gathered in the trees above as they began preparing the food.  It looks like they are hungry too.  The party could probably kill many monkeys quite effectively, but these smart creatures would also make good pets in the future.  This could be profitable monkey business for someone if handled correctly.   1.  How would you like to deal with the monkeys as you prepare your food? 2.  As it begins to grow dark .. the group will need to set up watch ..  1st 2nd 3rd Claim your watch position.  Pezzack has offered to take 1st watch.

As the group eats Harold attempts to strike up a conversation:   So, what do you think it is?  I'm hoping it's a dinosaur. 1. Offer our left overs and scraps to the monkeys and attempt to make a few friends (Handle Animal: 17) 2. Harold and Flint will take 3rd watch (Perception checks: Harold: 25, Flint: 13(21 if scent applies) )

Rusty enjoys the scenery as they march. "I need to leave the outpost more" At camp, "A dinosaur would be something to tell stories about. We could really make a name with that." ...."and much safer than a dragon". "My vision is limited at night, I can share the torch if needed" I will take second watch unless someone wants it. I have a floating torch that orbits my head at night (on watch), I am not sure if that will make the monkeys afraid or curious. It is in a pocket when sleeping. OOC: 18 Perception, 17 survival

Prytania was messing with her scrolls, trying to make sense out of them - " I have to finish decyphering these scrolls, so I'll take the first guard with Pezzack if you don't mind. Don't worry, it shouldn't take too long, but I think it's best for us if we have these ready to use". - She then turned to look at Pezzack - " By the way, you should take a look at them when I finish. Maybe there's some that you can use " (OOC Take 20 to decypher each one, Perception check 17)

     "Okay, I'll take last watch with Harold." Though human he was a hunter, and Ren knew that as a human he was weak at night, so he decided to take watch with the hunter. "Well, Pezzack and Tania, counting on you two for first watch. Have fun."  ------------------------ If anyone asks about monkeys, Ren dosen't really care. But would rather not deal with a hoard of monkeys. 

//  Read magic should be used to decipher the scrolls.  You should take it as a cantrip/orison if you don't have it alread.  Also, Agela labeled the scrolls for you in common along the side of the roll so you can easily determine which is which.

Before everyone went to sleep, Prytania left her paperwork aside for a while and asked: " Well, I don't have much experience with dinosaurs or dragons, to be honest... What do you suggest as a plan of action if that's the case? "

(perception 17) Zordlon takes one last look around for anything suggesting the beast may be nearby before going to bed.

Stay away from the bitey side.   Harold laughs at his own joke. Well, let's just hope it isn't a dragon.  They are too smart for our good.  A large reptile, well, they aren't so smart usually.  That means if we can't beat it outright, we might be able to trick it or trap it.  But hopefully tomorrow will tell.   As he talks he takes some pieces of dried meat from his pouch and tosses a few at Flint and the rest at the monkeys.

First watch passed uneventfully although the chatter of monkeys made it difficult to concentrate on little else.  Even Flint burried his head underneath Harold at one point to try to get away from the noise.  Eventually the sky grew dark and the monkey's quiet. During the night you each look out for trouble.  At one point during 2nd watch a creature must have approached from nearby.  The monkeys gave off such a fuss that the creature decided to avoid the location all together and return to where it came from.  Rusty saw the creatures eyes shine in the light of the moon and nudged zordlon.  It was some kind of predator, probably the size of a horse but luckily they didn't have to find out more.  Never thought they would be thankful for the protection of a monkey alarm spell.  The others were easily awakened by the awful din.  After a quick survey of their camp, they felt safe enough to return to sleep. During 3rd watch, Harold and Pezzack watched a couple monkeys make their way into Prytania's area.  They began inspecting her.  Harold and Pezzack gave a quiet chuckle as the monkey's danced about on Prytania waking her up enough to shoo them away.  They came towards Flint who let out a low growl which sent them quickly scampering back up into the threes.  Harold laughed as a monkey climbed up him to get a faster pathway to higher ground. The morning sun came up, revealing the plains wild flowers and tall grasses once again.  The party stirred, ready for breakfast.  The monkey's still slept, hanging from the trees.   Survival to find the tracks from last nights mystery creature (18 to find the tracks) Knowledge Nature to Identify (13 = lion, 15 = spotted lion) Survival to continue along the way to the location, following the map (17 finds the right place immediately)   Perception checks upon arrival

Zordlon knows nothing of having to find tracks and had to stay up a portion of the night. At least that's the excuse as to why he did such a horrid job of finding any tracks he also knows little about "maps". fortunately ZORDLON SEES ALL (survival=5 & 6 perception 29 )

"Will that beast follow us?" in the morning before dawn  Rusty wakes and is packed quickly.  OOC: Survival to find tracks, fail.. Survival to use map, fail...perception on arrival 15. I assume the outdoors men can get us there. Edit: I have an additional -2 on skills I have no ranks in. I don't have it in the VTT, but I am starting to use it more so I might add it soon.

(you got a 18 on survival that succeds)

     Ren takes a few looks at the creature's tracks as well as the maps, but decides that isn't wasn't his strength and goes back. He didn't know anything about whatever the creature was anyway.  Rolls: Survival Tracking - 13 Survival Maps - 9 Knowledge Nature - 4 Perception - 15

Not sure what it was, anyone see the tracks around here? Maybe I can tell from those.   Harold shrugs Now, which way is up on this map? Let's see. Rolls: Survival Tracking - 14 Knowledge Nature: 18 [But need to find the tracks first] Survival Map - 9 [lowest I could get...*sigh*] Perception once we are there - 21

After an hour of walking, the party arrived to the same spot. Everyone seemed a bit lost... Prytania isn't good at this, but at this point, it might be worth it to give it a try: " Give me that... " - She said as she grabbed the map from Harold Survival Tracking - 10 (Gets frustrated, -4 at survival for 1 hour) Survival Map - 13 - Fail (Frustration made me fail T_T) Perception once we are there - 14

"we can do this if we...work together" OOC: Survival 11 to aid.... take 10 did not auto succeed for the outdoorsy types? 

OOC: Bonks self.....of course a take 10 would do it....IF I EVER REMEMBERED TO TAKE 10!!!!  Bah.   So, 9 with a roll or 18 with a take 10.

well this is certainly more fun to watch So .. you guys try again and work together and after taking your time you come upon the are where there are some rocky outcroppings.  You see a wounded beast ahead.  It is a very large creature. You can hear cries of pain from the beast.  It appears to be some sort of armored giant reptile with a spiked tail.  (Knowledge Nature to Identify)  It appears to be limping (Determined by a Heal 12) and its cries are that of pain (Sense Motive 12)  I have put you on the edge of the map .. based on your perceptions you are 60 feet away when you see the creature.  you have some amount of wiggle room off the map. Roll Initiatives and take your first turn in the situation at hand.  

Pezzack quietly looks around the camp area, taking in the sights and tries to understand the history of the last night. (OOC: Survival to find tracks from last night: 14 Survival to find location on map: 17, +2 if masterwork survival kit can aid Perception if we reach sight: 28)

Frowning, "what hurt a beast that size?" OOC: Rusty cannot post until the morning. I'll follow the others lead, offering to shield the others (go in front of). Total defense AC24 or AC 28 if the attack has reach.

Ah, it's an Ankeleosaurus, Ankleo.... Harold spits  It's a spiked tail dino, but wait, this one seems to be in some pain.  Flint, stay. Flint wants to move with Harold but does as he is told.  Ho there fella, it's all right. Harold tries to talk in calming tones as he moves within 30 feet of the creature. // Initiative 19, Heal 22, Knowledge nature 24, Sense motive 15 Wild Empathy 10 (Enough to assist)

     "Wow that's big. Don't really see too many animals like that where I'm from." Ren walks up next to Harold, in case the worst happens readying himself for comflic should it arrise.  Actions:  Ren moves and get's into crane stance as a swift action. He prepares an attack defensively (Fighting defensively). 

Prytania heard Harold's explanation, but she couldn't believe what she was seeing: " What... is that? Well, they weren't lying when they said it was huge... " Prytania drew one of her javelins and approached slowly. She felt quite ridiculous with her weapon against that giant, and decided to lett the survival experts do their thing. Actions: readies an attack (OOC: Initiative 20, Knowdlege (nature) 15/[10 max])

Pezzack nervously tries to make appeasing sounds and motions to keep the dino from attacking. He knew some things about this creature, and he can tell its injured, but Pezzack couldn't telll if his actions were having the desired effect. "I'm worried about this guys, I don't think we're getting out of here without a fight." Pezzack draws out his darkwood shield,as he says, "The tail is the beasts main weapon, beware its stunning power." Pezzack prepares to cast Entangle should the beast approach him or his allies. (OOC: Knowledge nature to identify: 20 Heal, 12, Sense Motive 10, Wild Empathy 6 Readied action: cast Entangle if dinosaur approaches)