Yoshi's notes

Date

5/5/2005

17th year of the reign of King Kevin.

Tenth day of "August". Late afternoon.

Weather: warm, hazy.

Characters

Carric Dendreu - Male Aasimar Druid 3 (with eagle Tan-kurun)

Caelesti - Female Feytouched Rogue 1/Sorceress 2

Talon - Female Human Bard 4

Yoshi - Male Human Monk 4

Log

The farmer takes out to his field, where we examine the remains of a cow. There is only a part of leg and hoof left, next to a 10 ft diameter hole in the ground. We determine that the cow was eaten by something large, ie: large bites, not small ones.

We decide to spread out. We walk slowly around the field, looking for any movement or evidence of other holes or victims.

After a while, some of us "hear"/feel a vibration in the ground. We stop moving.

Out of the ground comes a giant insect-like creature with a hard chitinous shell.

Yoshi: 23; Talon: 21; Caelesti: 13; Siobhan :13; Carric :10; Ankheg : 2; Ankheg2: 1

Round 1: Yoshi moves forward 40'. Siobhan starts singing. Carric steps back 5' and conjures. Ankheg steps forwards and strikes Yoshi, missing.

Round 2: Yoshi hits for 3 and 5 points. Talon says this is an ankheg that might grab people and spit acid. Caelesti casts sleep on the creature, which slumps to the ground. Siobhan continues to sing (inspire courage: +1 TH, +1 Dmg). Carric conjurs a small earth elemental! that attacks the ankheg and misses. Carric draws his weapon. Yoshi, Caelesti and Siobhan feel the earth vibrate, and another ankheg comes up behind us!

Round 3: Yoshi turns around and moves to engage, and misses. Talon stays out of the way. Caelesti attempts to tumble away from the second ankheg, which hits with an attack of opportunity for 9 points of physical damage plus 1 point of acid damage. It grabs Caelesti. Miraculously, Caelesti escapes! Siobhan draws her rapier and moves to flank the second ankheg, hitting it for 2 point. The earth elemental attacks the sleeping ankheg, hitting for 7 points of damage. Carric moves to flank ankheg 1, strikes and misses. Ankheg 1 attacks the earth elemental, missing. Ankheg 2 attacks Yoshi, hitting for 16 points plus 2 points acid, and is grappled.

Round 4: Yoshi pulls himself free. Talon fires her crossbow at ankheg 2, hitting for 6. Caelesti takes a 5' step back and casts a sleep spell; it falls asleep. Siobhan attacks ankheg 2 with a coup de grace, dealing 5 points of damage, but it dies having failed its fortitude save. Earth elemental misses. Carric hits for 3 points. The ankheg attacks the earth elemental, missing.

Round 5: Yoshi goes to stand next to Carric, and strikes, missing. Talon fires an arrow at the ankheg, hitting for 6 points. Caelesti dances a bit, wincing now and then. Siobhan moves up. Earth elemental attacks, missing. Carric hits for 5 points. It falls.

We discuss that they might have a lair or a nest. Carric tries to track, and determines that the creature has not made a usable tunnel.

Caelesti eats 8 goodberries. Yoshi eats 4. Carric cures Yoshi for 8 points, and again for 6.

We go to the farmer, telling him what we've done. Carric recommends that he plant that field next year. The farmer is grateful, and invites us for dinner. We ask about the star again, and he says it fell to the southeast.

We spend the nightwith the farmer and his family. We sing songs and tell tales.

[August 11th] We get up the next morning. We follow the path south. We travel all day without meeting anyone.

We arrive at the next cluster of farms. They tell us that the fallen star is east of here. They put us up for the night and Carric pays them a little something for their trouble.

Carric asks, "So, what did the meteor look like?"

"Well, it came down fast, and as it approached it slowed. Strangest thing"! We also learn there is a road to the southeast.

We stay the night, planning to go east in the morning. Again we share songs and stories.

Talon, "Carric, aren't you going to ask these nice people to pet your weasel?"

Carric, blushing, "No...no....er..... I save that for special people, like you and Siobhan." He smiles at the Bards. We giggle.

[August 12th] We go east. The terrain starts to get hilly - rolling wooded hills. We eventually get to the top of a hill, and we look around. Off to the east, there is a much higher hill. We camp.

During the first watch (Carric, Siobhan, Talon), woosh! goes an arrow past Siobhan and Talon; thunk! goes an arrow into Carric for 3 points. "Ouch!"

Yoshi: 25; Talon: 21; Siobhan: 19; Carric: 14; Caelesti: 10.

Round 2: Yoshi jumps to his feet and looks around. Talon shakes Caelesti awake. Siobhan starts singing. Suddenly, we are covered by cloud of golden particles (glitterdust). Talon is blinded; all four of us are vividly outlined. Carric takes a 5' step, and conjures daylight at 60'. About 120' away, we see three slender humanoid features; tall; swept-back pointed ears; like elves, but with delicate butterfly-like wings. Carric says, "These look like Sidhe!" To the Sidhe, Carric says in Sylvan, "Hail there! we are friendly! I'm a druid!" Caelesti stands up and says, "Come and talk with us! We're friendly!" Now we outlined by a blue glow. An arrow goes whizzing by Carric.

Round 3: Yoshi moves 80' towards them. Talon quaffs a potion of protection from evil. Caelesti delays. Siobhan's song kicks in. She runs forwards 30', drawing her sling. She hits one for two points. The one who was hit flies up 30', and conjures towards Siobhan. Carric starts to conjure. Caelesti moves forwards 30' drawing her sling, and fires it, missing. Another of the Sidhe flies up 30' and conjures at Siobhan, who fails her save. The creature calls out in Sylvan to his new friend, "Attack that monk!" The last one also flies up 30', firing an arrow at Yoshi for 3 points.

Round 4: Yoshi draws a shuriken, firing it at the one that was wounded, for a critical hit worth 10 points. It falls! Talon, who is no longer blinded, moves forward 30' and fires her crossbow, hitting for 2 points. Siobhan fires a sling bullet at the other Sidhe, missing. Carric conjures an air elemental, which appears next to Siobhan. It flies forwards and attacks the wounded Sidhe, hitting for one point. Carric moves forwards 30' taking out his sling, and misses. Caelesti moves forwards another 30' and fires her sling again, missing. The sidhe speak to each other and start to depart, leaving their companion. They fly out of our vision.

Round 5: Yoshi walks to the edge of the light, and strains to see. Talon moves 60'. Siobhan moves 60'. The air elemental moves to engage. Carric moves 60'.

Round 6: Yoshi continues to strain to see (officially, he delays). Talon moves up 60'. Siobhan moves up another 60'. Carric's air elemental "stands". Carric moves forwards 60'. Yoshi arrives where the air elemental is.

Round 7: Talon moves up. Siobhan moves up. The air elemental dissipates. Carric moves to where Yoshi is.

[Note: DM omitted damage reduction.]

We all come to where Yoshi is.

"What happened Yoshi?" Carric says.

"I do not know. I came here where the wind was and I saw nothing. It was not moving."

Carric sees some boot prints go forwards and stop. He sees an arch. Carric casts a detect magic, while Siobhan casts a detect crossroads. There is magic; and Siobhan says, yes, this is a fey crossroads: the endpoint of a transport portal. Anybody can use it if they can convince the guardian. One at a time, of course.

We go back to where the other Sidhe was, and find that it is dead. Carric does not detect any magic on it. We search it: it has 300 sp in a bag at its belt. It has a longsword sheathed at its side, and a longbow on the ground. It is wearing studded leather armor.

Carric suggests we bury the creature, and we go back to sleep.

[August 13th] We awaken. We get to the top of the high hill. There is a ring of trees around it. Yoshi recognizes it as the hill from his dream! As we get to the edge, we see a huge metal shell lying partly embedded in the ground. It has a hole in one side. We look inside: it is empty.

Talon, "Ahhh, but is there a squashed cow underneath it?"

XP:

Carric +600 -> 7,900
Caelesti +600 -> 7,900
Yoshi: +600 -> 7,900
Talon: +600 -> 7,900
Siobhan: +570