Benson's Legacy of Fire: Team Brilliant (IC)

[Benson]

In the beginning, when Rovagug perfected the way of destruction, the lands were littered with the dead. Crows, maggots, beetles, worms, and the other crawling things of the earth complained to Rovagug.

“You destroy and maim too quickly!” they cried. “We cannot devour all the meat you give us! Please, destroy the people of the earth more slowly.”

“What?” shouted Rovagug, in a voice that toppled pillars. “My glorious destruction shall never cease nor slow!”

Yet in the dark, delighting in the destruction god’s slaughter, watched Lamashtu, the Mother of Monsters, and she heard the base things cry. In those black days when all the land was covered with death and all the air stank, she watched as a few tribes of men, her followers and devout worshipers, ate the flesh of corpses as the crows did, plucking out eyes, savoring the bloodiest cuts. To these cannibals she led packs of hyenas, and their ways became as one. Of those louse-ridden beastmen rose the first gnolls, half-hyenas who love the stench of carrion and praise each corpse as an offering to their dark mother. And the demon queen delighted in her own perversion and reveled in these monsters’ terrible howling songs. Born of devastation, and insanity, and the corrupt of soul, the man-beasts spread upon the world, and where they prowled they indulged in their hunger for murdered flesh. Surely, they are to be despised by any sane god, and so we make ceaseless war on those who seek to feed on the bodies of heroes and innocents.

And somewhere in the madness between the stars, the Mother of Perversion and the Mistress of Insanity still laughs her wicked laugh, as her ravening spawn, the bone gnawers and carrion eaters, grow fat off our flesh. Gnolls are among the first abominations, and their death is a blessing. Remember this when their laughter haunts your steps.

-Old Katapesh Children's Bedtime Tale



http://i60.tinypic.com/erzbkg.jpg



4714 AR, Sarenith (June), Wealday (Wednesday) 2 PM

Hot.

Blistering, spirit shattering hot. That was really the only way to describe the past several days of travel from Solku on a dreary camel caravan underneath Serenrae's sun. The cracked earth beneath you, the cloudless sky above you. Scrub lands upon scrub lands wherever you turned your head, and where there were no scrub lands, just vast unwelcoming baked earth desert. In the distant haze to the west, one can just make out the immense outline of Pale Mountain looming over the mid-evening horizon like a tombstone. You will mostly likely have found yourself reaching for your water skin to quench a parched throat.

Garavel, the no-nonsense major domo of his patron, Almah, a merchant princess, continued to lead the way by foot, tightly gripping the rope around his hand that was tied to the head camel. Six other camels walked behind the front camel in a row, attached together by a long rope to keep the camels in a straight line. Also attached to them were the many bags of supplies and gear meant for Almah's group they were to meet up with. Upon three of the six camels sat the PCs, reins in hands, while two were occupied by guards, scimitars at their sides as they kept an observant eye on their surroundings.

"We are almost there. Just over the next hill we should be near the Sultan's Claw," Garavel announced in Common, in a deeply accented Kelish accent, his eyes looking forward.
======

<As so we begin, please feel free to in your post talk about what your character is feeling, their experiences thus far from since taking to this caravan ride and whatever else you want to mention.>

[ArcanistSupreme]

Morius puffs and swipes a sleeve across his sweaty brow, wincing as the cloth comes in contact with his burnt face. Desert travel does not agree with him; his normally shaggy black hair is greasy and matted, his clothes are plastered to his body with sweat, and he winces every time he shifts in the saddle. He doesn't speak to the others unless addressed directly, and his posture has become more and more of a slump as the journey progresses. His red, pudgy face looks ready to burst into tears at any moment.

[TwoBitWriter]

Darius bobs up and down on his camel, eyes closed inside his desert goggles, his thoughts deep in prayer.

The sun and heat bothered him not, for he was baptized in Sarenrae's heat and light and specially gifted in those domains. To him it was a motherly embrace. His body's needs could be sated by the limitless water that the Dawnflower had empowered him to conjure at will. His waterskin was never empty. He would spend every break replenishing the water supplies of his comrades, speaking to them of the bounty that Sarenrae provides and that the heat of the sun was merely a reminder of the protection that his Lady provided against the foul denizens of the darkness. Praise be.

It had been a short time since he had left the Lambent Citadel in Solku, but his time with the company had been the most intriguing and thrilling time of his life thus far. He reveled in the companionship and the discussions that extended beyond theology and relished the opportunities to exercise his skills as a healer to the wounded and singing to entertain his fellows whenever they made camp for the night. A deeper-rooted part of him also reveled in the battles that he had been part of.

His prayer ended, he opened his eyes and spied Morius and could not resist a small, private grin. The young wizard was not as accustomed to Sarenrae's blessing as he. With a gentle prodding of his heels he brought his mount beside the beleaguered human and proffered him his waterskin. "Drink my friend, I see the early signs of the heat sickness upon you. I speak as a healer." He speaks in a rich baritone voice. He had long since ground down the tusks which betrayed his orcish heritage, so his voice took on a deep human quality.

[ArcanistSupreme]

Morius blinks in surprise at the priest's approach. He squints in suspicion at the proferred waterskin. Then he shrugs and lifts it to his lips for a long pull, and water dribbles through the stubble on his chin.

"Uh, thanks." Morius squints at the priest again. Damn. What was his name? "The water is, uh, appreciated kind priest."

[u-b]

Hakan was riding from the early morning to catch up with Almah's group. Every time he visited the desert parts of Katapesh he wondered why people wanted to live there. So far, Almah's group was nowhere in sight, but then he noticed a small caravan to the south. He watched it for some time then and rode towards it, approaching it's lead.

"Hakan Yıldıray Sabri, here to join Princess Almah. You are?"

[ArcanistSupreme]

Morius tenses at the approach of this rider, his knuckles turning white on the reins. He shoots furtive glances at the others to see how they respond, his eyes darting back and forth between his companions and the newcomer.

[Burnheart]

Pavlo is sitting by hmiself taking notes in his journal, paying no attention to whats happening around him.

[Benson]

Garavel took a moment to pause from his walking and turned his head at the direction from which Hakan appeared from. His eyes fell upon him with scrutiny. The camel he lead shook its head from side to side and bellowed as Garavel shushed him with a hand.

"I am her lady's major domo, leading this caravan to her camp." He declared in stoic monotone. ""Hakan Yıldıray Sabri....right. Bronze Hook. Hmm. I believe your name was mentioned in passing between my lady and myself some short time ago. Hmm. Well, we are almost there, perhaps then you can introduce yourself to her then."

"Nonetheless, welcome." He gave Hakan a brief head bow.

[u-b]

Hakan returned a bow a tad more expressive than majordomo's.

"Sabri family is well known in Bronze Hook. Nevertheless, it would be a great honor for me to work for the Princess. "

Hakan turns his stallion around and rides ahead in whatever direction he suspects the camp is most likely to be found.

Perception: take 10 for 14
Survival: [roll0] max 10
Know local: [roll1]
Know geography: [roll2]
(in case anything of the above could hint at a good campsite, like that with a water supply, or the actual camp location, tracks leading to it, etc.; north and south are probably excluded as already checked by the meeting parties)

Riding up to 200 yards ahead of the caravan if the area is sufficiently open.

[ArcanistSupreme]

Movies returns his gaze to his horses neck, still hot and uncomfortable, but now wishing that his mount would move as swiftly as those horses so that he might be rid of this infernal desert.

[Benson]

Hakan's need to travel way far up ahead is cut shortly as he tops the last rise, a caravan of a half-dozen wagons and a large tent clustered around the distinctive tree comes into view below. The rest of the group would not be too far behind. Camels in a nearby pen prance in agitation, and a clutch of confused goats and livestock wander the grounds around the wagons. He would see a dozen men and women rush around the campsite, chasing down an animal or hastening toward the center of the cluster, near the Sultan’s Claw, with pails of water in their hands. One of the wagons would be seen on fire!

Lush orange and red flames engulf an elaborate wooden wagon emblazoned with painted moons and stars. A gout of smoke pours from an open door, and as he approaches, an ill wind blows a number of colorful fortune-telling Harrow cards from inside the wagon. One of these singed cards blows directly at Hakan, catching against his chest in a burst of orange cinders. Before he could get a proper look at it the whole of the Sultan’s Claw erupts into brilliant flame! The smoke rising quickly in a greyish white plume.

This sight of smoke rising above the hill, the rest of the group would see as the usually stone faced Garavel would be hit with a brief look of worry. He quickly released the reins on the front camel he was guiding as he hurriedly ran up the rest of the way up the rocky hill.

The central flap of an elaborate tent flies open and a regal woman who can only be Almah steps out. “Douse that flame!” she shouts to the men surrounding the wagon before turning in the direction of the party or rather just Hakan at this exact moment.

"You! Find some way to help!” She quickly and loudly barked before running off towards the fire.
======

I will be using olive for all NPCs fyi. Anyways.

At the moment, Hakan and (the rest of the PCs when they get there get there of their own accord) have several options to help out here should they choose to. Note that the PCs do not have to all be doing one thing, they can split up to help in different ways.

They could try to put out the fire, joining Almah, Garavel and four guards dressed in in the distinctive red chitin-plate armor of the Pactmaster Guard, who will try to fetch some buckets of water from another wagon twenty feet away from the one ablaze. The wagon has a heavy water barrel that they would also try to carry closer as to reduce the number of trips. That would require a Strength check. This problem could also be dealt with via other means, though that is for you to figure out.

Or they could help four burly mercenaries struggling with an enclosed wooden wagon within feet of the burning wagon, hoping to move it to safety before an errant spark causes it too to burst into flame. This would require a Strength check.

Or they could help a red-headed halfling cleric, who is kneeling next to two severely burned mercenaries who tried to enter the burning wagon. The cleric is tending to a badly wounded mercenary but he is unable to focus on his second patient, who lies near death from terrible burns and smoke inhalation. This would require a Heal Check.

Or assist in wrangling some of the frightened animals that the fire has unsettled. A middle aged camel driver and a woman do their best to wrangle the panicking livestock, but are finding themselves overrun by the chaos of the situation. There are five animals that must be calmed, each requiring a separate Handle Animal check. They are two goats, a pig, and two sheep.

[u-b]

Eager to exploit the perfect opportunity to competently do something the princess is personally attending, Hakan rode as fast as he could, jumping off the saddle near a burned mercenaty, kneeling beside him saying "tunga he rongoa ki te marama " and touching his chest with a faint blue glow that appeared in right hand.

Without paying any further attention to the mercenary, Hakan led his horses to the wagon that four men were trying to move.

Speed up to 250 fpr while on horse. Ignoring the card.

Fast dismount: [roll0] DC 20
Cure Light Wounds: [roll1]

The plan is to get either Amir or both Amir and Kurhah to help the mercenaries to move the wagon. This could be done in a number of ways, depending on how the wagon is equipped, how heavy it seems, etc. Some possibilities are listed below:
1. Attach the tug(s), if present (to the saddle(s) or stirrup(s) or whatever part of the harness will seem to be most fit for the task)
2. Hold one stirrup with one hand, something of the wagon in other hand, tell one of mercenaries to do the same with other horse and let the horses do actual pulling
3. Use rope, which is in pack saddle of Kurhah saddlebags of Amir

Horses are both STR 20. I'm pretty positive Hakan can make them pull, but if he cannot just take 10, this might take some time (like [roll2], [roll3], [roll4], [roll5], ... DC 10)

If successful, the same plan to move the barrel.

[TwoBitWriter]

Darius rushes to the aid of the Halfling, assisting in the healing of the burned men. He will use a combination of natural skill and his magical talent.

He gently begins to work on the unattended burning, man, whispering soft comforts to him while also murmuring prayers to the Dawnflower, begging her to spare this man from the flame.

((Darius will use up his preparation of Burning Hands for Cure Light Wounds))

Heal Skill Roll: [roll0]
Cure Light Wounds:[roll1]

[Burnheart]

Pavlo rushes forward to join the efforts of the guards pulling the closest wagon away from the burning wagon.

strength check [roll0]

[ArcanistSupreme]

Morius sits atop his camel as the others race forward to help, his jaw slack as he takes in the scene. Then he shakes his head as if startled and dismounts, struggling to extricate his foot from the stirrups. Once he disentangles himself, he squints his eyes at the fleeing livestock, circles his fingers, and with a few well-chosen words, illusory pens spring from the ground to enclose the sheep, goats, and pigs.

Morius has cast silent image, attempting to corral as many of the animals as possible. I suppose this is also a good time for a rules clarification; when it says that effect is confined to the area of the spell, is the area fixed once the spell is cast, or can I move the area within the range for as long as I concentrate?

[Benson]

Darius
Upon reaching the other dying merc near the halfling and the merc he was attending to, Darius would see that the tomboyish merc was a Kelish woman. While Darius was able to remove parts of her armor to give her room to breath (the heal check), twas his healing touch that staved off death for her. His hands would fill her body like a warmth of a ray sunshine. She sputtered and coughed, eyes blinking in confusion.

The halfling tending to the other merc, looked at Darius and nodded his head as he finished up with the merc he was working on.
-

Morius

(Uhm, hmm, I do like the idea of putting more use to the Concentrate skill as it hardly gets any mileage in a typical game, sure, yes, as long as you can make a successful concentrate check)

The animals, being of low mental scores, bleated and squealed as suddenly from their perspective found themselves being corralled in from fences from out of thin air.

The two camel herders and care takers of the animals in general, looked upon the scene, impressed, their eyes wide at the sight of magic. They rushed over with their herding sticks to help the Morius with what they assumed, was him trying to herd the animals towards the real pens, twenty feet away.


Pavlo & Hakan

Indeed it would take some time, a lot of grunting and effort, taking rounds to get everything set up. Alas, the combined efforts of the horses pulling, Pavlo and the four mercs pushing and a few more rounds, the covered wagon would find itself being moved away.

While simultaneously while the PCs helped in their ways, Garavel, Almah, and the four guards who took to the pail by pail method, taking water from the water barrel, close to putting out the fire themselves.

Pavlo and Hakan have some time to assist in what remains of the flames in the best way they could think, though admittedly, the method for pulling the wagon with the horses would be time consuming and more likely get in the way while the others tried to keep the flames controlled and eventually doused.

[TwoBitWriter]

Darius will continue to comfort the woman, offering prayers to Sarenrae.

He is delighted when she opens her eyes. He stares deeply into hers. "Fear not, my friend. The Dawnflower has given you another chance at life..." He says. His voice is low and rich, soothing as a consoling father.

[u-b]

Hakan gets two buckets (for himself and for Pavlo) and helps to extinguish the fire.

After the fire is extinguished, he is to use a casting of Prestidigitation to help save whatever valuable stuff might be remaining in the wagon (drenching and cleaning).

[ArcanistSupreme]

Morius shifts from foot to foot and runs his hand through his hair, causing the matted tangle to stand straight up. He casts furtive glances at the others running about the encampment, unsure of how to help. He wanders over to the others by the wagon, only to find that they have things well in hand. The others continue their efforts to save and examine the contents of the wagon, and Morius finds himself being jostled as they move past him. The majordomo moves past him twice before Morius manages to get his attention. Um, Garv...uh, Grana...Sir, Morius squints at the man's shoulder. Is there anything I can do to help?

[Benson]

Darius

The merc woman just groaned and closed her eyes. "Damn....that bloody...sucked...*cough* t-thanks for savin mah life."

Hakan and Morius

After the fires were completely doused, Almah would grimace at the mess and basically just the whole scenario.

"My lady, what happened? What caused this?" Garavel asked in concerned as two of the guards, putting their hands over their mouths went inside the burnt wagon to recover whatever was not lost to the fire, appreciative of Hakan's magic.

"I know not...it just happened suddenly," She replied quickly surveying the area, her eyes falling on the PCs.

"Thank you for your assistance, it is appreciated" Her eyes mostly focusing on Hakan and Darius, her expression tight. She looked back at Garavel. "I want you to launch an investigation on how this fire may have started.

"Yes my lady," The stoic man replied with a nod of his head. He turned his attention to Morius when the illusionist approached with his question and studied him for a moment. "You can assist me in some investigative work."


The guards appeared a moment later, though this time with a body on their hands. "Madam, Eloais is dead."

Well, dead people, that is one way to begin a game.

[ArcanistSupreme]

Morius opens his mouth and then closes it again, terrified at the prospect of interviewing so many strangers. He gives the priest and the horse rider almost pleading glances, silently begging them to take the lead.

[u-b]

"There were the cards blasting out. This probably means they were used, not stored. Harrow cards. One got even so far to hit me and was apparently fire magical when doing so." - Hakan looked down to see if it left any mark on his chest, then addressed the illusionist and then both him and the princess. - "Can detect magic to see any traces it left? We can try to search for the other cards if they are special, they were blown all over the area."

Hakan continues to direct his drying/cleaning magic, but holds talking to the Princess his top priority. Then he remembers he did not properly introduce himself, so he does that, with a bow.

"Hakan Yıldıray Sabri, at your service."

[ArcanistSupreme]

Morius blinks. Detect magic? He drops his eyes to examine his worn and cracked boots. I didn't, ah, that is, I didn't prepare detect magic today. My apologies.

[Benson]

GM Post

"Almah Roveshki," Almah replied in tow as her stern gaze fell upon Hakan, sizing him up as she listened to his words. "Harrow cards....I see...hmm....Eloais was my personal fortuneteller I hired. He reminded me of my homeland of Varisia." She softly hmm'd and pinched the bridge of her nose, wrinkling her brow.

"Could you and your companions help Garavel in this investigation? If you need to, you can interview the others.....I...myself...need a moment, this whole scenario has me distraught." She said placing her hand at her head.

[ArcanistSupreme]

Oh. Morius looks about the camp, trying to decide if there would be anywhere that he could hide until this all blew over. He lets out a quiet moan, and then wanders over first toward the guard, then does an awkward course change toward the animal tenders. He sizes them up, picks the least threatening person, and clears his throat. Um, do you, ah, could you tell me what, um, happened before the fire started?

[Benson]

Morius


Neither of them looked anymore threatening than the other, the two, a man and woman paired, middle aged. Both of Kelesh with typical features along with wearing hot weathered clothing.

"Oooh, honey, its the spell caster, my o' my, I must thank you so much for your assistance," The woman approached and grabbed Morius' hands together with hers and sported a big warm smile.

"Indeed, thank you so very much, such great magic--" The male camel driver commented coming over and greeted Morius.

"He must be a powerful caster to use such magic!" The woman finished.

"Hadrod." The man said introducing himself.

"Hadrah." The woman said, almost in sync.

"You must tell us where you acquired such skill!"

"Tell us!"

The two looked at him eagerly, smiling. Whelp, they got distracted.

[TwoBitWriter]

"Dearest child, I must go now to see if there are others I can aid this day. Please, remember me and the second chance you have been given." Darius says, gently pressing a small wooden holy symbol of Sarenrae into the woman's hand. He nods at the cleric and stands, seeking his companions and going wherever his aid may be requested.

[u-b]

"Of course. Will do my best." - Hakan turns to face the wagon - "Kitea mahi makutu!" - his eyes color changes from yellow to bright yellow. He then looks at the wagon for some time, then at his own chest, then around.

Then he is interested in looking at Eloais, with the cleric's help.

"You, you are the cleric, please? What can you say about this corpse?"

Casting Detect Magic. There is some nonzero hope it can pick up lingering auras of moderate strength effects and sure should pick up traces left from strong+ auras. All non-shielded magic items and stuff in the area should be detected as a side effect. Not much hope getting the school, but will try anyway.

Regarding the corpse, anything like the nature (mundane vs magical), location (front/side/engulfing), strength (number of d6s suffered) etc. of the fire that could be estimated would be a plus.

Aid another (heal): [roll0] vs DC 10

[TwoBitWriter]

Darius nods to Hakan and walks to where he stands over Eloais. "It is a shame..." Darius says before kneeling beside the corpse, examining it.

Heal skill to examine corpse.
[roll0]

[ArcanistSupreme]

Um, well, that is...ah. Morius' s burnt face turns, if possible, even redder. Unsure of which of the two would be best to look in the eye, he compromises and stares at the woman's shoulder. Ahem. I don't really know that much magic. It was just, ah, a simple trick. It was illusion magic, not a, um, conjuration...

Morius launches into an in depth comparison of illusion and conjuration magic, and is just getting started on theoretical sensory elements when he glances at the face of Harad (Halad? No. The man anyway.) and finally notices the glazed expression. He comes to a stop mid sentence and clears his throat.

But, well, I don't suppose that matters, er, now. He licks his cracked lips. Did you, uh, either of you, that is, see how the fire started?

[Benson]

Darius

The woman quirked her head as he spoke to her but nonetheless accepted the token and just closed her eyes for a spell, rest was the next best thing.

Hakan

There weren't particularly strong magical auras, aside from those radiating from his new magical inclined companions, Morius and Darius. The Harrow card which contained the image of the Cyclone did not seem magical in nature, more of a mundane set most likely. There was however a faint, lingering aura around the wagon of the deceased, not anything particularly strong, heck twas barely a presence.

Darius and Hakan

With Hakan's aid, Darius would come to the conclusion that this fella most likely died from smoke inhalation and from exposure from being dead center in the explosion. There did not seem to be any signs of foul play from another source.

Morius

"Mmmm...alas...I cannot say, I did notice the fire first between the two of us, but my husband and I soon found ourselves distracted with trying to get our animals under control." Hadrah said with a woeful frown.

Meanwhile, Hadrod looked to be on the verge of tears. "My woes....alas my favorite goat, Rombard, went missing during the chaos, I fear the worse for the little fellow."

Hadrah bopped him upside the head and glowered. "Husband! You speak of your lost goat when someone has just died? Pardon my husband. Ahem, though, tis a shame about Eloais, he was a nice enough man, for a foreigner. But I never did understand his talks of 'Cyclones and Fiends and Uprisings'." Hadrah shook her head as her husband Hadrod did the same though he also rubbed the back of her head.

"But, Miss Almah trusted him, so it was good enough for us." The two said in unison with sad looks in their eyes.

[u-b]

Since the Princess seems like she is best not disturbed at the moment, Hakan reports his findings to the next person in command that he knows about, her major domo. He does not make any secret of it, so anyone present nearby can hear or discuss these findings.

"There is a very faint magical aura about the wagon. Of an effect other than what we employed, likely fading remains of some spell or effect that might be related or not related to the explosion. Unfortunately, I cannot determine the school and it is fading fast."

Hakan also shows the card.

http://pathfinderwiki.com/mediawiki/images/thumb/8/86/Harrow_cyclone.jpg/180px-Harrow_cyclone.jpg

"This does not seem to be magical, but some fire and destruction can be undoubtly seen. That Eloais was in the center of explosion and died from it. We are totally sure he was alive when it happened."

Then Hakan proceeds with the investigation by trying to find some competent observers to interrogate. Preferably, senior guards or some such.

[TwoBitWriter]

Darius nods soberly at Hakan, examining the card he is showing around. Darius will follow Hakan around as he continues his investigation.

[ArcanistSupreme]

You didn't see anything? Oh. Morius runs his fingers through his hair as he surveys the other members of the caravan. He starts off toward those sorting through the wagon, again looking for the least imposing figure to interview. He gets about ten feet from the animal tenders before he remembers his manners and does an awkward about-face. He continues to walk backward as he speaks.

Uh, thanks. For telling me what you know, that is. I'll try to see if there's, uh, anything that we can do about the, the goat. And with that he continues to the wagon to force himself into another interview.

[Benson]

Hakan and Darius

Garavel nods as he takes a gander at the card and works his jaw a bit, narrowing his eyes. "I will search around the wagon for any clues." He says as he abruptly turns and makes for the tarnished wagon.

Looking around the campsite, they see the healer that Darius assisted, still keeping a watchful eye over the two formally injured mercs, the four caravan guards who helped put out the fire, the four burly mercs who had been trying to deal with moving that wagon that Hakan helped with. Lastly, there was a surly looking man leaning up casually against the Sultan's Claw tree with a perma scowl as he watched the scene, using a knife to pick at his teeth.


Morius

"You will? Oh thank you stranger!" Hadrod happily declared just before Morius walked away.

[u-b]

"Hmm... we sure should talk with them all, but this one..." - Hakan looks at the man leaning against the tree - "...is totally asking to be questioned, don't you think so?"

Just off the top of his head, Hakan can think of two reasons for a person to stay there and pick at his teeth with a knife: either he was eating meat while people were fighting the fire, or he's attracting attention and being good at it. Anyway...

Hakan approaches the man and takes some time to look closer at him.

"Mind if I ask a few questions on behalf of the Princess?"

Perception: [roll0] - all of his visible equipment, clothing, etnicity, distinctive features; also, making sure Hakan can describe this man, in fine detail, if he ever needs to
Know (local): [roll1] - does he know the man, or maybe have heard about him?

[Benson]

The moment Hakan approaches the man, his nostrils are just hit with a wave of powerful body odor as if he had a loose relationship with hygiene. His robes of dark blue and faded maroon had the tattered look to them. He was a tall muscular man of dark sun burned skin and shoulder length black hair. Two large gold hoop earrings stuck out from his black hair. He carried on him a curved dagger which was currently in his hand, its sheath strapped to his chest. At his sight was a scimitar in its sheathe and a bow and quiver strapped to his back. Curiously he wore no shoes.

The man turned his attention on the approaching Hakan and narrowed his eyes and sized him up. His snarled upped a little as he picked up a clay bottle of ale and took a swig from it.

"Only because its on the behalf of the Princess," He gruffly said, his perma scowl in place as stared at Hakan. "If you entertain thoughts on that it was me or that I was involved, let me stop you there."

<For the local knowledge check, this man would not seem familiar to Hakan>

[u-b]

The man behaves along the lines Hakan expected, so he proceeded with what he was going to do.

"Not quite. The thoughts are rather that you think you are... above the crowd, maybe, either because you know something, or you can something, or both, or whatever. So, if I am right... and if you are right, you might be the person with the best insight into this situation. So, speaking of insights... have any?"

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[ArcanistSupreme]

Morius stands by the wagon, shifting from foot to foot and waiting for someone to acknowledge him.

[Benson]

Garavel, over by the burnt wagon, beckons Morius over with a two finger gesture.
----

Hakan

The more Hakan spoke, the more annoyed looking the man appeared. "Kinda tickin' me off the more you speak." He gruffly said with a low growl as he then shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. "That dumb s*** idiot burned a hundred candles in his wagon. Perhaps he just got unlucky. We’re in gnoll country. It was probably pugwampis."

[u-b]

"Nah, candles do not exploge... at least not by themselves." - Hakan turns around to look at the wagon for some time then again at the man - "You call him an idiot. Know him long enough?"

[Benson]

The man shrugged his shoulders and lowly growled putting his annoyance in the front row at this point.

"Just the last couple of weeks, long enough to know he was a flaky idiot, always going on about fortune telling, prophecies, a dandy of a man I will add," He snorted.

[u-b]

"A couple of weeks... so either you did not tell the Princess or she ignored your advice. But then again, you weren't supposed to be an advisor. He was." - Hakan turned away from the man to look at the wagon again and winked to Darius while doing so, then turned back to the man - "Thank you for your help, I deeply appreciate it. If you ever have more to share, I will be nearby."

With this, Hakan turned around and went to talk with caravan guards.

[Benson]

"Whatever," Was all that chump hole replied with as Hakan dismissed himself and headed over towards the caravan guards. Two were helping themselves to a quick drink of water as they continued to clean up the mess around the wagon, where Garavel was also at, collecting what appeared to be Harrowing cards that were on the ground.

[u-b]

Hakan comes closer to one of the guards cleaning up the mess around the wagon. - "Have you found anything unusual so far? I mean, other than that the whole thing exploded. Also, do you know if this Eloais has any... friends maybe, or just someone he often dealt with? I see he was not exactly popular with some people." - nods in general direction of the man he have just talked to.

[ArcanistSupreme]

Morius approaches the caravan leader. His eyes flick up to make brief eye contact before dropping to the man's shoulder. Um, sir. Morius licks his cracked lips. I was, uh, wondering how best to proceed with the, the investigation. I'm not much, well, not much good at this sort of thing, sorry.

[Benson]

Hakan

One of the guards broke into a short raspy chuckle. "More like reversal, Miss Almah's personal fortune teller was affable enough, the only one who would take issue with him would be Dashki." The guard lifted his chin in the general direction of the man Hakan was just speaking to and narrowed his eyes.

"Did catch him earlier today trying to sneak a peek into Miss Almah's tent." Still referring to Dashki. He shook his head and returned to a typical stoic guard stance. "That boy is obsessed with her. But no, back to your question, no one else here particularly disliked Eloais. The mercenaries thought him a weakling, but I did not sense any hostilities."
--

Morius

"Perhaps follow the lead of your companion," He said glancing to Hakan. "Of if that is too much of a task, you can assist me in bundling up this salvaged wood. Might as well put it to use in a campfire."

[u-b]

Hakan narrowed his eyes when the guard told about this Dashki sneaking around Princess' tent. "Did you tell her? And who is this Dashki anyway? I mean, origin, profession, occupation... something. This guy seems adept at taking issues, so I guess he's not about conducting ordinary business."

"I was asking about Eloais' friends for another reason, though. Whatever hapened is either an accident or a murder. And one way or the other it might be related to what Eloais was foretelling or trying to foretell. It would not be appropriate to ask the Princess for this information, if there are another way, so... maybe this Eloais has a habit of discussing his job with someone or maybe he even had a diary?"

[ArcanistSupreme]

It's not too much, I just, it's just that I'm not really, Morius turns his head from the majordomo to the Kele****e to ruined wood and back, weighing the options against the disapproving look he's getting. I'll go help, um, him.

Morius walks over to the other adventurer, running his hand through his hair as he does. When he arrives, he opens his mouth to say something, but changes his mind and hovers at the man's elbow instead.

[Benson]

"Dashki is trouble that is what he is," Another guard commented but was signaled to stand down by the guard that was originally speaking to Hakan.

"He is...skilled fighter, but he was mainly brought on about for knowledge of the area and insight against gnolls. He was some sort of leading expert on knowledge about gnolls. The Miss Almah felt his skills important and hired him as a guide among the mentioned things."

"As for your other question," The guard shook his head. "I no not, if he did, it might have been lost to the fire. He mostly discussed his work and divination with Miss Almah herself."

[u-b]

Hakan nods.

I am not familiar with these cards, prophecies and stuff... did Eloais ever mention that what he is doing might be in some way dangerous? Some named or non-named entities, otherwoldly forces and what not? Anyway, I will try to continue with the investigation, so if you ever remember or think of something that might be remotely relevant, please tell.

Then Hakan takes note of Morius.

"And you? Do you know about these?" (shows him the card)

If the guard does not name any immediate lead, will go on to the priest.

[ArcanistSupreme]

Knowledge (Arcana/Local/Nature/Nobility/Religion) (whichever is relevant to the cards): [roll0]

[ArcanistSupreme]

Gonna go out on a limb and say I don't know anything about the cards. Dat roll.

Well, ah, those are, the cards? Morius kicks at the sand. I, uh, don't.

[Benson]

The guard shrugged. "He didn't confide his little hobby with anyone much aside from Miss Almah. There is not much else any of us could tell you."

He glanced over as Hakan showed Morius the card and furrowed his brows. "Is that not a Harrow card?" He questioned a little uncertain and scratched his chin.

[u-b]

Hakan shows the card to the guard.

"Yes, I think it is a harrow card. This one was blown out from the tent with all the rest. Looking at it, seems somewhat relevant to what happened, but I am not familiar with the details and cannot tell if this is just a coincidence or not."

[Benson]

"That I cannot properly comment on as Varisian fortune telling, your best bet would be to ask Miss Almah, my apologies for not being able to be of much help," The guard who spoke for the group, gave a short half bow.

[u-b]

Hakan nods and goes to talk with two burned mercenaries and red-headed halfling cleric.

"Are you all right now? I could not spend much time to attend you and went on to help fight the fire, but it's good to see both of you alive, thanks to the clerics, of course. I am tasked by the Princess to help Garavel with the investigation and you are probably the ones who could see how exactly the things were developing from the very start and what was inside the wagon, so could you please tell me, in detail, and step by step?"

[ArcanistSupreme]

Morius follows meekly in the wake of the other man, awkward and unsure of how he should act.

[Benson]

The male mercenary was still out at the moment, his chest softly rising and falling. The woman looked tiredly at Hakan as she stiffly stirred and lightly groaned.

"I'll...try," She said after looking at Zastoran who nodded and gave her some water and then looked back Hakan. "Mmm....well Trevvis and I...and the rest of our group were just enjoying some drink and jerky near the fire pit when the wagon just suddenly went up in flames. I looked at Trevvis who looked back at me as the both of us rushed over knowing that Eloais fella was still inside.

"It was hard to really see anything inside...the smoke was so thick but I could hear the fortune teller choking on the smoke and yelling." She scrunched her brow as if trying to remember more. "It was really hard for me to focus on details...considering the situation I was in, getting licked by flames, the smoke....I was just acting on instinct...my mind focused on trying to get to the fortune teller." She furrowed her brows again as her face contorted in thought. "Before I blacked out from all the smoke...I swear...I thought my mind was playing tricks....but...I saw something escape from the small back window from the corner of my eye...it was rodent like. After that...I don't remember much...Trevvis pulled me back, looking like hell and coughing violently and then I blacked out." She shook her head. "Sorry...that's all I got."

[ArcanistSupreme]

Rodent like? How big? What color? Morius's eyes widen, and he seems surprised by his own boldness, which he quickly compensates for by squinting at his feet.

[u-b]

Hakan waits for her to answer, then...

"Thank you very much, you are of great help already. I think that rodent like think might have been a pugwampi. Do you know these? I've heard something, but never got so far as to get solid info on them. I think we should ask Trevvis, maybe he saw something too. Hmmm... may I know your name? ... [Name], please do not tell Trevvis anything we've just discussed, I would like him to try to remember all the details himself, maybe he will be able to shed even more light on this situation..."

(I suppose Darius is somewhere around, otherwise Hakan will have to spend his last spell; so, addressing Darius)

"Can you please heal this man so he can talk to us sooner rather than later? This might be somewhat important."

Know (local): [roll0] - what do local humanoids generally tell about these pugwampis?

[Benson]

The lady merc shook her head. "Grey? I don't really know....it was just something from the corner of my eye....not a good look at all, sorry."

"I don't know much about pugwampis....or what they look like," [Name] shook her head again.

Auto-botting time

Darius uses a curative spell on Trevvis.

The mercenary named Trevvis loudly groaned as he stirred. "Damn...ack...did I die..." His voice was on the gruffy raspy side as he opened his eyes and laid there, trying to regain his bearings.

From what Hakan can recall, Pugwampis were little creatures known for being scavengers, the rest of his memory of the subject seemed to be lost somewhere.

[u-b]

"Not this time, you did not. Bad news, Eloais did. The princess ordered this all to be investigated, so here we are... are you in condition to tell us what happened? You are probably one of those who could see how exactly the things were developing from the very start and what was inside the wagon, so could you please tell me, in detail, and step by step, as much as you can remember?"

[ArcanistSupreme]

In the meantime, Morius gaze becomes unfocused as he wracks his brains to recall all he can about pugwampis.

[roll0]

[Benson]

"I think you're expecting too much of me on what I can't deliever.." Trevvis furrowed his brow as he tried to remember, everything was just too hazy, probably too much smoke inhalation. Most of what he said sounded similar to how the girl recounted.

"It just got bad...some bottle of some liquid, I saw it catch on fire as the fire just got bigger, I had to get Kallien out, my instincts drove me so as the smoke and heat stung my eyes. So I grabbed her before the two of got much worse, I'm sorry I wasn't able to get Eloais out, that moment, everything was just happening too fast," He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Morius would recall how Pugwampi tended to built their habitats in close proximity to gnolls and seemed to idolize gnolls, who just saw them as bottom feeders.

(if anyone has knowledge arcana, that could provide more insight)

[u-b]

"Hmm... so were you inside or outside when the fire started?" - asked Hakan while seemingly thinking of something - "Did Eloais ever dealt with flamable liquids in his tent?"

[ArcanistSupreme]

[roll0]

Pugwampi are fey, which technically falls under Knowledge (Nature). But I have a billion knowledge skills, so whatever. :smallbiggrin:

[Benson]

"No, outside, when everything happened," Trevvis replied with a small shrug and shook his head. "I guess...I don't know...I would think so after having had seen that bottle explode." For Trevvis, it was one of those times when...you realize how little one can know about people even if they've been in their company for some time.


@ Morius, Pugwampi are believed to exude auras of misfortune, a sort of supernatural ability that seems to account for the worst possible outcome in a scenerio.

[u-b]

Hakan nods slowly. Then does it again.

"I would not demand any more of you, I understand you were near death there and you are already of great help... but I ask if you can fill some blanks and correct any errors in my understanding of what happened before I report to the Princess. I mean, both of you..." - looks at Kallien and Trevvis - "...were outside the wagon. Then the wagon went up in flames, you both went inside the wagon and then that bottle exploded and you two had to leave. Correct? This seems pretty much like at least two... hmm... alchemist fire bottles? Was that how it looked like?"

[ArcanistSupreme]

Ah, Morius interjects, then pauses. He squints at his feet, opens his mouth, closes it, then begins again. Ah, Harken, I do believe that you were, uh right about it being a pugwampi. And one, um, characteristic of the, er, pugwampi is that they are, ah, well, unlucky. That is to say, not that, um, superstitious people believe them to be unlucky, but that they, through the magic that they, ah, give off, they actually make, um, things go wrong. His voice gets quieter as he speaks and he ends by trailing off with an apologetic glance at his fellow investigator.

So, um, maybe we, uh, shouldn't, he licks his chapped lips, maybe we shouldn't, ah, accuse these people until we've, that is to say, until we've investigated, er, the possibility of pugwampi involvement.

[u-b]

"Hakan, if you will. Hakan Sabri. And the pugwampis were not my idea." - here Hakan recognizes that Morius have had no way of knowing whose idea that was, so he "turns off" his frown, although the tone still shows some of it - "And sure, we should not accuse anyone. Not even then. We investigate and report."

[ArcanistSupreme]

Oh, Morius cringes at the reproach. I'm so sor-, uh, that is, sorry. He runs his fingers through his hair and waits for the other man to continue.

[Benson]

Kallien and Trevvis looked at the two, brows all furrowed and then returned their attention to Hakan's questions.

"Yes, that is pretty much the order of events that I can recall, sorry its not so detail like ya want," Trevvis said with a slight groan. Zastorna placed a hand over him to guide him into laying back down.

[u-b]

Hakan thanks the mercenaries and proceeds to the wagon he was helping to move away from the burning wagon.

"Mind if I search for pugwampis?" (the question is addressed to whomever is nearby, be that a merc or Garavel or anyone) "Morius, would you rather search the wagons or ask people about pugwampis escaping?"

If allowed, perception: start with a quick [roll0], then take 20

[ArcanistSupreme]

Me? I, uh, I'll, he licks his lips and squints into the desert. Then he shakes his head and his spine straightens and he looks the other man squarely in the eye. I know a bit about pugwampis. I'm not, uh, very good at talk-, but still, it's for the best, I mean, if I, er, use what I know.

Morius does an awkward about face before his resolve can waiver, and he seeks out the nearest person to ask if they've seen anything resembling a pugwampi, moving from person to person until he encounters someone that can offer something helpful.

If the people he encounters didn't see anything, he thanks them, and then (as awkwardly as possible, of course) asks if they have seen Rombard the goat. He remembers Rombard's name, but he can't for the life of him recall the names of the couple that own him.

[Benson]

@Hakan

He sees stuff. With his non-specific cursory glance, he sees stuff, wagons, chickens, people, in the immediate proximity.

Kidding.

Under the assumption that he is looking for tracks and other signs of possible pugwampi presence within the pertinent proximity, Hakan, in a search of about twenty minutes would find a set of tiny bipedal canine-ish paw prints that lead on for about fifteen feet away from camp before disappearing and fading away due to the nature of the hard packed ground coupled with a small wind and who knows what else that was making this harder.

@Morius

No one seemed to have recalled seeing Rombard during the fire. However, when asked about seeing pugwampis, there was only one who man who everyone pointed to that would be better to ask about in regards to that stuff, that dang Dashki, who sort of during this whole investigation time had been watching Hakan and Morius with a curious, if gruff still, expression.

[u-b]

Hakan tells Garavel about being told of two explosions (or outbursts of fire, or something, as the source of the first one has not been positively identified), semi-confirmed possible pugwampi involvement, shows him the tiny bipedal canine-ish paw prints, then asks if there is a professional tracker and/or a dog to identify (if a professional) and possibly follow them.

[ArcanistSupreme]

Morius takes a deep breath and exhales, blowing out his cheeks. He takes a step toward the gruff mercenary, does an awkward sort of half-turn as if he was going a different direction, takes another deep breath, and then marches over to the man. He realizes that he has been holding his breath and lets it out all at once. Panting a little, Morius begins to speak, Um, sir? I have heard that, uh, they say that you know about gnolls and pugwampis and, er, what they might be doing in the area. After a pause just long enough for the other man to open his mouth, Morius plows forward. Because, you see, people have seen, or at least, I think that they've seen one, that is. When they described it, it sounded like one. To me. They've seen a pugwampi. Over there. Morius indicates the charred remains of the wagon. Where the, uh, fire, um, was.

[Benson]

@Hakan

Garavel taps his chin in brief thought as he took in all the information Hakan had given him. The square jawed man then looked back at Hakan in all his stoic-ness and nodded. "You met him already, but Daski here was hired by Almah due to his knowledge of the area and of figuring out gnoll activity as to avoid it. He may also have similar skills in regards to pugwampi activity."


@Morius

Daski looked at Morius with his usual scowl, arms crossed over his large muscled chest. "We are in gnoll country after all, it is no surprise for them to be in this area." He grunted. The large man then worked his jaw and scrunched his brow. "Ugh...puwampis..."

"Terrible little sh**s ghat crawled up from the Darklands below the earth I am sure. ‘Jackal rats,’ some folks call ’em, on account of their pointed little heads. They worship gnolls as gods and infest their communities like rats. Wherever pugwampis go, bad luck is sure to follow. The gnolls hate pugwampis because of it, and try to kill them all the time. But they always come back. Perhaps their bad luck caused the fortune-man’s candles to start a fire? Yes, pugwampis. I am certain it was pugwampis myself, if anyone thinks they saw them, it is most likely they did." He nodded his head assuredly. Amusingly, when he spoke about pugwampis, he was rather passionate about it as opposed to his usual bouts of his lack of desire to talk to others.

[u-b]

Hakan nods to Garavel and goes to talk with Daski one more time.

"Your initial guess is confirmed correct. There are some tracks over there," - points - "you can go and see if they indeed belong to a pugwampi. Also the mercs who nearly burned to death in that wagon report some bottle of explosive liquid being involved, after the whole wagon was on fire. Not sure if the bottle belonged to Eloais or not. You think he was the man to operate this kind of substance right in the middle of the wagon or there might be more to it?"

[Benson]

Dashki shrugged, looking to have lost interest when Hakan mentioned Eloais to him again. "Maybe there were more than one of those bottles, first exploded, maybe caught the flames of the candles, and this one was just a delayed explosion?" The big grimy man shrugged again as he then disregarded the two and walked over to where the foot prints were said to be.

[ArcanistSupreme]

Morius hesitates, then wanders over to the pugwampi tracks himself. So, these, that is, the pugwampi, I find them to be quite interesting. From a, um, scholarly perspective, that is. Nasty little creatures, I hear. Pugwapmis. Are nasty creatures. Not that I have ever seen one myself. Do you run into a lot of them? How did you get to be such an, er, expert on the subject?

Although his speech is still awkward and he doesn't ever quite meet the other man's eyes, it's plain that his usual terror of social interaction has been pushed aside by his genuine interest in the subject.

[u-b]

Hakan just waits to see what Dashki will say and do about the footprints.

[Benson]

"Field experience," Dashki said gruffly as he looked at what paw prints there were, studying them for a moment. "Yep, definitely pugwampi, without a doubt." He turned and looked at the two, though then his gaze looked past the two as he casually brought a tendril of his greasy long hair out of his face and stood more erect.

"So I have been hearing things about these so called pugwampi?" Almah said as she approached, her expression in concern. "I have never heard of such creatures myself, hmmm." She tapped her chin in thought.

[ArcanistSupreme]

Unsure of how to respond, Morius runs his hand through his hair and stares intently at the tracks hoping that somebody else will talk so he doesn't have to.

[u-b]

Hakan does not interfere in whatever Dashki and Almah are going to discuss and decide about the issue. He would rather accompany Dashki along the trail, but for now just stands ready to answer questions and receive orders.

[Benson]

Well she was talking to them all at the time. She looked at the three, awaiting for some sort of response when then Dashki sweeped back his greasy hair again.

"Yes milady, terrible blighters, most likely indirectly caused the fire, forced misfortune one could say," Dashki replied, clearly trying to impress Almah.

Almah furrowed her brows and looked at him a little dubiously. "Could you bring me a pugwampi? Preferably dead. For proof. I believe it would also allow me to put this case to rest."

"Of course!" He said almost too eagerly.

She then looked at Morius and Hakan. "I would appreciate it if you could accompany him in the retrieval of one of these pugwampis."

[u-b]

"Of course, Princess." (an appropriately deep bow follows)

Hakan is going with Dashki and takes both horses with him. If there is enough time, he will leave the pack saddle where Garavel suggests, which would allow Morius to ride Kurhah, if he does not mind to ride bareback.

[ArcanistSupreme]

Of course, er, Princess. He shoots a glance at his fellow traveler. When offered the option of riding bareback, his hand shoots to his rear before dropping. Morius's burnt face turns an even brighter red as he stammers out the explanation that he much prefers camels, and he hurries over to retrieve a camel with a saddle.

[Benson]

Dashki himself preferred to walk, better for him to track and look out for signs of Pugwampi, or so he said.

Almah wanly smiled at Hakan and Morius. "Thank you." She said simply.
--

And so the three carried on into the dry surrounding dessert, scrub lands wherever their eyes looked. The sun moving farther and farther away to the west as the temperature dropped a little bit. Dashki continued on foot with one of his daggers out, gripped tightly in his right hand. His eyes scanning the area, surveying, trying to make sure he did not miss a detail.

"Ack...I still don't understand how such creatures can even make their trail disappear.." He muttered in annoyance.

[u-b]

Hakan draws the bow and looks around, also keeping an eye on the horses to see if they are worried.

Perception: [roll0]
Handle animal: [roll1]

Basically, I want some info about the area (open or not, details) and if the horses seem to smell/hear/see something they don't particularly like.

[ArcanistSupreme]

Morius glances about nervously and runs his hand through his hair.

[roll0]

[Benson]

The surrounding area was fairly sparse of any notable detail with desert scrub and the occasional jutting rock the main attraction. Far off to the east, mountains dotted the skyline, jagged and unwelcoming. The dried earth cracked a bit under the steps of the animals and Dashki as the occasional swirl of sand courtesy of a desert breeze. The horses do seem a little more wary than usual, ears occasionally swiveling.

At some point, the three of you come across to see a series of small pugwampi tracks heading into hill country.

(Do either of you have Track?)

[ArcanistSupreme]

(Negative)

[u-b]

(Same here)

[Benson]

Dashki paused a moment as he narrowed his eyes and then got down on all fours as he traced the outline of an impression against the sand and dirt. "Hmmm...Look...right there....they were dragging something...or pushing...." He pointed out what looked like the hesitant tread of something small with hoofed feet. "The trail is going northwest."

[u-b]

"Lead northwest then. I cannot really read tracks, so it's all up to you."

Hakan looks at the ground, looks northwest, then and waitis for Dashki to lead wherever he's going to lead.

[ArcanistSupreme]

Morius looks forlornly back in the direction of the caravan, then slumps and turns to follow as well.

[Benson]

Dashki let out a grunt and nodded his head as he continued to lead on. The three of you would end up making perhaps one hundred feet or so when just something about the atmosphere begins to change. It felt like there was just an inexplicable rise in the natural tension of the environment, as if something terrible was going to happen even though nothing about the terrain had changed. Soon after, a sound not unlike the brief cry of a human child sounded from beyond the rocky hill.

<A DC 10 Knowledge (nature) check determines that the sound must be coming from the lost goat, though the timbre of the cry makes it sound as if the creature is in pain.>

[u-b]

Hakan is* to ride 100 feet back, then ride uphill from whatever side will seem to be farthest from that unlucky atmospheric front (bow in hand, Kurhah heeling).

*Unless something happens or Dashki tells otherwise. The intent is to get ontop of that hill and look around.

[Benson]

As Hakan continues to progress up on his own, the local cacti grow more and more intense, to where he finds himself at the edge of a dense thicket ofvthe prickly plants. The sound of the bleating goat is now obvious to him—and it seems to be coming from somewhere deep within the cacti. The cacti forest is very wide and incredibly thick making navigation difficult for horses and large animals in general.

[ArcanistSupreme]

Morius, following wearily at the heels of the other man, runs his hand through his hair. I think, that must be Rombard. The goat. Romabard the goat. Do you, uh, feel that?

[u-b]

Hakan rides his tracks back to others, somewhat disappointed.

"Whatever is bleating, it's within that cacti forest, which is large, thick, and won't have me getting into it, especially for something as trivial as a goat. I'd say if pugwampis are here too, that's of no use, we're not getting any of them from these cacti. Let's continue along the track if it leads to some open area or turn back to the camp."

[Benson]

"I don't care what you choose, but milady asked for a pugwampi, so hence I shall retrieve one for her," Dashki said with a snarl and a hint of annoyance. "Cacti or no cacti, I will not be returning with my tail tucked between my legs." He pulled out his curved knife and swung at the air. "I will cut my way through if I must."

[ArcanistSupreme]

Morius opens his mouth to reply, then closes it without speaking. He fumbles with his spell component pouch, making sure that his fingers can find the reagents he needs when he needs them, checking and rechecking the drawstring. Sensing danger, his familiar scuttles from its nest in his pocket and perches on his shoulder, pincers clicking. Morius gulps and follows the mercenary.

[u-b]

Hakan nods to Dashki. He intends to stay away from the thicker part of the forest, with the horses (and the camel, if Morius will go in by foot).

"I'm not against you following any plan as long as you belive it to be successful. Myself, I am not good at chasing stuff through the thickets, so I will not even try. I'll be around. Yell if you need any help."

[Benson]

"So you will be coming with me?" Dashki asked gruffly as he approached the cacti thicket, long curved dagger out. He then took the dagger and slashed at the cacti before him as a part of it fell against the ground.


(Feel free for the both of you (Morius and Hakan) to make Perception checks)

[ArcanistSupreme]

With a soft groan, Morius nods his head.

Yay, familiar on my shoulder means I get a slightly less crappy spot check! [roll0]

[Benson]

Morius would just catch the loud continued sound of the panicked bleating of a goat, just over and over getting worse.

Though Hakan with a squinting of his eyes into the cactus patch, would spy a small gremlin looking creature swiftly moving about the prickly /forest/. The horses would begin to act finnicky, stamping their hooves against the ground, heads swishing side to side, to where even Hakan was having a little difficulty getting them to calm down.

[u-b]

"There."

Hakan points where he have seen the little sneaker, then drew and nocked an arrow, getting ready to shoot at the next appearance of such thing.

[ArcanistSupreme]

Morius's eyes dart along the line of the man's pointed finger and he licks his lips. Whatever it is, whatever it is is hurting him. Hurting the goat. We should hurry.

[Benson]

Dashki just grunted and rolled his eyes. His priority was not some goat of a sheep herder, twas the corpse of a pugwampi, but regardless he continued to hack at the cactus, occasionally wincing as some cacti would prick and snag him from the side. Morius himself would also feel the discomfort of prickling cacti and snagging at his robes.

But eventually the two would eventually reach the goat who looked to be tied a crude, splinter giving post. Behind the goat, twelve feet away, the ground ended in a cliff that overlooked a very low valley. It was the sort of drop that would kill a person. The goat began to bleat in a panicked manner.

[ArcanistSupreme]

This is a trap. All of Morius's customary insecurity is forgotten in an instant. I can enhance your strength if it comes to a fight, so stay close. He unslings his crossbow and sets a bolt. As he cranks the winch, his eyes dart around the foliage, alert for any sign danger.

[u-b]

Hakan remains on guard and ready to shoot.

[Benson]

Rombard continued to bleat frantically and stamp its cloven hooves trying to yank itself free from the rope around its neck.

"Stupid animal is going to choke itself.." Daski grumbled as he approached it.


Perception Checks- Make two checks, use the lowest due to the Unluck Aura surrounding the area. Target 19 DC to spy the pugwampi hidden behind a rock 5 ft away from the goat.

I would be preferable to post them in the OOC and then use the information if you succeeded or not in your IC post.