A Dark and Stormy Knight (3.5 D&D Tutorial; Kunoichi and Esoteric Myobi)

[Kunoichi]

((As the title says, this is a roleplay wherein I'll be teaching a good friend of mine how to play the 3.5 Edition of Dungeons and Dragons.  Expect plenty of little out of character comments like this one, filled mostly with explanations and exposition.

First things first, the principal characters in this little adventure are Sapphire, a Human Rogue, and Dulia, a Half-Orc Cleric.  Both are first level characters, and this particular game will be using a slightly-altered version of a prepublished adventure.

And now, to set the scene...))

The sky has been slowly darkening all day, and the smell of rain has been thick in the air. Now it has finally begun to fall, accompanied by loud peals of thunder that seem to roll across the landscape. The sun is hidden behind massive stormclouds, and a cold wind blows from the north. As bolts of lightning begin to slam from cloud to ground and pieces of hail begin to strike the earth, the need for shelter becomes obvious.

Ahead in the distance, a large tor, a freestanding hill, rises from the ground, its form illuminated by the occasional lightning bolt. It seems rocky and solid, and though climbing it in this weather would be folly, it might have some outcropping that would provide safety from the storm. The only alternative is to endure the weather.

((Feel free to introduce your character and establish your own reasons for why you're travelling, Myo.  Since this is a one-off adventure, larger world details aren't as important.))

[Esoteric Myobi]

Sapphire trudged alongside her newly acquired mule. The small wooden cart that it dragged along swayed from side to side with each bump that its large wheels hit, her belongings inside rattling loudly in the oncoming gloom. It was going to rain soon, she could see that much from the darkening sky and the gathering clouds. And it was not going to be a very nice storm...

Peering up ahead, her ice blue eyes spotted a large hill in the distance, it was almost like a miniature mountain. As the bellies of the clouds above flickered with telltale traces of lightning soon to come, she urged the mule on though the animal stubbornly continued at its slow and steady pace. "I suppose this is what I get...better than nothing." She was still grumbling over the loss of her diamond ring. Or rather the loss of her glass ring that had been skillfully made to the extent that it passed off as a diamond to the untrained eye. Getting her hands on a treasure like that was a rare find, but the mule had just been conveniently there for the taking...and they had even given her the cart to boot.

Although still unhappy with her loss, she shrugged it off and continued on, occasionally shifting the weight of her pack from shoulder to shoulder. Suddenly the storm began, lightning struck the ground forcefully, causing the dirt to fly up and clods of it landed yards away. The mule began to act up, surprised and scared by the sudden onslaught of nature. Cursing as she was momentarily blinded, the girl reached out to get a hold of the reins before pulling the animal down, trying to console it with soothing words though the storm was snatching her words away almost as soon as they left her mouth.

[Kunoichi]

The massive tor towers above the surrounding country.  A few narrow ledges offer scant protection from the elements, but a closer inspection reveals a massive, arched entryway at least 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide, set into the side of the hill.  The ground just outside it slopes away from the doorway, directing the falling water out and away.  Given this fact and the sturdy nature of the hill, whatever space lies beyond the door should be both dry and safe from lightning and hail.  The construction seems quite sturdy, so the likelihood of collapse, even in severe conditions such as these, is remote.

((The obvious choices here are to open the doors and go in or continue down the road, but if any other courses of action come to mind, feel free to try them as well.  Just as an example, you could search around the entrance for clues as to the origins of the tor and the doorway built into it, or try climbing up to the top of the tor if you wanted.

That said, the heavy rainfall would make both tasks a bit more difficult than normal, the climbing especially...))

[Esoteric Myobi]

The mule was still skittish but had calmed down enough that she was able to urge it on towards the looming tor. It might have been the urgency in her voice or probably just the situation itself that caused the animal to move faster than before. Though with the new speed the cart suffered as it clanked along noisily and Sapphire feared that a few precious belongings may fall out and become lost in the rain. Hopefully this would not be the case...but if so she would certainly take the time to explore every little crevice in the ground when the storm had passed.

Upon reaching the shadow of the tor, she huddled beneath a small arch, shivering from the rain and cold. Wringing out as much water as she could, the mule stamped its feet, shaking slightly to get rid of the excess liquid. Now that they were somewhat sheltered it seemed calmer and once again content. She sighed and looked around at their bleak surroundings. Sheets of rain pouring down just a few feet in front of her, and a few feet behind was nothing but ro...is that a door? Squinting into the darkness, she reached out with her hands and felt along the solid face of the tor. It was smooth instead of bumpy and rough as she had expected, it felt as if runes of some sort had been carved into in at different intervals. Even as she tried to 'see' as much of this new discovery as she could with only the aid of her fingers, she found that the door was much bigger than she had expected. Reaching up, she stood on the tips of her toes to try and see just how far up it went...only to feel herself falling forwards.

As she stumbled, her boots slick from the churned mud and rain, she fell forwards and slammed against the door. While it certainly broke her fall she almost wished that it hadn't. Slamming against a solid piece of rock wasn't exactly the most pleasant sensation...Even as she sat on the ground rubbing sore spots along her body, the door creaked open in the smallest of cracks. Astonished that there was a prospective place to stay out of the rain, at the same time Sapphire couldn't help but think that she couldn't possibly have been that heavy...Either way, shelter was still shelter, and dry shelter was definitely better than staying out here staring into the miserable rain. Standing up and patting herself off, she took hold of the mule's reigns and pushed the door open further before leading it inside.

[Kunoichi]

The door is heavy but well counterweighted.  It is not locked and opens easily, and it swings shut of its own accord behind you.

The stone chamber beyond the entrance measures at least ten paces square.  Peeling paint and broken scrollwork suggest that it was once decorated with some care, but now only dust remains.  Three massive stone doors—one each to the left and right, and one directly across from the entrance—lead deeper into the tor.

A woman sits off to one side in the room, seemingly not at all bothered by the dim lighting conditions.  Kneeling down and bowing her head, she seems to be caught up in prayer.  The woman is a half-orc, a mixed-breed child born of the mingling of orc and human bloodlines, and by orc standards, she would be considered rather plain.  Of course, considering that even the most charming and virile orcish warriors only rate as 'handsome' by human standards, what this says about her looks is perhaps best left unsaid.

Her orcish heritage seems to be particularly strong, greenish skin lending an almost sickly tinge to what otherwise appear to be very strong, healthy muscles.  Two small tusks jut out slightly from her mouth, while strands of disheveled, reddish hair are clearly visible from beneath the steel cap she wears.  Her clothes are made of rough-spun wool and consist of a shirt, breeches and a hooded cloak, while at her waist is a leather belt and boots cover her feet.  Layered on over the wool shirt she wears is a second shirt, this one made of interwoven links of metal.  A chain shirt, in other words, similar to the one you wear.

As the door closes behind you, the woman takes notice and, raising her head, turns to look at you, regarding you for a few seconds before speaking.

"Uh... Storm-peace?"  She asks in a cautious tone, one hand placed on the wooden staff that lays on the ground beside her.

((STORM-PEACE
The custom of storm-peace evolved long ago in response to the sudden and severe storms that plague this area.  The basic concept is that an automatic truce exists between all individuals and groups who seek shelter in neutral territory during a lightning storm.  Such weather is simply too dangerous for fighting, regardless of people’s feelings toward one other.  Storm-peace is assumed to be in effect unless someone specifically rejects it.  Even so, whenever two strangers meet during a lightning storm, they often greet one another by asking “Storm-peace?” simply to ensure that the other knows and respects the tradition.

^Just a little extra background knowledge that your character would know. ^^;

At any rate, here's the map of the room.  Each square is equal to five feet, so of course it's only a rough representation.



Feel free to tell me where you want yourself and your mule and cart to be placed.))

[Genbu83]

Jeroph kept his head under the treated leather cloak.  Pounding rain disgrunted the man. His first campaign was choked in rain, and it was a bane to half his abilities. fire spells were dosed by the down pour and lightning spells became much more deadly.

The warmage held the reigns of his steed as the tor came into view. The night was atrocious and he desired warm, even if he had to produce it. A tunic of blue was starting to darken as the rain slipped under his cloak aided by the winds. His hair was thankfull pulled back. Wet hair and wet armor lead to death by cold. Over the tunic was a jirkin of studded leather, bracers, a tasset and greeves, matched the armor.  From his saddle hung a set of javelins, a longspear and a wooden shield. Sitting on his right was a light crossbow. It was safe to assume that, he had a dagger or two. Riding on a tan mare, he kept going toward the tor.

Jeroph looked like an infantryman, heading home. Though the those with a trained eye, would see the barding and sigils of the Ardent Warmage Acadmemy resting on the shield and leather the human wore.

((new characters are also level one I assume.  Etheir way, warmages are fun.))

[Kunoichi]

...Sorry, but this was a private roleplay, and in case you haven't noticed from the fact that the last post was in November of last year, it's also a dead one.