- Balthazar’s Summary Corner
We retire. We awaken to a drizzly, foggy morning. A deciduous forest huddles behind us as we eye the lonely island that still looms in our minds, despite its relatively flat topography. Branwen doffs her gear and plunges into the still water. Her stroke is strong and she makes quick progress before we lose her in the fog. It takes some time, but the rest of us manage to forage some suitable dead logs and boughs to help us across. We manage to reach the island with some embarrassment, and forge ahead through the briar roses along the path hewn by Branwen’s sword. Two large Rose Giants approach languidly, as if to mock us with their lack of urgency. We engage, fighting ensues, and the victor is as yet undetermined; however, I will say who it was after this sentence.
- Branwen Shapes Water As Balz mentioned, Branwen decides to dives into the water and swims across alone. Things happen there while the rest of us find lunch.
Silas communes with nature to find a hidey hole in which we can stow our stuff. He finds not much except a large downed tree under which we can stuff our belongings. Storr, Balz and Silas decide to noodle our way over. It takes most of all of the morning to drag deadwood down to the shore and get going. As this si our decision, we need to leave our camping gear. We can take two weapons. Storr drags some logs to the shore (25 athletics), Silas rides on one (6).
Branwen meanwhile arrives back to shore, looking ragged (she has taken one level of exhaustion. She tells us she got hit upside the head.
Branwen’s report:
Arrived at the island, rose briars. Cut through rolling intimidation. As she got through the briars, she heard a sound, or two,and they converged together into two figures approached. 10 - 15 feet tall, humanoid, moving slowly but deliberately toward her. She said hi. They swung a fist. There is strength and power. The smell is earthy. Things are dirty and earthy. Was it a giant that was rolling around in a briar batch? Maybe. Hit once, missed twice. And she gtfo of there. As she left, she realized the briards were moving, seemingly searching for her.
Now we have our lunch, and a good one at that. Crab rangoons, they were hearty.
Branwen sits by the fire that we made. We agree to stay put for the next 24 hours to let Br shed her exhaustion.
We discuss how to approach the island and why these entities might have been hostile. Maybe Br’s hacking at the thickets was the provocation. S, Balz, Si, and K build a raft by lashing logs together. Silas (nat 20 let’s go), Balz: 6, Storr: 7.
Silas gets together a bunch of sticks, making layers, getting things going. Storr is kind of helpful, but Silas is like, just let me do it or listen to what I’m saying. Balz and Storr eventually resort to talking about how they are like pirates and goofing off. Silas is getting annoyed and progress is taking long. At the end of the day, we have a raft. Parts are secure, parts are less secure. Silas is huffing around. He suspects the raft will probably make it to the island, but everything will probably not be dry given the raft we’ve created. It is also rainy and foggy.
Balz plans to lie prostrate perpendicular to the boards. Storr poses like washington crossing the delaware.
- Our Drenched Mourning Sojourn and Ensuing Em-battle-sment We short rest. Br feels better (no exhaustion) and uses a hit die.
Still raining. Upgraded to drizzle from rain.
We’re paddlin’… unstable parts of the raft start to fall apart. K and B hop in the water and and kick behind. Storr falls off while Krambler does not. Storr swims the rest of the way and finds the shore rocky, the water deep, and the hedge of briar rose but a place to the left where Branwen may have cut into the under brush.
We make it to where Bran landed, follow the path she cut in through the briars.
We encounter Rose elementals (?) who approach us. We are fighting.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Silas bears out, manages to hold onto his beechstaff and rolls THREE CRITS IN A ROW, totalling 22 damage (8+8+6)
- Beyond 20 seems to be broken tonight
- Branwen whiffs with Gale and gets thumped.
- These roses hit HARD. Our rolls are generally MIDDLING.
- So Branwen starts blasting, then misty steps away. She’s done 2 damage so far!