[3.5] First Villain IC

[Cardea]

OOC Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=14943442) // Dice Roll Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=14957741)


Responding to a call of help from the Lord of the land you were passing through, the five of you made your way across the calm countryside, taking in the respite from adventure and the adrenaline that came with it. There were interruptions here and there, of course. Two times you were halted by different highwaymen, once by a merchant and one incident involving a Blink Dog pack fighting with two Displacer Beasts. But this ways days ago.

You arrived to the doors of Midfall Keep, and were greeted with open arms by the Keep's Holy Man, a Brother Brian, of St. Cuthbert. He guided you along in the Keep, explaining the problem as best he could. Undead in the forest disrupting hunters and trappers, which in turn stopped most of the land's meat and fur supply. If the problem persists, the trade routes will slowly stop coming, if something worse doesn't develop first. And between that and the superstitious folk of the land, Lord Irving has no other choice but to call on hardened travellers like yourself.

And this was hours ago.

The Dalewood forest takes up most of the northern part of the land, its size seen even as you approached it from the Keep. Up close, the forest seems endless, and its canopy Blocking out light from above. Sounds of the forest sound off in the distance. Somewhere in the heart of the forest is the source of the Undead.

[Chambers]

Lady Reya

What a happy twist of fate for the church. If we stop the undead, the King and the Church profit. If we fail, they are comforted by my soul in Hell. Reya pauses as they regard the forest and takes a sip from her waterskin. "Would that some priest friend of Brother Brian accompanied us, to put at rest the souls of the tormented undead." She rests one hand on the broken skull placed in the folds of her sash and taps her fingernails against it. "I am no woodsman. Reka, can you forge a trail for us?"

Senses: Darkvision 120ft, See in Magical Darkness
Active Effects: Entropic Warding (entropic shield / pass without trace), Endure Elements.

[The Great Skenardo]

Hamish the Green
Hamish squints as he gazes at the trees ahead, his broad, calloused fingers tapping on the dull black haft of his prized halberd.
"The Dalewood, eh?" he offers, to no one in particular. "A forest that big might be holdin' anything in it. If we're lucky, an' I bet we ain't, it's just some punk with a shovel and a grudge rousing the dead."
As he talks, a stray breeze catches the black and silver standard mounted on the length of his halberd. For all that Hamish himself is not much of a leader, there is something majestic about the symbol of the Black Crane which stirs the soul.
Changing tacks, the half-orc wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, and comments "I always thought that killing someone put their souls to rest, zombie or not. Like, sent 'em on to wherever they're going."

[DaedalusMkV]

Dougal looks around at the rather mundane image of the forest's edge, twirling a small wooden stick around in his right hand while he considers the situation. "Looks normal enough to me, at least from here. Can't say that forests are my specialty, though. Glad to have someone around a little more familiar with this sort of terrain." He nods in acknowledgement to Reika. "The undead themselves aren't the real problem here, though the Gods know I'll be happy to put any walking corpses we meet back under-ground where they belong. We've gotta cut to the heart of it, really. Find the source and get rid of it and any undead we miss will eventually get taken down by the locals and the animals." He continues to twirl the stick, weaving it in complex patterns between his fingers, thinking on the best course of action. "I guess the best bet is to try and find some of those locals. Trappers and hunters should have a good idea where the bad parts of the forest are, and that'll give us a good idea where to look." As he continues to play with the stick he brushes his left hand against the sheathed sword on that hip, reassuring himself with its presence.

[Saskia]

Reka looks to the woods, her hand resting reassuringly against her saber-toothed companion's neck as her eyes scan the area. Gladly. Turning her head toward the beast she says Tesák, guard, pointing toward Reya, confident that with the aid of Tesák her companions could annihilate anything that meant them harm. I'll return shortly. With luck I can find signs of disturbance and follow the path from there. Stay safe.

With that she closes her eyes and her form morphs into that of a large eagle, and she flies to see if she can spot the source of the undead, or some sign of where they might originate.

Wild shape into legendary eagle (MMII 137); 100 ft. movement/70 ft. with armor. Flying around in a wide spiral until she finds something or deems that she will probably not find something, probably at least a two mile radius.

AC 28 (4 dex 9 armor 4 natural 1 size + 10)

Spot 1d20+29 (7 wisdom 12 eagle racial 10 ranks) [roll0]

[Cardea]

Reka
You feel your bones hollow out and your hair begin to thicken. Feathers sprout and your jaw pushes past your lips into a beak. You achieve lift off a moment later, the ground shrinking with each beat of your wings. Looking across the treetops, nothing shines through the thick foliage, and no movement underneath strikes you as Undead. You do make out some rope tied to branches here and there, presumably traps belonging to Hunters who left them behind.

On a smaller note, have you read up what a Legendary Animal is in its fluff? I'll allow you to turn into a Legendary Eagle, but any other Legendary Animal is doubtful you've encountered before.

[Saskia]

Returning to her companions, Reka lands and returns to her normal shape.

In her soft, placid voice she tells them I saw no signs of undead activity or a base of operations, but we should remain vigilant for snares and traps set by hunters; I did see several such mechanisms. I suspect Dougal has the right idea of asking locals for guidance. She looks to the massive cat and says, again in sylvan Good girl, Tesák. Heel, and scratches the top of Tesák's massive head.

Yeah, I read the fluff, that's why I asked you in the recruitment thread about the legendary eagle specifically. I thought you said that was fine, my bad.

[The Great Skenardo]

Hamish
Hamish rubs his chin thoughtfully. "Be nice to think this'll be an easy job. Hey, did what's-his-vestments from the chapel say what kind of undead they've been seeing? Ghouls? Zambies? Something worse?" He sniffs. "I bet it's ghouls."

[Saskia]

Reka looks back to Hamish from her cat and says We can only hope for something so mundane. With luck we've arrived before a significant portion of the local populace or woodland fauna has been turned.

[RecoveringGamer]

Tiran adjusts the strap on his spiked gauntlet, slightly uneasy about the situation. "Do ya think it'll be that bad?" he asks. He interrupts his train of thought with another visual sweep of his surroundings. "I'm always up for a challenge, but I sure hope that fate is more kind than that to the locals."

[DaedalusMkV]

Dougal sighs. "As usual, we're dealing with a real dearth of information here. I doubt we're looking at some sort of cataclysm scenario here or they'd have called in an army, but we don't know what sort of undead, where they are or what they're doing besides attacking people." He stops his fiddling with the stick and taps it thoughtfully against his leg. "I don't think this information changes anything, though. Talking to the locals still seems like the logical first move to me."

[The Great Skenardo]

Hamish
Hamish grins. "Armies is expensive though, an' they don't fight unless you been paying your taxes lately. It takes a special breed of crazy people like us to do it by ourselves an' for short pay. Ain't that right, Dougal?" The half-orc waggles an eyebrow at the cowled figure.
Turning back to gaze at the woods, Hamish points lazily with the tip of his halbard. "That way to town, innit? We ought to get marchin' if we're not camping tonight."

[Chambers]

Lady Reya

That beast is...well. Reya takes a slight step back from the giant cat and pretends to ignore it while Reka is away. "No signs of trouble then." She says when the celestial returns. "It is many leagues to Driftwood, and I've no desire to sleep under the trees unless necessary." She says and nods to Hamish's pointing halberd.

She moves towards one of the two horses they were able to procure and stops herself before climbing up, taking her hands off the reins and folding them in her sleeves. "It is a long way...perhaps we should let the horses walk themselves." She says half-heartedly, still glancing towards the saddle.

[DaedalusMkV]

Dougal waves the statement away. "Go ahead, ride if you don't wish to walk. I'll be fine on my feet; feels like I've spent half my life walking from one place to another by now. Regardless, I'd suggest we get under way. If we want to make it to town by dark we'll need to make good time as-is."

If no one else has any objections, Dougal pulls his travelling clothes tight around himself, subconsciously changing them from a weathered brown tint to a slightly faded and frayed green in imitation of his imagination of a forester and sets out on the trail.

[Saskia]

Reka nods her affirmation. Agreed, I would prefer to get there before nightfall as well. In the event that the beasts see fit to attack they will likely do it at night to hide their numbers on approach and on retreat. Even so, it would allow us to guard an outlying settlement and an opportunity to gauge the strength of our foes.

Likewise barring objections, Reka sets off, Tesák in tow, her senses vigilant for threats.

[RecoveringGamer]

Thruun shoulders his massive bow, and agrees, "Aye, we'd best be off. Better that we'd be mobile in the daylight." His vision lingers on the keep as it slowly moves out of view.

[Cardea]

Eight Leagues of Travel...


The walk from the drop off point to Driftwood is quiet. No highwayman stops you, nor do you see any other travelers or merchants on their way. The road ends up ahead, and you see a large stone and wood wall, with a closed gate. Two towers line up on each side of it. Outside the walls are numerous stumps in a large circle around the wall. You can hear someone shouting, but not what they're shouting about. As you get closer, you see a few armored persons near the top of the towers, and one man in brown begins to shout out to you.

"'Ello, movers. What do you want with Driftwood?"

Listen: DC 18
You close your eyes partway and focus in on the shouting. You can make out part of it. "Put down yer bows unless they try something. They don't look like shamblin' ones, but keep ready."

Spot: DC 23
At a distance, you see the people on top of the tower lower their bows and crossbows. You can't tell if they dropped them, however.

[Saskia]

Reka says nothing, focusing her silver eyes curiously on the bowmen, but listening for disturbances elsewhere. It would likely be difficult to believe their good fortune of a group of armed wanderers promising to end their undead woes, so it seemed prudent to leave the talking to Dougal.

I'm not sure how to link individual posts, but here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15037768#post15037768) are her spot and listen results.

[DaedalusMkV]

Dougal walks confidently up to the gate, stopping far enough away that he'll still be easily seen, and calmly notes the presence of the armed men at the top of the tower. In response to the challenge he calls out, "Travellers looking for succour for the night and tidings of the goings-on in these parts, friends. We intend no harm to you or yours, and we've got good coin to pay for a place to stay and a warm meal, if such's on offer." It's not necessarily the whole truth, but it's certainly not actually deceptive in any regard. Once he's had a chance to feel out the situation a little better he'll be able to make a more informed decision about how much it's prudent to tell them. Assuming that Hamish or Thruun don't just blurt the whole thing out, of course.


Diplomacy rolled in the Dice Roller thread.

[The Great Skenardo]

Hamish the Green
Hamish tilts his head to one side, one heavy brow lifting as his keen (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15037893#post15037893) eye and ear brings him news from the ramparts.
He suppresses a laugh as the word "succor" crosses Dougal's lips, but lets his comrade finish.
"Aye, what he said." Hamish nods his approval, "Now let us in already! I've a powerful thirst on me, and no man quick or dead is getting between me and a drink, if he's wise."

[Saskia]

Hamish's comments trigger an annoyed look from Reka, though she avoids looking at him in favor of keeping an eye on the archers as she idly strokes the fur of Tesák's cheek. She keeps her tone even and her voice low, saying The man shouting idle threats to those who have earned no ire should turn to himself before questioning the wisdom of others.

[Chambers]

Lady Reya

Reya winces as she eases out of the saddle and off the horse. Hours upon the back of a beast. This is no way to travel. When the walls of the town were in sight she had drawn up the hood of her heavy cloak, taking care to hide her fiendish horns. "We are travelers, guardsman. We bring word from your Lord and would speak with your burgomaster."

Dice Rolls (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15038726&postcount=5) (Listen success, Spot failure)

Senses: Darkvision 120ft, See in Magical Darkness
Active Effects: Entropic Warding (entropic shield / pass without trace), Endure Elements.

[RecoveringGamer]

Thruun ends the marching tune he was humming to himself and ensures that any weapon he might have been carrying is now retracted. He grins at Hamish's hearty challenge, but noticing how tense the guards were, he quietly reassures the party, "easy now, lads."

[The Great Skenardo]

Hamish
Hamish snorts once more and leans against his halberd, trying to kick some of the fatigue from his booted feet as he mutters back to the elf.
"Does no harm; They can see plain we're no shamblers or zambies or ghouls besides. Fear whatcha don't know sure; but now they know what I am, and that's thirsty and tired!"

[Cardea]

The man pauses for a moment, before turning around and leaning over the side of the tower. "Oi, Rora, open up. They ain' shamblers or Necros." He crosses over to the other side of the tower, looking back at the group of you. "Come on in if you're comin' in, before somethin' else decides to charge in."

The gates between the towers open slightly, and two men with halberds step out, waving the lot of you in.

[RecoveringGamer]

With a brisk nod and a clap of his hand to the shoulder of the other half-orc, Thruun strides forth into the settlement in good spirits.

[Chambers]

Lady Reya

Taking the horse by his reins Reya leads him through the gates. "My thanks, ser." She says while looking away elsewhere, taking in the town. "Though we do greatly desire rest from our days travel we bring important word from your Lord and his priests at court. Where is your mayor, that we may speak with him?"

[Saskia]

Reka turns to face the wilderness with her hand on the hilt of her sword, looking and listening to be sure that no dangers lie waiting to leap in behind her and her companions. When she is satisfied that the way is safe, she removes her hand from her sword and places it on Tesák's neck, guiding the beast through the gate with an even stride. On the way in she pauses to say to the guards Your work takes grit, particularly in these parts, as she nimbly slips one of the guards a small pouch with twenty gold coins, being sure to let her hand linger just long enough for him to notice the holy emblem of Heironeous branded on her leather gauntlet. Share that with your comrades.

Oh right, sleight of hand check here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15052103#post15052103).

[The Great Skenardo]

Hamish the Green
Hamish smiles amiably as the gate swings wide, and he offers a careless salute to the guards as he goes by. Rubbing his chin, the big man takes an appraising look at the town inside the gates.

[DaedalusMkV]

Dougal heads inside as well, giving the guards a friendly smile as they open up the door for him, and asks them. "Is it really so bad out there? I'd heard the forest was having a problem with undead, but I didn't think they'd come so far out this way, much less threatened to attack towns."

[Cardea]

The guards close the door behind your group, and the effects of the barricade are immediate. There are many people in the streets, talking in hushed tones around small fires. Several wagons and stable animals are guarded in what used to be an empty space, now kept in by the high walls. And while no one is particularly happy, its known: They feel safe and secure. From the side, the same man who shouted from above walks down the wooden scaffolding. He approaches your group.

"Greetins'. Ah'm Eric Tosh, captain of Driftwood's Guard. To whom," he says, his attention on Reya. "Do I have the pleasure of addressing?" Up close you can see the man is starting to leave his golden years. Grey strands touch his temples, and laugh lines are etched deep into his face. His uniform differs from the other guards, however; despite the same colors, its lighter.

[Chambers]

Lady Reya

Reya offers the guard a brief curtsy and uses the movement to make sure her hood is securely covering her horns. "Thank you Captain Tosh. I am Reya Baervard and these are my companions." She says and stands up a little straighter despite her need to remain disguised. Old habits die hard. "Who is in charge of this town? We have great need to speak with him."

[DaedalusMkV]

Dougal holds out his hand as he introduces himself. "Name's Dougal. I'd intended to stop by the Inn and get myself a nice, hot meal, but looks like we're in for a meeting with the higher-ups." He smiles disarmingly. "Perhaps you'd like to go for a pint while the Lady there does her thing? I've never been one for that formal stuff, but I'd be happy to buy the first round. Looks like it's more dangerous 'round these parts than I'd thought, and I'd appreciate having a good chat with someone in the know before we head out again." ... Besides which, an informal discussion with the head of the town's watch will likely yield much more useful information than a formal meeting with a mayor or Lord, all things considered. Better to branch out and approach things from a few different angles regardless, just in case any one of them doesn't pan out.

[RecoveringGamer]

"I'm Thruun, devoted to Kord," the half-orc adds to the party's introduction. He smiles at the guard, and simply adds, "I would like a pint, too."

[Saskia]

Though her demeanor might appear bored, Reka listens with interest. She immediately got the feeling that this Tosh fellow had taken a shine to Reya, and his reaction to Dougal's jovial interruption would be a prime test. After all, if he was simply being polite he would have addressed them as a group rather than singling out Reya and ignoring Dougal's question entirely Of course, Reka has little interest in whether or not the man actually does fancy Reya, she simply wants to know whether or not her suspicion is correct.

Even as she listens, since she is not being directly (or indirectly) addressed, she looks around at her surroundings to get a feel for the place. Every village and town was different, of course, with varying customs, religions, and economies, and Reka was interested in gleaning as much information as she could from a cursory examination at the gate of the people, businesses, and goods she could see, but briefly turns her attention back to the man, smiling and saying simply Reka, and Tesák in her soft but pleasant voice.

Spot 27? (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15237689&postcount=8)

[The Great Skenardo]

Hamish the Green
Hamish grunts a noncommittal greeting. Like Reka, his attention wanders from the conversation at hand, although his attention is mostly focused on the buildings rather than the people. Hamish taps the butt of the halberd against the earth absently as he watches on.

[Cardea]

"You're lookin' at him, Miss Baervard. Gertrude's been sick and sleepin' since she got spirited by somethin' in the woods. Ah'm in charge to the time bein'. Kord? Ah think we got one of your priests some'were 'round town. Helps keep people mended who head out into the woods. Been tryin' to cut down on the good stuff while this problem is sorted out, since I have to look like ah'm in charge. But you might want to check out Kevin's Koral. E's still got some, even if he chargin' more than he should." Tosh says, shifting his stance, folding his arms in front of him. Its clear he's on guard with the five of you, but for what, is unclear. "We can talk here, if you needin' to talk."

He glances over to Dougal. "And aye, its bad. This wall wasn't here forever. And the only reason we got so many people is for the fact that they know we can't protect 'em outside these here walls."

Reka
With quick glances around the area, you gleam more about those huddled. You can spot several orcs, for one, with what appears to be what's left of a banner in their fire. One of them is cutting up... some... animal, and occasionally passing the meat to a human, who takes it to her own group.There's a couple of obvious merchants, fiddling with gold rings in their hands, their clothes betraying their profession despite the removed jewelry. You can tell most people are anxious.

[Saskia]

Normally Reka would be disappointed that it seemed her hypothesis was incorrect, but the the conditions facing these people take precedence in her mind. Without looking at the man or in any way acknowledging his apparent suspicion, she asks How are you on provisions? Clean water, food?

[DaedalusMkV]

Dougal sighs. "That bad, eh? I'll confess, we'd been led to believe things hadn't gotten to anywhere near the point that places like this were under threat." He looks around the square, at the faces of people who are clearly refugees, frowning. "If there's anything we can do to help out, I'd be happy to pitch in. In the meantime, I'd appreciate it if you could tell us anything about the situation outside of town. See, we've got a bit of a job to do around these parts, and might be we'll be able to help out some with your problem while we do it."


Rolling Diplomacy to see if I can't soften him up a little bit. Hopefully if he thinks we'll help out he'll be more inclined to give us the information we need. Rolled a 36. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15251655&postcount=9)

[Chambers]

Lady Reya

"I am sorry to hear of Goodwoman Gertrude's ailment. Though I am no priest I know of certain prayers that may aid her." Reya says and dips her head in sympathy. "As my companion has alluded to we have been charged by your Lord with the task of discovering the source of the restless dead within yon forest."

"I desire to hear your thoughts on the problem, but my companions and I are weary from a long day of traveling. Would you be free to join us for dinner after we have rested and refreshed ourselves at the inn?"

[The Great Skenardo]

Hamish the Green
Hamish sniffs and brushes his nose with the back of his non-spiked hand.
"Yeah."
Having put in his two coppers' worth, Hamish subsides into muttering, shifting from one hot and aching foot to another.
"Who'd want to set up town in such a damned remote place. Ain't the trees closer to the main roads good enough for 'em? Hrmph."

[Cardea]

"We got a couple of nature folk and clergymen producin' water every day for people around here, and we've got a system in place for our fishermen. We're livin' out the last of rations, and people are startin' to feel the effects of goodberry overdose.

"Aye, that bad. We ain't been able to get word out to our Lord because our damn clergy can't figure sticks and stones to bother comin' up with a message spell. We've only had two deaths so far, so it hasn't been enough to cause too much of a stir. Which is bullocks."

Tosh looks down, pinching the bridge of his nose, and exhaling. It looks for a moment like there's pressure on him, unseen, that's been there for days. "You're all the help our Lord sends? I trust his judgement, but this seems... too big of a thing. But if you're what we got then... alright. The Hunters around here know more about what's goin' on in the forest. I only know about what goes on when whats in the forest decides to walk out. Gaspar, Lila and Birch know the most. They'll be upstairs in the Bathing Nymph. Third floor. And no. I still have to keep watch. One of the merchants 'round here gave me these little tablets and it keeps me fed enough."

He turns for a moment, towards Hamish. "Oi, you friends with Birch?"

Edit: Getting sick blows chunks.

[Chambers]

Lady Reya

The priests can't be that incompetent...there's something that they're not telling him. Reya nods to the guardsman and says "Then I will leave you to your duty, Ser. Thank you for the welcome and news. I will secure our lodgings." Reya takes the reins of her horse and slowly pulls it away from the wall and down the street, taking care to keep the horse from stepping on the people clustered there.

Which one is the...? She stops in the street and turns toward each of the buildings. Is that a corral? Choosing the building with the most lights on and most noise from within she leads the horse towards it.

[Saskia]

Reka silently follows Reya. Though she is well acquainted with and quite enjoys sleeping beneath the stars, a warm bed and a hot meal was a nice indulgence once in a while. She would have to make sure Tesák was given equal treatment. She had served Reka well since she was a cub, and Reka had no intention of letting her loyalty go unrewarded when she had the opportunity.

Nature [roll0] to know if goodberry overdose is even a thing, and nature [roll1] or heal [roll2] to identify what other ailments might be mistaken for it.

[RecoveringGamer]

Thruun follows the others, less talkative as he is in a contemplative mood. Thinking out loud in a quiet voice uncommon for a half-orc, he says, "Perhaps I will meet this local Kordite. Perhaps he could give us insight as to what is causing this situation..."

[DaedalusMkV]

Dougal listens attentively, nodding along with the watchman's speech, then waits for Reya's reply. If she's decided to set herself up as the leader of the group for now, that's just fine with him. "Right. Meet you there then, Ma'am." Turning back to Tosh, he continues. "Sounds like a siege then, and that means that things're a lot worse than we were told. You need any help while we're here, I'll see what I can do about it. 'Meantime, I don't suppose there's anyone around here lookin' to sell a horse or two? We could definitely use some mounts, if we're gonna be heading out into hostile ground."

[The Great Skenardo]

Hamish
Hamish shrugs. He was feeling minimally cooperative at the moment, and throughout the remainder of the discussion, his beady gaze continued to wander in the direction of drink and the opportunity to take his boots off and rest a while.
"Right. Feel about, see what you find, report in later." He nods in the direction of the alehouse and begins a determined march towards it.
"I'll save you a spot."