distant rumblings

you are gathered in the King's Hall outside the small village of Hathern. The King maintains expensive lodgings throughout his kingdom. He has just concluded a peace treaty with the Dwarves of Koloth. The people of the kingdom flock to great his entourage as you make your way back to the capital. The King has decided to stop for the night and accept a feast thrown in his honor by the local Thegn. As you are members of the King's guard, you are expected to attend and perform your normal functions.

The feast is large and sumptuous and there are many pretty serving girls.




You are seated not far from the King but, at present, there seems to be little to worry you about his safety as he has another 200 warriors outside the village.

(feel free to role-play a bit here)

Any other halflings about? Marvin is quite curious about the festivities as it’s far more elaborate than anything the VinMarvins could muster. He’s a bit uncomfortable with the crowd, but he takes his cues from Uncle Vinny and partakes in the feast and has a small ale.

His thoughts drift, as they often do, to the world outside of the building he finds himself in. What’s the lay of the land around Hathern? How far is Marvin from home?

There are Halfling villages in most parts of the island kingdoms, except for Dal Raida. You are about three days or so from your homeland

Marvin is looking for other halflings at the feast and wondering what sort of landscape does Hathern sit in…

foothills and forests in this area.

You do not see any other halflings at this particular table. But you are still a few days away from where they generally live

Marvin’s Primeval Awareness allows him to sense any of his favored enemies (Beasts) within 5 miles. “This feature reveals which of your favored enemies are present, their numbers, and the creature’s general direction and distance in miles.” It requires one minute of concentration, which Marvin will find a quite corner of the king’s hall to do so…

after centering yourself... you sense nothing in the area

Gor'Zax will seek out the local Thegn when the time seems appropriate. Do I know anything about him?
I have history prof with a military focus, if he won/lost any notable battles.

The local Thegn is named Gundrun. He is the King's cousin and very reliable, if not somewhat old. He led armies in the past but he is now mostly retired.

He is mostly known for leading a successful cavalry attack that turned the tide of battle 5 years earlier at Bamburgh Hill. It was the victory that eventually brought the Dwarves to the bargaining table in the last war. It took a few more years and several indecisive battles before the treaty was signed... which was just in the last week.

When he is unbothered by company, Gor'Zax will approach him with a military salute. He slams his mailed fist to his breastplate, his deep basso echoes off the stone of the great hall, "Glory to your house, Gundrun, Tidebreaker of Bamburgh!" Gor'Zax snaps to attention, honoring the old Thegn as is his due in his own house, "I am Gor'Zax, son of Mal'Gor. I followed your charge down that hill." Gor'Zax smiles a predatory grin, "It was a good day for our enemy to die!"

He raises his tankard of ale and acknowledges your salute... "Thank you valiant Gor'zax.. it was a great die for the enemy to die!!" ... and most of the table raises their cups/glasses

Zax takes a token sip out of respect, but he does not pass alcohol through his lips as a matter of indulgence for it slows his reflexes and dims his wits. Only Shadar-Kai blood wine may be enjoyed after a great battle.
Zax casually paces around the room making small talk, but his purpose is to contiually observe from all angles.

One of The King’s prized hunting hounds lays near the entrance having been posted there by its handler. Few know he is not really a hound and still fewer know his true form. He sniffs at passers by, alert for threats

Satisfied that there’s no beastly threat to the party, Marvin will pursue the Thegn’s trophy wall with a jovial professional interest.

As you are all taking in the environment (or enjoying it) a breathless messenger comes in and whispers in the King's ear. You can tell by his face that he's gotten very bad news.

Guards, come with me!!



He goes into a small side-chamber with his advisers and waits for you.

After you have assembled, the King addresses the three of you. "there has been an attack along the western border on the Dwarves of the Gallatin hills... The dwarves are our allies and they are part of this kingdom. Any attack on them is an attack on my person and my people. I don’t know what trickery Koroth is up to, but they are without honor! We have just completed a peace treaty…and now this! I need you to go to Earl Duncan at his hall and find out what is going on. You are empowered, in my name, to defend the kingdom and find out who has dared to attack us and violate the peace!”

You can see that the King is beside himself with rage over this Dwarven betrayal.

"Your will, my fist!"
Zax salutes his king.

Marvin snaps to attention “yes sir your majesty sir!” The prospects of an adventure through the forests of the western border have Marvin overcome with giddiness.

any other gear or supplies you need will be supplied at the stables on the outskirts of town.

We'll get more of this going later tonight/early tomorrow morning. Lots of job-seeking stuff for me to get through today.

Feel free to ask any last questions here if you need to before you set out

What does Marvin know about Earl Duncan and the Gallatin Hills?

INT: Rolled 1 D20: 18

Thegn Duncan of Gallatin:



Famed Dwarven lord and protector of the Highland Dwarves (sorry, I couldn't resist this one).

Gallant warrior and sworn enemy of the Dwarves of Koloth. He's well-respected on both sides of the border but also known to be prone to pick small fights with the Dwarves across the border, even if it's against any treaty. He's loyal to the King and has gained land because of his loyalty.

And what of the Gallatin Hills flora and fauna?

some forests, mostly craggy hills and lakes (think Scotland, for the most part)

fauna - appropriate for the area; that you know of

Marvin saddles up Chopper, giving the giant pup an affectionate scratch behind the ears. He turns to his new companions and hails them jovially “I can tell you guys aren’t really from around here. Cool shell though Warhol, is that attached or you wearing it like a pack? Is it bigger on the inside? Kinda seems bigger on the inside. I dig it though. Uncle Vinny told me about the wolf thing. That’s cool too. Can you do other animals or just that one? I’d be happy with just the wolf, but a falcon would be cool too, don’t you think..? That hammer’s pretty sweet Zax, were you a carpenter or a blacksmith back home? I just made Game Warden! Well, not THE Warden, but maybe some day. Where is home anyway? Never saw an elf like you around here. Or around anywhere really. Does that make you lonely? Do you hang out with normal…sorry…native elves? They’re cool, kinda snobby but they never really say much to me anyways. So… yeah, Gallatin. I hear good things. I’ll lead the way guys, your buddy Marvin is an ace scout and tracker. Just follow me! Whenever you’re ready…no rush or anything…ready yet?”

Zax pounds his fist to chest in response salute, "Glory to you Warden and to the house of VinMarvins!  Your family 's renown has reached my ears.  I am honored to follow you into the Wilds."
(To Warhol) "Glory to you and to the house.....uh.... on your back!  I look forward to seeing the wonderous surprises you have in that shell for our enemies."

"I am Gor'Zax, son of Mal'Gor, from the house O'Dred in the Shadowfell realm.  I have served our king for many years and fought against the stout Koroth in his name.  I know their tactics and can coordinate combined forces on the battlefield.  And yes, Warden,  I can serve as blacksmith and armorer in the field.  This is Arrod (he pats the warhorse in his flanks). You must forgive his manners, he has a rather high opinion of himself.  He bore a noble-born knight before me.  Some days I think he will buck me off out of pride, har hah!"

Arrod snorts his disappproval and stomps the stable hay.

Chris wrote:
Arrod snorts his disappproval and stomps the stable hay.

I hear ya buddy, Warhol addresses the horse with snorts and huffs. nobahdy thinks I ahndastand them either. until I tawlk, that is.

Then to the other companions, “Nahs ta meet ya fellas. Appaaarantly if I am sentient being with fundamental natural rights, then I’m classified as a witch, but if I’m just a tawlkin’ tuwhdle, then I belong ta da King and ahm undah his prahtection.” Warhol chuckles as his south Boston rant ends. “Who knew? Anyway, he’s a good gahy, so it’s wourkin’ out for me.”
“The shell is just an extra dimensional space with a whole ‘notha univehrs inside it. I can go there ta rest, but if I let you come in it will tear da fabric of tha space time continuum.”

Warhol turns into a warhorse and falls in with the troop, snickering at the other mounts.

Marvin takes in his new companions’ eccentricities with wide eyed enthusiasm. He says a silent thanks to Uncle Vinny for opening this marvelous world of adventure in the king’s forces to him.

The halfling scout vaults into the saddle on Chopper’s back and with a sly glance over his shoulder shouts to his squad mates “We’ll lay low through the trees and take the back way into Gallatin.” He winks and flashes a bright smile as he spurs Chopper out of the stables. He takes a hard left into the forest…

DM, assuming Gallatin is more than an hour away?

Natural Explorer
You gain the following benefits when traveling for an hour or more:
• Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s travel.
• Your group can’t become lost except by magical means.
• Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger.

Also, once settled into the saddle, he’ll let Chopper lead the way for a minute as he settles into his Primeval Awareness meditative state. Any Beasts within five miles?

It will take nearly three days to get to your destination.

Through the efforts of Marvin, your journey is uneventful. After 2 days, you come upon a larger village and you can just barely make out the great hall of Thegn Duncan.

But you are far more distracted with the sight of the village in flames... you cannot quite make out what is happening as you are still about a mile off but large portions of the village are clearly burning.

Actions??

As an action, Warhol summons a “familiar” hawk to do a flyover of the village. Warhol can briefly see through the hawk’s eyes.  “I can get a closer look.”

I specified “as an action” quoting my ability which modifies the text of the spell from which it borrows. I read up on it in other forums to be sure.

Wild Companion
You gain the ability to summon a spirit that assumes an animal form: as an action, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape feature to cast the find familiar spell, without material components.
When you cast the spell in this way, the familiar is a fey instead of a beast, and the familiar disappears after a number of hours equal to half your druid level.

Marvin will usher the crew into cover that still preserves sight lines to the burning town. Any people or creatures visible from here? Signs of battle?

If there are any enemies visible, Zax will study them for 1 min using "know your enemy"

ok, one thing at a time.

None of you can see what it precisely taking place... the smoke from the burning buildings is obscuring your view. You think you can hear screams and cries of battle

The Hawk - take a look at the spell description. I believe that it takes an hour to summon the creature. However, on this one occasion I'll overlook that as it's not the clearest description as it relates to your Wild Shape.

So.... you summon something Fey (as per the spell description) and it flies over the village. It sees giant forms burning and smashing the houses in the village.

Marvin will concentrate for 1 minute to use Prineval Awareness. Are the giant forms beasts?

“Additionally, you can attune your senses to determine if any of your favored enemies lurk nearby. By spending 1 uninterrupted minute in concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell), you can sense whether any of your favored enemies are present within 5 miles of you. This feature reveals which of your favored enemies are present, their numbers, and the creatures’ general direction and distance (in miles) from you.
If there are multiple groups of your favored enemies within range, you learn this information for each group”

they are not beasts

Zax nods his head as he analyzes the situation, "Limited visibility works 2 ways. They are distracted with the burning and looting, so they won't see us coming. Our best tactical option is a FULL FRONTAL ASSAULT!"

Zax draws Shatterspike and his shield. "Arrod and I will break their lines. Fall in behind our charge or choose a flank."

Arrod brays loudly as he rears up on his hind legs. He jogs towards the village holding his strength for a full charge.

I think that will need an initiative roll then.

Please all roll initiative. I will have a battle map up by tomorrow at the latest. I have something I need to do for a prospective job, but that's done by tomorrow around noon.

Are we still a full mile off?? That’s a long charge…

ah, good catch.

Are you going to charge into battle or try to work your way up first?

Chris wrote:

Arrod brays loudly as he rears up on his hind legs.  He jogs towards the village holding his strength for a full charge.

As written


For when its needed, initiative roll

Rolling line 1 : 1d20 + 0 to total : 15, TOTAL: 15

Save roll if needed, plus appropriate modifier

Rolling line 1 : 1d20 + 0 to total : 11, TOTAL: 11

This is NOT what Marvin signed up for, but he will jump into Chopper’s saddle and fall in behind the suicidal elf. As impending danger approaches he will scan for a suitable place to grab some cover with a good field of fire for his bow.

Just to show he’s not a punk he bellows “Chaaarge!” as he spurs the mastiff into a steady gallop.

Initiative. DM, assume we are still in forest? Marvin has Advantage.

Mon Jun 27 2022 17:31:56 GMT-0600 (MDT)
Rolling line 1 : 1d20 + 9 to total : 19, + 9, TOTAL: 28

Mon Jun 27 2022 17:31:55 GMT-0600 (MDT)
Rolling line 1 : 1d20 + 9 to total : 3, + 9, TOTAL: 12

28 with advantage, 12 without.

Warhol, turns warhorse and takes the other flank.

Initiative Result of the throw of dice "1d20 +2" :

3 + 2 = 5

I will update with a status block shortly.

For clarity I have edited my Wild companion post above with the text that defends my usage. I am not casting find familiar. I am using an ability that works “as an action” similarly to find familiar.

Warhorse
Armor Class 11
Hit Points 31/19 (3d10 + 3)
Speed 60 ft.

STR        DEX        CON
18 (+4) 12 (+1) 13 (+1)
Senses passive Perception 18
Languages --
Challenge 1/2

Trampling Charge. If the horse moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a hooves attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the horse can make another attack with its hooves against it as a bonus action.

Hooves. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage.

Adv. Str checks and str saves.

If Zax were thinking, he would suggest tying a message to the hawk's leg and sending word back to the King.  Sadly, bloodlust has overtaken logic.

Status block is in my sidebar character profile.  I will add to combat posts as well

Gor'Zax
HP: 67/67
AC: 19/21
BM dice: 5/5d8
SV: str +7, con +6, wis +2
PP: 15
Necro resistant
Pre-rolled save d20 : 11

Arrod
HP: 19/19
AC: 18

Marvin VinMarvin
HP: 46/46
AC: 18
Attacks: 2
PP: 15

Saves:
STR +4
DEX +7
CON +1
INT +3
WIS +2
CHR +0

Spell Save: 13
Spell Attack: +5
Spell Slots:
1st: 4/4
2nd: 2/2

ok, gotcha Alan. I wondered if I was reading things right. Thanks for the clarification.


you are entering the village from the north.  The forest has thinned out considerably and it's mostly rolling hills for terrain. You can see larger mountains in the distance; SW of the village.

Ok... you charge towards the flames and see two very fugly giants laying waste to the village.  It doesn't look like any villagers are around, that you can see.





The rock piles are what's left of some of the houses or other structures... the rest of the structures have at least some damage or.  The flames engulf the destroyed buildings.

Initiative Order:

Marvin: 29
Gor'Zax: 15
Giants: 14
Warhol: 5

Marvin is up!

DM, are there coordinates on the map? Not seeing them from my phone.

well shit, I knew I was missing something.

I will update the map this morning at some point. Sorry 'bout that

Can I use a bonus action one round before we reach combat?

Warhol let’s out a fierce whinny, summoning the spirit of the bear.

12 temp hp to each pc and each mount plus adv. on str checks and str saves for 1 min.

That's fine Alan. Make sure all of you note that.

I'll have the map updated and fixed in a little while here.

Chris wrote:

Gor'Zax
HP: 79/67
AC: 19/21
BM dice: 5/5d8
SV: str +7, con +6, wis +2
PP: 15
Necro resistant
Pre-rolled save d20 : 11

Arrod
HP: 31/19
AC: 18

**ADV str checks and saves 10rds***

Added temp hp
Nice! Thanks, pup

map has been updated and should be ready. I'm using a new map making program, so this is just a basic first run with it.


let me know if there are any other issues I missed

Looks good! Will post Marvin's turn this evening.