The Sunless Citedal- Chapter One of DMD's Adventure Path D&D game.

[DMD]

00:09:36 ( DMD rolls 1d20+6 => , + 6 23 )
 Johndave sees nothing of importance....

[Furr]

Ytir gives his farewells to the Priestess, and his promise that he will look after his group when they venture into the Citadel.

Spot check: 04:03:52 ( Furr rolls 1d20+3 => , + 3 19 )

by deduction of Diver's post, Ytir sees nothing as well. Deep in thoughts, he walks in silence with Johndave back to the inn.

[Savon]

Sush meets up with the other adventurers in the Inn and shares the gear and what the shopkeeper said.  She agrees to the Mayors proposition. 
This sounds like it could be a very profitable adventure, if we all make it back.
She said with a laugh.

16:52:38 ( Savon rolls 1d20+2 => , + 2 5 )

[DMD]

Once the party decides to leave town and head for the Citadel, they follow the old road to the south/south east. Everyone can see a female elf milling about the town well as you head out, she's not trying to skulk about anymore, and she shakes her head as you pass.

"You're bloody fools one and all going to that place. Just like my mentor, Karakas was a mighty hunter and warrior and he didn't come back. "

She stops and stares off for a second. "Of course, as odd as he was acting for sometime before he left, always talking about there being a new evil in the woods, I wonder if he wasn't ......unsettled himself before he went. I hope he didn't... but if he was delusional and for whatever reason turned on the other's they would have never seen it coming. Something sure happened to him, to them all in that place..."

She doesn't have much more to offer in the terms of actual information, her mentor never put a name to the evil he was obsessed with or proved it existed. Head her warning or not, down the south road you go!

The Old Road winds and parellels the blasted wastelands of the Ashen Plains to it's right for about seven miles, you pass old growth oaks on the verges of the plains, and a handful of abandoned farms . You never meet a single travler in either direction.Not one.

After the time you spent in town, it was around midday when you set out and it's getting toward dusk when you reach the ravine that the Citadel is supposed to be in.The raod travels to the east of the ravine, and where it passes the closest several jagged peaks jet from the ravine where it widens into more of a deep but narrow canyon.Two pillars stand straight but most lean against the jagged earth, and many seem to have collapsed into the darkness below.You can see simular pillars on the far side of the ravine.

If you want to examine the pillars make spot checks.Those who want to examine the area over all can make searches. As soon as anyone steps close to the edge of the ravine they notice a sturdy knotted hemp rope tied to one of the leaning pillars into the darkness below, judging by it's fair condition the rope can't be more than two to three weeks old.

Rough and jagged hand and footholds can also be seen near the edge, carved crudely into the side of the ravine walls down it's face.

If you take the rope and brace yourself against the ravine wall the going is a lot easier, (( Climb Check DC of 0)) if you want to take the hand and footholds for some strange reason the DC increases to ((Climb Check DC 10)).

From here on out, unless I say otherwise, you'll need to include marching order, light sources, and any special precautions such as hiding or moving silently in your posts. I'll try to give as detailed as I possibly know how descriptions of each area as you enter it depending on how you go about entering, in what order, and how much is visible .

[Moondog]

Johndave regards the elf lady with a bit of a skeptical look to 'em. For some reason, he has a hard time trusting mysterious people who pop up out of nowhere and uttering relatively cryptic warnings and portents of doom.  Still, trustworthy or no, he was raised to always be polite and pleasant, especially to women.

"Well, ma'am. I reckon if all I get called 'fer goin' down into a crevasse 'n pummeling some goblins 'fer some magic apples is a 'bloody fool', I'm ahead of the game. 'Preciate your concern, though. "

He, of course, pays her warning no heed, as he's more concerned with figuring out how to secure a proper graft from the tree so's his folk can grow their own apples. Hell, so everyone back home can. No need to make it unique to just one family. More growers, more people being helped.

During the march to the canyon the Citadel rests in, he doesn't say much unless personally addressed, but he does pause to take a look at the pillars real quick.

Spot Check:

06:20:02 ( Moondog rolls 1d20+1 => , + 1 17 ) 

Upon seeing the big 'ol crevasse, he can't help but grin at a memory. " Hey, did I ever tell ya'll 'bout the time my buddy drove his wagon off a cliff? Now this isn't a 'ha-ha' funny story, it's a 'make-you-think' story. Like for instance, those canvass roofs look pretty sturdy, right? Not according to Kent, man. He went straight through, broke both his legs. "

Now, he don't trust no ropes left laying around, even for only a week or two in the wind and rain, and he'll save his rope for a better time, so he takes the hand and footholds down ((mostly because this will likely be the only time I ever get to use Climb)).

Climb Check:

06:10:43 ( Moondog rolls 1d20+5 => , + 5 11 ) 

(By 1, huzzah!)

[Furr]

Ytir listened carefully to the half-elf, noting what she said happened before the Karakas and the others ventured into the Citadel. Then he offered his blessings to her, and gave the same promise he did to the priestess in the temple; to bring them back, or at least provide proper burials in the worst case scenario.

As they reach the ravine, a glance is given to Johndave as he tells his little story. "Kent sure did see a lot of harm, didn't he?" Then a quick inspection of the area, before deciding to check the rope, before deciding to climb down. Ytir pulls it up, checking every foot of the hempen rope, then lowering it down again. With his backpack, and any others, if they decide to let him do it that way. Easier to climb, if you haven't got 50 pounds of gear on your back.

Checks:
Spot: 08:34:24 ( Furr rolls 1d20+3 => , + 3 6 ) - Glancing at the pillars, seeing.. very little, evidently.
Search: 08:34:39 ( Furr rolls 1d20 => 17 ) - Better luck at searching the area for a few sparse clues, perhaps?
Use Rope: 08:34:52 ( Furr rolls 1d20 => 11 ) - Knots are tied, rope is checked for strength?

And then the climb check, using the rope down.
Climb: 08:37:11 ( Furr rolls 1d20-4 => , -4 13 )

[Moondog]

" Heh heh, yeah, he sure does. He sure does. " Johndave's easy laughter at Kent's continual injuries is as light-hearted as it gets. Hell, it almost sounds as if Kent himself would laugh at it.

[Savon]

 Sush makes her way out of town with the rest of the party.  She just nods her head politely at the elf lady with the doomsday message she had been told many times before she was going to meet her impending doom.  That was one of the reasons she did this, the challenge.  She searches and examines the pillars, looking for traps or secret doors or clues.

Spot check

07:49:52 ( Savon rolls 1d2+3 => , + 3 5 )

Search check

07:49:59 ( Savon rolls 1d20+2 => , + 2 10 )

She didnt find anything, blissfully unaware of EVERYTHING.
When they get to the ravine she could have used her own rope, but decided to use the rope already there, though keeping an eye out for traps.
Climb check

07:54:02 ( Savon rolls 1d20+2 => , + 2 4 )

Once at the bottom she takes the lead, keeping watch for traps or secret openings.

[DMD]

Johndave with his spot notices some carvings on the pillars, and when or if he reads goblin, or shows them to Yrir, they're warnings in a mix of said language translated below the original in dwarven to keep out and stay away and so forth and so on.

On the other hand, the cleric's search unearths the remains of many old campfires and sites, more than enough to account for the realativly small number of goblins you where lead to believe inhabited the ruins. One of the campsites is more recent, about the same age as the rope you found hanging over the edge.

As for the rope, it's as safe as safe can be, so the cleric and rogue have no trouble making it down, not to the bottom but a ledge about fifty feet below the orignal cliff edge where it was tied off. Jimdave makes it down the handholds a little slower, arriving on the ledge last . 

The ledge it self is shadowed in dark pools and streaks, where the sun above only partially reaches it. The surface is sandy and rough, wide but not that long. It's covered in debri and the small bones of animals. You can't see the far wall of the chasm or the bottom from it , but what the first person to touch ground , the cleric in this case can see is the cause of all the small animal bones. Three rats, roughly four feet long and a foot tall at the shoulder race toward him from where they lurked in the cover of shadow and darkness!

All right initiative rolls for everyone, the rats get a surprise round because you couldn't see them from up above, but they could hear and see you all decending seeing as you made no effort to do so soundlessly in your posts.

21:04:18 ( DMD rolls 3d20+3 => 9, 13, 13, + 3 = 38 )


Dire rat Rat 1-12/ Dire Rat 2 16/ Dire Rat 3- 16

All three will be closing and attacking the cleric's flatfooted AC this round, two and three flanking!
21:06:36 ( DMD rolls 1d20+3 => , + 3 8 ) -Dire Rat 1


21:06:49 ( DMD rolls 2d20+5 => 9, 4, + 5 = 18 )
Dire rats 2& 3 rolled 12 and 9 respectilvly
 I do believe all those miss .

For the sake of ease and speed on your posts once initiative is rolled, I'm going to post the AC abnd HP for the rats here so you'll know if you hit and or killed them with attacks . Try not to use it as too much of an ooc edge, if you would please?

Dire Rat AC- 15    Dire Rat Hp- Rat #1-6/Dire Rat 2 Hp-4/ Dire Rat 3 Hp-3

[Moondog]

"Well, I reckon we got us some chickens 'round 'ere." the human shrugs, looking at the goblin writing which of course he can't read anyway, and if he can't read it why would the dwarf be able to read it?

Never putting his faith in mysterious ropes, he is more than satisfied with his slow but steady and quite save progress down the cliff face, so even when he arrives last, just in time to witness a bunch of rodents of unusual size trying to take a bite out of the cleric, he's happy with his choice.

"Lookit the size of them sons'a'bitches! Shoot, man. This reminds me of this one time, my buddy Kent... well I guess right now isn't really the best time, but anyway, there was this goat, see. . . "

As a farm-hand, Johndave is entirely familiar with Rattus Giganticus, or the common Dire Rat, and so unslings his axe-on-a-stick (read: Halberd) once he's all nice and ready, like.

Initiative:

21:18:35 ( Moondog rolls 1d20+5 => , + 5 14 )

[Furr]

Once Ytir lands on the ledge, he snaps his shield on, and readies himself for attack. Mace in one hand, shield on the other arm.
Of course, a quick dwarven curse uttered, at the sight of the damned rats. A mental note to pay more attention to his Darkvision.

Initiative: 06:29:15 ( Furr rolls 1d20 => 10 )

[Savon]

Sushmita attempts to roll and tumble to position herself for a shot as she quickdraws her shortbow, ready to shoot the dire rats.

Iniative

07:25:21 ( Savon rolls 1d20+7 => , + 7 26 )

Tumble
07:34:50 ( Savon rolls 1d20+4 => , + 4 13 )

Shot with her shortbow.
07:35:57 ( Savon rolls 1d20+3 => , + 3 5 )

[DMD]

Round 1.
 Sush's tumble works, seeing as none of the rats threatened her to begin with, being all focused on the cleric untill they notice her and Johndave. Her attack however, does not work out as well as the arrow soars well over the low to the ground attackers and sails out into the darkness of the rift past the edge of the ledge your on. You don't hear it strike the far wall or the bottom.

Dire Rats two and three break away from the cleric and probably leave a tooth or two broken off in his armor that turned thier attacks aside, each focusing on JohnDave and Sush respectivly.

18:19:12 ( DMD rolls 1d20+3 => , + 3 12 )

18:19:29 ( DMD rolls 1d20+3 => , + 3 5 )

That brings us to Johndave's turn, then rat three who stays focused on the cleric, biting at him again, and then Sush, who already made her attack this round.
 Rat three sinks his ragged teeth into a chink in the cleric's armor for....
18:23:01 ( DMD rolls 1d4 => 3 ) damage, it really sinks in once it tastes actual flesh under that metal, gnashing and gnawing!! And that will bring it to the cleric himself!

[Moondog]

Initiative: Sushmita, Dire Rat #1, Dire Rat #2, Johndave, Dire Rat #3, Ytir.

[Moondog]

"Well shoot, these're the smartest buncha varmints I ever seen. Lookit 'em, all spread out'n flankin' and stuff. Welp, might as well get to steppin'. "

That said, Johndave grips his halberd tight as he is wont to do, brings it up over his head, and swings it straight down at the rat bothering him, putting some extra oomph into it for good measure.  

Attack Roll

18:46:30 ( Moondog rolls 1d20+8 => , + 8 26 )

(Now, this should rightly be 24, because I forgot to read your entire post and didn't realize that they'd spread out, so I thought I would have room to charge. Not that it really matters, since a 24 is more than enough to splatter a rat).

Damage

18:46:55 ( Moondog rolls 1d10+6 => , + 6 13 )

(1d10 base for a halberd, 3(strength) x 1.5 (=4.5, rounded down to 4) +1 power attack (x2, due to using a two-handed weapon).

One unlucky rat takes 13 points of damage, with a satisfying KERCHUNK!

"Heh heh, ain't this just like one of them bard's tales? Y'know, the group 'o heroes all together killin' rats. 'Cept I guess we ain't in any sewers right now, but hey, things can't be perfect all the time, right? "

[Furr]

(When'd Rat 3 break through the AC 16? Just curious 'bout it, really. Anyhow.)

Ytir grunts as he's bitten, then swings his mace into the critter that bit him. Or at least tries to.

Attack: 21:10:36 ( Furr rolls 1d20+2 => , + 2 9 ) - ... Or he doesn't. For now, the cleric bleeds.

[DMD]

Rat three rolled a 20 total in the lobby last night, and I thought I copy pasted the attack roll but obviously I didn't and can't now, sorry Furr.

[Savon]

Ugh!  I hate rats!   She exclaimed as she notched another arrow and took a step back and aimed at the rat attacking her.   She also noted that her missed shots sound like they hit anything in the cave, maybe indicating it was big in there. 

19:12:21 ( Savon rolls 1d20+3 => , + 3 13 )

Sush groans in frustration as yet another shot misses. 

[DMD]

You're on a lege in a ravine, not in a cave. Anyway. One rat disintergrates on the end of Johndave's halbred, while the other gnaws at the cleric. Round 2.

The rat nimbly dodges another of Sush's projectile's, and moves in to attack her again, while the other continues to attempt to make a meal of the cleric.

19:34:09 ( DMD rolls 1d20+3 => , + 3 10 )

19:35:00 ( DMD rolls 1d20+3 => , + 3 13 )
 
Both missing, bringing it back to Johndave and then Ytir, seeing as there are only the two rats remaining now.

[Moondog]

"Oh, they ain't so bad. Now them dire weasels, those sons'a'bitches, those're right nasty, lemme tell you. One time, they ate my family's sheep. So we had to eat them instead. Nasty critters. "

As he talks, he barrels towards the rat threatening poor 'ol Ytir. Seems the dwarf has some issues hittin' rats, and, well, he's talked to the cleric more'n he has Sushmita, so he gets a charging rescue!

Charging Flanking Attack Roll

19:38:55 ( Moondog rolls 1d20+9 => , + 9 22 )

(I keep forgetting the -1 from power attack, so it's a 21, which is again more than enough to hit)

Damage Roll

19:39:18 ( Moondog rolls 1d10+6 => , + 6 10 )

Once again, there's the 'ol over-the-shoulder, 'round the world set-up and the perfectly vertical wood-splitting swing in action, coming down and splattering yet another dire rat!

Johndave just grins a Ytir, then turns to Sushmita.

"Reckon you'd be better off stabbin' than shootin' there ma'am. Hard to hit 'em up close, 'n all. "

[Furr]

(Ah, okay. I figured your post missed a roll somewhere, so I went with it regardless.)

Ytir swears, but is thankful for the snappy rescue effort from Johndave. That bite in his leg hurts a bit, but it's not that bad. At least not now. First chance to come, he'll see about patching himself up.
With the limited space on the ledge, he is content with keeping back for now.

[Savon]

Sush grits her teeth and aims and fires a shot off at the last rat.  Come on! This cant be that hard! She said to herself.   

13:22:34 ( Savon rolls 1d20+3 => , + 3 10 )

As the shot misses again and lets out an angry groan of frustration.

[Moondog]

"Daggone critters're just givin' you a hell of a time, aren't they? Don't worry 'bout it, we all have our off days. " Johndave offers the miss-prone rogue his condolences, before he repeats what he's done already.

Charging Flanking Power Attack:

14:44:33 ( Moondog rolls 1d20+8 => , + 8 27 )

And once again, he proves to be the bane of all rodent-kind, bringing his now fur spattered and blood soaked halberd down on a poor, innocent dire rat and. . .

Damage

14:44:54 ( Moondog rolls 1d10+6 => , + 6 13 )

Cleaving it in twain, complete with a satisfying skreeeeee from the rat whose biological processes are now of interest only to historians.

He wipes his brow with his sleeve and with a dismissive shake, flicks the blood off of his weapon, which he proceeds to lean on. "That wasn't so rough. Everyone all right'n everythin'? "

((I think Savon and I actually somehow skipped Dire Rat 3's turn. . .not that it matters, because it'll die horribly anyway. I guess?)

[DMD]

The only remaining direrat, the one threatening Sush now would make it's attack at her between her miss and Johndave's ,
21:11:01 ( DMD rolls 1d20+3 => , + 3 6 )
and misses. Johndave's attack works as advertised and you find yourselves the only remaining living beings on the wide short ledge now.


  ((You sucessfully defeated a CR1 so that's 300xp/the three of you=100xp each))


A narrow and crumbling set of stairs carved from the very cliff face lead down from the far end of the ledge, and disapear into the darkness below. They're only five feet wide and not all that well crafted but as long as you take your time and watch your step you should be fine... The cleric with his darkvision can barely make out where the stairs form a switchback landing and decend even further down about sixty feet below the ledge you are on now. The sun has sank even lower, and very little light makes it down and over the cliff edge behind and above you now now, so for those without dark or lowlight vision such as Sush and Jimdave you won't be able to see much more than an arm's length in front of you after the last glimmering rays of sunset cease to trickle down in a few minutes.

I'll stop here and let you all post, declaring any intentions, actions or attempted actions .

[Furr]

Ytir finds a place to sit down, to check the damage done to him. Nothing too bad, but he does a spontaneous cure minor wounds to patch himself up, thus spending a 0th level slot.
"No one else hurt?" And he idly wonders where the other dwarf and the gnome is.. A call up along the cliff-face, to find out if they're still with them, then he looks down the narrow stairs. "Now would be good time to light a torch, humans." He could see fine, but he was well aware that humans couldn't.

Edit: Spell name. From Cure Light to Cure Minor.