It is a cool spring morning in The Black Forest of Southeastern Aldarius. The forest is peaceful with the sounds of morning birds calling among the ancient trees.  Mighty oaks dominate this forest but there are trees of dozens of varieties.  The mature trees make for a more manageable forest floor. A winding stream moves slowly through, the banks separated by a short stones throw.  It is deep and slow in sections and runs more vigorously over shallow fiords in others.  The water is flowing from the mountains a hundreds of miles to the northwest, down to the sea, half as far to the southeast.

An uncommonly young and uncommonly small gnome donned in simple trousers and shirt, cinched in place with draw strings, walks southeast along the northern bank.  His feet are bare and his head is covered in a wild shock of cornsilk hair.  He has none of the facial hair that gnomes are known for.  He is not shaven, he is simply too young to have started growing any. He is small, barely 3 feet tall and maybe 35 pounds he is as slight as a breeze and nearly as silent. The young gnome is sure footed and confident in his movements.  He has a small bow with a trident tipped fishing arrow partially nocked and held in place with his left hand. There is a small pack and bedroll on his back and a dagger sheathed at his waist. He seems out of place all alone in this great wood, vulnerable. But you wouldn't know it by the smile on his face.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:02, Sat 20 Jan.

Myrcury Moleburrow decided it was time to leave. He wouldn't tell his aunt Bee or uncle Mort or even his friend Fritz. He sold all his cut stones and managed enough to buy a set of gnome crafted thieves tools. He spent the rest on a good breakfast at Emmer's Inn. While eating he wondered if there were anything he had overlooked. His thoughts turned to his stone tools. The tools did not technically belong to Myrcury. They were Mort's old set. As a professional gem cutter, Uncle Mort only used masterwork tools. Myrcury decided he should make a quick stop back at the shop and take his tool kit with him. He would grab some fruit from the pantry and head south to the river.  From there he would catch a fish then look for a place to camp. No one would follow him. In fact he felt certain that they wouldn't even notice he was gone for a couple days. The thought stabbed him with a brief pain of loneliness, but he quickly chased it away with a smile. He was about to start his life's adventure.

After acquiring the pilfered tools and fruit and repacking his backpack, Myrcury walked out of his uncle's shop unnoticed. He knew how to get to the river, as he had fished there many times before. Armed with his bow and a handful of arrows, including 2 specially designed fishing arrows, and his fishing knife he walked up from the gnome town of Glitterhovel, located ten feet below the forest floor. So well hidden are the entrances to gnome towns, that few non-gnomes could ever hope to find them without advanced knowledge of there locations. Myrcury emerged from the base of a vast oak, and stepped up and out onto the forest floor. He breathed the air deeply and tasted the river several miles to the south. He spotted a familiar yet almost imperceptible trail running south into the forest through tangles yaupon and green briar. Without hesitation and with a sense of excitement he made his way to the river, a march that would take about an hour.

March is a poor choice of words as Myrcury is ever light of foot. He approaches the river silently immediately scans the surface of the water instinctively looking for eddies and swirls that might indicate holding fish.  Colorful trout of several varieties are common and he hoped to capture one to supplement his pilfered fruit for lunch. The spotted brook trout were particularly tasty uncooked. He wasn't planning to set up a camp till evening. He saw some on the other side, but decided he didn't want to get wet. He continued southeast along the shore with the flow of the river. Moving slowly he scanned the river for his speckled quarry,
This message was last edited by the player at 23:06, Sat 20 Jan.

The massive old reptile lies motionless just within the mouth of an old beaver den. The residents left after the snake consumed the patriarch of the family. The den has proven to be a perfect home for the past decade. Peering out across the river he is often alerted to the presence of fish by the swirls and slurps he hears. He can remain very still and silent and be virtually invisible from this vantage point.

As the young gnome approaches a surge of adrenaline courses through the snakes body. It is very hungry and the gnome is a much more substantial meal than the fish he was waiting for. The gnome is an odd sight to the snake. He has seen these odd creatures before but his minute intellect can not get beyond the heat pulsating through the creatures body. This is food and enough to satisfy its hunger.

The snake yawns and stretches its massive fangs, a bead of venom forming at the tip of each. With the plumbing primed for attack it silently swims out of the burrow and into the river proper. The snake makes every effort to remain hidden and otherwise undetected.


Move Silently: 1d20 + 3 from dex (Rolled 8 + 3 = 11)
Hide: 1d20 + 8 from racial and dex (Rolled 14 + 8 = 22)
This message was last edited by the player at 04:12, Fri 19 Jan.

As Mercury spots the flash of a fish ahead along the bank he hears the gentle bloop of water from directly across the river.  It is not an alarming sound but it is quite different from the washing river or the sound a trout makes makes when it slurps a bug off the surface. This sound was similar to that but somehow different.  The fine hairs on the back of Myrcury's neck stand with anticipation. He switches to a normal arrow and scans the surface along the opposite bank but cant seem to elucidate the sound of the strange bloop.




Listen: 1d20 + 4 from skill +1 Wis (Rolled 17 + 5 = 22)
Spot: 1d20 + 4 from skill +1 from Wis (Rolled 5 + 5 = 10)
This message was last edited by the player at 04:13, Fri 19 Jan.

The snake sees that his prey has been alerted to his presence.  This is not ideal but he is already almost within striking distance.  Without twitching a muscle he rutters his tail to guide him motionlessly across the river to just in front of the quarry. Within a few moments the distance is closed. From 10 feet away the snake springs itself forward, throwing and extending the upper half of its body like an uncoiling spring, its jaws splayed wide open, venom squirting from the protruding fangs. The snake has spent too much time hunting underwater, it failed to adjust its aim for the parallax of the water and its strike falls well off the mark.



Bite Attack: 1d20 + 4 from skill (Rolled 1 + 4 = 5)
This message was last edited by the player at 04:14, Fri 19 Jan.

The gnome's heart nearly jumps out of his chest when the massive cotton mouth launches its milky white mouth in his direction. He starts to roll out of the way but quickly realizes the snake must be blind because the attack was way off the mark. He quickly glances to make sure he was the intended target before nocking and firing an arrow at the great reptile.


Bow Attack: 1d20 + 5 from size and dex (Rolled 15 + 5 = 20)
Initiative: 1d20 +4 from dex (Rolled 16 + 4 = 20)
This message was last edited by the player at 04:15, Fri 19 Jan.

The snake is pierced by a splinter that lodges deep in its flank. Though painful, it is not readily apparent to the animals intellect that the splinter was thrown by his quarry. Seeing no other danger in the vicinity the snake prepares to continue its attack of the large meal.


Damage from Arrow: 1d4 (Rolled 2)
Initiative: 1d20 +3 from dex (Rolled 9 + 3 = 12)
This message was last edited by the player at 04:16, Fri 19 Jan.

Myrcury quickly nocks a second arrow.  The snake is 10 feet away and has just shown it can strike from that distance. He doesn't think he will get too many more opportunities to kill this beast, he aims for the head and fires. Once he looses arrow he drops the bow at his feet and pulls his dagger, preparing to fend off the next strike.



Bow Attack: 1d20 + 5 from size and dex (Rolled 14 + 5 = 19)
This message was last edited by the player at 23:12, Sat 20 Jan.

Where as the first splinter was of little concern, the second one, clearly thrown by the bipedal rodent struck the snake just below the head and penetrated deeply. The snake shook its head in an attempt to dislodge the stick. Frustrated it lunges out and attempts to incapacitate its prey with a venomous bite. Though it fails to sink its fangs into its target it does get much closer.  Close enough to smell its rapidly beating heart.



Damage from Arrow: 1d4 (Rolled 3)
Bite Attack: 1d20 +4 (Rolled 8 + 4 = 12)
Initiative: 1d20 +3 from dex (Rolled 14 + 3 = 17)
This message was last edited by the player at 04:18, Fri 19 Jan.

Myrcury deftly dodges the incoming fangs. He side steps and counters with an attack of opportunity with the small dagger in his smaller hand.



Dagger Attack: 1d20 +5 from dex (Rolled 20 + 5 = 25)
Initiative: 1d20 +4 from dex (Rolled 15 + 4 = 19)
This message was last updated by the player at 04:21, Fri 19 Jan.

The snake is slammed with a daggered fist in the side of its face. The blade slipping into the right eye of the mighty serpent. The snake convulses violently, pulling its head up off the blade and thrashing about in a confused state of panic.

Dagger Damage: 1d4 (Rolled 3 x 2 crit = 6)
Initiative: 1d20 +3 from dex (Rolled 14 + 3= 17)
This message was last edited by the player at 04:22, Fri 19 Jan.