Rosemary Grove

** A note on class & levels: I assigned classes by feeling and level by dividing my coworkers years of experience by 10 (and adding 1). **
** I used the feats from the wiki according to level and gave them all 1 skill that had to do with their prime ability. **
** For spells and weapons I'm going to take artistic license, I won't be using proficiency modifiers and such to keep it simple. **
** You can find a summary list of their abilities, modifiers, feats and skills here. **

"Let me tell you of the heroes, the dangers they faced, and how they conquered the woes, and vile prey they chased..."
Ielky tries out some lyrics for a new song he's composing. They don't flow yet so he needs to tweak some of it but at least the melody is coming along nicely. 
"What campaign will this be about?" Yorge asks, the rogue being close to the front.
"The quest for the buried treasure." Ielky replies.
"We didn't have to conquer woes nor did we chase monsters." Riks says, his natural modesty trying to keep another crazy ballad from being written.
"That was my first time joining you." Noemy says, the young ranger had just ventured to the front of the party to scout for monsters on their way, "It was an amazing trip so it deserves to be sung about." she adds, with stars in her eyes, no doubt also liking the fact that she would be in the ballad.
Ielky quickly launches into one of his older ballads and strikes some chords as they move to the forest. He, as bard, and Riks the wizard are usually the two who handle things when they meet people on the road or in the towns. Ielky's silk tongue and Riks calm authority usually smooth out all the creases. About a 100 yards back are the rest of the party. Absin, the berserker with her axe looking fierce and strong. Estivan the monk, deceptively relaxed as he balances some apples on his staff. After them come Tonia the druid, Sophy the sorceress and Lisbet the artificer. Though each of these three has their own skills, they wouldn't be able to defend themselves from a sneak attack. Jack the fighter and May the paladin close and guard the rear. 
The mood today is pretty relaxed as they'd only just left the town on their new quest. The townspeople have hired the travelling crew of adventurers to clean out the dungeon hidden in the depths of the nearby forest. Few have ventured close but legends tell of a mountain with a castle on top of it, ruled by a demon of considerable skill with plenty of monsters roaming the halls. The mountain itself houses a sleeping dragon sitting on a hoard of treasure. This alone is enough incentive to try and take on the dungeon for the villagers claimed they needn't return any of the treasure so long as they take out the demon who preys on the towns virgins. Looking around the town indeed lacks maidens, a fact that's brought to their attention by the many men leering at the female members of the crew. 
As usual the crew sets off without promises. If the quest proves to be too difficult they can always bail. If they succeed they can take the treasure and move on. Ballads of how they'd defeated the demon and dragon will be made by Ielky and add to their fame and the townspeople would no longer need to fear their maidens being seduced away. Though maybe the girls had just left to find their fortune since the town offered little in the things maidens covet. 
As the group walks through the forest, the path grows narrow and the forestation more wild. Light only reaches them in small beams. Yorge and Noemy fan out while the others take a break and later return with news of their scouting: 

**Challenge: look for a way to the dungeon (difficulty: medium - hey, dungeons are hidden for a reason!)**
      -Noemy: perception check: roll 10, add2 modifier (intelligence) => 12: regular fail
      -Yorge: perception check: roll 8, minus 1 modifier (intelligence) => 7: regular fail

Yorge returns first, he's managed to travel to the north for a while but has run into the mountain walls. The wall appears unscalebale so he has returned hoping Noemy would have had better luck. Noemy has fared slightly better, she ventured east and has stumbled on a road that seemed to be in good condition and might lead to the castle but there were a lot of monsters around so she hadn't had much luck following it. 
While the two of them rest and eat, Tonia turns to her bird familiar, cloaks it to look like any ordinary pigeon and borrows it's senses. 

**Tonia casts wild shape (difficulty: easy - she's done this many times before)
      -check for failure: roll 10, add 2 modifier (wisdom) => 12: success
      -perception check: roll 18, add 3 modifier (wisdom, animal handling): 21 => success

Tonia calls her familiar back as she doesn't see the road in the east lead up to the mountains. It's possible that it's just an abandoned trading route that has been overrun with monsters looking for a silly human who hasn't gotten the memo that it's unsafe to travel along it. Circling south she finally notices the path leading to what must be the dungeon castle. However the road is long and winding and fraught with dangerous monsters. Luckily there seems to be a small game trail that circles around the worst groups of monsters but they'll still have to take on a few to reach the keep.
Tonia relays the information to the rest of the group and the crew decides to camp out and head out in the early morning as it is the time the monsters will be the least active. Happy with their progress the group make arrangements for their camp: 

**Recovery of the weary (difficulty: easy - honestly they haven't done that much)
      -Ielky casts song of rest: roll1, epic fail, people will get nightmares
**Setting up wards (difficulty: medium - the place IS swarming with monsters)
      -Riks sets wards: spell check to see if they work: roll d10, add 3 modifier: 13: close enough, they'll hold as long as nobody screams lol
**Setting up guard duty (difficulty: very easy - they are seasoned adventurers and it's only been a day)
      -May takes up 1st guard shift sleeping check: roll 4, add 3 (constitution): 7 => success
      -Jack takes up 2nd guard shift: sleeping check: roll 4, add 1 (constitution): 5 => success but he'll feel it in the morning
      -Estivan takes up 3rd guard shift: sleeping check: roll 10, add 2 (constitution): 12 => great success, he'll have breakfast ready for the others.

The day dawns early to the smell of frying bacon and eggs. Estivan has used the last part of his guard duty to make the rest a nice breakfast. All of them look worse for wear, Jack obviously didn't get enough rest and yawns. He wonders if maybe his nightmares were caused by all the worrying he's been doing about his family. He's away most of the year, leaving the raising of their kids to his wife who's frail. In his dreams he was being haunted by scenes of failure and death. Keeping awake for his guard shift had been murder. Luckily Estivan had started his shift early. The monk didn't clarify, but he too had been shaken by nightmares which had kept him wide awake for the rest of the night. 
Still, they need to get moving before the sun rises too high and ruins their plans to climb the mountain in one day. They tidy up their camping spot, making certain to extinguish the fire and leave the tents somewhere hidden so they can pick them up on their way back down the mountain. The equipment will only weigh them down while climbing and exploring the dungeon. 
They manage to evade monsters until the sun reaches it's zenith. 

**Battle: A group of 5 small agile foes arrives (HP:10) (initiative: Jack roll 20, Estivan roll 10, foes roll 18)
      -Jack attacks: roll 6 (mod+2) - HP 20       | roll 6 (mod+2) - HP 19              | roll 18 (mod+2)
      -Foes attack: rolls 1, 6, 8, 16, 20  - 2 dead | rolls 8, 14, 16 - 3 dead, 1 injured | rolls 8
      -Estivan attacks: roll 18 (mod+2) - HP:12   | roll 8 (mod +2) - HP 9              | rolls 10 (mod+2)

Jack, despite his bad night, is the first to move. He manages to hit one of the foes for 8 damage but it isn't enough. The little rodent-like creatures spring into action next. The one that has been hit lashes out in anger but only manages to trip and fall down the mountain. Two of the rodents attack but do no more than scratch the fighters armour. The last two however appear to be the strongest of the bunch. One hits Estivan for 5 HP while the other does the same to Jack. Estivan manages to get one of those bigger ones with his staff and dispatches it with a catapult throw. The next round starts. Jack has been waiting for the opportunity and kicks one of the foes in the head. Winded the beast falls a bit back. It lunges at Jack but doesn't connect and whimpers as it clings on to life. The two remaining each land a blow on the two fighters but they do hardly no damage. Estivan manages to kill the one that hit him with a hit on the head. Jack follows up with a barrage of punches that kill the remaining healthy rodent, while Estivan makes short work of the final injured rodent that tries to gnaw it's way through them. 
While they fought, the others in the party managed to scramble up the wall past the skirmish. Though still able to move, Estivan did take quite a hit. He's tended to by Sophy and Tonia with basic first aid but will need to recover before he can fight again. 

**Scouting (difficulty: medium - mountainous terrain makes for good hiding but difficult spotting)
      -Noemy: roll 20 (mod+2) => 22, succes

Noemy volunteers to scout ahead while Estivan recharges a bit. She seems to do better in this environment than in the woods below and quickly establishes a route that leads them right below the castle keep. But there is no way to stay under the radar of the humongous minotaur that is waiting for them.

**Battle: A large foe arrives (HP: 50, def 10) (initiative: Jack rolls 7, May rolls 5a, Riks rolls 5b, Absin rolls 4, minotaur roll 1)
        -Jack attacks: roll 12 (mod+2) - HP: 19   | roll 2 -- - HP: 19            | roll 20 (mod+2)
        -May tanks: roll 16 (mod+3) - HP: 37       | roll 16 (mod+3) - HP: 37  | roll 8 (mod+3)
        -Riks casts: roll 2- HP: 22                      | roll 10 (mod+3) - HP: 22 | roll 20 (mod+3)
        -Absin attacks: roll 10 (mod+2) - HP: 32 | roll 16 (mod+2) - HP: 32 | roll20 (mod+2)
        -Minotaur: roll 16 (mod+3) - HP 45          | roll 2 -- - HP: 25           | roll 2 -- 

The team doesn't hesitate. They've done this before. Tonia and Sophy help Esivan while Yorge sneaks them past the minotaur who is heavily distracted by May's divine smile. She holds his attention while Jack again makes the first attack with his superior speed. But since the minotaur is armoured with it's thick skin, he doesn't manage to do a lot of damage and falls back. May then thrusts her spear into the beasts side, causing it to roar in anger. The roar distracts Riks whose spell fizzles. Absin manages to bask her axe onto the minotaur but he deflects the blow with his shoulder. The Minotaur, still being thwarted by May's shining light charges her and grazes her with it's axe. But she only laughs at it's efforts.  
Jack tries to kick the minotaur but it evades the fighter's attack with ease. But that manoeuvre leaves it straight in May's path who pricks her spear in a soft unguarded spot once more. Riks follows up with a lightning bolt that stuns the minotaur, leaving it wide open for Absin's attack to hit. Stunned, the minotaur doesn't manage to land a hit on one of the adventurers. The creature shakes it's head and seems to come out of the daze. But it isn't fast enough as Jack manages to hit it square in the jaw with a flying kick. The monster stumbles back, causing May's next attack to misconnect but she still causes a cut. Riks casts a fireball that hits with a loud explosion while Absin goes for the kill. Her ace slicing through the beasts throat, making it go down. The fight is over. 
Behind them Noemy, Ielky and Lisbet who stayed to offer support if needed give a short round of applause before heading toward the castle gates. The day is drawing to a close when they get there but guards are stationed at the entrance 24/7. Sophy who didn't waste time, is already chanting to seduce the demons away from their job.  

**Get inside the castle
        -Sophy enchants the guards: roll 12 against guards roll 5
        -Lisbet opens locks: roll 20
        -Yorge tries to sneak in to lower the bridge: roll 2, 2nd roll 20

A haunting melody surrounds the two guards, beckoning them closer to the edge. Luring them away from the entrance and out in the dark where monsters are waiting, no doubt lured by the blood of the minotaur. The crew doesn't waste time waiting to hear what their fate will be. Lisbet moves to the front. She is skilled in anything mechanical and smirks as the lock comes apart in her hands. It is done. They're in. But another challenge awaits. A drawbridge needs lowering. Yorge gets ready to scale some walls and reach the other side from the spacer beams above them. But he slips and lands down in the moat, realising there is a hidden mechanism down there to lower the bridge should the castle fall in the hands of enemies. 
The crew enter the castle and find that it is oddly normal. Light fixtures are hanging on the wall, giving off a cosy warm light. Art is displayed on the walls and the air smells fresh. Apparently the demon in charge here doesn't like their abode to be damp and dank. 

The crew briefly discuss whether or not they should split up but seeing as the layout of the dungeon is not what they were expecting they decide against it. 
"I think we just need to head up for the demon and down for the dragon." Absin tells them. 
"You might be right." Riks agrees. 
Yorge takes the forefront, stealthily scouting the corridors and then doubling back to lead the crew further on. They pause at places that seem safe and pass several doors without trying them. They're only looking for the demon and the dragon after all. They don't want to waste time running into enemies. Although the castle is quiet and if someone had told them it was abandoned, they would not question it. They find a staircase and move up. At the top is a single large door, more of a gate that doesn't bode well for the size of the demon behind it. 
Absin quickly checks to see if everyone is ready and then opens the door intent on making the first strike. Lisbet and Ielky stay behind to guard the door.

**Battle: Defeat the demon (HP150, AC10 - he is dressed for sleeping so not that well guarded)
        -Luck check: roll2 - too bad, the demon is reading in his bed and has his sword ready. 
        -Initiative: Tonia (18), Estivan (17), Yorge (14), Demon (12), Jack (12), Noemy (10), Riks (8), Sophy (4), May (2), Absin (1)
        -Tonia's support effect will only take effect if she rolls at least 10. For this fight I'll put the numbers in the text :p

Tonia wastes no time and starts chanting, opting to stay out of the fighting. As a druid from the Circle of the Moon she could use her wild shape to fight but she's keeping that ability for the dragon. Instead she focuses her strength to bolster Riks, the wizard. While the specific smell of rosemary starts to fill the room, Estivan channels his ki to launch an attack. The monk rushes forward with his staff but his attack (8) does not pack enough punch to hurt the demon. Yorge sneak attacks next, dropping in from the ceiling and nicking the demon for 13hp (20+3). The demon swats at the nuisance but fails to do damage (12) as Yorge's leather vest has several clever metal embellishments. Jack follows up with a roundhouse kick that does 10hp damage (18+2). Noemy stays at the back wall to guard Tonia but throws some knives and manages to add another 6hp damage (12+4). Riks meanwhile is trying to get his focus, which proves difficult as he wants to know what enemy the demon will focus on. Sophy casts a spell, hoping to distract the demon (14+3) the demon cannot counter as he is already confused by the group of 11 people that has invaded his sleeping chamber (8). May tries to get the demons attention but fails due to Sophy's confusion effect. Absin uses the general chaos to get in a good attack (16+2), causing the demon another 8hp damage (current demon HP: 113).
Tonia keeps struggling to force her magic to merge with Riks but she isn't quite there yet (6). Estivan tries another stick attack but the demon blocks it and throws the monk sideways (8+1). Yorge fumbles and manages to smack to the floor, getting 1 hp damage (HP: 16). The demon notices the predicament the thief is in and attacks with a bolt of damage causing another 2 hp damage (HP: 14). Jack can't let all this blundering go and follows up with a decent punch, causing 6hp damage. Noemy throws more knives but misses this time. Riks feels his power growing and casts a lightning bolt that does 7 hp damage (14+3). Sophy casts a spell of blinding (14+3) and manages to take away the demons sight for the remainder of the turn. May uses the temporary status effect to thrust her spear toward the demon, causing 11 hp damage. Her attack is followed by Absin's who whacks the demon with her axe for an additional 6hp damage. (current demon HP: 83).
Tonia is starting to feel rather useless as her magic doesn't seem to want to cooperate (4). Estivan decides to change tactics and channels his ki to land a blow, the precise impact causing 9 hp damage (18+1). Yorge tries to attack from the ground but his legs are caught in a throw and he blunders (6). The demon decides to attack him again with a bolt of magic and hits him for 1 HP (Yorge HP: 13). Jack thrusts himself between Yorge and the demon, delivering a powerful kick that does 12 hp damage (20+2). Noemy can't get a clear shot and doesn't even try (2). Riks casts more lightning that does 7hp damage (14+3). Sophy decides to rev it up a bit and tries a sleep spell next, trying to put the demon to sleep. The demon notices her effort and tries to shield for another blinding spell, accidentally strengthening her spell. He dozes off (1). Stunned, May fumbles her attack (6) and even Absin is amazed that this powerful demon is now sleeping again. (current demon HP: 55)
In the small interlude, Yorge manages to get up and the group wonder what to do. This demon doesn't seem to be all that powerful . But a demon is still a demon so Absin finishes of the demon with a series of hacks (big success at 20)

**Look for loot (difficulty: hard)
        -Yorge scouting: roll 2 (failure), Noemy scouting roll 10 (failure, Riks casting arcane search spell: roll 20

The death of the demon doesn't cause alarms to go off and the crew returns downstairs to look for loot. The castle remains quiet. Yorge scouts the ground floor once more but comes up empty. Noemy tries to check for hidden entrances but senses neither breezes nor sees cracks of light. Riks fires up his magic, believing a dragon might be powerful enough to hide the entrance to it's hoard with decent magic. It is faint, but a certain painting catches his attention. It's an unassuming piece portraying a mountainous landscape with birds flying overhead. As Riks' magic passes through it though, the specks grow larger and form dragons in the sky. The wall pivots and a passage appears. 
The crew descends. A golden glow shines up at them, promising riches beyond their wildest dreams. 
Down below the dragon rouses, feeling the slight chill of the opened door. Opening one eye it sighs and decides that next time it will hire better help, even if it will cost more. It's been far too often disturbed. With a flourish of it's tail it opens a portal at the bottom of the stairs, sending the adventurers in the unknown, to a place where it senses plenty of it's own kind. Let them have all the fun with dragons that they can manage. 
"Good riddance!" it mutters. 
The dragon closes it's eyes and with a last conscious effort closes the door. 

~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~

[STORY] ~'~ [ABSIN] [ESTIVAN] [IELKY] [JACK] [LISBET] [MAY] [NOEMY] [RIKS] [SOPHY] [TONIA] [YORGE]

~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~.~'°'~
Lantessama Isle - Isla Weyr
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