SE04 EP09 - Run Or Fight

[00:00:02] Speaker A: Welcome, friends and adventurers, to another episode of Dungeons and Blackguards. I am your dungeon master, Rob Ulon. Joining me in no particular order are the players. Brandon. [00:00:17] Speaker B: I am Ekaruk unshlay, half orc, level six bloodhunter. [00:00:23] Speaker A: Calo. [00:00:24] Speaker C: I am Kaito Otaka. I have an axe. [00:00:28] Speaker D: I am a warforged barbarian hobo. [00:00:33] Speaker E: Hey, I'm Steve Tedman. I am a level five gloom stalker. [00:00:37] Speaker F: Ranger, level one rogue. And I have a magic hour multiclasser. [00:00:43] Speaker A: I'm Antsyden. [00:00:46] Speaker F: I'm Brayden. I am playing bella de garde, level six half elf warlock. [00:00:58] Speaker A: Previously on dungeons and blackguards. The party commandeers four war horses and flees the center of the city and the chaos they have created. Guided by Steves Owl familiar stolas, they do not remain long on horseback, dismounting and sending their steeds galloping away through the streets as a diversion to confound their many pursuers. As the four adventurers make to escape over the walls, shouts and bloodthirsty screams indicate their presence will not be soon forgotten. They rappel down into the dark fields outside the fortified city, but not yet beyond the tracking range of the gnoll hunters and warriors hot on their trail. [00:01:56] Speaker E: Rob, we are in the middle of the night. Correct time wise, during the day or night? [00:02:01] Speaker C: It's dusk, I think. [00:02:03] Speaker D: Correct. You're looking at now eight coming on 815. The time, or rather the season of the year, means the dusk was now an hour and a half ago. And now the first moon is up in the sky. Partially cloudy light is escaping the city and the towers. So you are partially lit, but it is not anywhere near midnight, Steve. [00:02:33] Speaker E: Yeah. So not dark dark. [00:02:35] Speaker C: No. [00:02:38] Speaker E: So they're tracking us by scent. [00:02:40] Speaker C: Yeah. The gnolls on us do not have torches. They are, like, tracking us. Yeah. [00:02:49] Speaker E: Steve wants to look for the closest place to mar our scent. I assume it's probably one of the fens or the bogs. I'm looking for, like, particularly boggy areas. Real stinky, sloppy shit that we can. [00:03:05] Speaker F: We're not going to pee on our feet. [00:03:07] Speaker E: We could also piss all over our feet. [00:03:13] Speaker D: Steve, would you like to roll a perception? As you'll recall this moment, you have escaped northwestwards already towards the river Pulba. And I think, like we just mentioned, there is a creek running roughly north south. So would you like to roll a perception, Steve, to see sort of what might the path be between both the river and the. The creek that you guys are near? [00:03:50] Speaker E: Sure. [00:03:51] Speaker D: Rob? [00:03:51] Speaker E: I also fucked up Steve's passive perception isn't 15, it's 18. The boy sees a lot. [00:03:57] Speaker D: Oh, wow. [00:03:59] Speaker E: All right. God damn it. I love this die. It's a national 20. [00:04:05] Speaker F: Jesus. [00:04:08] Speaker D: Right? [00:04:08] Speaker C: Fuck those yellow die. [00:04:09] Speaker E: I love this yellow die gate. So natural. 20. Add my perception. 28. So I see everything. [00:04:20] Speaker D: Okay, party, you have Steve pointing out directly to the west a small depression in the boggy landscape here that clearly is a creek. And beside it and along it, several dark and deep muddy impressions. But the whole area that you guys are on sort of rolls from these ridges and little glades of trees that are well established to low lands with reeds and sort of low shrubbery coming up to your knees, and there you are. [00:05:05] Speaker B: Should be in the creek then. We want to get rid of the scent. [00:05:10] Speaker E: So, yeah, I guess Steve. Steve, by this is kind of his game now. He's out of the city. This is what he's done his entire life. Knowing that these gnolls are following us by scent, Steve wants to get rid of their ability to track him by scent. So I think, yeah, going to a. To a body of water, especially if we can find something that's got, like, some funk to it. I think we can probably break our scent off. Barring that, we can piss all over each other's feet, and the ammonia in our piss should break our scent from whatever they're collecting. [00:05:50] Speaker F: Bell Lake. Smart enough to just follow Steve at this point. [00:05:54] Speaker B: So are we hitting towards the creek then? [00:05:56] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:05:57] Speaker E: Yeah, I think that's where Steve would go. [00:06:03] Speaker D: As you guys. As you guys make for the creek, I believe you are still under the pass without trace, so please party. A stealth roll that you're very accustomed to now. Plus ten. And we're aiming for. It's been fairly consistent. I need you all group over 120. [00:06:32] Speaker E: Rob, did we get any extra inspiration from last time? [00:06:38] Speaker D: Where's my little blue post it note here? [00:06:40] Speaker F: That's a good question. It's a 24 for me because I will use it. [00:06:47] Speaker D: Bella, you would be using your one that you earned from the invention of active camouflage. [00:06:56] Speaker F: I will happily use that because this was a one. [00:07:00] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:07:01] Speaker D: Now, what's the fresh roll there, Bella? [00:07:03] Speaker C: You've earned it. [00:07:05] Speaker F: Uh, three to a 15. [00:07:11] Speaker D: Okay. Uh, Steve, my role is. [00:07:16] Speaker B: Oh, actually, mine's a 26. Sorry, I forgot to have my stealth modifier. [00:07:21] Speaker D: 26 for rook. [00:07:24] Speaker F: Oh, you can still pull it through, Steve. [00:07:26] Speaker E: Steve is 37. [00:07:28] Speaker F: All right, you did pull it through. [00:07:30] Speaker D: And kai toa, not 20. [00:07:33] Speaker C: Stealth is plus one. Plus ten, so 31. [00:07:38] Speaker E: Oh, welcome to the 30 club. [00:07:40] Speaker C: Yes. [00:07:43] Speaker D: Yeah. 109. Fucking. Hey. I mean, with this skill check, you, you guys essentially passed it. So now I'm going to give you the benefit of being able to look over your shoulder and see those two groups of just three nulls each. And it seems like, you know, one has dismounted and one is there on the ridge with breath in the cold night air. And they seem to be where the party was last. Second group is about 300ft away to the north. And you cannot now see back to the foot of the walls where you dropped down. You rappelled down and had your, your little crash there. What are you doing? [00:08:42] Speaker F: Continue to the bog or the stream. [00:08:46] Speaker C: So if the party moves across the stream, I take it we can move. [00:08:52] Speaker F: With the stream too. [00:08:53] Speaker E: We're crossing the stream. [00:08:55] Speaker C: So I'm going to move, I'm going to fall back to the last member to move. I'm also going to grab a bit of brush. [00:09:04] Speaker D: Okay. [00:09:05] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:09:07] Speaker D: It is roughly equidistant between where you are now as you leave the shoulder of this low ridge. You're crossing between a glade with several large clumps of trees and a small boggy area. And there is the creek about 200, 5300ft away behind you. Equidistant are these pursuing, tracking, hunting gnolls. [00:09:37] Speaker C: So I'm gonna move downstream 20ft in the stream and then I'm gonna cross river and I'm gonna use the brush to start to brush away my footprints. And I cross back where the party crossed and I'm gonna start brushing away footprints with twigs and reeds to make them seem like we've gone downstream. [00:10:01] Speaker D: Okay, I might have you roll something on this, but let us see what the rest of the party is doing in this moment. As we'll say, you have definitely made it to the small sandy embankment. And this is a very small little creek. [00:10:19] Speaker F: I just want to hop in the stream and instead of like going down first and then back up, I'm gonna hop in the stream and walk along a little bit. [00:10:28] Speaker B: Yeah. Gonna hop across to the other side of the creek. [00:10:33] Speaker D: So we have one, two, cross the creek. Beleg and rook, did I hear correctly? [00:10:41] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:10:42] Speaker D: Into the creek. [00:10:44] Speaker F: Yeah. And I like walking along the creek. [00:10:47] Speaker D: Okay, so still north, westwards or west. The construct is making already a diversion. [00:10:53] Speaker C: Yeah. Under seas, passive trace. [00:10:59] Speaker F: Yep. [00:11:00] Speaker E: We all have to be within 30ft of me or else you lose it. [00:11:03] Speaker B: I'm gonna make sure that I'm staying within that 30ft when I do this. And. [00:11:07] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:11:10] Speaker D: All right. Well then, Kaitoa and rook. Well, rook, you have no problem clearing the small creek here, you would already be on the other side, but yes, party staying close enough to Steve, but I would assume right now you're essentially all at the extremities of where you could be. And so let's check in. Steve, what are you doing? As you do see, the party, you know, begin to take three slightly different courses of action. [00:11:40] Speaker E: I'm just. I'm just making sure that I'm kind of in a centralized area that'll allow everyone to kind of stay in. But it seems we're crossing most. Most of us are at least entering this creek, so I'll just do the same. [00:11:58] Speaker B: I'm going to make sure I'm falling lockstep with and bell egg and stink in proximity with Steve. [00:12:07] Speaker D: Yeah, sounds good. [00:12:08] Speaker E: I guess the other thing that I'm gonna be doing, I since recalled Stolas. I'm gonna call him back to us. I'm basically drop out of the poncho again, just so he's around. [00:12:20] Speaker D: Okay, now, this is Stolas you have sent almost like a third of a mile away. [00:12:26] Speaker E: Yeah, I assume I've recalled him, but I'm not quite sure if that would be the case or not. [00:12:30] Speaker D: Oh, yeah. I think last time we had you roll on wisdom to try and essentially summon him back simply with your thoughts. [00:12:40] Speaker E: I'm going to try and summon him back. [00:12:43] Speaker D: And then, Steve. Yeah. Hmm. I think you'll roll wisdom to see if you can have a Stolas, a refresh recall. [00:12:53] Speaker F: Ha ha ha. [00:12:57] Speaker C: Gan Kraggin. [00:13:00] Speaker E: So that is. It's just a wisdom check, right? [00:13:04] Speaker D: Wisdom check. [00:13:06] Speaker E: Okay, 16 altogether. [00:13:09] Speaker D: There is not the feeling in your mind, Steve, that Stolas has vortexed back to your position. There is clearly the feeling as you search out into the night sky, that at the moment, Stolas is in their physical form not far away. But you do not have an instant popping in of your summoned owl familiar. [00:13:42] Speaker B: From my vantage point, can I see back where we came from and see any dolls? [00:13:51] Speaker D: Rook, as you look back, you see Steve in a moment of quiet contemplation, looking southwards down the route of the creek, you see Beleg just momentarily enter the creek, and it seems like he has just gotten his boots wet. Kaitoa, I'm not sure yet if you have started your march back towards the party. But, Rook, you do now see all four groups of three gnolls tracking the party. And in the moonlight and against the light of the city, you can see them quite well. The nearest two groups are only about 250 to 300ft away, and they are moving actually quite quickly in the party's general direction. [00:14:51] Speaker C: I'm on my way back to the party trying to fake a downstream movement. [00:14:59] Speaker D: Okay. And then Kai Chiwa on your way back, can I just quickly have you roll survival or deception, whichever you prefer. I think we can successfully say that you've managed to create, you know, not funny. Oh, sweet. You managed to hop back quickly without disturbing a new path. And we'll say about 15 or 20ft of a diversionary path has been made. And then you would be roughly rejoining where Steve and beleague are at the western bank of this small creek. [00:15:37] Speaker F: The creek. [00:15:38] Speaker D: The creek, yeah. [00:15:41] Speaker C: Finally. [00:15:43] Speaker F: So we're gonna head west still by. [00:15:47] Speaker E: By all accounts, by seeing these knolls moving towards us. Are they. They're coming directly towards us like they've got a bead on us. [00:15:57] Speaker D: Steve, if you are looking over your shoulder, you can confirm as the half orc who is slightly higher than you guys is looking out eastward. You also can confirm there are two groups clearly making in the party's direction. And there are two quite a bit further back that don't seem to be alerted yet to whatever these tracking knowles have been alerted to. [00:16:26] Speaker C: Let's keep going west because I just made a diversion. [00:16:30] Speaker B: So before I do, I'm going to pee on my feet because Rook gets down like that. [00:16:38] Speaker F: Bell egg, is pee shy constitution safe to see if I can pee? [00:16:46] Speaker B: It's got a little stage right. [00:16:48] Speaker C: The gun try or is or is. [00:16:50] Speaker F: That a performance check? [00:16:52] Speaker D: It depends. Well, if I would say performance check. If Rookie is essentially leading the fountain crew here, then I bellic you would see a stream of piss and steam going, I'm gonna walk through it. [00:17:10] Speaker F: That way I don't have to pee. I'm locked in Rook's piss. [00:17:15] Speaker B: I get turned to him as NP and be like, I can do it on your shoes too, bud. [00:17:20] Speaker F: Hit me up. [00:17:25] Speaker B: I'll turn to Bel egg and pee on his feet. [00:17:29] Speaker F: Was that. Was that asparagus you had earlier today? [00:17:35] Speaker E: Yeah, I guess that was. That was brunch. Asparagus and beets and holidays. There we go. Well, luckily Steve's one of the few people that can't smell after asparagus pee. So he's good. [00:17:51] Speaker F: Oh, he's got that good genetic gene. [00:17:53] Speaker E: Yeah, doesn't matter. Doesn't matter. To Steve Rook. [00:17:57] Speaker D: You will recall the boots that you bought in lantern have a special property which will make these boots actually not stink like piss afterwards for they are odor repellent. Bellic. I cannot say the same about your leather boots. These things are gonna have that orc piss smell on them for some time. [00:18:22] Speaker F: All right. [00:18:23] Speaker E: That's a strong. [00:18:24] Speaker D: You're welcome, Kaitoa and my friend Steve. As you guys see, Beleg and rook there at the top of the embankment, putting a little bit of distance between you. What are you doing? [00:18:39] Speaker E: They're just pissing on each other's feet over there. It'd be the best time for Steven. You're like, that was just a joke. They can still smell through the piss, but no. Yeah, I didn't know. I think you guys would actually take that literally. [00:18:56] Speaker F: Oh, shit. [00:18:58] Speaker E: He's on his feet too. [00:19:02] Speaker F: And then Kaitoa looks sad because he can't pee. [00:19:05] Speaker C: Yeah, I don't think I just. [00:19:08] Speaker E: Holding my piece. Look at Kai is like, oh, you want to. You want a bit of this, too? [00:19:15] Speaker D: No. [00:19:16] Speaker C: And I just, like, grab some mud and start rubbing it on me. [00:19:20] Speaker F: See, I'm feeling comfortable with that orc peacemall because I know Kaitoa can steam clean it for me once we're all out of this shit. [00:19:29] Speaker C: Yeah. I'm just gonna be like, this is weird, but I'm just gonna coat myself in mud to blend in. Based on my military background, I'm gonna try and think about camouflage and try and blend in. [00:19:46] Speaker D: Well, Katowa, there is a dark. There is a very dark mud available to you here quite plentifully. And party, are you now clearing the creek and making your way sort of up away from the swampier lower area to this slightly more raised, more drained area that looks like it will lead to, you know, much tighter glades and pockets of trees. [00:20:18] Speaker E: Yes, indeed. [00:20:19] Speaker B: Yeah, that's the way to go. [00:20:23] Speaker C: So I'm gonna follow the party also, like, using my, like, brush broom to kind of cut our tracks as we go. So I'm basically just doing the Zamboni as we go into the woods. [00:20:38] Speaker F: I'm picturing that. That little robot in wall e that constantly follows people cleaning up their muddy boot tracks. [00:20:45] Speaker C: Yeah, I'm gonna scurry about just cleaning up footprints. [00:20:51] Speaker D: Okay, Kaito, and would you say you are facing backwards looking back along the party's trail or looking forwards? [00:21:00] Speaker E: No. [00:21:00] Speaker C: Looking back. I'm definitely observing who's following us. [00:21:05] Speaker D: Well, then you see three riders, these knolls that have crested over the nearest ridge, and then one dismounted knoll, clearly a tracker bearing a longbow. And there are two mounted knolls along with them. And these ones now are closing in on exactly where the party was just moments ago. Only now, about 175ft away. Okay, party, um, what you doing? [00:21:42] Speaker C: As I'm like, brushing our tracks upstream, I'm actually just. Because I'm covered in mud and doing my best like Arnie and Predator, I'm just gonna lay down in this mud bank and watch them to see if they, like, take the bait on going downstream or if they cross the tracks and come after us. [00:22:06] Speaker D: Okay, rest of the party, you have seen kaitoa kind of melt in to that sandy wall there. And he is quite well disguised in a layer of improvised mud. What you doing? [00:22:24] Speaker E: I get to pull 30ft of him and then I, uh, I also stealth into the mud or become, become one with the, uh, the environment, so to speak. [00:22:41] Speaker D: Then you would be also Steve. Not quite up away from this creek, but actually still within sort of visual and striking distance of where you just left it. [00:22:53] Speaker F: Just to see if the trap works. That means we're giving them 200ft of ground to be gained here. [00:23:00] Speaker B: We move towards the thick trees. Shouldn't we, we get more coverage? [00:23:05] Speaker F: I think we should just keep moving and hope that the distraction works opposed to waiting around. Cause they're still 200ft away. And if we're hanging out just on the other side of the embankment to see 30ft away, if we move. [00:23:19] Speaker E: If I move more than 30ft away from Kaitoa, he loses. [00:23:23] Speaker F: I know, I'm, I'm saying Kaitoa, we shouldn't wait here. We should keep moving so that they can't gain ground on us. [00:23:30] Speaker B: I agree. Let's roll to the forest. [00:23:36] Speaker F: Keep rolling west. Yeah, I'm gonna keep moving regardless of if I move. Lose the, the stealth. [00:23:43] Speaker E: Yeah, yeah. I'm trying to keep as many people within that stealth field. [00:23:47] Speaker F: Oh, totally. [00:23:48] Speaker C: I'll keep up on the tail end of that stealth. [00:23:51] Speaker F: All right, let's keep moving to the thicker groves. [00:23:55] Speaker B: Yes, sir. [00:23:57] Speaker D: All right, can everybody roll stealth, please? [00:24:03] Speaker F: That's a 22. [00:24:04] Speaker D: This is with plus ten. Yep. Yeah. [00:24:07] Speaker F: That's a 22. [00:24:08] Speaker C: Mm hmm. [00:24:09] Speaker F: My best roll of the day. [00:24:10] Speaker C: It was a ten seven. [00:24:14] Speaker E: This is the worst stealth roll I've done so far. You know what? I'm going to use that inspiration because I want more stuff. That's better. So Steve is 33, 27. [00:24:30] Speaker D: That'll be fine. [00:24:31] Speaker F: 227 to 33 and a 22. [00:24:34] Speaker D: Yeah. Rook in the clinch position there. So you guys have had a momentary chat. You see three of your pursuers massively close the distance between where they were on that last ridge to wherever they would be encountering some sort of low, boggy ground and making for the creek. What was the party did the party reach a collective action? [00:25:12] Speaker E: Yeah, we're all moving on westward as far as I know. [00:25:18] Speaker D: Then. Stephen, Kaitoa, are you still just a step behind Rook and Bellic, but actually now abandoning your muddy recon position? [00:25:30] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:25:31] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:25:31] Speaker C: In order to keep stealth in the party, we moved on. [00:25:35] Speaker D: Okay, so the stealth roll that we just did there will carry you guys up and beyond that small embankment. And you are now virtually at a group of large, mostly leafless trees. [00:25:53] Speaker B: Do we keep moving through the trees? Don't you? [00:25:57] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:25:57] Speaker E: Do we eventually want to get up to the river? Like the east west river up north? [00:26:05] Speaker F: Yeah, I like that idea. [00:26:07] Speaker B: That's the river Pulba, isn't it, Rook? [00:26:11] Speaker D: You can see the river Pulba, and that just seems so. I'm gonna give you inspiration, Rook. [00:26:22] Speaker B: Yeah, like it. [00:26:25] Speaker D: You have correctly noted that the creek terminates here in a small, small little delta, little wetland here. And that is the familiar river Polba, running roughly east west from Pol to Ize. And guys, as you shared that quick word together about your next move, you know, whether you're maybe heading north or wherever, and Rook has indicated to the party where there is the river, the stamping of these three war horses with knolls atop them comes very, very near. And, guys, just as you're reaching the first of the. The trees, the knolls are upon the position where you were crossing the creek. [00:27:19] Speaker B: Well, I think we head towards the. Through the trees. [00:27:23] Speaker F: We're heading towards the river Pulpa. Yeah, northwest. Change our direction a little bit easier. That's what we do. Rob. [00:27:31] Speaker D: Guys, you are hearing some communication between these knolls down near the creek. And there seems to be a discussion going on. Just reaching the party's ears for it is very quiet here. Oh, and it sounds like they are furiously searching. You cannot be sure because they are just below, you know, that small embankment. So you may see. Yes, you've seen that they have dismounted and there seems to be one remaining on horseback and two have dismounted and are moving about the creek party. What are you doing? [00:28:19] Speaker F: Keeping on. Moving on? [00:28:21] Speaker B: Yeah, we're moving. Where was it? Northwest to the grouper. [00:28:25] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:28:27] Speaker D: Okay. Well, if you're moving as a group, then I'll assume that Steve is taking, you know, precautions to keep you guys relatively nearby. And you would be again now 60ft closer to the banks of the river Pulba, which are approximately another 60ft away. Can everybody make a stealth roll, please? Still under the past without trace. [00:29:02] Speaker F: 21. I'm not rolling anything higher than ten today. [00:29:07] Speaker E: 29 minus just about as good as it can get. 38. [00:29:13] Speaker B: 26. [00:29:15] Speaker D: Okay, the party is now seeing the banks of the river Pulba. If you are continuing to dash, you now have these last stands of thin trees. You are now exiting down off of this slightly raised area back down to the sandy banks, the southern banks of the river Pulba. And as you scramble down and you, you land there, all four of you, in some rough pebbles. There is a bit of still that low, boggy area off to your right. You have now again put some visual barrier between you and that creekside that you just left. All is quiet. Now, party, you have made it there to the banks. 15 more feet. You are getting into the river pulba. And there is about a. Yeah, but a five foot embankment that you have clambered down. And I'm actually gonna mute myself real quick and go already freshen a beer. It's our first intermission, gang. [00:30:33] Speaker C: Let's get this river. [00:30:35] Speaker B: We're just gonna raft it. Tatoa, are you gonna build another planky? [00:30:41] Speaker C: I don't think we have time to build a plank. [00:30:46] Speaker F: Depends on which direction the river flows to. [00:30:48] Speaker B: Yeah. I wonder. Trying to remember where pole bays from here. [00:30:52] Speaker F: Pole is north west. [00:30:55] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:30:56] Speaker B: Pole biz. West. [00:30:58] Speaker E: Yeah. Yeah. West northwest. I guess a little bit further up the. [00:31:02] Speaker B: Further up the river. [00:31:04] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:31:04] Speaker B: Do we want to be going back. [00:31:06] Speaker E: To pulp or we want to, uh, I guess so. Do we probably want to let them know that, uh, the city's overrun with weird gnolls that don't act like gnolls, so. [00:31:19] Speaker F: Yeah, we can go back to pole if, as long as we can make it. Though. My issue, like, it took us, what, two days to ride horse to polt. [00:31:27] Speaker B: To is sure to. [00:31:29] Speaker F: Is like, that's gonna take us a long ass time to get there. [00:31:33] Speaker B: Um, we could always huff it and see if we can't get some horses along the way. But, I mean, that's what I'm. What direction should we be going? If we hop into the river, then we're going less. [00:31:46] Speaker E: I mean, we could, we could do it, like, pull a zag and then go back towards it. Steal the boat. [00:31:53] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:31:53] Speaker E: Instead of going west, we go east, get a boat and then go west. [00:31:59] Speaker C: But if we're caught, we're really fat. [00:32:02] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:32:03] Speaker E: I assume they, they know where we're coming from. I assume they'll figure that we are going back to pole. [00:32:12] Speaker F: My vote would be if we can confirm that we've lost the knolls. I think it'd be best to have a long rest first. And foremost, can we do it safely, though? [00:32:25] Speaker C: So I think the best option would be to, like, build a raft, send it downstream, hopefully send the gnolls after it, and we just, like, sit back and have a long rest. [00:32:41] Speaker E: I don't know if we'll be able to build a raft in this situation. I don't think we've gotten rid of the. [00:32:48] Speaker F: No, no. But I think as soon as we do get rid of them, a long rest would be beneficial. [00:32:54] Speaker C: So how do we get rid of them? [00:32:57] Speaker F: We just have to keep moving west. I doubt they're gonna chase us for four or five days all the way to pole. [00:33:04] Speaker C: Dude, they're, like, abnormal gnolls. They will. I feel like they're gonna hunt us until they're dead. [00:33:14] Speaker E: If there's only six of them, though. [00:33:16] Speaker F: So we could kill them. [00:33:17] Speaker E: Yeah, we can definitely whoop them. [00:33:19] Speaker C: That is true. [00:33:20] Speaker F: Like, I'd be happy. [00:33:21] Speaker E: My only worry is that, you know, but we're still so close that if they raise the alarm, there's going to be a whole lot more that are going to come in. [00:33:28] Speaker F: Yeah, I think we should keep moving west along the riverbank for a little bit longer, but I think we have to stop before we get all the way to pole. That's a long fucking way. [00:33:42] Speaker D: Okay, so, guys, in this moment, what have you done? As the water surges in front of you, and as things are extremely quiet in this moment, eerily so. [00:34:02] Speaker C: I think. [00:34:02] Speaker E: Steve is posting up, um, on the edge of that. I just want to see where. If those gnolls are still following us or not. [00:34:12] Speaker D: So you guys are now on this side of the embankment, correct? [00:34:16] Speaker B: Yes, sir. [00:34:19] Speaker C: You're on that north side of the index. [00:34:23] Speaker D: Yeah. You have now lost view of your. [00:34:27] Speaker C: Pursuers, and the river is flowing east to west, correct. [00:34:34] Speaker D: Flowing to the sea. [00:34:37] Speaker C: Right. [00:34:37] Speaker B: Where do you want to go? Hey, Rob, with my, um, history of kind of sailing and maps and education from here, can I recall, and also walking the trail from pole to is. Can I recall, is pole due west from us along the river here as we go out towards sea? Or is it back north from us? [00:35:03] Speaker D: It's virtually directly west. A little to the north. I mean, Iz is certainly a more southerly city. Yeah, it's, you know, about a day and a half ride, maybe three days by foot. So three leagues away, and the road runs roughly alongside to the south of the river pulp almost all the way. In some cases, it's a mile away from the river, and in some cases, it is right along the banks. [00:35:37] Speaker B: Okay, I'm going to suggest that we either continue to walk along the riverbank, or we find something to ride on down the river towards back towards Poland. [00:35:50] Speaker F: Max plank, where are you now? [00:35:54] Speaker C: Uh, so if you guys can build, like, a makeshift raft, I don't need to breathe, so I could be the anchor. [00:36:06] Speaker B: I'll look around. Is there anything that we can make into our earth, like sticks? And, you know, we've got Kaitoa's yarn that he knits all the time. [00:36:16] Speaker C: Just, like, grab ahold of pieces of wood, and I actually can bury my feet in the bottom of the river and slow us down when we need. [00:36:26] Speaker E: A. Steve is keeping an eye on any elements from the south at the moment. [00:36:32] Speaker B: Rob, is there any big pieces of wood that I can start? [00:36:35] Speaker C: Yeah. Are we going to float down the fold? [00:36:38] Speaker B: I think so. That's my vote. [00:36:40] Speaker F: How long would it take us, Rob? We'd have a general idea of distance. [00:36:45] Speaker D: If you manage to estimate the time. I mean, I don't know, roughly. [00:36:53] Speaker E: I guess the river flows westward, right. [00:36:55] Speaker D: It is flowing swiftly, and there's nothing preventing you from, you know, launching a small, small watercraft here. And as you know, there's. There's nothing too treacherous about from here to pole in terms of the waterway. But it is cold. I mean, it's absolutely frigid. [00:37:18] Speaker B: Yeah, let's do it. I'm grabbing stuff. I'm making raft. [00:37:22] Speaker D: Okay. We have already looked the makings of that in this scene. You know, there are downed timbers. A lot of them seem to be a little boggy and rotten, but if you take some time, you know, to select some pieces, that material is available to you. [00:37:42] Speaker C: So a makeshift wrap for three people. What are we looking at for time? [00:37:47] Speaker D: Breaking out the d four s first, for sure, I think. Everybody give me a skill of your choice, like we did back in, like, episode one or two on raft building. And, you know, everybody give me the angle that you're using, and then I'll use that to determine how long it would realistically be taking you. [00:38:09] Speaker C: Um, I'm gonna go with strength because I'm gonna be, like, hauling wood to the beach. [00:38:17] Speaker D: Hauling, like, wood to the beach. Okay. Yeah, I think that is strength. [00:38:23] Speaker C: I'm gonna be, like, roughly building all the planks, so I just need someone to tie them together. [00:38:29] Speaker B: I'm gonna be doing acrobatics, running around, hopping up and down, finding the right pieces, throwing them towards the group. [00:38:38] Speaker D: And where we're building our raft, that's definitely athletics. Hopping up and down. Bella and Steve. [00:38:46] Speaker B: Acrobatics. [00:38:48] Speaker E: I'm keeping an eye. I'm at the edge of the embankment, keeping an eye on our potential pursuers. [00:38:55] Speaker C: I. Someone's got to tie these pieces together. [00:38:58] Speaker B: I'll do that. [00:39:00] Speaker F: I am maybe nothing. Not the most beneficial, the party roll, but what I think Bell egg would be doing right now. Bell leg's gut wants to stick with Steve and watch behind us to see how close people are. I'm gonna roll roll wisdom so I can be smart enough to go back and help you guys when allocate my time a little nicer. [00:39:23] Speaker D: Take those roles. Guys. [00:39:27] Speaker B: What are we doing, 20 or 40? [00:39:28] Speaker D: You're, um, sorry, I think I might have missed. Uh, rook, did you say you were doing acrobatics or athletics? [00:39:36] Speaker B: Acrobatics. [00:39:37] Speaker D: Acrobatics. Okay. And, uh, no, no, we. We bypassed the d four. You guys went right into it. No need for that. We're going right for what the skill of your choice is. [00:39:48] Speaker B: Okay. [00:39:49] Speaker F: Bell egg rolled a nine, so he's probably just watching our backs with Steve. [00:39:54] Speaker E: I can shoe bellig back because I've got much better stealth. They can't see me with. They can't use their dark vision to see me. [00:40:03] Speaker F: That active camo bitch has nothing rolled. [00:40:07] Speaker E: Into what I can do. [00:40:11] Speaker C: Okay, Kato's got an 18 for Holland wood to the beach business rock. [00:40:19] Speaker D: Okay. So I would say you are approximately 1 minute into the activities that you have described. Party. When three horses appear in your view, can everyone roll? Initiative. How far are they only see here? 120ft away, right at the mouth of the creek. And it seems like riders are dismounting. [00:41:02] Speaker C: Is the raft completed? [00:41:05] Speaker D: Boy, that's awfully. That's an awfully sunny outlook. You are 1 minute into just thinking about, you know, it's a glimmer in yor and rook's eye. And although both you and Rook have sort of dutifully started on the beach here collecting timbers, you have nothing done other than perhaps, you know, your first handful of stuff. However, luckily Steve and beleg you do see this. You haven't been to surprised. And these guys have rolled traditionally low. Seven plus two is nine. [00:41:48] Speaker F: I rolled an 18 connect building as they approach. [00:41:52] Speaker E: Steve rolled a natty 20. [00:41:55] Speaker D: You certainly could. Kaitoa. Natty 20 for Steve. Okay. And Steve, can you roll for Stolas? [00:42:03] Speaker F: Ooh. [00:42:06] Speaker E: That is 18. 119. [00:42:11] Speaker D: So Stolas, 1918. I'm sorry. Bell egg was 18. [00:42:16] Speaker F: That was 16 plus two. Yep. [00:42:19] Speaker D: Okay. And then Rook and Kaitoa, uh, four. [00:42:24] Speaker F: That makes a lot of sense with the raft built in. [00:42:27] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:42:28] Speaker B: Rolling a little initiative. 16. [00:42:33] Speaker D: Okay, so, Steve. [00:42:35] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:42:36] Speaker D: You act first. [00:42:38] Speaker E: Yes? [00:42:39] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:42:42] Speaker E: All right, so these three guys, none of them have ranged weapons. [00:42:48] Speaker D: They're all swords, yes? Correct. All three seem to be part of that hunting party. None of them have your short or long bows. [00:42:59] Speaker E: Okay, perfect. You don't. Fuck it. This guy right here gets marked. [00:43:06] Speaker D: Okay. The knoll closest to the banks of the river. [00:43:10] Speaker E: Yeah. Mark him. Okay. And then I fire my first arrow at him. 17 or a natural 20. [00:43:21] Speaker F: Jesus. [00:43:23] Speaker E: He takes a 20. [00:43:24] Speaker D: Okay, so 20 to hit. Yeah. And so that is roll damage, then double the damage. Dice. [00:43:34] Speaker E: Yeah. So that is two d six for the arrow, two d six for the sneak attack, and then an extra d six for the marked. [00:43:49] Speaker F: I love you, Steve. But having no, not rolled anything higher than a ten more than once, really fucking jealous. [00:43:57] Speaker E: It's rolling with advantage. So that's 20, plus seven for 27. Plus ten for 37. [00:44:07] Speaker D: Damage. Oh, wow. Well, this knoll, as we described, was just in the process of dismounting. You've caught him in the side of the head. He falls down, clearly dead. [00:44:25] Speaker E: Sweet. So number two to the center, the second, null. So that is a 20, non natural. [00:44:36] Speaker D: That'll hit. [00:44:37] Speaker E: And then that is a d six. I don't have marked on him. It's 21. [00:44:48] Speaker D: You've taken him to the ground as he falls off his horse, mid dismount. So he's prone but not dead. [00:44:57] Speaker E: Third shot on to number three. So that is a 21 to hit. That hit, 7422 damage. [00:45:10] Speaker D: You've caught him in the upper thigh, where he is unarmored and similarly not dead, but he is prone. And although there's steeds, you know, you have spared them, Steve. You have killed one and injured two quite grievously of these tracking gnolls who were right on the parties trail. You are up now. We got Stolas. Okay, I'm gonna roll for Stolas. Ah. And I will tell you, Steve, you get the impression of a huge distance being covered between your little owl and you, but it is well outside of your immediate range. But let me assure you, you feel as if Stolas is nearby. Okay, next up, initiative 18. My leg. [00:46:15] Speaker F: Did you. You only killed one of them, right, Steve? [00:46:17] Speaker E: Killed one, knocked one, thrown. And then third one has an arrow, I believe, in the leg at all. [00:46:24] Speaker C: Area two, ancient. [00:46:27] Speaker F: I am going to throw a eldritch blast. [00:46:35] Speaker E: Say it. [00:46:36] Speaker C: Save a line. [00:46:40] Speaker F: Oh, no. Throw it at each of the two guys that aren't dead yet. [00:46:46] Speaker D: There are two bloodied. Too prone. [00:46:49] Speaker F: Yeah, I'm gonna shoot at both of them. [00:46:52] Speaker D: All right. [00:46:53] Speaker F: The first blast is a. It's a hit. It's a 19 plus six. [00:47:00] Speaker D: Your e blast is just streaking across to these guys, you know, right at the maximum of your range. [00:47:11] Speaker F: Second blast was a 16. Does that beat ac? [00:47:15] Speaker D: Yeah. Yeah. Streaking through the cold night sky again. You've connected. So you rolling up some damage now? [00:47:23] Speaker F: Yep. And for. Because I always fucking forget about it. I'm stating it now. Both of them are getting knocked back 10ft into the creek. [00:47:32] Speaker D: Repelling blast into the creek. Let's see. One of them is definitely well within there and the other 1 may just get closer. Yeah. [00:47:43] Speaker F: All right, so the first blast was. Was a big old one damage. Second blast was a nine. [00:47:53] Speaker D: Only one damage. So one in nine. Well, look, one of them gets thrown back regardless, and he skids along the ground impaled by Steve's arrow. And now he seems to be at the precipice of the small creek. And there, the second one has just been pushed away from his horse and towards the. The creek, but not quite at its edge. What else in your move? [00:48:24] Speaker F: The one I hit with nine is still alive, right? [00:48:26] Speaker D: Both seem to be alive. Yeah. [00:48:32] Speaker F: With the rest of my move, I'm just gonna move a bit closer here. [00:48:38] Speaker D: You've stocked up a little bit. Bell egg. [00:48:43] Speaker F: Yep. [00:48:44] Speaker D: Anything else in your move? [00:48:47] Speaker F: Nope. [00:48:48] Speaker D: You will notice then there are a second group coming from nearer to that ridge area. And that one dismounted trackernal. And they seem to be coming along the washer, Bella. And they will be in your visual range and they are virtually 220ft away. [00:49:18] Speaker F: I'd like to turn to Steve and say, hey, leave one of those prone guys alive for me. I want to kill him. [00:49:23] Speaker D: Okay, and who is up next? 16 rook. [00:49:31] Speaker B: And we've got a second group running up on us here. [00:49:36] Speaker D: Yeah. You would look over, you know, Beleg's shoulder out in the front lines there and see that there are three horses silhouetted, two prone, destitute gnolls. And then further back, about another 60, 70ft, are two other horse silhouettes, these with riders. And then a dismounted knoll bearing what looks like some sort of a bow. And they are well lit now in the moonlight as the clouds pass and in some cases break for quite some time. [00:50:18] Speaker B: Okay, I'm gonna take aim at the. Oh, actually, didn't my long blow broke, didn't it? [00:50:25] Speaker C: Fuck idiom. [00:50:27] Speaker B: I can't take aim. [00:50:28] Speaker D: Damn your knoll longboat. You know, it did break. I'll assume you, you know, you kept the pieces, but it snapped clean near the middle. [00:50:38] Speaker B: Okay, so the first group then, how close are they? [00:50:43] Speaker D: They're within a 120ft, although bellic just blew them back about ten. [00:50:50] Speaker B: The survivors, it's not close enough for my melee. Um, I'm just gonna pull out my. Gonna pull out my machete and short sword. Or, um, I wonder if I should just try to keep making this thing while you guys go. Or I should be at the right, because it's gonna take them at least two moves to get to where we're at, right? [00:51:18] Speaker D: Uh, yeah. You would look up with hands full of some decent first pieces that you thought you and Kaitoa might, you know, be using to assemble a little watercraft. So you look up. Do you drop those things? Do you engage? I don't know, but, yeah, there's quite some distance. And at the moment, it seems like Steve and Bellic are absolutely decimating these guys where they appear pier at this little bottleneck. [00:51:48] Speaker B: I'm gonna actually just continue building this watercraft. Then I think Steven and Bill Lake have it covered right now and a couple moves to get to where we are at, and I can't do anything until then anyways, so I'm just gonna keep working furiously on the ground. [00:52:12] Speaker D: Well, there is sort of your action, Rook. Is there anything in your interaction that you would like to do or, you know, anything. Anything else? [00:52:22] Speaker B: I'm just gonna tell the guys that I'm gonna. Yeah, just turn to them and say, I'm gonna continue building this raft, and you guys keep handling business. That's gonna be it. [00:52:34] Speaker D: Okay, party. The three horses here are the only creatures in any sort of moving mood, and two of them, riderless, seem to be staying put. Oh, one of them has, you know, the guy who got shot in the leg? His leg is caught in the stirrup. And you notice that the dead one as well. He has fallen quite close to his horse. And the horses seem, at the moment to barely have noticed that the riders have been slain and alternatively injured and then blasted back. So in this moment, these creatures are doing not much. And one of their riders down in the creek, you can barely see his body, seems to be just at the edge of the water, and then the other lets out a shriek into the night, one of those piercing knoll shrieks. And then you'll also see these riders still mounted on their steeds. They are closing the distance. They charge about 90ft up. They have left the archer in the dust. They charge up. And this is where the horses have stopped. At the moment, you are now up. [00:54:12] Speaker C: Kaitoa, how fast is the move? [00:54:16] Speaker D: The river moving very swiftly, you would say. This thing moves at about a 35ft in a six second period once you were in the middle of it. So all you have to do is push off and say, get to about 15 to 20ft out. And this is a very swift flowing river. There are reeds to push through. But other than that, it's a very swift escape. [00:54:45] Speaker C: With my visions, I'm going to take my. I guess, my interaction, look up river and to count how many people are. [00:54:55] Speaker D: We dealing with other than the five horses, five riders. And this one, clearly this tracker knoll in a dark hood. And, oh, yeah, it does look like a longbow. Oh, Kaitoa, you can make this guy out crystal clear. You know, you can see his little knoll name badge and he is armed with fierce longbow arrows. And beyond him, you don't see anybody. So you got one slain, two virtually dead. Two fresh on their horses on the other side of the creek and the archer. And then if you look back all the way Kaitoa, you would see the two bridges of is crossing the river Pulba. And then beyond that, it is all dark. As you retract your telescope vision, I look at Steve. [00:55:53] Speaker C: Are we running or are we fighting? [00:55:56] Speaker E: Yes. They've already. They've already called out. So we might as well eliminate these guys. [00:56:05] Speaker C: All right. Uh, I'm gonna go 30ft into the river. [00:56:12] Speaker E: I mean, now there's. Now we have horses. There's five horses there. [00:56:16] Speaker C: Yeah. But we can take him off that, the horse really easy. [00:56:22] Speaker E: So we can make those horses ours in the next few rounds. Get those horses and gallop the fuck off. [00:56:28] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:56:28] Speaker E: Then we're good. [00:56:30] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:56:32] Speaker D: Yeah. In this moment, you hear. And surprisingly enough, you know, you can almost catch a couple of words of common that these gnolls are screaming out. And your move continues, Kato. Anything else? [00:56:58] Speaker C: Uh, what do I hear? [00:57:00] Speaker D: Wear moles. Well, you just caught ino amongst the guttural screaming there. Kill them. There they are. [00:57:12] Speaker C: All right. Well, I'm gonna move into this river and I'm gonna sink below the water. And my other 20ft, I'm gonna move up river along the shore. Because I assume the shore, the river is not moving as swiftly along the shoreline. [00:57:31] Speaker D: Oh, precisely. This area here. So you're going submariner at Kaitoa as an ancient construct here. You do move nicely along like a river bottom. Right. Don't need the air. You're heavy enough. You wouldn't get swept away here. [00:57:48] Speaker E: No. [00:57:49] Speaker D: Okay. [00:57:50] Speaker C: I'm cleaning the shoreline. I'm gonna start moving upriver. Before I moved, I look at the party, I look at Steve and I give the whole, like, snorkel, snorkel action. And I'm going into the river and I gotta try and flank them from behind. [00:58:11] Speaker E: Let the river pull you down kind of thing. Yeah. [00:58:15] Speaker C: And that's why I think, like 40ft over or 20ft over, 20ft up. [00:58:21] Speaker E: That's my movement. [00:58:22] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah. Kaitoa, your tin head and the tip of your gigantic, giant sized axe are just skimming the. The meniscus of the water here. Yes. You're moving upriver, kaito. [00:58:40] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. [00:58:42] Speaker D: And so, party. That is it. You see a tiny reflection of moonlight on Kaitoa's tin head and that is it. He's now gone behind the reeds. You can be assured he is not far. And that is where we will have to leave you until the next time. Time on dungeons and blackguards.