WM/Treks/Log 2-9

Narrator: 6 days out from Polisberg, the delvers have defeated an attack by a bunch of strange vegetable men. Now they seek to recover from their wounds.
** Thasos does not feel good at all. **
GM: Actually, Thasos is Berserk, right? Let's see a Will roll.
** Marik feels great. Just sayin'. **
Thasos: still? okay
Ghazeb: Ghazeb thinks he might some bandaging.
Thasos: Resist Berserk (15-) [3d6.skill(15,0)] => [6,1,2] = 9 vs (15) or less Success! by 6 
Beltarne: "By Tyr's missing hand, ye do nae look so well, Ghazeb."
GM: What are folks doing?
Ghazeb: "Well the heal you gave Ghazeb makes Ghazeb feel much better...but its still a bit painful."
Thasos: ((desperately clinging to life))
Shelley: Shelley is squinting at a pile of skeleton bits and scattered vegetable corpses (and a dying Thasos) to see what can be salvaged.
** Wolfgang gathers his hatchets and keeps a lookout for more hostile plants/animals/etc **
Ghazeb: ((am at -12 so I am sitting down and doing very little))
Beltarne: Big long healing chant at Ghazeb with lots of emotions and yelling and stuff [3d6.skill(16,3-3)] => [5,5,5] = 15 vs (16) or less Success! by 1 
** Marik begins scouting the perimeter to make sure nothing else is sneaking up on us. Guard duty, go! **
Beltarne: and again, big long healing chant at Ghazeb with lots of emotions and yelling and stuff [3d6.skill(16,3-6)] => [5,5,5] = 15 vs (13) or less Failure! by 2 
Ghazeb: ((actually no penalty...crit success last time))
Shelley: I'll start by "Bandaging" up Alpha.
Beltarne: "Ach, that's all I ken do for ye, laddy."
Ghazeb: ((so 2 successes))
GM: Hmm? Okay.
GM: big long healing chant at Thasos with lots of emotions and yelling and stuff [3d6.skill(16,3)] => [3,3,2] = 8 vs (19) or less Success! by 11 
Shelley: Hidden Lore (Undead Lore) (16) [3d6.skill(16,0)] => [3,1,1] = 5 vs (16) or less Critical Success! by 11 [B556] 
GM: big long healing chant at Thasos with lots of emotions and yelling and stuff [3d6.skill(16,3-3)] => [6,2,3] = 11 vs (16) or less Success! by 5 
GM: Ghazeb and Thasos both heal 16 HP from Beltarne's magic; Beltarne spends 16 HP in the process and lies down at the end of it.
Shelley: (( FP I'm sure, not HP ))
Beltarne: "Give me a few before we carry on. I'm a bit fashed." Yeah, spends FP not HP but still.
Shelley: (( otherwise I may make a dwarf zombie as well. ))
** Wolfgang cleans his gear, offers to repair damaged armor **
GM: So, um, Alpha heals 8 points, I guess?
** Wolfgang cleans his gear, offers to repair damaged armor for others **
Thasos: ((I'm at the threshold for move/dodge reduction still?))
Shelley: I guess! He was only down three ;) but I guess he's fine now.
GM: Yep, still pretty badly beaten up Thasos.
Wolfgang: ((oops, scroll probs))
Shelley: So normal First Aid roll on Delta
Shelley: Hidden Lore (Undead Lore) (16) [3d6.skill(16,0)] => [5,2,3] = 10 vs (16) or less Success! by 6 
Shelley: [1d6] => [3] = (3)
GM: [1d6] => [6] = (6) for Delta
Shelley: I like your roll better >.>
GM: Touche.
GM: Which armor is Wolfgang planning to repair?
Wolfgang: I dunno if any is actually damaged
Wolfgang: just trying to be not entirely useless post-fight
GM: Not really too bad.
GM: Ah.
** Ghazeb gets to his feet and slowly checks the corpses for anything valuable. **
Shelley: Rest and recover ER/FP, then cast Zombie on Delta to heal him up to "Useful".
Shelley: 10 minutes to get up to full FP, ER 3, then spend out of both to heal Delta up, presuming the party is willing to hang around.
Ghazeb: Ghazeb is in no particular hurry.
GM: Most of the armor isn't any good, Wolfgang, but one of the vinemen corpses has a surprisingly well-made bracer on its arm. The leather is high-quality, likely dire-wolf hide, and it's worth $100 and weighs 1 lb.
Wolfgang: loot!!
Shelley: Zombie (Deathly) (16) [3d6.skill(16,0)] => [1,5,6] = 12 vs (16) or less Success! by 4 for [8] => 8 FP
GM: The bracer is cut, shaped, and cured in an elven style, and can last for generations.
Wolfgang: their weapons any good?
Beltarne: "Don' mind me, I'll just be resting here a wee bit."
Shelley: "Don't cut up the big one. I want that intact."
** Wolfgang will show the bracer to Shelley and Beltarne to see if it's magic **
Shelley: "... where on earth did those things get that? Doesn't seem their style."
GM: Uhm. Well, they're very sharp bits obsidian tied to sticks.
Beltarne: "It does nae seem that way t'me."
Wolfgang: I think we established those have a poor value to weight ratio
Wolfgang: since they are cheap only a few nutty collectors want them
GM: Yes, but anyone who wants to pick up cheap, fragile axes or spears has several available.
Shelley: I may need some of those for minions.
GM: So how long are you guys hanging out? Beltarne would like to rest for 1.5 hours - it is currently about 2pm.
Wolfgang: "Shelley, you want these?"
Marik: Resting as long as Beltarne needs to sounds good to me. Also, *is* that bracer magical?
Wolfgang: "Can they throw spears?"
Shelley: Two First Aid, one cast of zombie is about an hour, aye?
GM: No, it's just well-made and cured.
Shelley: "They're better with bows, to be honest."
Thasos: ((can't recover hp while just resting right?))
GM: First aid is about 10 minutes.
Shelley: (( sure, rest a day ))
GM: Alright then.
Shelley: Hm, k, one sec.
Ghazeb: ((Has first aid been done on either Thasos or Ghazeb?))
Shelley: [1/3 + 1/3 +1/2 -3] => -3
GM: Nope, Beltarne cast himself into near-unconsciousness.
Marik: ((AFK Door))
Ghazeb: ((May want to take a bit before we get going after he has rested then))
** Wolfgang picks out the axes that are in the best shape for use by the minions **
Ghazeb: ((take a bit to do first aid I mean))
Wolfgang: "Let us know when you're all rested up Beltarne."
Shelley: Just doing some math, and breaking down Beta, Gamma, and Epsilon gets me a skeleton in worse shape than any of them.
Shelley: Unless I'm doing this wrong.
Narrator: After Shelley finishes chanting and reanimating Delta, the delvers hear a buzzing sound, carrying over the waters of the lake.
Shelley: I'm doing this wrong.
Shelley: Never mind.
** Thasos frowns and looks toward the buzzing. **
Shelley: Buzzing. Oh dear.
Shelley: So that's about 20 minutes.
Shelley: And Beltarne is still in rough shape...
Wolfgang: "Gah, wasps, everyone hide"
GM: Well, 30, actually.
Thasos: ((where are we, in trees right?))
Shelley: There will be a concealmenting!
Ghazeb: Ghazeb thinks the horse might be problematic.
Narrator: Looking to the north, the delvers can see movement over the water through the scattered trees. Strange, ungainly insectoid creatures with many extra limbs swarm out on the lake.
Wolfgang: 30 of them?
** Thasos points in other direction urgently. **
Wolfgang: ((towards the lake or south?))
GM: No, 30 minutes have passed; it's 2:30 pm gametime.
Thasos: ((south, away from the bugs))
whispering to Ghazeb, Looking closer, they appear to be giant wasps, ridden by tiny men, perhaps leprechauns. They're flying over the surface of the lake and not particularly looking at you. 
Wolfgang: "Lets go, no reason to fight these"
Marik: Yup, let's move it.
** Thasos nods at Wolfgang. **
whispering to Marik, Looking closer, they appear to be 6 giant wasps, ridden by leprechauns with swords and shields. They're flying over the surface of the lake and not particularly looking at you. They seem to be scouting. 
Marik: I take that back.
** Shelley directs Delta and Alpha in loading up the big goon on Adam and hustles. **
Marik: "Leprechauns, riding wasps. Looks like a scouting party. Likely peaceful."
Ghazeb: Resist Overconfidence: [3d6.skill(12)] => [1,5,1] = 7 vs (12) or less Success! by 5 
Beltarne: "Can we not rest here a while longer? They nae look hostile t'me."
Marik: "I expect, in fact, that us being here with our group of dead vinemen would endear us to them - given what we saw back on the trail."
Wolfgang: "Oh, I just assume everything is gonna attack us at this point"
Ghazeb: "Ghazeb agrees. Let's move away. Quickly."
** Marik shrugs. "At least giant wasps fall down when I shoot them. Let the dwarf rest, these things won't bother us." **
** Shelley squints. "I guess I better have my paperwork ready." **
** Thasos changes his mind and decides to stay. **
** Ghazeb mumbles to himself, "Make up yer minds already." **
** Wolfgang keeps an eye out for other critters **
Wolfgang: "I trust Marik's assessment, we stay"
** Thasos nods. **
** Ghazeb sighs and pulls out his sword. **
** Thasos wraps his chains around himself. **
** Marik glares at Ghazeb. "Put that away before you get us into a fight. Not like I haven't seen you whip it back out in an eyeblink anyway." **
GM: Are you guys hiding, staying still, or trying to draw attention?
Ghazeb: ((not trying to draw attention...just being prepared...crits happen!))
Wolfgang: staying still
GM: (hiding includes setting up an ambush). Or doing something else, can't think of it but what the hey, I'm not trying to limit your options.
Marik: Staying still. Take some time to arrange the dead thingummies off to one side, rest under a handy tree, etc.
Thasos: standing still
** Shelley is loading the big plant monster up on Adam with the aid of two zombies. **
GM: Alright then....
Wolfgang: I'll be next to Clyde just in case
Narrator: There are some high-pitched shouts, and then the wasps start flying your way. Two of them begin casting, and balls of flame and lightning appear in their hands.
Ghazeb: ((holy...))
** Thasos dives for cover. **
GM: A minute or two is going to pass before they close. Any actions?
** Thasos scowls at Marik. **
Marik: They're obviously willing to prepare for a fight. Stand up, bow in one hand, other hand raised peacefully?
Shelley: Heading for cover, dragging the backpack under cover!
Ghazeb: Try to find cover behind a tree or something.
Shelley: Stuffing busted zombies under cover!
Shelley: And if there's time, grabbing my paperwork.
Wolfgang: what is the parley sign, white flag?
GM: Sure!
Thasos: ((that's surrender))
** Wolfgang ties a white cloth to his shield and flies up so they can see it clearly **
Wolfgang: I think it was white flag for parley, and if you were losing you surrendered
Wolfgang: that's why I asked, could be another color for parley
Shelley: Or a hand gesture
Marik: ((It depends pretty heavily on the time period and location. In Japan, for instance, white doesn't make you any friends.))
GM: The wasps break up into three pairs - the spellcasters staying well back from Wolfgang to either side, the 3rd pair advancing slightly.
Ghazeb: ((This is assuming the other side is even civilized enough for that kind of thing...))
Wolfgang: ((yah, but this is fairly European based))
Wolfgang: note, these are wasps with riders, right?
Marik: Are they within yelling range?
Leprechaun: "Oy! Bigjobs! Whattaya doin' here, eh?" His blade is across his saddle, not pointed at Wolfgang.
Marik: That's a yes.
Wolfgang: "Hunting for the ghost of scydd to free him from his torment!"
Ghazeb: ((Oh...i thought they were just wasps...missed the rider thing))
Marik: "We're explorers - adventurers. We've just run into a pack of these viney bastards. You with 'em or against 'em?"
** Shelley tries to look unobtrusive. or at least harmless. **
** Thasos stays hiding, since he can appear neither harmless nor unobtrusive. **
Leprechaun: Looks at Wolfgang. "Wot?" Frowns at Marik. "Those blighters are no mates of ours!" Frowns at the automata. "You some kind of bloody necromancer, eh?"
Shelley: "No. I'm a licensed psychopomp, exorcist, and professional necrotechnician."
** Ghazeb mumbles,"Uh oh...here we go again." **
Marik: "Necrotechnician. She's our ghost specialist. Look, we've got no call to fight, here - what say we all put up our weapons, eh?"
** Shelley barely resists rolling her eyes. **
** Ghazeb sheathes his weapon and slowly steps out into the open. **
Ghazeb: ((slowly))
Leprechaun: "I dunno 'bout that, Bigjobs. You don't look quite right, eh?"
Shelley: "I think we're crazy for walking through this mess."
** Shelley kicks some mud. **
Leprechaun: Gestures at his comrades, and the two spellcasters descend behind trees, out of line of sight. The others land nearby, but keep their blades handy.
** Marik mutters, "I know we're crazy," under his breath, then raises his voice again and slings his bow. "We really don't mean you any harm. What do you know about these vine men? Nasty lot." **
Leprechaun: "Aye, they're right bastards. Hard to kill, completely bughouse. Sometimes they give you gifts, sometimes they charge at you. And don't cut them hard - they bleed poison!"
Ghazeb: "Ghazeb can attest to that."
Wolfgang: "Knew I shoulda brought a mace"
Leprechaun: "Yer? Who's that, Bigjobs?"
Shelley: "That guy with the pretty ears is Ghazeb. He's a bit daft."
Wolfgang: "That's his name, he just talks funny"
** Ghazeb glowers at Shelley. **
Leprechaun: "Yer, right. So, bigjobs, again: what are you doing here, eh?"
Wolfgang: "I'm Wolfgang, what're you called?"
Wolfgang: "As I said, looking for a ghost, supposed to be near some run down tower this side of the lake"
Marik: "Ghost-hunting, like the man with the wings said. Treasure-hunting, too, but there's precious little of that out here, we're finding."
Leprechaun: "Timothy of the Celestial Tigers, oy!"
** Shelley squints at Ghazeb. "What?" **
Shelley: "Nothing celestial about that one."
Leprechaun: "Ghost-hunting? You daft buggers are the on the wrong side of the lake, eh!"
** Wolfgang looks closely for a tiger symbol on the wee folk or their mounts **
** Ghazeb looks at the heavens and says, "Of course we are." **
Wolfgang: "Oh, we found the town, but the key to cleaning it up is down here we think"
Wolfgang: "You can cut the ones up there with silver, but they just come back after a bit it seems."
Leprechaun: "Yer, right! We just send the Melodic Alabasters 'gainst them, punch them blighters right out, oy!"
Shelley: "Alabasters? Arbalestiers?"
Wolfgang: "Don't think I've heard of one of those before, what is it?"
Leprechaun: "Wot? No, the Melodic Alabasters! They know some Dim Mak that knocks those ghosts flat! Family secret, eh, don't know more than that!"
** Thasos raises his eyebrows. **
Wolfgang: "Ah, news doesn't travel so well in these parts it seems."
** Thasos starts going through his backpack to get his pen and paper out. **
** Thasos scribbles and hands a note to Wolfgang. **
Wolfgang: "The silent one here wants to know if we can meet them."
** Wolfgang hands the paper back **
Shelley: "The ghost knight in the village is fettered by old worldly concerns."
** Thasos nods at Wolfgang, folds the paper up, and stuffs back in the backpack. **
Shelley: "He said he was tied to a tower, which we heard was on this side of things. Were we misinformed?"
Leprechaun: All the leprechauns look more hostile. "You'll not be stealing our gold, Bigjobs, so don't start down that road!"
Marik: "Wait, what? We're not interested in your gold."
Shelley: "... sounds like the dang pixies tried to set us up for another joke."
** Marik gives Beltarne a look that says 'shut up'. **
GM: Note: the gold comment is a response to Wolfgang, not Shelley. Sorry slow typing.
Shelley: erp.
Beltarne: "What? What? What'd I do! I only take gold from people it shouldn't belong to, like goblins!"
Leprechaun: "Yer, right, bigjobs. We know your type!"
** Thasos takes that paper back out and writes on the other side before handing to Wolfgang. **
** Wolfgang looks put upon **
Ghazeb: "Ghazeb would point out that meeting your 'Alabasters' would not require us going to your settlement."
Wolfgang: "he says he was only interested in the Dim Mak."
Shelley: "He's a mystic. Very woo woo."
Leprechaun: "Wot? Stay away from our lands, bigjobs, or we'll see how good your hard work is!"
Wolfgang: "Is that some kind of fighting move or magic?"
Leprechaun: "Is there a difference?"
Shelley: "Sounds like the same woo woo."
Wolfgang: "Eh, maybe to him, I don't use the stuff"
Leprechaun: "Yer, you like the kind of unenlightened bigjobs that only knows how to hit things, not how to fight."
Wolfgang: "Heh, when you're my size you can get away with it most of the time!"
Shelley: "I don't even hit things much."
Ghazeb: "Yeah you have minions for that."
** Thasos hmphs and steps out into the open. **
Leprechaun: "Bah! Stay away unless your hard enough to get stuck in, eh?"
Shelley: "... does that even make sense?"
Marik: "I think the minotaur's challenging you to prove you can fight, instead of just hitting things, Leprechaun."
** Thasos demonstrates his fighting ability with a display of kata. **
Thasos: Karate * Punch [3d6.skill(15,0)] => [1,2,2] = 5 vs (15) or less Critical Success! by 10 [B556]
Thasos: Karate * Kick [3d6.skill(13,0)] => [3,1,2] = 6 vs (13) or less Success! by 7 
** Thasos bows to the leprechaun. **
** Ghazeb rolls his eyes. "Listen. We don't want a fight...well maybe Thasos does. We just want directions to the tower." **
Leprechaun: "Eh, he's an ugly one... oy, but he may know his stuff. Eh, lads?" The other leprechauns nod.
** Thasos smiles and bows again. **
Leprechaun: "Yer, right. We not want to fight with you - not here, anyway. Stay away from the east side, and we won't have to rumble, eh? But the tower? Why d'you want to go to that cursed place?"
Shelley: "The curse binds the ghosts."
Wolfgang: "Lift the curse!"
Ghazeb: "Not so much want as need."
Shelley: "Or so we suspect, anyways."
Wolfgang: "Hmm, we just came from the east..."
Wolfgang: "Your lands just near the lake to the east?"
Leprechaun: "Oy, its your swampy unmarked grave. What are directions worth to you? Got any gold, eh?"
Leprechaun: All the leprechauns look at Wolfgang again. "Don't push it, rockman."
Wolfgang: "We're trying to avoid the swampy bits where we can"
Leprechaun: "Well, stay on the old road and away from our gold and we won't rumble. Now, about those directions you want?"
** Wolfgang whispers to Marik "how bad do we need directions you think?" **
** Marik shrugs. "I can get us where we're going, and if I can't, we've proven able to survive. I don't see a need to pay for directions." **
Wolfgang: "I dunno if directions are worth gold, since you didn't know where scydd's ghost is"
Wolfgang: "Not exactly swimming in coins here"
Wolfgang: "We can try to stay on the old road, at least in the places we can find it still"
Leprechaun: "Wot are going on about? If it's that crazy Foxman fellow, he was alive when he left here, oy!" He shakes his head. "We're done talking, bigjobs. Stay away from the east shore, don't try to steal our gold, and we won't be shedding blood." He gestures to the other riders, and they rise up.
Shelley: "Well at least we've confirmed he's animated. My money's on 'posessed' though."
Wolfgang: "Eh, if they knew something about him that'd be worth something"
** Marik shrugs, and looks to Beltarne. "Are we ready to go?" **
Beltarne: "Maybe those leprechauns are missing some gold. We could recover it for them, earn a tidy finder's fee."
Beltarne: "I could walk now, but a longer rest might be wise."
Ghazeb: "Give gold to get back less gold." Ghazeb boggles at Beltarne.
GM: You only spent about 10 minutes talking to the leprechauns
Beltarne: "I'm not a thief, furball!"
Wolfgang: "They got all snippy no matter how you mentioned it, best not antagonize them any more, plus I doubt they have much anyhow"
** Marik nods, "I'll scout around to make sure they haven't left any surprises." **
Wolfgang: "I'm gonna see if the tower is in sight yet"
** Wolfgang flies straight up to see what he can see **
whispering to Wolfgang, Almost due west of you, maybe 7-8 miles away, is a tall square tower with taller spires on each corner, rising out of a forest of trees. About halfway between it and you is a wide, open bay of water. 
GM: Also, Ghazeb needs to make a Will-3 roll.
Ghazeb: Will: [3d6.skill(10,-3)] => [3,4,3] = 10 vs (7) or less Failure! by 3 
Ghazeb: uh oh
** Wolfgang lands **
whispering to Ghazeb, After sitting around for a while, you see a glowing, attractive female form in the distance, beckoning towards you with one hand while putting a furry finger to her lips with the other. 
GM: Ghazeb and Wolfgang have whispers.
Thasos: (946) Marik: "We should get moving, then."
(944) Wolfgang: "Beltarne rested yet?"
Ghazeb: I never got the whisper...still have the last one tho
whispering to Ghazeb, After sitting around for a while, you see a glowing, attractive female form in the distance, beckoning towards you with one hand while putting a furry finger to her lips with the other. 
Shelley: "7 to 8 miles? That's quite a ways in this muck." Shelley continues loading giant plant corpse on Adam if it looks like we won't rest for Beltarne. If we will, I'm going to animate it so it can walk on its own.
Shelley: after resting.
Marik: We will be resting for Beltarne.
GM: Beltarne is still down 10 FP, he's like to rest some.
** Ghazeb stares off into the distance and starts walking slowly away from the others. **
Marik: "Erm."
Wolfgang: ((Are we at the lake shore now? we should probably skirt the swamp/forest line for the fastest travel, right?))
Shelley: "Hey, ears. Where you going?"
Thasos: ((which direction is Ghazeb going?))
GM: Yes, you're near the edge of the lake.
GM: He's walking into a cluster of trees near a creek.
Ghazeb: ((Slowly due to low HP))
Thasos: east? west?
** Marik looks from one party member to the other. "Should we follow him?" **
GM: East.
** Wolfgang goes forward so he can see his face **
Shelley: "If he was going for a private moment, you'd think he'd tell us to piss off."
GM: Marik can make a Survival (Swamp) roll at -5. If he'd like.
Shelley: "There's strangling vines around here, nobody goes off on their own."
Thasos: Resist Overconfidence (12-) [3d6.skill(12,0)] => [2,6,3] = 11 vs (12) or less Success! by 1 
Wolfgang: does he look normal?
** Thasos stays put. **
Marik: Survival (Festering insect-infested bog full of supernatural threats): [3d6.skill(16,-5)] => [4,2,4] = 10 vs (11) or less Success! by 1 
whispering to Marik, Those trees do not look they're on the most firm ground ever. 
** Ghazeb looks very distracted. "Um guys, Ghazeb will be right back. Well maybe not *right* back." He grins and continues forward. **
Wolfgang: "Ghazeb take a seat and let Beltarne look you over, RIGHT NOW!"
Marik: "I don't know where he thinks he's going, but it looks like a quickmud hole to me - those trees are practically floating. Should I put an arrow in his leg to slow him down?"
Wolfgang: going for drill instructor type voice, and leadership
GM: Make a Leadership roll, Wolfgang!
** Ghazeb glares at the party. "Ghazeb will only be a little while!" **
Wolfgang: Leadership (11) [3d6.skill(11,0)] => [3,4,1] = 8 vs (11) or less Success! by 3 Includes: +2 from 'Born War-Leader'
Shelley: "What're you up to, Ghazeb?"
Wolfgang: should have +3 for him on that I think
GM: Alright, Ghazeb can either roll to resist Lecherous at +5 (net -5) or Willpower at -3.
Wolfgang: does he stop?
GM: I don't know yet.
Ghazeb: "The pretty lady wants Ghazeb to come over."
** Thasos is now interested. **
** Ghazeb keeps walking. **
Wolfgang: ((you gonna roll?))
Marik: "Ghazeb, my eyes are at least twice as good as yours. The only thing 'pretty' about that stand of trees is that you'll end up drowned pretty quick if you cross into it."
GM: Disobeying orders is a free action, I guess.
** Shelley sighs, and grabs Alpha and Delta, leaving the battered goons on horse duty again. Alpha and Delta have proper axes and shields. **
Ghazeb: [skill.3d6(7)] => skill.3d6(7)
GM: Marik can roll Will - 2.
GM: err, must.
Ghazeb: [3d6.skill(7)] => [2,4,5] = 11 vs (7) or less Failure! by 4 
** Thasos looks and sees no pretty lady. He thinks Ghazeb might be upset at being dragged away anyway, and heads after him. **
** Wolfgang grabs Ghazeb's sword arm and starts to drag him back **
GM: Thasos, make a Will roll at -1.
GM: Wolfgang, make a Will roll.
Marik: Will: [3d6.skill(12,-2)] => [5,4,5] = 14 vs (10) or less Failure! by 4 
Marik: Luck.
Marik: Will: [3d6.skill(12,-2)] => [4,1,6] = 11 vs (10) or less Failure! by 1 
Ghazeb: [3d6.skill(9)] => [6,3,3] = 12 vs (9) or less Failure! by 3 
Marik: Will: [3d6.skill(12,-2)] => [3,1,1] = 5 vs (10) or less Success! by 5 
Thasos: Will (11) [3d6.skill(11,-1)] => [1,5,4] = 10 vs (10) or less Success! by 0 
Wolfgang: Will (10) [3d6.skill(10,0)] => [4,5,4] = 13 vs (10) or less Failure! by 3 
Marik: There we go.
Ghazeb: oops read that wrong ignore pls
Wolfgang: luck
Wolfgang: Will (10) [3d6.skill(10,0)] => [5,2,6] = 13 vs (10) or less Failure! by 3 
Wolfgang: Will (10) [3d6.skill(10,0)] => [4,3,6] = 13 vs (10) or less Failure! by 3 
Wolfgang: ...
Ghazeb: ((wow 13s))
Wolfgang: ((not my lucky day))
** Ghazeb wrenches his arm away from Wolfgang and tries to continue. **
whispering to Wolfgang, There is suit of gold and gem encrusted full plate armor in those trees, made up in a Gargoyle style. It might even be orichalcum! 
** Shelley sighs. **
Ghazeb: ST: [3d6.skill(13)] => [6,3,2] = 11 vs (13) or less Success! by 2 
** Wolfgang lets go and heads for the trees **
** Shelley says in a Very Firm Voice, "If you don't all Come Back Here Right Now, I'm going to come and GET you. **
Shelley: Leadership (15) [3d6.skill(15,0)] => [1,4,4] = 9 vs (15) or less Success! by 6 Includes: +2 from 'Charisma'
GM: The guys who passed their Will rolls see a faintly glowing ball of light in the trees.
Shelley: Is it undead?
Marik: "Well well."
** Marik takes aim. **
Shelley: Oh, wait, no will roll for me.
Shelley: So I don't see it yet.
** Thasos trips Ghazeb. **
GM: Shelley: no. Wolfgang and Ghazeb can roll at -7 to resist their disadvantages (Greed, Lechery)
GM: Oh, and Shelley can roll Will to resist, too.
Shelley: Will (14) [3d6.skill(14,0)] => [6,5,4] = 15 vs (14) or less Failure! by 1 
Beltarne: Resist! [3d6.skill(14)] => [1,2,1] = 4 vs (14) or less Critical Success! by 10 [B556]
Shelley: Wee, we all get et by the willywisp!
** Marik puts an arrow into it. ((I suspect this does little.)) **
Wolfgang: [3d6.skill(12,-7)] => [1,5,6] = 12 vs (5) or less Failure! by 7 
Ghazeb: Resist Lechery: [3d6.skill(15,-7)] => [5,4,1] = 10 vs (8) or less Failure! by 2 
whispering to Shelley, There are a dozen untamed skeletons, slowly crawling out of the ground in that grove. If you act quickly, you put them to rest! 
GM: Actually, Wolfgang probably isn't as bad off as Ghazeb but still not good enough.
GM: Uhm.
GM: What else?
Shelley: "Oh what HAVE you woken up?" Shelley grabs her scepter and heads over, gesturing for Alpha and Delta to come with.
GM: Right, Marik is shooting stuff.
** Wolfgang flies in and goes for the armor **
GM: Attack roll!
GM: Wolfgang can't fly through the trees - too closely spaced.
Wolfgang: darn
Marik: Range/cover penalties?
GM: Uhm, -4 cover, -5 range.
Wolfgang: "You might as well head back ears, it'll never fit you"
Marik: Bow: [3d6.skill(20,+3+6-4-5)] => [5,5,6] = 16 vs (20) or less Success! by 4 with a meteoric iron arrow.
Shelley: "What're you talking about? Besides, arrows are silly useless. This takes expertise!"
Beltarne: "Get away from that you loons!"
Wolfgang: ((notes this would be a great time to use Command))
** Thasos is rather bemused at the group. **
Shelley: "I can handle it. I'm an expert!"
Shelley: I believe Thasos was tripping Ghazeb too.
GM: Thasos, Marik, and Beltarne witness as Marik's arrow passes through the glowing space.
Shelley: Somewhere in there
Thasos: indeed
GM: Oh, was he? Uhm, Judo roll at -4, then.
Thasos: Judo (15) [3d6.skill(15,-4)] => [3,5,5] = 13 vs (11) or less Failure! by 2 
Thasos: whoops
** Ghazeb evades the clumsy trip and continues toward 'The Pretty Lady (tm)' **
GM: Alright, illusion-addled goons can make Swimming rolls as they enter quicksand.
Marik: Sweep is usually -3, but.
Marik: Still a miss.
Shelley: goons or PCs?
Marik: And... sigh.
GM: PCs.
GM: Uhm, roll at -x2 your encumbrance on the swimming roll, +3 for quicksand.
Ghazeb: Swimming: [3d6.skill(8,-3)] => [1,4,2] = 7 vs (5) or less Failure! by 2 
Ghazeb: Defaults to ST-5 right?
Wolfgang: HT (14) [3d6.skill(14,-4)] => [3,4,3] = 10 vs (10) or less Success! by 0 
GM: HT-4
Wolfgang: HT-4
Ghazeb: Does my phobia of water help at all here?
GM: No....
Shelley: HT (12) [3d6.skill(12,0)] => [4,4,5] = 13 vs (12) or less Failure! by 1 
GM: No, it really really doesn't.
Shelley: Uh, that's at some penalty
Marik: ((It would if you actually had any idea the water/quicksand was there.))
Shelley: which means I fail more!
Ghazeb: Total with mods is 10 I think...made by 3
Wolfgang: do I even know I'm in quicksand?
GM: Yes, you all realize you're in quicksand when the object of your obsession disappears and you start sinking into mud.
Shelley: (( Either fail by 2 or fail by 3. Either way, fail! ))
Marik: *now* Ghazeb can start panicking. :D
Wolfgang: OK, I think I missed it by 1 with the encumbrance and quicksand mods
Shelley: "Gah!"
GM: Wolfgang is only knee deep, as is Ghazeb. Shelley is in bad shape. Also, Ghazeb needs to roll to resist his Phobia.
** Thasos tries to use his kusari as a rope, holding onto one end tightly and tosses the other end to the others. **
Ghazeb: Water Phobia: [3d6.skill(15)] => [4,3,5] = 12 vs (15) or less Success! by 3 
Wolfgang: are the trees close?
GM: Ah, well, then Wolfgang is in trouble.
GM: More than 4', less than 6'
GM: People who fail lose 1 FP and will start to drown, reroll every 5 seconds at a -1 cumulative.
** Ghazeb holds back panic and turns around slowly, trying not to sink further. **
** Marik heads back to the horses at a run, looking for Shelley's rope. **
Marik: ((Notable: Ghazeb has a penalty on all DX, IQ, and skill rolls))
GM: Oh, Ghazeb is at -1 on all rolls while in the water.
GM: Right.
Wolfgang: wait, am I sunk already then?
Ghazeb: Still made both...if I got the mods right.
GM: If you failed the roll, yes.
GM: Ghazeb is okay.
Marik: ((Being afraid of spiders doesn't make you less likely to resist their poison, but being afraid of water does make you less likely to swim. :D))
Thasos: what about my kusari-as-rope attempt?
GM: Uhm.
GM: Hang on a second.
GM: First, make a Survival (Swamp) roll at +5.
Thasos: default?
GM: Per-5.
Shelley: Perception -5 (+5 for tools!)
Thasos: Per (11) [3d6.skill(11,0)] => [1,5,4] = 10 vs (11) or less Success! by 1 
GM: alright, you avoid the quicksand. Who are you tossing the cable at?
Thasos: Shelley seems like she needs it most ATM
GM: Okay, make a Kusari roll.
GM: Marik is getting rope, right?
Thasos: Meteor Hammer [3d6.skill(18,0)] => [6,1,2] = 9 vs (18) or less Success! by 9 
Wolfgang: I grab the bill and hook a tree
Marik: Marik is getting rope. It's back at the horses.
** Shelley directs goombas to get OUT of muck and stay out. Bones don't float well. **
GM: Shelley can make a DX roll at -2 to grab the cable.
Shelley: DX (12) [3d6.skill(12,-2)] => [3,5,5] = 13 vs (10) or less Failure! by 3 
Shelley: sigh
GM: Wolfgang needs to make DX roll at -4 to get out the bill - he's effectively grappled by the quicksand.
Wolfgang: DX (14) [3d6.skill(14,-4)] => [6,5,3] = 14 vs (10) or less Failure! by 4 
Thasos: can i try again, telegraphing it so she gets a better chance to grab?
GM: Thasos: yes.
Wolfgang: so swimming -1 before I try again?
Thasos: Meteor Hammer [3d6.skill(18,4)] => [4,6,6] = 16 vs (22) or less Success! by 6 
GM: Wolfgang can try again before he rolls swimming, Shelley can try something, and Marik has reached the rope.
Shelley: Same Penalty to grab the cable again?
Shelley: -1? No penalty?
Wolfgang: DX (14) [3d6.skill(14,-4)] => [3,5,6] = 14 vs (10) or less Failure! by 4 
** Marik gets rope. Begins running back. Good thing he's athletic and tireless. **
GM: -3 penalty this time.
** Wolfgang thinks his virtual dice are fixed **
GM: Actually, Marik is getting the rope.
Shelley: DX (12) [3d6.skill(12,-3)] => [3,3,2] = 8 vs (9) or less Success! by 1 
Shelley: Hurray!
Thasos: st roll to pull her to safety?
GM: Alright, Shelley gets +3 on her next swimming roll. Wolfgang gets -1. Ghazeb is fine. Oh, and Thasos needs to make a Will roll at -3.
Wolfgang: HT (14) [3d6.skill(14,-4-1)] => [2,6,3] = 11 vs (9) or less Failure! by 2 
Shelley: Swimming (HT-4) [3d6.skill(12,-4+3++3)] => [6,5,2] = 13 vs (14) or less Success! by 1 
Thasos: Will (11) [3d6.skill(11,-3)] => [2,2,1] = 5 vs (8) or less Success! by 3 
Ghazeb: ((Ghazeb will try to get to shore))
Thasos: ((that's right, I'm awesome today))
GM: Thasos easily pulls Shelley out of the muck. Ghazeb moves away. Thasos gets hit by an illusion by the willowisp, but ignores it. Wolfgang goes under, loses 1 FP.
Wolfgang: "Glub"
GM: Uhm.
GM: Ghazeb needs to roll Swimming at +6 (-2x encumbrance) to get out of the quicksand. Same for Shelley.
** Ghazeb notes rock-man does not float very well. **
Ghazeb: Swimming: [3d6.skill(9,-2+6)] => [2,3,3] = 8 vs (13) or less Success! by 5 
Shelley: Uh, thought Thasos just pulled me out?
Thasos: er yeah
GM: Oh, right.
Shelley: Or was that Wolfgang there? :D
GM: ST for Thasos! ST+2 for Shelley to hold on!
Shelley: ST (10) [3d6.skill(10,+2)] => [3,4,3] = 10 vs (12) or less Success! by 2 
Shelley: Sold!
Thasos: ST (13) [3d6.skill(13,0)] => [4,2,4] = 10 vs (13) or less Success! by 3 
Shelley: Good thing I'm Skinny!
Thasos: ((i thought fat was a superpower?))
GM: Ghazeb gracefully crawls out of the muck. Thasos forcefully pulls Shelley out as she clings to the chain.
Wolfgang: lol
GM: Wolfgang is no longer visible.
Ghazeb: ((Great for pulling you out. Bad for staying afloat.))
Wolfgang: ((fat would give you a plus on the swimming, so it is))
Thasos: is there anything nearby to tie to?
GM: Uhm.
** Ghazeb looks with despair at the quicksand, at a loss as to what to do. **
Wolfgang: so, can I do anything?
GM: Trees? But most of them are 2' thick or so, so if you tie off the chain, you won't have much chain left.
Thasos: you mean "gurgle gurgle", wolf
GM: Wolfgang can do stuff, but he's effectively grappled and drowning and stuff.
Shelley: "Alpha, Delta, help Thasos pull me out!"
Thasos: how strong are they?
Wolfgang: I can't extra effort or ST roll to get the bill out?
GM: How deep is the quicksand in feet? [2d4+4] => [3,2,4] = (9)
Shelley: ST 12 each
Shelley: Skinny but so am I so it cancels out :D
Thasos: might work
Wolfgang: sink to the bottom and walk out :)
GM: You can extra effort, but it's a DX-4 roll.
Shelley: It's still grappling you each step of the way.
Shelley: And then you're under goo
Wolfgang: um, that's what I have now
GM: Yeah, extra effort would give +2.
** Thasos ties the kusari around his ankle and hands the other end to Alpha. **
Wolfgang: so DX-2
GM: Isn't alpha sinking into the much?
GM: errr, muck?
Shelley: ?
Thasos: er
Thasos: is he?
Shelley: Since when?
GM: oh, sorry, misread, never mind.\
GM: Wolfgang - making that roll?
Wolfgang: yes, DX-2
Wolfgang: DX (14) [3d6.skill(14,-2)] => [2,4,5] = 11 vs (12) or less Success! by 1 
Wolfgang: woot!
Wolfgang: snag a tree!
** Thasos takes off his buff coat. **
GM: Alright, roll skill -4 to hook a tree that you can no longer see while flailing around in quicksand.
GM: (assumes all-out determined and telegraphed)
Wolfgang: Dueling Bill * polearm hook [3d6.attack(16,-4)] => [1,1,2] = 4 vs (12) or less Critical Success! by 8 [B556]
[6,2,3] = 11 The blow inflicts normal damage. [B556]
GM: You catch onto a handy branch. Good for you!
Wolfgang: :)
Shelley: With grace and elegance!
Thasos: what about Ghazeb?
GM: Make a swimming roll at -2 to avoid drowning, please. Marik has the rope. Ghazeb and Shelley are out of the muck. Thasos has tied his chain to his ankle and handed the other half to Alpha.
Ghazeb: ((As far as I know I'm out))
** Shelley directs Delta to hold onto Alpha. **
Wolfgang: HT (14) [3d6.skill(14,-4-2)] => [4,2,3] = 9 vs (8) or less Failure! by 1 
** Shelley holds onto Delta. **
** Marik begins running back to the group, suspecting the rope will be superfluous. **
GM: More water in your longs.
GM: lungs.
GM: thingers.
Shelley: THREE skinny people vs Thasos and Wolfgang.
GM: What now?
Wolfgang: pull myself out
Shelley: (( squeedlyspooge ))
** Thasos takes a deep breath and jumps into the muck. **
GM: Alright, make a ST roll, Wolfgang.
Wolfgang: ST (17) [3d6.skill(17,0)] => [3,2,2] = 7 vs (17) or less Success! by 10 
Generic Monster: (the quicksand) resists with [3d6.skill(16)] => [4,4,6] = 14 vs (16) or less Success! by 2 
Shelley: Sigh.
** Shelley prepares to make a collective pull on Thasos. **
** Thasos searches around for Wolfgang with his hands. **
GM: You pull yourself to the surface.
** Wolfgang hack, cough **
GM: Uhm. Thasos needs to make a Swimming check at +6, -2x encumbrance.
** Ghazeb moves over to help Shelley and the goon squad. **
Wolfgang: another ST roll?
Shelley: Effective BL for the 3 of us [(20 + 29 + 29)] => 78
Thasos: hrm... default for swimming? we don't have lakes up on top of mountains
GM: HT-4.
Shelley: ST 19 for us not counting Ghazeb.
Shelley: Your mountains are weak and dehydrated.
Thasos: HT (13) [3d6.skill(13,-4+6)] => [2,5,2] = 9 vs (15) or less Success! by 6 
Thasos: I'm not sure what my encumbrance would be... 0?
GM: You hold your breath and dive in, touching Wolfgang's wings as he breaks the surface.
GM: Whatever.
** Thasos finds Wolfgang easily. **
GM: At this point, I think you guys can pull yourself free with 1 more Swimming check: at +6 for Thasos, +3 for Wolfgang, -2x encumbrance as usual.
Shelley: "Tell me when!
Shelley: "
Thasos: HT (13) [3d6.skill(13,-4+6)] => [4,6,6] = 16 vs (15) or less Failure! by 1 
GM: Thasos' head is out of the water... errr, was.
Thasos: oops!
Wolfgang: HT (14) [3d6.skill(14,-4+1)] => [3,2,5] = 10 vs (11) or less Success! by 1 
Wolfgang: ((just realized I failed at math, should have made the first roll))
GM: Wolfgang pulls himself out of the muck and lies down on the mud while Thasos disappears under.
Shelley: Can Ghazeb, Shelley, and the goons get Thasos out?
GM: It is possible that Wolfgang may have inadvertently pushed Thasos down.
Shelley: We've got ST 19 without Ghazeb, probably ST 21ish with him?
Wolfgang: I'll pull him out now!
Shelley: 22? something like that.
GM: Right.
GM: Roll it, Shelley!
Generic Monster: (quicksand) [3d6.skill(16)] => [4,5,6] = 15 vs (16) or less Success! by 1 
Shelley: I'll guess 21, and we can add more later! [3d6.skill(21)] => [3,1,6] = 10 vs (21) or less Success! by 11 
GM: With a wrench and a pull, Thasos is dragged out of the muck, his ankle twisting painfully.
Narrator: Exhausted, the delvers spit muck and ooze out of their mouths and survey the situation. The strange light that lured them here is nowhere to be seen.
** Thasos finishes sputtering and gagging and looks around at the group that rescued him. **
** Ghazeb sighs with relief, finds a clear spot, sits down and begins cleaning himself. **
Shelley: (( I'm sure Ghazeb will claim complete responsibility for rescuing Thasos ))
** Thasos rolls his eyes. **
Thasos: ((and Thasos will blame him for twisting his ankle))
** Marik arrives with the rope. Slings it over his shoulder. Folds his arms. "Perhaps. Maybe. Next time the incredibly competent wilderness guide tells you 'you are about to step into a pool of quicksand'. You'll do something OTHER than dive right in, hm?" **
Shelley: "OK, would someone mind explaining what the crap just happened?"
Ghazeb: "Ghazeb just wishes the girl had been real." He lets out a long drawn out sigh.
** Marik turns away. "Who am I kidding? You'll probably jump in anyway and bring friends." He stalks off, muttering rude things in Elvish. **
Wolfgang: "Damm magical illusions"
Shelley: "What girl?"
Beltarne: "What girl, you madman?"
** Thasos shakes his head and makes the universal sign for crazy while pointing at Ghazeb. **
Ghazeb: "Well now Ghazeb knows it was an illusion but Ghazeb saw a very pretty tigerlady."
Wolfgang: "I saw the best suit of armor ever. Felt like it was just waiting for me"
Beltarne: "And you just figured a pretty tigerlady would be hanging out in the vine infested forest waiting for you! Are you daft!"
** Ghazeb shrugs. "Ghazeb was...." and trails off **
Shelley: "At least seeing the restless remains of previous travelers makes sense."
** Thasos just rolls his eyes at everyone else's idea of a tempting prize. **
Ghazeb: "Ghazeb wishes not talk about it. Let's get moving as soon as Wolfgang feels better."
Shelley: "Thasos, how's your leg? We didn't yank too yard did we?"
GM: Another 20 minutes pass before Wolfgang and Beltarne are well enough to travel.
GM: Where you guys going?
** Wolfgang makes sure to move well away from the trees before resting **
Thasos: ((yeah, how IS my ankle?))
Ghazeb: ((Did Wolfgang see anything when he went up before?))
Marik: Continue along the shoreline, trying to avoid the swampiest bits if possible, towards the tower.
Ghazeb: ((um Wolfgang))
GM: Thasos' ankle is sore, that's all.
Shelley: And dragging the giant vineman with us so I can animate it tonight.
Wolfgang: ((yes, guess you missed it, tower is 7-8 miles, need to go south to avoid the bay tho))
** Thasos puts weight on his foot and it seems to be alright. **
Ghazeb: ((our march is gonna be slow with both Thasos and me at /13 HP))
Thasos: yeah
Ghazeb: ((um 1/3rd))
Wolfgang: ((did you guys get any first aid done yet?))
Beltarne: "You whiners." Casts Minor Healing twice! [3d6.skill(16)] => [6,3,2] = 11 vs (16) or less Success! by 5 
[3d6.skill(16)] => [4,2,2] = 8 vs (16) or less Success! by 8 
Ghazeb: ((I asked about it but then I went wandering...))
Wolfgang: ((might want to either get minor heals and/or healing pots too))
GM: Heal 3 points each.
Ghazeb: hooray!
** Thasos feels much better now. **
Shelley: So PCs are fixed, corpses are looted (in more ways than one) and we flee from the willywisp.
Wolfgang: hazzah!
Shelley: I'm totally taking the crappy axes, by the way. They're backups until I find better backups.
Ghazeb: ((as long as the goon squad are the ones carrying them...))
GM: You guys head west, trailing the tree lines.
GM: A little after 4, Marik can make a group survival roll (plains) - at -7 for 7 living things in the group, +1 for each person who has Survival or Naturalist skill (Beltarne does!)
Shelley: Shelley does!
Shelley: Uh, wait.
Shelley: Is that a good default or a point?
GM: A point.
Marik: A point.
Shelley: Yep, it's a point!
Marik: Survival (Plains): [3d6.skill(16,-7+2)] => [2,4,2] = 8 vs (11) or less Success! by 3 
whispering to Marik, There's a large field of vines in your path - not a big deal, except Festering Dream Lotus flowers are growing on them. Passing through the field has a good chance of making everyone loopy or worse. 
** Marik looks at the field of vines ahead. "We'd best go around. It's a few miles out of our way, but that looks... dangerous. Especially for you people." **
Beltarne: "Why?"
Ghazeb: Vines equal bad.
Marik: "The flowers can put you to sleep or drive you crazy. Er."
Wolfgang: "Sounds bad"
Beltarne: "So its safe for Ghazeb or Thasos?"
Shelley: "Fabulous. Well, if anyone spots anything shiny, I can send Alpha in to look at it or something, but otherwise I say skip it."
** Ghazeb looks sideways at Thasos and pantomimes hitting Beltarne over the head. **
Marik: "I don't know if the flowers are worth anything, safely harvested."
Marik: "They could be useful to apothecaries. Maybe."
Marik: "Flowers that put people to sleep usually are."
Shelley: Alchemy/TL3 (11) [3d6.skill(11,0)] => [2,1,1] = 4 vs (11) or less Critical Success! by 7 [B556] 
Wolfgang: "Really, and how do you harvest them?"
Shelley: Are they useful? Do I find out something to help offset my lack of Hazardous Materials Handling?
Marik: "Not breathing is a start."
Shelley: Or a chance to spend one of those unspent points from character creation on Hazmat?
GM: Ah. Festering Dream Lotuses. Yes, they're very valuable. No, you don't know how to harvest them safely.
** Marik looks pointedly at the skeletons. **
Marik: *pointedly
Shelley: "Oh, well they can help with not breathing. Golems are GREAT at not breathing."
Ghazeb: "What will we store them in to keep from exposing ourselves in the future?"
Ghazeb: "Ghazeb is not looking forward to going mad in camp because we didn't seal them properly."
** Shelley ponders a shovel, some rope, and a leather bag. **
Wolfgang: "How valuable, worth their weight in gold or tin?"
Shelley: "Dragging an unearthed plant in a bag about 30 feet behind us is asking for trouble, isn't it..."
Beltarne: "Only to the wrong people, I think, Wolfgang."
** Thasos nods at Shelley. **
** Marik shrugs. "We'll note their location. If we come back this way, we can bring the right equipment." **
** Marik begins leading the party around the hazard. **
Wolfgang: "Yah, not sounding like a good profit making activity to me so far"
Shelley: "Even having a very small golem carry it 30 feet behind us is asking for trouble really. Although then we could have it bring it to bad people if they bothered us."
** Thasos follows Marik. **
** Ghazeb follows Marik. **
Wolfgang: "Yah, come back later, if we pass by"
** Wolfgang follows Marik **
** Shelley avoids the madness flowers, but is obviously trying to construct some sort of improvised flower containment apparatus in her head. Lacking Gadgeteer and all applicable skills, she's failing miserably. **
GM: Just before 6 pm, you read the edge of the bay. It's maybe a mile or so wide, with a river flowing into it from the southwest. The trees to the south are squat oaks and silvery yews, nearly viney free.
GM: err, vine free.
** Marik scouts the grove to see if it will make a good campsite. **
GM: More of the silvery yews line the river's bank on this side, while the far side is nearly entirely oaks.
** Shelley mutters something about articulated self-sealing bone jars. **
GM: It's not a grove - it's a change in the composition of the forest.
Marik: Ah.
Marik: Looks like a good place to camp anyway?
Marik: And wait - Marik heard something about elvish bowstaves being made out of wood around here somewhere.
GM: Well, as good as any. There's some marshy land to the north leading to the lake, silvery yew tree forest to the south, bay to the west, grass to the east on the shore of the lake.
Shelley: Yew's a traditional bow material.
Shelley: Just sayin.
Thasos: yep
GM: Well, it's 6 pm (in the game time) and after an eventful day, Wolfgang doesn't really want to march much farther.
GM: Maybe another hour if you have a plan to get across the bay or the river.
Marik: Oh hey!
Marik: Found the rumor.
Marik: "A grove of silver yew, the ultimate material for elven bowstaves,"
Marik: "grows in the forest south of Obsidian Lake."
Marik: "We'll camp here."
Wolfgang: "Jackpot?"
GM: ...
GM: my notes are reversed here.
GM: Doh.
Marik: Oh?
GM: The yew forest to the immediate south is white yew.
GM: Which admittedly makes perfectly decent longbows and sometimes produces stands of silver yew.
Marik: So it might be worth looking around for silver yew.
Marik: But the entire place isn't silver yew.
GM: Silver yew, on the other hand, can be made to produce Fine Elven Balanced Composite longbows.
GM: So, y'know... a difference.
Marik: ((Assuming we find some, I assume Armory (Missile Weapons) can be used to harvest it? I'm not expecting to make a fine elven balanced composite longbow in the field with skill-11, but I'd like to be able to correctly gather the materials for a few of them - one for me, and enough that the bowyer can make a few more for profit.))
GM: Well, possibly, yes.
Marik: Fantastic! Marik eats hurriedly and begins scouting around after camp is made.
Marik: ((He's even got great night vision, so he might just pull an all-nighter on this one.))
** Ghazeb whispers to Thasos, "You know what? Ghazeb thinks Marik was actually giddy!" **
** Shelley looks around suspiciously for willywisps. **
** Thasos gives Ghazeb an odd look and makes a drinking motion. **
Ghazeb: "Where do you think he hides it?"
** Thasos shrugs. **
** Shelley looks at Marik contemplatively. "He spends enough time 'scouting'..." **
GM: Alright. While everyone else sets up camp, Marik scurries off to the south-ish.
GM: Any particular direction or distance that Marik is going?
** Wolfgang cleans his armor again, damn quicksand **
Marik: ((Laugh now, but when I'm putting arrows through armored knights a quarter-mile away...))
Marik: Survival (Woods) to get a clue on where likely spots would be?
Marik: Otherwise, a systematic search through the yew up to a mile around the camp.
GM: Alright.
Shelley: Meanwhile, I'm resting, and then animating myself a giant plant zombie.
Marik: Is that 'alright, roll', or 'that skill doesn't help', or 'hidden roll', or?
** Thasos uses the downtime to meditate. **
** Wolfgang feels a sudden craving for popcorn **
GM: Looking stuff up.
GM: Sorry.
Marik: Thankya.
GM: You're not seeing much evidence of silver yew here, but suggestions of it to the south. Some of these trees may have been harvested at some point in the past.
** Marik heads south, trying his best to stay invisible. **
whispering to Marik, At the end of your first leg, you see three medium sized trees in the distance. They wouldn't be noticeable in a forest except for the way they glide across the ground, their branches passing through the branches of other trees, and the vague sensation that they have hundreds of eyes. 
GM: A few hours later, Marik returns without a wealth of wood in his hands.
GM: The rest of the night passes uneventfully.
Marik: "There are animate trees out there."
Marik: "It makes searching hard."
** Marik makes sure he keeps the fire small. **
Marik: "I'd like to spend part of tomorrow searching again - if we do find some silver yew and I can harvest it, it'd be worth hundreds. Possibly thousands."
GM: The next morning is the 7th day. It is the High Holy Day of Chaos, Shadow, and Wisdom.
Shelley: Should I be rolling Zombie?
Shelley: I'm totally waiting until the mana stabilizes before doing it.
GM: Yes! Is this on the thorn lion or the big vineman?
GM: Sure, sure.
Shelley: Big Vineman, thumbs are awesome.
Wolfgang: "Want help cutting wood Marik?"
Shelley: Zombie (Deathly) (16) [3d6.skill(16,0)] => [2,5,5] = 12 vs (16) or less Success! by 4 for [8] => 8 FP
Marik: "If we can find it, very probably."
** Wolfgang is good at carrying stuff and cutting **
Shelley: "If we've got walking trees, should I be careful with my assembly of autonomous axemen here?"
GM: Also, the winds are heavy, up around 20-25 mph, so ranged attacks take a -1 to hit per 50 yards and flying speed to the west is reduced by 5mph (assumes some tacking and such).
Marik: "Alliteration aside, axes aren't an issue."
GM: What's the plan?
Marik: Search for silver yew!
Marik: Unless there are objections.
Wolfgang: go cut wood and animate freaky vinemen?
Shelley: I did the animation last night before sleeping.
Wolfgang: ah
Ghazeb: Break down camp and wait for Marik to return.
Shelley: Apparently we're delaying to look for greenwood treasures. Obsession objects? [3d6.skill(12)] => [3,4,2] = 9 vs (12) or less Success! by 3 
** Shelley grumbles about delaying for twigs when a gentleman's soul suffers. **
Beltarne: "There's a soul in danger! We should rescue him. And how much did you say this wood is worth?"
Marik: "Hundreds. Possibly thousands."
Marik: "Just one of these bows can fetch more money than we made on our last trip to Polisberg."
Shelley: Poor man. Torn in twain by conflicting contracts.
Shelley: *contracts
Wolfgang: "Thousands sounds worth a detour"
Marik: "And frankly, Scydd has been dead a while. Another day is not going to make a difference."
** Thasos nods as even he agrees to the detour. **
Beltarne: "Right, right! Restless souls can definitely way another day or three."
Marik: Unless the others stop him, Marik is happy to comb every inch of the yew woods looking for this wood.
** Shelley will grumble. And the longer it takes, the more she's going to grumble. But if we find anything she'll probably offer skeletal woodcutters just to speed things up. **
** Wolfgang will try for a while at least **
GM: Just as a note - depending on where you stand on the lakeshore, you can barely make out a square tower rising out of the forest to the west, just on the edge of the horizon. It has tall spires on each corner.
** Ghazeb welcomes the opportunity to catch a quick nap...or four. **
whispering to Ghazeb, You've seen that tower before - on the road from Shigrad, about 18 or 19 days travel west of here. 
GM: Ghazeb has a whisper.
GM: What's the plan?
Marik: See above: Comb every inch of the yew woods looking for the silver yew.
Marik: Unless stopped.
GM: Well, you spent 4 hours combing the mile radius immediately south of you.
Wolfgang: we'll try at least a few hours, see if there is any to find
Marik: I'll happily go farther south if I think that's helpful.
Shelley: Mark, tell me when I make more Self Control rolls.
Ghazeb: "Ghazeb thinks he has seen the tower before. But it was quite a ways west of here."
Marik: Marik already covered most of the immediate area, so ranging farther this time makes sense.
Ghazeb: "Near Shigrad."
GM: Shelley's good for a half-day.
GM: So. Due south. southeast. southwest? How far?
Marik: South, a couple of miles.
Thasos: absolute direction: do we seem to have moved east rather than west?
GM: Ghazeb and Marik (only them) need to make Hiking rolls.
GM: Thasos does not believe he's teleported recently. He's vaguely familiar with the experience.
Marik: Hiking: [3d6.skill(14,0)] => [2,2,3] = 7 vs (14) or less Success! by 7 
Ghazeb: Hiking: [3d6.skill(12)] => [4,3,4] = 11 vs (12) or less Success! by 1 
GM: You move south, crossing a small stream. Everyone can make Vision -6 rolls except Wolfgang who flies over as usual.
GM: Everyone moves south.
Marik: Perception: [3d6.skill(16,+2-6)] => [1,1,2] = 4 vs (12) or less Critical Success! [B556]
Ghazeb: Perception: [3d6.skill(11,-6)] => [4,1,5] = 10 vs (5) or less Failure! by 5 
Shelley: Per (12) [3d6.skill(12,-3)] => [3,2,1] = 6 vs (9) or less Success! by 3 
Shelley: er, -6 not -3
Shelley: But that's success by 0!
GM: Again, Marik casually glides through the sharp obsidian rocks lining the river. Ghazeb steps on two of them, taking [1d6-2] => [6,-2] = (4) and [1d6-2] => [2,-2] = (0) cutting to the bottom of his feet.
Thasos: Vision (11) [3d6.skill(11,-6)] => [2,2,2] = 6 vs (5) or less Failure! by 1 
Beltarne: Perception! [3d6.skill(14,-6)] => [2,6,5] = 13 vs (8) or less Failure! by 5 
GM: Thasos also takes [1d6-2] => [4,-2] = (2) cutting damage to the bottom of his feet, and Beltarne takes [1d6-3] => [4,-3] = (1) and [1d6-3] => [2,-3] = (-1)
Ghazeb: "Ow, ow, ow. And you thought Ghazeb was slow before."
Shelley: Does Ghazeb have any boots at all?
GM: Yes, so he only takes 3 points.
Shelley: Or was that including his DR?
Ghazeb: Back down to 4hp tho...slowed again
Beltarne: "Watch your step!" First aid on Ghazeb [3d6.skill(14)] => [4,3,4] = 11 vs (14) or less Success! by 3 
Beltarne: Heals [1d6] => [4] = (4)
Ghazeb: Will that heal 4 or just the 3 I took...plus did we heal a point from sleeping?
Thasos: so i managed to avoid damage entirely
GM: Resting overnight isn't sufficient.
GM: And you only heal 3.
GM: Beltarne can cast healing spells on you later, but right now he's in bad shape.
Ghazeb: ((just trying to keep hp current thanks))
GM: At about 9 am, you reach a small lake. Marik thinks the grove may be somewhere to the south/southwest, but not close yet - at least a few more hours.