Chapter 6 [A Brother Lost]

[reefwood]

[Day 16 - night]

The hour is late when you are summoned to an emergency briefing. A two-person escort leads the way toward the center of the camp. Into the area constantly shrouded under magical darkness. The sole source of light becomes a headband worn one member by the escort, but its soft glow provides only enough illumination to see a small area around the wearer. The rest of the world has gone completely black.

The final destination appears to be a small tent. Everburning torches provide ample light inside, and several soldiers stand guard around a hatch built into wooden floor that has been laid down. The hatch is lifted, and the escort gestures for you to continue down. Alone. A ladder descends 20 feet to a narrow tunnel where dirt walls are supported by wooden arches. At the end is a heavy wooden door. Though, it opens with ease.

You step into a sizable underground bunker. Aside from the lack of windows, it looks similar to other military buildings. Maps and mementos line the wooden walls. Crates and barrels are piled in corners. Several other soldiers are already standing at attention. Some faces are familiar. All look to be seasoned warriors – be it through their demeanor or battle-worn scars.

At the far end stands a captain and her personal guard. She is studying maps and papers scattered on the desk in front of her. After a few more soldiers arrive, she turns her attention to the group, “As you may know, several scouts and small squads were dispatched throughout the countryside while the bulk of our forces marched to the cities. Few have met resistance and most were able to quash that which they encountered. There have, however, been...exceptions.”


[OOC: Starting Packages, 6th-level (Standard Wealth - 16,000 gp)

Weapon Combat (CL 6)
- Magical enhancements to weapons (4,000 gp)
- Magical enhancements to armors/shields (5,000 gp)
- Nonmagical weapons, ammunition, armors, shields (3,000 gp)
- Adventuring gear, special substances, tools & skill kits, mounts (1,000 gp)
- Additional magic items (2,500 gp)
- Potion of cure serious wounds x2 (1,500 gp)
- +500 gp increase on two limits (1,000 gp)
= 18,000 gp total limit

Magic Combat (CL 8)
- Two wands of any spell on your list (5,000 gp)
- Magic items that provide bonuses to AC (4,000 gp)
- Nonmagical weapons, ammunition, armor, shields (2,000 gp)
- Adventuring gear, special substances, tools & skill kits, mounts (1,000 gp)
- Additional magic items (3,500 gp)
- Potion of cure serious wounds x2 (1,500 gp)
- +500 gp increase on two limits (1,000 gp)
= 18,000 gp total limit

Hybrid Combat (CL 7)
- Magical enhancements to weapons OR two wands of any spell on your list (4,500 gp)
- Magical enhancements to armors/shields OR magic items that provide bonuses to AC (4,500 gp)
- Nonmagical ammunition, weapons, armor, shields (2,500 gp)
- Adventuring gear, special substances, tools & skill kits, mounts (1,000 gp)
- Additional magic items (3,000 gp)
- Potion of cure serious wounds x2 (1,500 gp)
- +500 gp increase on two limits (1,000 gp)
= 18,000 gp total limit


New PCs also receive 16 days of 6th-level Income Pool.]

[reefwood]

The captain goes on to explain that advance scouts were sent out ahead of the army to survey the cities and their surrounding areas. Activity of note was reported by a scout in the Wyrmscale Mountains south of Verdas. Small bands of 10 to 20 orc warriors were amassing. Usually no more than one band arrived each day. The orcs took shelter in caves during the day and moved their growing camp to a new location almost every night. Patrols were sent out at all hours of the day. Some served as hunting parties and others kept watch for newly arriving bands.

Six days ago, when the Nemedoran army was only hours from Verdas, the Red Blade battalion of 100 soldiers and 20 officers was dispatched to further investigate the orc activity, which at that point were nearly 80 strong. Their objectives were three-fold: to determine the intent of the orcs, assess the level of threat they may pose, and ensure that they do not interfere with the siege of Verdas.

No resistance was encountered along the way, but as of yesterday, the scout estimated that the orcs numbered at least 200, and the last reports came in this morning. The battalion was expected to reach the mountains by noon and begin making their way toward the last known location of the orcs. However, there has not been word since, and no attempts to make contact with the scout or officers have been successful. She adds, “We do not know the aim of the orcs, but it seems unlikely a coincidence that they gather this close to Verdas as our forces arrived.”

This emergency briefing is a call for volunteers to determine what happened to the battalion and update the status of the orcs. Volunteers will be provided hardy mounts and be able to reach the last known location of the battalion in a single day of hard riding by taking a more direct route. Instead of marching nearly 100 miles around various terrains, this 60 mile journey will not only cut through the grasslands, but also a small portion of the sparse Thinth Forest, the entire length of a canyon known as the Rift, and weave through the southeastern span of the low-laying Wyrmscale Mountains.


[OOC: Decided to only recap this portion so far, in case anyone wants to ask more questions during the briefing. In a couple days (or maybe sooner if no one has anything to ask), I will recap the rest of the session. Also, the info below is what was gleamed from Brion's Know(history) roll.

The Rift
Legends tell of an ancient conflict that nearly shattered the world long before common races walked upon it. Little is known of these times, but some believe the Rift was created during this time by a devastating conflux of magic - where wild giants who worshipped earth spirits came to a head against ferocious dragon sorcery. Whatever the cause, the ground opened up to swallow forest and mountain and left a cursed, gaping wound in the world.

The Rift is a canyon that runs 30 miles long and spans 10 miles at its widest point. The walls of the canyon were described in the oldest scripts as having a sharp, vertical drop and the bottom twice as deep as today, but it is thought that time has worn the gradual incline that runs along the perimeter and piled loose rubble at the base which is now only 500 feet deep. It is bordered by sparse forest to the north and west and low mountains to the east and south.

The Rift is devoid of life and magic. Nothing has ever been known to grow anywhere inside the canyon, and spells fizzle without effect up to a mile in all directions of the canyon. Additionally, the temperature is dangerously high during the day and drops to freezing within moments of nightfall.]

[reefwood]

[OOC: Mission Equipment

Group Items
1 amulet of sending (command word, 2/day)

Per PC
1 heavy horse with combat training
1 saddle for horse (optional, see below)
1 light barding for horse (optional, see below)
1 Medium cold-weather outfit (7 lb, optional)
1 Large cold-weather outfit for horse (14 lb, optional)


Horse, Heavy
Large Animal, N

Ability Scores
Str: 20 (+5)
Dex: 18 (+4)
Con: 21 (+5)
Int: 02 (-4)
Wis: 17 (+3)
Cha: 11 (+0)

HP: 19 (2d8+10)
Init: +4
Spd: 50 ft

Saves
Fort: 8 (3 +5 Con)
Ref: 7 (3 +4 Dex)
Will: 3 (0 +3 Wis)

AC: __ (10 +4 Dex +2 natural +__ armor -1 size)
ff: 11 +__ armor = ___
touch: 13

Offense
BAB +1
CMB +7 (1 BAB +5 Str +1 size)
CMD 21 (10 +1 BAB +5 Str +4 Dex +1 size); 25 vs trip
2 hooves +5 melee (1d6+5) and 1 bite +5 melee (1d4+5)

Skills (2 pts): (Rnk+Tra+Mod+Misc) = Total +ACP
Acro 0+0+4+0 = +4*
Climb 0+0+5+0 = +5*
Escape 0+0+4+0 = +4*
Percep 2+3+3+0 = +8
Stealth 0+0+4-4 = +0*
Survival 0+0+3+0 = +3
Swim 0+0+5+0 = +5*
*Armor Check Penalty = ___

Feats
1) Endurance [1st]
2) Run [Bonus]

Racial Traits
1) Low-light vision
2) Scent
3) Proficient with natural weapons only

Load - Current:___
Light 399 / Medium 798 / Heavy 1200

When fatigued:
Load - Light 300 / Medium 600 / Heavy 900


Equipment
Saddle: ______________ ( lb)
Barding: _____________ ( lb)


Tricks
1) Attack - Attacks apparent enemies. You may point to a particular creature that you wish the animal to attack & it will comply if able. Normally, an animal will attack only humanoids, monstrous humanoids, giants, and animals.
2) Come - Comes to you, even if it normally would not do so
3) Defend - Defends you (or is ready to defend you if no threat is present) or another specific craeture, even without any command being given.
4) Down - Breaks off from combat or otherwise backs down. An animal that doesn't know this trick continues to fight until it must flee (due to injury, a fear effect, or the like) or its opponent is defeated.
5) Guard - Stays in place & prevents others from approaching
6) Heel - Follows you closely, even to places where it normally wouldn't go.

Scent (Ex) This special quality allows a creature to detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. Creatures with the scent ability can identify familiar odors just as humans do familiar sights.

The creature can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases to 60 feet; if downwind, it drops to 15 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at triple normal range.

When a creature detects a scent, the exact location of the source is not revealed—only its presence somewhere within range. The creature can take a move action to note the direction of the scent. When the creature is within 5 feet of the source, it pinpoints the source's location.

A creature with the scent ability can follow tracks by smell, making a Wisdom (or Survival) check to find or follow a track. The typical DC for a fresh trail is 10 (no matter what kind of surface holds the scent). This DC increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry's odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. The ability otherwise follows the rules for the Survival skill. Creatures tracking by scent ignore the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility.

---

Each horse must be kept to a light load (or somehow else have a speed of 50 ft).
Keep in mind that is a horse takes any damage from heat or cold or a forced march, it becomes fatigued - which lowers Str by 2, and as a result, lowers its load. Fatigued load limits have been added to the above horse stats.

The following equipment options are available to each horse:

Saddle Options
Riding - 25 lb
Military - 30 lb
Riding, Exotic - 30 lb
Military, Exotic - 40 lb

MW Barding Options
Padded - 20 lb (+1 AC, Max Dex +8, 0 ACP)
Leather - 30 lb (+2 AC, Max Dex +6, 0 ACP)
Studded Leather - 40 lb (+3 AC, Max Dex +5, 0 ACP)
Chainshirt - 50 lb (+4 AC, Max Dex +4, -1 ACP)]

[reefwood]

[Day 16 - night]

The night did not pass quietly. Elite Verdasian soldiers took to the air on wing and magic, shrouded by spell and darkness, to drop alchemical firebombs and fireballs into the Nemedoran camps. There were even rumors of fighting within the camp. Attacks consisted of multiple, scattered strikes at once, but otherwise, they were seemingly random in terms of frequency and location. Casualties and damage were minimal in the end, but morale was strained, and many soldiers were left weary without proper rest.

---

[Day 17 - dawn]

The first rays of light finally brought relief to the camp. Or so it seemed. The flames around Verdas were still standing, but the air strikes halted. Nemedoran forces began to prepare for another long day, but a few select soldiers readied themselves for a special reconnaissance mission. As they gathered, however, another set of strikes befell the camp. Icy golems suddenly stepped out of thin air inside the camp with a touch cold enough to induce frostbite and breath that could freeze several men to death at once. Even in their own destruction, they wreaked havoc upon others by exploding into razor-sharp shards of ice. Yet before one threat could be eliminated, another appeared. Fire elementals. They set tents ablaze and attacked any that came near. For a few moments, they seemed to be everywhere, but despite the element of surprise, the invaders were vanquished. It turned out that mages were to blame with their use of teleporting and summoning.

[OOC: Rewards

The amount of healing spells available to PCs is dependent on the number of tent squares destroyed.
Spells: cure serious wounds (3d8+5) , cure moderate wounds (2d8+3) , cure light wounds (1d8+1)
1-10 - csw x5, cmw x5, clw x5
11-20 - csw x4, cmw x5, clw x5
21-30 - csw x3, cmw x5, clw x5
31-40 - csw x2, cmw x5, clw x5
41-50 - csw x1, cmw x5, clw x5
51-60 - csw x0, cmw x5, clw x5
61-70 - csw x0, cmw x4, clw x5
71-80 - csw x0, cmw x3, clw x5
81-90 - csw x0, cmw x2, clw x5
91-100 - csw x0, cmw x1, clw x5
101+ - csw x0, cmw x0, clw x5

The tents were made of canvas, and there were 324 tent squares (hardness 0, 5 hp) on the board. 22 were destroyed.]

[reefwood]

[OOC: Rift Dangers

Creatures in the Rift are subject to heat damage during the day (100 F) and cold damage at night (20 F). Heat damage does not begin to heal naturally until exiting the Rift or dusk arrives. Cold damage does not begin to heal naturally until exiting the Rift or dawn arrives. No damage is taken during the hours of dawn and dusk. Magic can be used to heal heat or cold damage, but damage does not function inside the Rift. Once outside the Rift, you can heal away with spells, potions, channel energy, etc.

The Rift is 30 miles long and should take 6 hours to cross at a mounted speed of 50 ft. If something should delay, slow, or weigh you down, it could take longer.

Heat Damage
(Fort* save or 1d4 nonlethal damage)
Hour #1 – DC 15
Hour #2 – DC 16
Hour #3 – DC 17
Hour #4 – DC 18
Hour #5 – DC 19
Hour #6 – DC 20
*-4 penalty in armor/heavy clothing

If heat damage is taken, the creature suffers from heatstroke and is fatigued until the damage is healed. Once the nonlethal damage equals total hit points, any further damage is lethal.

Cold Damage
(Fort* save or 1d6 nonlethal damage)
Hour #1 – DC 15
Hour #2 – DC 16
Hour #3 – DC 17
Hour #4 – DC 18
Hour #5 – DC 19
Hour #6 – DC 20
*+5 with cold-weather outfit

If cold damage is taken, the creature suffers from hyperthermia and is fatigued until the damage is healed. Once the nonlethal damage equals total hit points, any further damage is lethal

Fatigue
A fatigued character can neither run nor charge and takes a –2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity.

---

It is expected that you will cross the Rift during the day and be out well before dusk. However, you may take a cold-weather outfit as a free mission item, but it will add to your load: 7 lbs for a Medium creature; 14 lbs for a horse. And obviously, you wouldn't want to wear the cold-weather outfit during the hot day.

As for the hot day, anyone (including horses) wearing armor or heavy clothing will receive a -4 penalty on their Fortitude saves to resist heat damage.

Also of note...the heavy horses have the Endurance feat which provides a +4 on Fort saves to resist heat/cold damage, so their total Fort save works out to +12 against this danger.]

[reefwood]

[OOC: The Long Ride (Hustle, Forced March, Healing)

The ride from Verdas to the last known location of the Red Blade battalion is expected to take at least 13 hours at a normal pace (i.e. one move action per round) on horses moving at a speed of 50 ft (i.e. 5 mi/hr), but it is possible to move faster. Here is the normal pace breakdown:

Grasslands - 15 miles (3 hr @ 50 ft)
Thinth Forest - 5 miles (1 hr @ 50 ft)
The Rift - 30 miles (6 hr @ 50 ft)
Wyrmscale Mountains - 15+ miles (3+ hr @ 50 ft)

The last leg is tricky in terms of mileage. The part of the mountain range that you need to cross is 10 miles from one side to the other, but winding and weaving through the mountains will make the actual distance traveled more than 10 miles. Determining how quickly you move through the mountains will require a Survival check.

---

Mounted Movement: A mount bearing a rider can move at a hustle. The damage it takes when doing so, however, is lethal damage, not nonlethal damage. The creature can also be ridden in a forced march, but its Constitution checks automatically fail, and the damage it takes is lethal damage. Mounts also become fatigued when they take any damage from hustling or forced marches.

Hustle

Moving at a hustle (i.e. two move actions per round) lets you move twice as fast as normal. You (or in this case, your horse) can do this for 1 hour without penalty. Therefore, if you hustle for 1 hour during the long ride, you can cover 10 miles during that hour, so in essence, you shorten the ride by 1 hour. After the first hour, hustling results in damage, so you can keep doing it, but the second hour deals 1 point of lethal damage, and each additional hour deals twice the damage of the previous hour (i.e. 3rd hr = 2 pts, 4th hr = 4 pts, 5th hr = 8 pts). Any damage from hustling results in fatigue.

Forced March

Any movement after 8 hours is a forced march. Mounts automatically take 1d6 points of lethal damage every hour of a forced march. Any damage from a forced march results in fatigue.

I thought about allowing for special mounts (i.e. animal companion, familiar, etc) to make Con checks to resist forced march damage but decided to keep it uniform for all mounts for simplicity's sake.

---

Healing

Nonlethal damage heals at a rate of 1 point per character level each hour, but first you have to remove whatever is causing the damage (i.e. out of the heat for heat damage, stop moving for forced march, etc). The heavy horses have 2 HD, so they will heal 2 hp each hour. Additionally, when a spell or ability cures hit point damage, it also removes an equal amount of nonlethal damage.

However, magic cannot be used to heal while inside the Rift (and up to a mile outside of it). The only way to heal during this time (aside from an extraordinary ability) is to Treat Deadly Wounds with a Heal check DC 20, and you need a healer's kit to do so without penalty, but it only heals 1 point per character level (plus Wis bonus if you beat the DC by 5 or more). For a horse, this would heal 2 points of lethal damage and 2 points of nonlethal damage, and if you rolled 25 or better, you add your Wis bonus, if any, to those amounts.

Treat Deadly Wounds can only be used on a creature 1/day.]

[reefwood]

[Day 17 - morning]

Three brave soldiers mounted on mighty steeds set out on a special mission as daylight washed over the land. They rode east on a road leading away from Verdas for a few hours, cut south across a flat plain, and found themselves at the edge of the Thinth Forest. The trees were enormous. Reaching up hundreds of feet into the air with bases wider than the horses. The riders skirted the forest and eventually caught sight of the Wyrmscale Mountains. The apparent gathering place of the orcs. They continued around the low peaks until the early evening when they came across evidence of a large camp. Signs of movement on a mass scale, boot prints, snuffed out camp fires, and waste buried in the dirt. A trail was uncovered, and they followed it into the mountains.

The squat peaks are more like grandiose hills – several hundred feet at their highest. Greenery is sparse. Only light scrub in scattered patches clings to the mountains. Their sides are rather steep at the base but ease into gradual slopes not too far from the ground. The low canyons that pass between the mountains ebb and flow in their width. Ususally enough for at least two horses to ride side by side. Sometimes triple that. The canyon floor is relatively smooth aside from a fair amount of fallen boulders. Caves also appear to be a common along the base of the mountains.


[Day 17 - night]

The trail led to sounds of activity shortly after the sun went down. Freakish beasts were feeding on dead Nemedorans. The foul creatures were driven off with a fireball, but it was apparent that they were not to blame for the slaughter of the Red Blade battalion. Arrows and blades had cut down the these soldiers. 7 had been decapitated. All officers. Their heads placed on spears set into the ground. It looked to be nearly the entire battalion, but 15 soldiers were unaccounted for, including Lieutenant Durst and Warrant Officer Shaw.

An investigation of the area found several odd indentations in the rock of the mountains. They were wide and shallow and scattered on both sides of the killing field. A pair of trails was connected to each indent, but they all went in different directions. Two more trails were found on the rocky ground below and showed evidence of creatures moving whose tracks left signs of something harder than bare skin or ordinary boots. Assumed to be horse hooves, and it is one of these trails that the trio followed.

The riders pressed on through the darkness. Winding through the mountains and finding a much larger trail. It was not clear who or what made the trail, but it was clearly a very large force and moving north. The winding trail was abandoned in pursuit of what may have been the orc horde.

The hour was growing late when the trio was ambushed by a pair of orcs that were, in turn, quickly dispatched. One survived and revealed under great duress that the horde was marching to Verdas. In the opposite direction was the orc camp – a cave – where prisoners were held. The orc was left in manacles, and the riders went after the prisoners.

They wide trail was easy to follow back to the orc camp, and the trio waited to make a report at midnight before mounting the rescue. Private First Class Sweetwater went in first. Invisible and floating above the ground, he was able to scout out deep into the tunnels and get the jump on a few orcs who he burnt to a crisp. When it was known that his glamer had faded and Sweetwater had yet to return, Sergeant Shaw and Sergeant First Class Grolton rode into the cavern with a direct assault. Cutting down lone orcs was not dangerous. Most were young and obviously not seasoned warriors. There was an older orc, however, who seemed to resist flame and fought with a vicious fervor. An aging wolf also added to the danger. The tide nearly turned as the orcs regrouped, but powerful magics and a combined effort against the elder put an end to them all.

A search of the tunnels turned up 11 soldiers. All had signs of recent battle wounds – punctures and gashes. 8 men were held in a large cavern. Hung against the wall from the wrists by manacles melded into rock near the ceiling. Some were unconscious, but the 8 men were alive, if exhausted. 2 others were found in a smaller area. Officers. Lieutenant Alastair Durst was dead. Burn marks dotted across his body in addition to the battle wounds, and all his fingers and toes cut off. The stubs seemingly corterized with heat. Warrant Officer Shaw was in similar condition but still breathing and only missing two fingers. A third officer - Sergeant Cedric Trow - was found alone. Unchained and freshly gutted. His body was also marred with signs of battle, burns, and one finger was missing. The search also uncovered apparent sleeping chambers and a latrine.


[OOC: This wound up being much longer than I expected. It's a lot of info, so I'll cut off the recap right here for now as to not be overwhelming. The next post will detail what you learn from the rescued soldiers and answer any questions related to this recap.

85 dead Red Blade soldiers were found where the monsters were eating them. 6 of those bodies were missing heads, and each body had officer insignia, but there were 7 heads on the spears.

I believe the amulet of sending was used when you found the battalion camp outside the mountains and after interrogating the orc. Is that correct?

Spoils
These are the items found on the orcs in the cavern. I didn't plan it out this way, but there are enough suits of regular breastplate for each surviving soldier but not Warrant Officer Shaw. Though, there is the +2 breastplate from the elder as well.

Orcs x8
Breastplate (30 lb) x8
Buckler (5 lb) x8
Orc Double Axe (15 lb) x8
Composite Longbow [Str rating +3] (3 lb) x8
Battleaxe (6 lb) x8
Throwing Axe (2 lb) x8
Vial (0.1 lb) x8 (potion of cure light wounds x4, other vials ? x4)
Arrows x156 (3 lb per 20)

Elder Orc
+2 Breastplate (30 lb)
MW Orc Double Axe (15 lb) x1
MW Composite Longbow [Str rating +4] (3 lb) x1
MW Battleaxe* (6 lb) 1
MW Throwing Axe* (2 lb) x2
Arrows x20 (3 lb)
Arrows* x10 (1.5 lb)
Arrows* x10 (1.5 lb)
Vial (0.1 lb) x1 (unknown liquid?)
Wand of summon monster (5 charges, 0.05 lb)
*made of nonstandard metal

Survivors (x9)
8 Soldiers (Ftr4)
Warrant Officer Shaw (Ftr8)

Dead Soldiers (x2)
First Lieutenant Alastair Durst
Sergeant Cedric Trow]

[reefwood]

[Day 18 – 12:30am]

While food and water were prepared by their rescuers, the weary soldiers recounted what they could from the past few days. The battalion had taken a southern route around the Rift and camped outside the southeastern edge of the Wyrmscale Mountains two nights ago [Day 15].

The following morning [Day 16], the 100-strong Red Blade were led into the mountains by the scout. He informed the officers that orcs had been arriving in relatively small groups but their number had now amassed to over 200. Some were accompanied by wolves or owls. One group rode in on horses. Orc patrols kept watch on the outermost peaks and guided new arrivals to their collective camp. Which moved every couple nights or so and always a few hours from the previous location. Patrols went out during the night and day, but only at night were new arrivals guided in or the main force moved.

Lt. Durst had devised an aggressive plan. The battalion was to set up camp inside the mountain range. Between the orc camp - which was expected to stay in the current location for least another night - and the outer rim. The next day [Day 17], squads would be sent out to go after the daytime orc patrols. Capture and interrogation was the goal. Preferbly though nonlethal means. At least until their intent was gleaned. In addition to gaining information, this would also leave any new orc arrivals without a guide and whittle down the main force. If things went well, they would be able to determine the next course of action by noon, and if necessary, an offensive could be mounted while the sun was still up. The orcs would be trapped in their cave, and there was no need to force them out. Only to prevent them from leaving. However, none of this came to pass.

The battalion was ambushed in the middle of the day before reaching their intended campsite. Volleys of arrows rained down upon them, and rolling mists quickly appeared to further obscure the already well-concealed orc archers. Some soldiers took cover behind boulders. Others regrouped inside nearby caves, only to be driven out by more orcs hidden inside. The battalion was pinned down. It seemed as if half the soldiers were dead or dying by the time a counterstrike was launched. A battle for the higher ground.

The remaining details are sparse and disjointed, but it seemed that the orcs could neutralize magic to some degree. Also, the few soldiers who willingly surrendered were immediately cut down. Only those wrestled into submission were taken alive. Bound and gagged with sacks over their heads, they marched for what seemed like hours until a sudden darkness, musty stench, and cooling of the air washed over them. Within minutes of entering the cave, the privates were lifted by their necks and hung by their wrists against the wall. Even with the sacks removed, they could see nothing. They were no longer gagged either, but any words were met with a vicious blow to the gut. Their time in the darkness was a blur, but the privates heard an occasional scream, a fair amount of barking, and earlier in the night, what sounded like a mass exodus.

Warrant Officer Shaw is able to shed some additional light. The officers were held separately. Left bound and gagged. Lt. Durst was taken away first. His screams began almost immediately and continued intermittently for hours. After a long period of silence, Sgt. Trow was taken next. Eventually, WO Shaw succumbed to exhaustion. He awoke hanging in the chamber where he was found. The soft glow of the coals revealed the dead lieutenant but no sign of the sergeant. His interrogation was brutal. First with the hot poker, and he lost consciousness when the second finger was severed. The next thing he saw was his younger brother Brion


[OOC: Even though it is technically the start of Day 18 since it's after midnight, this is still the night of Day 17. The main army last heard from the Red Blade battalion on the morning of Day 16 and the call for volunteers came at the end of that night. The PCs left Verdas on the morning of Day 17, rode all day and night, and now it's the middle of the night on Day 17 going into Day 18. Basically, the battalion disappeared yesterday, and now it's almost tomorrow.

---

Rewards
First I'll list the goodies, and below is an explanation of changes. The reason for the changes are a mix between the trickiness of working with higher gp values and adding another element to the game.

Everyone
- 1 day of income pool at 6th-level {6x5 +Prof(military) = X gp}
- 7th-level

Standard Combat (CL 7)
Magic enhancements to weapons, armors, shields (4,000 gp)
Nonmagical weapons, armors, shields, ammunition, goods (1,500 gp)
Additional magic items (1,000 gp)
+500 gp increase to any one limit
Total = 7,000 gp

Magic Combat (CL 9)
Two wands of any spells of a level you can cast (2,500 gp)
Magic items to increase AC (1,500 gp)
Nonmagical weapons, armors, shields, ammunition, goods (500 gp)
Additional magic items (2,000 gp)
+500 gp increase to any one limit
Total = 7,000 gp

Hybrid Combat (CL 8)
Magic enhancement to one weapon OR one wand of any spell of a level you can cast (2,000 gp)
Magic enhancements to armors & shields OR magic items to increase AC (2,000 gp)
Nonmagical weapons, armors, shields, ammunition, goods (1,000 gp)
Additional magic items (1,500 gp)
+500 gp increase to any one limit
Total = 7,000 gp

A quick note is that "magic items to increase AC" can be potions, scrolls, or wands too, but they must be limited to defense. You can't get a scroll of prayer since that increases other things too.

The biggest change this time is the fact that it takes time to create items, and this will add a new element to the game. When a character obtains a new item in this campaign, instead of buying it at the shop with gold, he takes it from the weapons locker and can access more valuable items as he advances. That part won't change. The army has tons of supplies on hand, so if you want a shiny new magic spear or fresh wand and can afford the item, it's yours. What will change is how items are upgraded - it will now take time.

The time needed to create a magic item is 8 hours per 1,000 gp of the base price, and 8 hours of work can be done in 1 day. There is a way to work twice as fast, and at 10th-level, you will have access to that. Also, a crafter can only work on 1 item at a time, and you will have access to half as many crafters as your level, so at 7th-level, you can have up to 3 different items being upgraded at once. Again, this only applies to upgrades, but eventually, crafting may be the only way to access certain items of really high level because it may not make sense for an item of uber awesome to just be collecting dust in a weapons locker. We'll see. Anyway...

Potions and scrolls are one-time use, so they cannot be upgraded. Most rings and rods cannot be upgraded either. Staves cannot be upgraded (but can be recharged by a caster). If you want one of these items, you have to get a new one anyway, and that will work like it always has. What upgrading time will affect is adding or improving magic enhancements to armor, shields, weapons, some wondrous items, a few rings, and metamagic rods.

In order to upgrade an item, you may need to go without it for some time. Maybe the upgrade will be worth the wait or maybe you will want to wait to use the upgrade later. Sometimes a mundane or masterwork version of the item will be good enough to use in the meantime.

One very important caveat to remember is that rewards can only be obtained when you are with the main army. You can't gain any rewards (including upgrades) while you are away from the army. If an item is being upgraded while you are away, and the upgrade is now complete, you can't retrieve the item until you rejoin the main army. There are ways around this, and exceptions will come up at times, but this is the general rule.

Another change, or perhaps clarification, is how resources can be combined. Different equipment lines cannot be combined, but sometimes they can be used to obtain separate elements of a grander item. Items already owned or earned through spoils require time to upgrade. However, any items that can be obtained entirely through rewards, starting packages, and income pool will count as new items that are immediately available. For example, if you have an equipment line from rewards that lets you obtain a +1 enhancement to a weapon, and you have enough income pool to obtain a masterwork longsword, you can get a +1 longsword right away. However, your weapon of choice might be a greatsword (or even a longsword made from a special substance), and you just don't have enough income pool for a masterwork version of it, so alternative options might be: a) leave your weapon to be upgraded and use another one in the meantime (maybe even obtain a mundane version), b) enchant a different kind of weapon that you can afford to obtain right now, c) wait to upgrade when you have the spare time to wait.

I know this looks like a lot of info, but it should be easy enough to figure out with some practice. Also, since time is now a bigger factor, I will try to include “days off” in the rewards system when applicable.

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Examples
These may not be necessary, but I kind of enjoy making examples, so here are a few to show how upgrading time (and potential side effects) will work.

1) Bob the 6th-level Fighter
Bob has built up a collection of armors and shields. He wears masterwork full plate and no shield to get the most out of power attack with a greataxe when fighting lots of enemy troops but opts for his +1 chainshirt and darkwood shield when he needs to be fast on his feet or quiet (i.e. light armor, light load). After leading his troops successfully into battle, he has earned 3,000 gp worth of magic enhancements to armors and shields with the Standard Package (CL 6). What is he going to do?

Option #1: Upgrade the +1 chainshirt to +2 chainshirt. The creator must have a caster level equal to three times the enhancement bonus, so upgrading to a +2 enhancement bonus requires a 6th-level caster, which is equal to CL 6, so that works, and cost is 3,000 gp, so it will take 3 days. Even if Bob had enough wealth, he could not upgrade to a +3 enhancement bonus because that would require CL 9.

Option #2: Upgrade the masterwork full plate to +1 full plate and the darkwood shield to +1 darkwood shield. The costs are 1,000 gp and 1,000 gp. Each will take 1 day, but the work can be done by two different casters, so both items will be ready in 1 day. This leaves 1,000 gp that can be used to imbue another masterwork armor or shield that Bob already owns, and this could also be ready in the 1 day as the other items. Alternatively, the remaining 1,000 gp could be used to get a new item immediately. Like this – Bob has enough income pool (or a reward line) to purchase a new masterwork breastplate, so he can combine the remaining 1,000 gp with the new masterwork breastplate to take a +1 breastplate out of the equipment locker right away. If the remaining 1,000 gp is not spent, it is lost. Partial equipment lines cannot be saved.

The decision may depend on various factors. The most obvious factor is time. Upgrading the chainshirt will take longer, and if there is a mission coming up in 2 days, it will not be ready for that mission. If the next mission begins tomorrow morning, none of the upgraded items will be ready except for new +1 breastplate, but maybe he doesn't want the “in between” AC, so he opts to upgrade the +1 chainshirt and use the masterwork full plate in the meantime. Another factor might be class features or feats. Maybe his wants to take some levels in Rogue, and light armor will be necessary to use Evasion.


2) Waldo the 6th-level Wizard
Waldo has earned 3,000 gp worth to use on magic items that increase AC with the Magic Package (CL 8). He currently has an amulet of natural armor +1 (2,000 gp) and bracers of armor +1 (1,000 gp).

Option #1: Upgrade bracers of armor +1 to bracers of armor +2 for 3,000 gp. This requires a 6th-level caster which CL 8 beats by 2, so that works, and it will take 3 days.

Option #2: Select a ring of protection +1 for 2,000 gp. This leaves 1,000 gp that he uses for 2 potions of mage armor set at 8th-level (8 hr duration, 400 gp each) and 1 potion of mage armor set at 4th-level (4 hr duration, 200 gp). All of these are new items, so he will receive them immediately.


3) Reena the multi-classed 3rd-level Rogue / 5th-level Ranger
Reena has earned 6,000 gp worth to use on magic enhancements to weapons with the Standard Package (CL 8). She has +2d6 sneak attack, the two-weapon fighting combat style, and favored enemies of +4 vs goblnoids and +2 vs elves. Her feats include Weapon Finesse and Weapon Focus: Rapier. Her melee weapons are a +1 rapier (2,320 gp), masterwork rapier (320 gp), and masterwork shortsword (310 gp). She two-weapon fights with the +1 rapier and masterwork shortsword (-2 to attacks) against a single high AC enemy but two-weapon fights with the +1 rapier and masterwork rapier (-4 to attacks) against multiple lower AC enemies. Upgrading from masterwork to +1 costs 2,000 gp, and upgrading from +1 to +2 (or adding a special ability with a +1 bonus) costs an additional 6,000 gp.

Option #1: Upgrade +1 rapier to +1 frost rapier for 6,000 gp. The frost special ability requires a CL 8, so that works for this package and will take 6 days. During this time, Reena will two-weapon fight with her masterwork rapier and masterwork shortsword. She will lose the additional 1 pt of damage provided by the +1 rapier, but she still has the bonus from Weapon Focus for the masterwork rapier, and the sneak attack +2d6 will still be in effect for any weapon that she uses (in addition to favored enemy, when applicable), so being without her main weapon won't be a major hindrance, and when she gets it back, it will have gained +1d6 frost damage. Another thing to note is that the flaming ability costs the same as frost and does the same amount of additional damage, but flaming requires a CL 10, so it is not available to Reena.

Option #2: Upgrade masterwork rapier to +1 rapier for 2,000 gp and upgrade masterwork shortsword to +1 shortsword for 2,000 gp. Each of these upgrades takes 2 days, but they can be done by two different casters, so both will be ready after 2 days. This leaves 2,000 gp that can be used to upgrade any other masterwork weapon in 2 days. Or she could combine other funds and the remaining 2,000 gp to obtain a new weapon immediately, but maybe she doesn't have or want to spend the 300+ gp on another masterwork weapon. If she is going to need a magic weapon in the meantime to bypass damage reduction, there may be a caster in the party who can cast magic weapon, or she could buy a few oils of magic weapon, or maybe someone else in the party has a magic weapon she can borrow.]

[reefwood]

[OOC: Here is a map of the Rift area.

Key
V = Verdas
x = Nemedor camp around Verdas
+ = location of Red Blade camp outside the Wyrmscale Mountains
O = orc ambush point / dead battalion
C = orc cave

Each square is approximately 5 miles wide/high. The long way across the Rift is 6 squares, so 30 miles. The short way is 2 squares, so 10 miles.

Measuring diagonally across squares, it is about 20 miles for 3 diagonal squares. The circular forest/mountain area around the Rift is a little more than 6 diagonal squares from east-to-west or north-to-south. 6 diagonal squares is 40 miles, and the circular area is a bit more than that, so approximately 45 miles wide.]