Elkcrest: An Introductory Campaign [IC]

[Psilulz]

You are all sitting together in the Boar's Head Inn, one of the primary social spots of Elkcrest. The tavern area is well lit, and conversation of all sorts can be heard. Above a brightly glowing hearthfire, the namesake of the inn, a dire boar's head, hangs, it's eyes staring off blankly.
You have been hired by the Trackers (a local group that various wilderness types belong to) to go searching for the missing rangers Orrin and Phin. They have been gone about four days past when they were expected to be back, and it is highly unlikely that they have ended up lost. A higher reward will be delivered if the bodies are brought back, and even higher if they are brought back alive.
Rickard, a junior member of the Trackers, approaches the party with three men behind him. "I assume everyone's ready? If so, we can head out right now." He seems eager to leave, and slightly impatient.

((If your character is ready to leave town, say so/rp it out. Will probably be moving on by this time tomorrow))

[Pheehelm]

Aleik nodded. "Now's as good a time as any, I guess." He still wasn't sure how he felt about working for others after what had happened several years previous, but he was short on resources and could make use of the money. Besides, this was an opportunity to learn some new things, and in the end, that was all he really cared for.

His meal finished, he pushed back his chair and stood up, reaching for his backpack as he did so.

"So, how much do we know so far?" he asked Rickard.

[Psilulz]

"A little, I suppose. They were initially headed up northwest of town, scouting the area for any problems. The two would have probably followed the river, and would not have left Elkcrest too far behind, probably sticking within a days travel. The only real threats in the area are magical creatures, and goblins..." He finishes with a grim look upon his face, to match the grim implications.

[Hexalan]

"Pesky beasts, goblins." Xelania scowled. "They seem to exist only to vex us. Perhaps we may depart afore they gather in strength." She glanced out the window, into the the dwindling light of the late afternoon sun. "Effiency is key, and the day grows short. Are we prepared?"

[Mabuhay]

(Dibs on the color gray)

Khalor smiles softly, and takes a drink from his beer.

He doesn't feel personally involved in any way, and so has been viewing the events of the past few days much like a drama, rather than real life.
Having just blown in from another town, he decided to take this job to gain a bit of a good reputation in this one.

[Psilulz]

"Pesky indeed. My men and I are prepared and ready, and the lot of you seem ready enough. Let's get this over with." Rickard starts walking out the door, the three others follow him.
If you follow him, he leads everyone to a large cart, filled with supplies. Spare weapons, some light armor, rope, plenty of food, and various other items. At the front of the cart is a driver, holding the reins for the two horses pulling the vehicle. The old man looks at Rickard, and says, "Oi, we leavin' now or what? Been sittin' here all day on me rump waitin' for the hirelings to fill this thing up."

Rickard replies with, "Yes, yes old man. We're heading out right now. Just follow me. It will be a fairly slow pace, but make sure nothing happens to that cart, or anything in it."

And at that, the horses and men start moving, leaving north out of town.


If you stay behind, you simply cill at the tavern for however long you want, and depending on how long that is, may or may not catch up to the rest of the group.

[Pheehelm]

Aleik moved up next to the cart. He was not a particularly quick or sturdy man, most days, and it showed, but the slow pace promised by Rickard suited him fine.

He considered what Rickard had told him. Hopefully these Trackers would live up to their name; Aleik himself had acquired some limited tracking skill in his wilderness adventures, but nothing on the order of the rangers he'd come across. As long as it'd been since these men were last seen, he doubted he'd find anything he could follow on his own. Possibly something by the river, but even that wasn't optimistic.

He rubbed the tiny bald spot on the top of his head. Amazing how much the stress of the past few years had worn on him. Still young, but his hair was receding badly.

He looked up at the sky, then closed his eyes and felt the wind and temperature. He thought over the patterns he'd picked up over his life outside and compared what he was perceiving. What will the upcoming weather be like...? he asked himself.

Survival check:[roll0]

[Hexalan]

Xelania stood up. She followed the men out of the tavern, listening to their short dialogue.
That was quite an emphasis on the cart. Perhaps he is an ulterior motive.
SENSE MOTIVE CHECK
[roll0]
Or perhaps not. It seems logical one would want his equipment safe.

[Psilulz]

It has been about an hour or so since you have left town. Civilization quickly receeded, and Elkcrest is no longer visible through the thick trees. "Damnit. Sun's already sinkin'. I was hoping for a bit more light." Indeed, the sun was starting to fall from the sky, drifting lazily towards the east. It is roughly 4:00 pm.
The tracker has been setting a slow pace, and the horses do not appear tired. Rickard seems to know where he is going, constantly keeping his gaze set upon the ground.

((Would you like to ask Rickard about why the cart is so important?))

Aleik:
You notice there is a slight a slight breeze about, going in no particular direction. Up above there are a some white clouds about, except to the northeast, where the concentration of clouds is greater.

[Mabuhay]

Khalor follows quietly in the shade of the cart, observing the old man for anything interesting about him, or valuables on his person.

[Hexalan]

"Hey, Rickard!" said Xelania swagaliciously. "Why is the cart so important? Is it full of gopher livers or something?"

[Psilulz]

The man does not look up from the ground, but still replies to the query. "Well for one, it's got all our food and supplies in it, and I don't want to waste time foraging or huntin'. And two, if we find the two dead or wounded we'll just carry em' back with it. And three, I guess its a nice cart."

[Mabuhay]

Deciding to take a break, Khalor quietly jumps up to the back of the care and sits down, provided he could do so without the driver or the one who hired them noticing.

[Psilulz]

Mabuhay:
You see that the old man still has his coin purse with him, for some reason. Unusual, considering he knew he was heading out into the wilderness, or perhaps he feared theives would take his money if he left it at home.
In the cart there are numerous pieces of weapons and light armor, all of which look quite well made.

[Pheehelm]

Aleik frowned. If the signs he was detecting meant anything, he couldn't recall. Maybe another day would refresh his mind. Hopefully he wasn't getting slow; but at least if he was, he wouldn't have to remember how to forage or hunt as he long as he stayed with the cart.

He looked behind him. Weren't there more with us...?