RED OAK: Beyond the Mirror

Longman's hex-based exploration PBP campaign

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Longman
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Re: RED OAK: Beyond the Mirror

Post by Longman »

New map uploaded.

You are in room 3 right now. When you say the 'northeastern' room, you mean 4a, 4b and 4c, right? That will mean moving past the big shield device which is lodged in the doorway, and heading into the rooms beyond. Is that what you mean?

Freya takes guard on the western barricade (at 5), taking a good look. She can't see anything out of the ordinary.

Bruce and Tiana can both hear talking somewhere beyond the barrier. In goblinish. Neither of the two thieves heard it and they are a touch embarrassed.

It's like there's this evil DM nemesis, confounding my every move!

There's no safe moves in here.
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Woe
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Re: RED OAK: Beyond the Mirror

Post by Woe »

Aah. I didn't realize the battering ram was blocking the route into 4abc. And two goblins? Ugh. I guess that secret passage isn't so secret anymore.

Tell me more about this battering ram. If it were carried into the passage so the peeps can get into 4abc, would that make a lot of noise? And if I used it to blast through the barricade, would it provide hard cover against arrows? Would I be able to fire from behind it?
Freya HP 24/24 AC 16 (17 two weapons)
Kilian HP 20/20 AC 19 (18 no shield)
Talin HP 29 AC 16
Tiana HP 11 AC 12 SP 8/8
Fido HP 9/9 AC 16
Anna HP 12/12 AC 15 (19 defensively)
Bruce HP 20/20 AC 16 (15 no shield)

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Re: RED OAK: Beyond the Mirror

Post by Longman »

The battering ram / shield / corridor sweeper isn't totally blocking that route. Anna and the elves could still get past and maybe Bruce. The more heavily armored boys, not so much.

If it were carried into the passage so the peeps can get into 4abc, would that make a lot of noise?

That'd depend on how you rolled. If you slid it, heaps of noise. If you carried it, probably OK but I'd do some STR checks.

And if I used it to blast through the barricade, would it provide hard cover against arrows? Would I be able to fire from behind it?


It would give excellent cover from arrows (+4) to anyone behind it. You'd need two people moving it, so you'd only be able to fit one bowman / spellcaster who'd be able to get shots away and see what they were doing. It would be useless to ram the barricade - unless you took the shield element off, in which case it would be more like a normal battering ram, and it would be pretty good for doing that.

"Remind me why we actually want to go that way?" whispers Bruce. "If we want the upper air, we can just go back to Caer Gump. That place seems perfectly safe, since the goblins all got killed."
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Re: RED OAK: Beyond the Mirror

Post by Woe »

"Because I want to see how far we teleported." whispers back Tiana. "Nobody expected to be wandering into a goblin clan."

Anna can go investigate the other rooms. Def Freya will stay on the lookout near the barricade. I'm at a loss on how to get to the surface, with both areas blocked by goblins. Time to take a look at the maps again.

Can you help out with one thing? This area is lower than the area with the secret room, where we encountered the mimics, etc? I'm trying to get an idea how deep the goblins go.
Freya HP 24/24 AC 16 (17 two weapons)
Kilian HP 20/20 AC 19 (18 no shield)
Talin HP 29 AC 16
Tiana HP 11 AC 12 SP 8/8
Fido HP 9/9 AC 16
Anna HP 12/12 AC 15 (19 defensively)
Bruce HP 20/20 AC 16 (15 no shield)

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Re: RED OAK: Beyond the Mirror

Post by Longman »

This area is about 15' down. It's not a full level down to level 4. It's still basically on level 3.

So far, what you have observed suggests that the goblins hold part of level 2 via the stairwell in 3a room 6, and also they seem to hold the area beyond this barricade point, which probably does lead up to the surface, if your (Talin's) translation of Sader (garbled French) is correct. For all you know it might be different goblin clans in each place but it seems unlikely.

Anna investigates the room complex past the battering ram / shield. It's pretty obvious, as she is making her way past there, that her attempts at stealth are not very good. Do the others say anything about this?

Anyway, she makes it into 4a, and sees immediate evidence that something sometimes inhabits this space. There are a number of meat bones on the floor and a wooden bowl contain the remains of some kind of gruel, plus another container for water. There is also a large leash and collar up on the wall on another hook. Anna can even hear the faint sound of slow and regular breathing coming from room 4b.

Yep, there is something in there - probably not very big, and currently asleep. But still it would probably be a good idea to stop waving a big blue light around everywhere...

There is a makeshift wooden frame built over the doorway to room 4b as if to prevent movement by a dog or catlike creature. The doorway to room 4c is open and that room appears bare.

On a makeshift wooden shelf above the door are two more beakers of the sort that Tiana already collected from the trap you disarmed earlier.
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Re: RED OAK: Beyond the Mirror

Post by Woe »

Oh great! A worg!

Talin will flash his light at Anna, then make shushing motions with his fingers. Anna can roll her eyes 'cuz like of course she's being quiet. Hopefully she avoids shining the blue light in the area, and comes back after picking up the beakers.

Tiana is still looking over the map for a "plan C"
Freya HP 24/24 AC 16 (17 two weapons)
Kilian HP 20/20 AC 19 (18 no shield)
Talin HP 29 AC 16
Tiana HP 11 AC 12 SP 8/8
Fido HP 9/9 AC 16
Anna HP 12/12 AC 15 (19 defensively)
Bruce HP 20/20 AC 16 (15 no shield)

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Re: RED OAK: Beyond the Mirror

Post by Longman »

Anna returns with equal stealthlesness form the room carrying two more vials.

If the animal in the side room is supposed to be on guard it's doing a truly horrible job.

Still no sign of any activity from the barricade.

You all retreat south a bit and Tiana pores over the map. I can't give you any pointers on a plan B because I don't know what you are looking for.
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Re: RED OAK: Beyond the Mirror

Post by Woe »

We're looking for a route to the surface. I want to see where we are. We could have teleported 10' or 10 miles.

"Hey Kilian, how long would it take to mine through 15' of this wall?"
Freya HP 24/24 AC 16 (17 two weapons)
Kilian HP 20/20 AC 19 (18 no shield)
Talin HP 29 AC 16
Tiana HP 11 AC 12 SP 8/8
Fido HP 9/9 AC 16
Anna HP 12/12 AC 15 (19 defensively)
Bruce HP 20/20 AC 16 (15 no shield)

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Re: RED OAK: Beyond the Mirror

Post by Longman »

Do you want to study the maps yourself or do you want me to tell you surface routes? I won't guarantee they won't be full of goblins or other horrible things, I'll just tell you in case you are having trouble reading the maps.

The prospect of mining through 15' of masonry, earth, and possibly solid rock, is going to take about five days, provided your pick doesn't break. You do have a pick right? Even so Kilian thinks it's a bad idea.

(That's giving you one 5'x5 cube stretched out in a think low tunnel, according to core rules release 2 page 150.).

"What about that secret stairwell that room marked 24 (level 3a)" says Anna, peering over the mage's shoulder. "Maybe the goblins haven't discovered that one either! That could get us all the way up to level 1!"
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Re: RED OAK: Beyond the Mirror

Post by Woe »

Tiana looks at Anna with a bit of respect, and trying to hide a bit of annoyance. In a whisper, "Yes, I'm thinking the same thing. Look. We can take the eastern route and with luck, find one of these secret doors here (27 or 30). That will take us up to here (pointing at the level 1 map). Then what? We'll have to head over to here, but I think we'd be under the grand hall not over it. If we're under, we probably couldn't get over to this courtyard. The two exits out are here (western exit) and here (secret entrance). But notice how the secret entrance isn't easily traversed to, and the secret stairwell is so close to where we want to be? That's what I'm trying to puzzle out. The goblins are likely to have the obvious exits guarded. We can hope they aren't aware of the secret ones."

"Still, that is a nice large set of hopefully unexplored rooms." adds Kilian.

Thanks for the rule tip. Five days is a bit too much. I was thinking something similar to you/Anna, but haven't quite figured out what to do once on level one. Yet. Maybe keep hiding? :)

Ok, backtrack time. I don't want to sleep in the cupboard with the other creature present, and it's a good thing I didn't try moving boulders. How long would it take for Anna and Freya to fold the ladder, stow it in the cupboard, and then take a rope up to the upper level? If it's fast and they think quiet, I'll do that to completely hide all trace of the party (except for the missing trap, that is). :)
Freya HP 24/24 AC 16 (17 two weapons)
Kilian HP 20/20 AC 19 (18 no shield)
Talin HP 29 AC 16
Tiana HP 11 AC 12 SP 8/8
Fido HP 9/9 AC 16
Anna HP 12/12 AC 15 (19 defensively)
Bruce HP 20/20 AC 16 (15 no shield)

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