Chapter 01: Disturbed Sleep

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Session Number: 11
Date: Saturday 14 March 2009
Venue: Internet
PCs & Players:

Rowaine Pal3 (Craig) (kills: none)
Silque Rog3 (Craig) (kills: none)

XP Awarded: TBC

"Normal" monastery life resumes and work commences on the new defensive wall. One day, monastery scouts return bearing a human girl about 5 years old, dressed in rich silk clothing. She appears to have been the only survivor of a raid on a wagon train that they discovered burned out. The scouts found her inside the smashed remains of an ornate wagon. Around 30 other bodies were recovered. The girl does not speak common, dwarven, or any other language in common use around the monastery. No-one has been able to determine her real name; she has been affectionately named "Ellie". Two weeks have passed since the girl's arrival at the monastery. She sleeps in a bed next to the most senior student in the girl's dormitory - Rowaine.

girls_dorm.jpg

The following are excerpts of an MSN conversation between Densial (DM) and Craig (Rowaine/Silque):

Craig: /me goes to get books
Denz: ok, you will have to play Silque too, so make up some numbers
Denz: and give me your and Silque's spot and listen skills
Craig: k…
Craig: Rowaine: spot +3 listen +3
Craig: Silque: Spot +8 Listen +8
Craig: Rowaine is too busy contemplating Moradin's greatness to notice much
Denz: interesting roll… Rowaine starts awake one night in her bed, in the dorm, something doesn't feel right
Craig: OK… Does she think she was woken by a sound?
Denz: ok, so you're awake, not sitting up, just laying there…
Denz: your heart is racing, you have a dry throat and a slight sick feeling…
Craig: I'm in the girl's dorm, right?
Denz: yes, it's night, everyone is asleep
Denz: you also appear to have a slight headache
Craig: Do I remember any dreams?
Denz: no, nothing, but something started you awake, you didn't come out of slumber nicely
Denz: everything the night before was normal
Craig: Get out of bed, find (1) a weapon and (2) a drink of water
Craig: maybe a cloak too
Craig: Anyone else disturbed?
Denz: you sit up and swing your legs to the right hand side of the bed (you're right handed, right?), as you do you hear a creak of wood
Denz: of the other girls, everything seems normal.
Craig: RH yes
Craig: Creak… is that a normal kinda sound? Where from?
Denz: well it could easily be a normal sound, your bed creaks all the time, but this creak came from further in the room. your bed is at one end, against the wall, since you are most senior in this dorm. there is a wall to the left hand side of your bed (about 2 feet away, a small private walkway between your bed and the wall). the bed to the right of yours is normally vacant as it's kept for .. TBC…
Denz: …for new arrivals, and there is one tonight, a very young girl who only arrived a few days ago. Silque is on the other side of the girl.
Denz: more to come…
Craig: Ro is in two minds … she is wanting to believe that all the trouble that has befallen the monastery was because of Sarthen, and that threat has now been removed. But she is still painfully aware of being taken by surprise .. and the associated costs…
Denz: so in layout the dorm runs left to right, a door in each end, you are by one door in bottom left corner, door at your end leads to bathroom, door at far end leads to another bathroom, door in oposite wall to your bed leads outside
Denz: ok, so back to it, you are getting up and getting your sword, yes?
Craig: well, axe might be a bit of overkill for a hunch… I will grab my dagger.
Denz: which is currently located, where?
Craig: Silque is not awake
Craig: dagger will be in my chest at foot of bed
Denz: no, you appear to be the only person awake, with your limited eyesite (there is a night light though, so you can see the other beds)
Craig: that's cute
Craig: Will check location of creaking noise
Denz: ok, so you get up, walk to the chest at the foot of your bed, open it, find your dagger (assumedly at the top of the pile) and pick it up, yes?
Denz: night lights are for newbies
Craig: hey, I'm thankful for it
Craig: yes I open chest, mindful of noise I heard earlier
Craig: not wanting to wake anyone at this stage
Denz: before getting up, you look down the row of beds and see… a dark shadow at the foot of Silque's bed. Too small to be a person, possibly a cloak haphazardly thrown over the end of the bed, what do you want to do now?
Denz: you are still seated
Craig: do I have dagger?
Craig: guess not
Denz: no, you sed… "Will check location of creaking noise before I got to do the move thing…"
Denz: so you are still seated…
Craig: OK… watch and wait .. if shadow moves, move towards it
Craig: binning dagger plan from before
Denz: how long would you like to watch and wait?
Craig: half minute
Denz: nothing happens.
Craig: if nothing is visibly or audibly happening in that time I will resume grab dagger plan
Denz: you stand, turn to your left (you got out of rhs of bed) walk to the end of the bed, turn around and face the bed and hence the chest and open it, as you do so you see a flicker of movement from your left, which is towards the other beds… TBC
Denz: you look to your left, towards the other beds and the flicker of movement and see a shadow land on the bed next to yours and you hear a slicing sound. what do you wish to do?
Craig: Shout. Loud. "ALARM"
Denz: Silque wakes to a shouting sound…
Craig: Jump on the shape on my bed, with dagger ready
Craig: … but not pointy bit first
Denz: the shadow rises to a crouching position, now obviously a figure clothed in black, you see it flailing at the bed next to yours… TBC
Denz: Silque wakes to a shouting sound… being of a particular type of person, she immediately looks around and notices a figure totally clothed in black in the bed next to her, it appears to be stabbing at the bed with something.
Craig: Yell loudly INTRUDER and jump at it… Silque?
Denz: Ro, init please
Denz: Silque too I think…
Craig: Ro's init: 5
Denz: ooo… bad…
Craig: that was AFTER the +2
Craig: Silque: 16
Denz: ok, Silque first, what does she wish to do?
Craig: scuse me putting away dice
Craig: Silque: take out its feet with the nearest available weapon. If it's my feet, so be it
Denz: the figure is straddled over the little girl on the bed, you will have to get out of bed to reach it
Craig: Silque: fly at it
Craig: with all available speed
Denz: roll to hit, grapple? punch? bite?
Craig: Grapple probably …
Craig: hang on …
Denz: me too
Craig: it gets an AOO
Denz: yes, and you do 1d3
Denz: you're going to die
Craig: Silque rolls a 7, modified to 10
Craig: phb p156
Denz: miss, what AC is Silque?
Craig: in her nightie?
Craig: 14
Denz: oh… hang ten
Denz: I was on phb 139
Denz: ok, Silque takes 2 point of damage from a stab from some short of long dagger…
Craig: standard actions?
Craig: ah crap
Denz: that was an AOO
Craig: ok
Denz: figure attacks Silque,
Craig: damn it gets an aoo and a normal attack
Craig: Silque is in deep poo
Denz: figure leans to the side, its leg extends with amazing grace and clarity, smacking Silque in the chest for a wopping 7 points of damage.. WOT, 7 points from a kick? you have seen this kind of manoeuvre before, but where? oh where? TBC
Denz: figure then rolls back towards Silque, extends arm with horrific speed, another manoeuvre you have seen before, narrowly missing Silque's head
Denz: Ro may act
Craig: Last I hear Ro was leaping at the figure … call it a grapple attempt
Denz: roll to hit, you get flanking
Craig: NAT 20!
Denz: bugger
Denz: don't kill my NPC, it took me minutes to make….
Craig: all up, that's 23
Denz: opposed grapple check…
Craig: check = 11 (roll 8 + 3str)
Craig: This is exciting!
Denz: you win, just, but you do, do your damage
Craig: 1d3 + str?
Denz: yes… unarmed attack equiv I believe
Craig: 2 + str = 5 pts dmg
Craig: not bad
Denz: 88 more to go
Craig: you had BETTER be kidding
Denz: ok. you have the shadow, it is def a person, albeit a small person, in very dark shadowing clothing.
Denz: ok new round I believe… Silque may act
Craig: Ro: will "maintain grapple" (PHB p 156)
Denz: btw others in the room are waking and some are screaming…
Denz: help is only a few dozen hit points away
Craig: Silque: 2 exits to room?
Denz: 3 exits, one to the west to a bathroom, one to the east (furtherest) to another bathroom, and one to the north, past the foot of Ro's bed, to the outside.
Craig: Silque: crap, that's a lot of exits to cover… Where are my weapons? In my chest?
Denz: Silque will always carry a dagger or two on her, any other weapons will be in her chest
Craig: Silque: yells to some chick near her to go to the eastern door, and then herself goes to the northern door, 2 x daggers ready
Denz: figure attempts to break away from grapple, roll your dice
Craig: This is Ro?
Denz: yes, Silque has moved to the door as a movement, yes? and yelled to the girl next to her, free action? has readied weapons, that's pretty much all she can do, yes?
Denz: therefore on figure's turn it will attempt to break grapple, opposed grapple check to break
Denz: for Ro
Craig: Silque: yes, moves to the doorway (move), readies an action to gut anything coming at her that isn't a student (standard action)
Craig: Ro's opposed grapple check = 13
Denz: ooo.. you lose. you're going down, nat 20 and all…
Craig: shit.
Denz: figure has broken grapple, shrugging off Rowaine's feeble atttempts to hold it. leaning forward it shoots a leg out behind it and… whats your AC?
Craig: Ro's unarmoured ac is 12
Craig: what the hell is this thing?
Denz: bugger, narrowly missing kicking Rowaine's insides out her side, instead its leg grazes down Rowaine's leg. Figure then sits up smoothly, elbow arcing over its shoulder, it thumps ineffectively (bloody dice) into Rowaine's shoulder… TBC
Denz: you have seen actions exactly like this before, this is the kind of thing Hep and Vor-Wrek do when they are practicing… if you didn't know better you would think it was one of them.
Denz: Ro's turn… what would you like to do?
Craig: Ro: it's small right? overwhelm it. jump on it. attempt to grapple again. i'm big, it's gotta work…
Craig: I guess I incur another aoo
Denz: You jump forward to grab it again and pin its arms to its sides, overbalanced by its previous two attacks it spins and attempts to kick out at your legs, but fails, you may touch attack
Craig: roll 17 + 3 (str) = 20 still flanked = 22?
Denz: geez, lend me your dice for a minute eh you got it, opposed grapple please…
Denz: I get a 7
Craig: roll 16 + 3 (str) = 19
Craig: wahaa!!!
Denz: ok you have it grappled, do some damage
Craig: 3 + 3 (str) = 6 dmg
Craig: who's your daddy???
Denz: you grab the figure, twisting and squeezing it, you feel some tendons creak and stretch and hear its sharp intake of breath, you have obviously done some damage…
Denz: I believe we have a new round, this is round #3, girls are running for the door, most are screaming in thier beds, Silque, what do you wish to do?
Craig: Silque: is there a position whereby I can cover both western exits?
Craig: i.e. can I move to a spot where both exits are 1 square away?
Denz: you can cover the north and west exits, but not the east since it's at the other end of the dorm, you will be a 5 foot step from either.. however, you notice movement under the bed that Ro and the figure are fighting on, something is under there…
Craig: Move to cover both western exits (i.e. doorways are no more than one square away), marshal whatever friendly forces that are ready to gather at the eastern exit and stop any foreigners exiting
Craig: Silque: Ro can take 'em …
Denz: is that it?
Craig: Silque: ready action to attack an enemy that attempts to flee thru one of the exits covered
Craig: …and that's about it
Craig: OK?
Denz: the figure on the bed, now facing Ro, who is also on the bed attempting to grapple it, shoots a fist out smacking Ro on the jaw, doing 5 points of damage, it then curls it's hand around the back of Ro's neck and pulls her head towards it, at the same time raising it's other elbow up, smacking her on the jaw for another 3 points of damage, total 8 for the round.
Denz: excuse my creative license with the descriptions, it makes it more fun
Denz: this is the end of it's attacks, Ro may now act.
Craig: Qn: Ro was on 6 pts below max hp at the end of the last session … did she get the chance to heal any of that?
Denz: all healed, this has taken place some time later, out of necessity
Craig: Ok…
Craig: still some ouchies there…
Denz: you are doing ok, it rolls d8 for damage and has hit you 3 times. by my count you should be dead
Craig: attempt to pin the little bastard … what am I holding?
Craig: opposed grapple check: 14 + 3 (str) = 17
Denz: it is humanoid, you cannot tell race, could be a very small human or a small elf, or a big goblin…
Denz: b@$t@rd… I gotta get new dice, you win, do some damage
Craig: ur dice SUCK dude…
Craig: …which is OK…
Craig: dmg = 2 + 3 (str) = 5
Denz: at least we know they are consistent…
Denz: hang ten, I made a mistake… you took no damage COZ the figure needed to break grapple first
Craig: ok… (yay!)
Denz: bugger…
Craig: actually, did my pin do dmg?
Craig: probably not…
Craig: phb 156 col 2
Craig: btw Ro is definitely NOT holding back, she's going to maim if that's what it takes…
Denz: ok back to the start, at it's init it attempted to break, ignoring the fight we still had an opposed grapple check, which you won… so you still have it…
Denz: ok so now what do you want to do on your turn…
Craig: OK at Ro's turn she attempts to pin (opposed grapple check)
Craig: not so good this time
Craig: 6 + 3 (str) = 9
Craig: if Ro fails the opponent is still grappled
Denz: I got 17, you lose pin failed but you still have the grapple
Denz: yup
Denz: end of round, next round, #4, Silque please…
Craig: same as before … ready an action to attack any nonstudent who attempts to leave via the west or north exits
Denz: ok, figure attempts to break free, rolls a 15 for opposed grapple…
Craig: Ro opposed grapple: 2 + 3 (str) = 5
Craig: is the target small?
Denz: and Ro might go doooowwwnnn… grapple broken, end of figure's turn, it is now Ro's turn…
Craig: Ro: it is still effectively on the bed?
Denz: yes, you are both effectively on the bed…
Denz: Pillow fight?
Craig: ooooooooooooooo…
Craig: better not blog that
Denz: LOL…
Craig: OK… Ro attempts to grapple again
Denz: roll to hit
Craig: 15 + 3 (str) = 18
Craig: …but there might be an aoo?
Denz: done, shit, I got an opposed grapple of 2, tell me you get a 1
Craig: opposed grapple = 3 + 3 (str) = 6
Denz: oh yea AOO, well that's the 2 then aint it.. if you take the number in order…
Denz: roll again, and I get a 3,
Denz: this is a little like a bad movie
Denz: ok you got me, do your damage
Craig: dmg = 3 + 3 (str) = 6 !!!
Denz: I believe we are still on round 4
Craig: yep
Denz: figure is NOT happy… you have done a lot of damage (I make it 17 so far).
Denz: start of round #5, Silque you can hear noise from outside, voices, some sort of commotion, some of the girls have stopped screaming but many of them are still screaming, you spot a figure crawling from under the bed that was attacked, it is headed under your bed.
Denz: do your thing…
Craig: Silque: hopes that the commotion outside is friendly… still monitors the unfriendlies INSIDE and maintains position, guarding exits
Craig: (i.e. readies action as before)
Denz: figures attempts to break free again, rolls a 9 for opposed grapple…
Craig: 3 + 3 (str) = 6, means it does…
Denz: figure rolls off bed and onto feet, is now standing on eastern side of bed, looks down and spies something below it and readies a weapon, some sort of long pointed dagger, somewhat similar to a stabbing weapon you have seen Hep and Vor-Wrek use before… Ro, your turn.
Craig: *detect evil* on the figure before me (spell-like paladin ability)
Denz: interestingly, you detect evil…, what do you wish to do now?
Denz: you also note that the stabbing weapon, which it was using to stab the little girl in the bed with but which it did not use on you, appears to have small grooves in its blade
Denz: well spotted
Craig: hmmmmm … why would it switch weapon? Now I know it's evil, I don't want any of the other girls (perhaps besides Silque) involved. Back off, grab my axe from beside my chest (it's too big to fit inside).
Denz: you back off the bed and towards your chest, reaching down while keeping an eye on the figure, now obviously a small humanoid in dark clothing. end of round I believe
Denz: start of round #6, Silque you see a figure come thru the door, one of the teachers, holding a torch high and looking around, what do you want to do?
Craig: Silque: "Help! someone's over there!" [indicating Ro's opponent]. Keep a close eye on the figure under the beds. Maintain position, guard exits as before.

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