Legacy of the Aulder: A Pathfinder Campaign IC

[Hattish Thing]

Legacy of the Aulder, Chapter 1:

Lights in the Forest

In the land of Medean, strange things exist. Whispers of ancient travelers beyond the stars, with machines whirring their hymns of death, long gone. Stories of powerful kingdoms lay waste by the mysterious Aulder technologies that no longer exist. The past of Medean is rooted in myth, legend, and fable. Who knows what really happened thousands of years ago? Civilizations, once proud and mighty, gone missing. Pyramids and buildings far too precise, excavated from the ground, filled with magical artifacts, but lacking any sign of life. Where had the people all gone? These were all questions asked by the greatest minds of the time, in their towers and research buildings all over the world. You all, however, are not scientists, nor historians, but simple adventurer's. You don't care about myths most likely made up, stories exaggerated over the years. But, the world would change for you all, one misty night as four travelers walk through the moonlit path of the Leafcut Highway, through the Violet Forest. Who knows what fate has in stored for the young party?

The Leafcut Highway: August Weyland

You've seen the high spires of Porto Vale, the capital of United Lereftain. You've explored through green forests to attend archery competitions. You've rode on wagons all over the country, seeing the sights. You're quite the traveler, but you've never seen anything quite like the Violet Forest. The trees were huge, with pink and purple leaves that glowed in the pale moonlight. The shrubs were a lilac color, and even the soil seemed a faint lavender color. The place was gorgeous! And here you were, walking the path into the small town nearby. Perhaps they needed something done, maybe there was some noble quest they'd set you off to do! Something! Anything.... You were getting desperate. On the way, you look up at the large full moon and count the stars a tad. There were a few constellations you recognized, and you were sure you were going the right way! But the path seemed to go on forever. Along the way, you come to a large billboard built into the side of the road. Ah, it was just another propaganda poster. The sign showed the symbol of United Lereftain, with the words, "Trust in Wisdom", at the top. At the bottom, in a larger print was, "Prosperity". You always thought the signs were strange. Oh well, nothing to be worried about. They were all over Lereftain. But this one was... different. There was some light damage to the side, like it'd been on fire recently. With a shrug you proceed forward, and after a turn, you can see the lights of The Walking Village, a short while away. Then you see it. There's something on the road ahead! A bandit, or a drunken vagrant perhaps? It's hard to make out. That is... until you hear a sad moan coming from the figure, as it collapses onto the roadside. "Please... Help me..."

What do you do?

The Walking Village: Keagan

After a long and relaxing journey through the gorgeous but mysterious Violet Forest, you reached the small but fairly well-populated town simply call The Walking Village, but traveler's everywhere. After a week of rest at the town inn, The Firefly, you've began to feel the grip of your ever-present wanderlust begin to pull at your heart yet again. You've learned a fair amount of information from the kind but somewhat easily frightened people, and even managed to meet a few decent people. Though, in the past few days some particularly strange individuals have come into town. There was a woman, clad in brilliant white and crimson armor, heavy and thick. She was called Shala, apparently. You never spoke to her, but had seen her talking to the Mayor quite a bit in the past day or so. Judging by the badge on her shoulder, she was some sort of government official. She was fairly attractive, with red hair and beautiful green eyes, freckles mixing with the scars of battle. You never had the time, nor the guys to come up and talk to her really. The large sword at her hip was warning enough that she wasn't someone to mess with. After eating your meal on the seventh day of being in town, you decided that you'd set off in the morning, perhaps to the Plains of Gronde a while away from here. After falling asleep, you're suddenly awoken by the sound of someone screaming, off in the village....

What do you do?

The Walking Village: Halunite Mechatinker

You had come to this bizarre and fascinating forest for one reason alone. Plumroot, a magical and rare plant grew here, deep in the bowels of the Violet Forest. People from all sorts of places, high and low, would come on walkabouts through the forest to perhaps find and luckily harvest the rare root. Plumroot was known primarily for it's infamy as a powerful hallucinogen, sold all over Lereftain on the black market. However, there were those who knew that Plumroot had many more secrets to it, and was much more than simply a hallucinogen. The root could be set on fire, and after a lengthy alchemical process, the ash became the prime ingredient to spells of Eternal Light. This made the root even more sought after by wizards with the money to afford that sort of thing. So, after a long and fruitless journey through the woods of perpetual twilight, you decided to walk towards the only village nearby. So, you entered The Walking Village in the evening. The torchlight and pleasant sound of friendly conversation was a welcome change against the hum of insects and the strange purple light given off by the bioluminescent plant life the Violet Forest was named after. Soon, you found your way to The Firefly, the only inn located within the small town. You were quiet, and stayed away from most of the people around you. They wouldn't understand why you're here, nor anything else you'd find interesting. These were a simple people. After finally heading to sleep, you awake in the middle of the night to an ear-splitting screaming frenzy from somewhere in the town!

What do you do?

The Violet Forest: Totchin Malite

You have no idea what's going on. Not a clue. You've been wandering the forest for hours, trodding on orchid grass. It's obvious that you weren't supposed to be out here. There was a whole lot of nothing in this part of the forest, and you'd lost track of your direction a while ago. At least it wasn't that dark in the forest, and there was nothing trying to eat you. Hell, you could be stuck in some of the darker forests of the world, like the ever-creepy Bramblewood Forest, in Serinet. You've heard stories about Serinet and it's dark forests, haunted with undead! Nasty things... known to eat people alive! You shudder, scaring yourself by accident. Oh, this just wasn't the place to be! You had wanted to come into town, but a strange light attracted you off the Leafcut Highway. The light was... different. Shining. Obviously magical, even. You followed it for a while, and even saw what looked to be a trio of dark figures ahead, before the light went out and the figures vanished. Now, you were left wandering, clearly lost. The stars shined down brightly against the dark blue night sky, and it sort of gave you some hope. Hope was always a good thing. So, you continue your journey, wondering how many people have gotten lost and ended up in the same predicament out here. It was... beautiful out here, in a way, so you don't really feel rushed. Might as well enjoy the environment while you can! You walk, bobbing through the trees like a lost dream, floating with the fireflies to a destination you didn't even know existed.

Which direction do you walk?

[Vhaidara]

The most noble, courageous, and gentlemanly Halunite leaps from his bed upon hearing the terrifying scream. Checking the leather vest he wore under his clothes on his way out, he sets forth into the night, for great adventure, grabbing his cane on the way out. No time to mix up any potions for this expedition. Besides, he'd used a shrinking potion earlier in his travels that day to explore what had looked like a small cave, and a sleeping potion to help himself get some much needed rest after a long and wearisome journey. Ah well, his trusted cane had not failed him yet!

[abwinningh42]

As August walked along the Leafcut Highway, he allowed his mind to wander a bit, still keeping track of his general direction and a basic sense of awareness, but relaxing his mind as best he could. He took special note of the pale moonlight cutting through the iconic leaves of the Violet Forest. 'Such beauty,' he thought to himself, watching motes of dust filter down through the mauve moonbeams. He lost track of how long he walked this way, the time -- and the road -- seemed to stretch on forever. 'But forever always comes to an end,' he reminded himself. And sure enough it did.

Soon, he had made his way into the sight of what must be The Walking Village. He was ready for a rest, his road weary bones crying out for a place to sleep. Before he had even made it to the village outskirts, however, he spied a odd figure stumbling it's way around. 'Bandit?' he thought. 'No. Drunkard? Zombie?'

As the figure fell to the dust and moaned it's few words. August gasped. He rushed forward, wary of this being a trap, hand on his mace. "Are you alright?" he called, stopping short of just a few feet and trying to get a good look at the figure.

Perception Looking for anything strange about the figure/seeing if they are wounded. 1d20+2

[RandomWombat]

Stretching, Keagan sits up in the bed and looks around, wondering where the scream came from. Getting up and scratching his head idly, he walks over to the window. Looking outside whether it opens or not, he searches for the source of the noise. It was awfully inconsiderate to be yelling like that when everybody was asleep. The young man's fiery hair was completely sticking up in the back, a consequence of the way he typically slept - that being not unlike an unmoving plank of wood. His brigandine armor was propped up against the wall nearby with two bandoliers and a cloth vest draped over it, and his pistol rested on the nightstand, leather belt still attached. Keagan found the presence of his cestus comforting, so it remained on his left hand even as he slept. Absentmindedly he had not removed his leather kilt, either, but that wasn't something he noticed at the moment.

Making an active Perception check for looking outside: [roll0]

[Survy]

Totchin walks forward, eager and almost grinning. His situation is frankly terrifying, and part of him wants to stop and get his bearings, or even summon Ragin. But he can feel something else rising within him as well. After all, a glowing mysterious forest on the edge of the world, that seems to literally glow with mystery and adventure? If there's anywhere he'll find something interesting to do, it's obviously here! And besides, he really had no idea where he was anyways. Maybe I should buy a compass...but if I did that, I might miss something interesting!"

Twirling around his shortspear like a baton, Totchin picks up the pace a bit, eager to see if this forest has anything more to offer.

He has no idea where north is at the moment, so sorry if you wanted a cardinal direction. He's just walking forward in the same direction he's been going, in the direction of the lights if he can figure that out.

[Hattish Thing]

The Leafcut Highway: August Weyland


As August walked along the Leafcut Highway, he allowed his mind to wander a bit, still keeping track of his general direction and a basic sense of awareness, but relaxing his mind as best he could. He took special note of the pale moonlight cutting through the iconic leaves of the Violet Forest. 'Such beauty,' he thought to himself, watching motes of dust filter down through the mauve moonbeams. He lost track of how long he walked this way, the time -- and the road -- seemed to stretch on forever. 'But forever always comes to an end,' he reminded himself. And sure enough it did.

Soon, he had made his way into the sight of what must be The Walking Village. He was ready for a rest, his road weary bones crying out for a place to sleep. Before he had even made it to the village outskirts, however, he spied a odd figure stumbling it's way around. 'Bandit?' he thought. 'No. Drunkard? Zombie?'

As the figure fell to the dust and moaned it's few words. August gasped. He rushed forward, wary of this being a trap, hand on his mace. "Are you alright?" he called, stopping short of just a few feet and trying to get a good look at the figure.

Perception Looking for anything strange about the figure/seeing if they are wounded. [roll0]

The road was quite beautiful, cutting right through the heart of the forest. The travel is a pleasant one, and the peaceful wind blowing against the leaves creates a tranquil lullaby when combined with the hum of playful and fist-sized fireflies so common in this land. Maybe in the coming years the forest will be recognized as a druidic stronghold, but who knew. You recall that some sort of law had been passed a few years ago, something about keeping the forests the way they were. There weren't too many large forests in United Lereftain anymore, for most had been chopped and bunt during wartime to maintain the massive war machine against Yaegara. Pleasant thoughts were on your mind, and even the unnerving billboard couldn't dampen your mood! That is, until you see the figure on the ground. You walk closer to the man, and see that the poor individual is absolutely covered in blood. There's a terrible slice at his chest, deep and gushing, where a dagger must have found it's mark. The man is beyond healing, and it's clear he hasn't much time to live. He gasps upwards, trying to look at August as much as he could. He attempts to speak, but only blood comes dripping out. After some great effort, he finally manages to form a coherent sentence. "T-They found us. Three of them, in the village... They took my children. Oh gods. The children! I t-tried to hold them off but they were too fast. Please, I beg you... You... You have to.... to...." And with that, the dying man's breath is taken from him. He is dead, the village up ahead.

What do you do?

The Walking Village: Halunite Mechatinker


The most noble, courageous, and gentlemanly Halunite leaps from his bed upon hearing the terrifying scream. Checking the leather vest he wore under his clothes on his way out, he sets forth into the night, for great adventure, grabbing his cane on the way out. No time to mix up any potions for this expedition. Besides, he'd used a shrinking potion earlier in his travels that day to explore what had looked like a small cave, and a sleeping potion to help himself get some much needed rest after a long and wearisome journey. Ah well, his trusted cane had not failed him yet!

As the small man looks about, he spends a few short seconds rummaging about the small and rustic room, gathering his weapons and clothing. The place was nice, really. Fairly comfortable despite it's size. But it seemed that adventure called, and the little man would have to make his way to the outside world, away from the charming room and warm bed. And so, cane in hand, Halunite bumbles down the long flight of stairs downstairs, to the first floor of The Firefly. Most everyone is asleep, but the innkeeper is out there, crossbow in hand, nightcap on his balding head. He looks somewhat frightened, which is as expected. Nothing bad ever happened in The Walking Village! Nothing really ever happened in The Walking Village. He whispers out to you as you begin to leave the poorly lit inn, and into the night. "I... I'm going to stay up and watch. What the hell is going on... Um. Good... Good luck, friend." He begins to move from behind the counter, grabbing a nearby chair. He sets it behind the counter and places the crossbow over, waiting for anything to happen. Halunite will be able to exit the inn. As the door closes gently beside him, he'll be able to see a small gathering of people a while down the street, torches and pitchforks in hand. There's crying coming from that direction to, loud and agonizing. Someone was clearly in pain, and maybe needed some sort of assistance? Maybe you ought to draw closer to the mob, and see just what's going on.

What do you do?

The Walking Village: Keagan


Stretching, Keagan sits up in the bed and looks around, wondering where the scream came from. Getting up and scratching his head idly, he walks over to the window. Looking outside whether it opens or not, he searches for the source of the noise. It was awfully inconsiderate to be yelling like that when everybody was asleep. The young man's fiery hair was completely sticking up in the back, a consequence of the way he typically slept - that being not unlike an unmoving plank of wood. His brigandine armor was propped up against the wall nearby with two bandoliers and a cloth vest draped over it, and his pistol rested on the nightstand, leather belt still attached. Keagan found the presence of his cestus comforting, so it remained on his left hand even as he slept. Absentmindedly he had not removed his leather kilt, either, but that wasn't something he noticed at the moment.

Making an active Perception check for looking outside: [roll0]

After standing up and taking your time to stretch and truly wake yourself up, you decide to walk towards the somewhat grimy window. After clearing it off as much as you can, you peer through the glass pane, gazing upon the small mob assembling down the street. You could get quite a good view of the entire ordeal from up here. Several men and women are lighting torches and waving about pitchforks, and a woman in thick armor, white and shiny, like platinum, stands in the formation. She's somewhat in front of the crescent shape the mob has taken, and talking to another man, whom you recognize as Mayor Thompson, a kind but doddering man in charge of the village. His hat is pressed against his chest, but the woman has her sword drawn tight to her hip. They appear to be arguing over what to do. To complete the macabre image, a woman lies in the middle of the street, clearly dead. There's blood everywhere, and the woman is lying face down. That must be why the people are lightning torches and grabbing their weapons. It's hard to tell what's truly going on without heading down and asking questions, however. The last thing you see is a small man rushing towards the mob from behind.

What do you do?

The Violet Forest: Totchin Malite


Totchin walks forward, eager and almost grinning. His situation is frankly terrifying, and part of him wants to stop and get his bearings, or even summon Ragin. But he can feel something else rising within him as well. After all, a glowing mysterious forest on the edge of the world, that seems to literally glow with mystery and adventure? If there's anywhere he'll find something interesting to do, it's obviously here! And besides, he really had no idea where he was anyways. Maybe I should buy a compass...but if I did that, I might miss something interesting!"

Twirling around his shortspear like a baton, Totchin picks up the pace a bit, eager to see if this forest has anything more to offer.

He has no idea where north is at the moment, so sorry if you wanted a cardinal direction. He's just walking forward in the same direction he's been going, in the direction of the lights if he can figure that out.

With shortspear twirling and soft boots stomping, Totchin makes quite the noise in the forest. Wildlife seems to be on edge, he'll notice. The birds are much more easily startled than usual, and there's signs that things had been running through the forest... Man-sized things, on two legs. There must be people in the forest! But why would there be other people in the forest? Hmm. With an inquisitive mind, you begin to wander about further, unsure of what to do with yourself. Soon, you're able to see something! Ah, finally. The shrubbery seems to be getting smaller! That's a good thing, right? Ah, it's the road! Excellent. You knew there was a road somewhere around here. Leaflit Roadway? No... That wasn't it at all. Close though. After spending a few minutes racking your mind, trying to remember what the road was called, you finally step onto said road. You have exited the forest, and now stand less than five minutes behind August Weyland, though you have no idea who he was. You look down the road and see something terrible. A man stands, looking over a figure on the ground. Maybe you ought to investigate?

What do you do?

[Vhaidara]

Halunite boldly approaches the apparent mob, cane tapping the ground with each step.
Gentlemen, what is the meaning of this? Quite rude of you to have made such a raucous noise at this time of night. I have had a long journey and you are disturbing my rest!
As he speaks, he brandishes the cane to reinforce the point that he is rather irritated with this turn of events.

[Survy]

Totchin stands there shocked for a moment. Had that man really killed him? He couldn't tell if the body on the ground was dead from this distance though. Maybe he could still save him...on the other hand, that guy looks really tall. Ragin would be a wonderful help right now, but the poor man on the ground may be dead before he can finish the summoning! Totchin rocks back and forth on his heels for a moment, and then with a frustrated grunt he steps off and begins to walk down the road towards the man. Agh. Can't just abandon him. I may not be a knight, but i'm still a son of Malite!

Shaking a bit, Totchin readies his spear in his right hand, and calls out with a falsely cheery and confident voice. "Did you two get into an argument about something? There are better ways to solve your problems you know!" At the same time he begins to prepare himself, planning to summon an eagle and keep the man at a distance should things go sour. That massive bow on the man's back seemed to make the plan less than appealing, but there wasn't much else he could do.

[RandomWombat]

Taking note of the gathering outside Keagan recognizes the female warrior and the mayor from his time in the village. It seemed as though someone had been hurt and so Keagan takes the time to leisurely don the rest of his clothing and equipment. Nobody is fighting right now, so there is no particular rush. Once his armor is on and his pistol at his side, he makes his way down to the ground floor of the inn and out into the night.

[abwinningh42]

When he saw the man's grievous wound, he knelt next to him, reaching out to help him, before realizing it would only prolong the man's suffering. He whispered a quiet prayer to whomever happened to be listening, and stood. He had to go protect the innocent children that had been dragged into this.

At the sound of another's voice, August whirled. His mind was spinning, he had just witnessed a man's death. Albeit, he hadn't known this man, but he hadn't expected this upon waltzing into the village. "No, I walked up and he collapsed in front of me moaning about his murderers." August grimaced, he realized how ridiculous this must sound and look. "But there's no time, he said they took his children." With that, August turned, anger welling up in him. 'Dammit, this looks bad, he thought. But there's something more important right now.

He unslung and strung his bow, knocking an arrow to it and ran into the village, the way the man had come, looking for any trace of the three, presumably armed and dangerous, perpetrators.


Perception: Looking for the men who killed this man and kidnapped his children

1d20+2

OOC: Why can't I ever get the dice tags to work?

[Survy]

Watching the man run off, Totchin holds out a hand for a moment. "Wait, hold on a - ah, dammit." Moving up to inspect the dead man, Totchin quickly sees his clear state of death.

Cursing under his breath, Totchin settles down onto the ground, and begins the ritual to summon his Eidolon, chanting loudly in Draconic. A glowing symbol appears on his forward, that of a large sword pointing upwards. He feels his power begin to drain away from him, drawing the spirit into this plane. I'm not quite sure what's going on, but they'll regret it once they lay their eyes upon Ragin.

Hoping it's alright for me to post again, if not I can just delete it. Didn't go ahead and complete the ritual in case someone decides to snipe the glowing guy shouting to himself in the middle of a field.

[Hattish Thing]

The Walking Village: Halunite & Keagan


Halunite boldly approaches the apparent mob, cane tapping the ground with each step.
Gentlemen, what is the meaning of this? Quite rude of you to have made such a raucous noise at this time of night. I have had a long journey and you are disturbing my rest!
As he speaks, he brandishes the cane to reinforce the point that he is rather irritated with this turn of events.


Taking note of the gathering outside Keagan recognizes the female warrior and the mayor from his time in the village. It seemed as though someone had been hurt and so Keagan takes the time to leisurely don the rest of his clothing and equipment. Nobody is fighting right now, so there is no particular rush. Once his armor is on and his pistol at his side, he makes his way down to the ground floor of the inn and out into the night.

A few more stragglers catch up to the mob forming, asking their questions in hushed whispers. It's clear that the entire town is alarmed, and that the doors would remain firmly locked shut tonight. A few men by the mayor nod, and begin to walk out into the forest quickly, obviously some kind of initial searching party. The mob seemed to be organizing parties of four to go out into the forest in search of something. Halunite will be able to catch a quick conversation between Mayor Thompson and the mysterious woman in white armor. She speaks in a low but commanding tone. "And how many were with him? Just the two?" The mayor nods and speaks again, his voice cracking in sadness. "Just the two children, Shala. They fled east along the road, and the masked men pursued them. Such an awful spectacle. They'd only been around here for a few weeks, but they seemed such kind and gentle folks." Shala sighs and continues to speak, rushed. "I'm sure they were, but that's not helping the situation. The woman, she was the mother? And the father went after the children, correct?" The mayor places his hat back on his head before replying. "Aye. Well, in a way. I don't believe they were blood relatives. The children's guardians were both blonde, the children of raven hair. Most likely they were adopted, I believe, but I could be wrong. They didn't talk much about themselves. In fact, they didn't talk much about anything at all. It... it all happened so fast! There was nothing we could do to protect them. We think the masked men broke in and stole away the children, after killing the mother. Ardal ran off after the kids, I think."

The conversation is interrupted by Halunite's complaints, most likely repeated from person to person until they reached the mayor. Thompson turns to gaze over the mob and speaks towards the short man. "Oh sir... There's been a kidnapping. Foul things are going tonight. It's the cursed moon, me thinks. They always say full moons have a certain menace to them. The men have broken open the weapons chest and gone into the forest in search of the two children that were taken. I fear the search party will only find the worse... We are a peaceful, simple community, ill-fit to defend ourselves." Keagan walks through now, having heard the explanation of the noise. Shala looks over the pair with disdain but soon softens her look, and talks. "You two look like you'd be a great help to the town, and to the kids. We don't have much time. The others must stay here to protect the town, but we can head out. Hmph. We can't delay any longer. There are three kidnappers, two children, and we have already wasted precious time!" She takes her sword out of it's shining sheathe, and lights it ablaze with it's magical fire. "I'll search the woods south of the road, you take north. Now come on!" She sets off and away, into the darkness.

What do you do?

The Leafcut Highway: August & Totchin


When he saw the man's grievous wound, he knelt next to him, reaching out to help him, before realizing it would only prolong the man's suffering. He whispered a quiet prayer to whomever happened to be listening, and stood. He had to go protect the innocent children that had been dragged into this.

At the sound of another's voice, August whirled. His mind was spinning, he had just witnessed a man's death. Albeit, he hadn't known this man, but he hadn't expected this upon waltzing into the village. "No, I walked up and he collapsed in front of me moaning about his murderers." August grimaced, he realized how ridiculous this must sound and look. "But there's no time, he said they took his children." With that, August turned, anger welling up in him. 'Dammit, this looks bad, he thought. But there's something more important right now.

He unslung and strung his bow, knocking an arrow to it and ran into the village, the way the man had come, looking for any trace of the three, presumably armed and dangerous, perpetrators.


Perception: Looking for the men who killed this man and kidnapped his children
[roll0]

OOC: Why can't I ever get the dice tags to work?



Watching the man run off, Totchin holds out a hand for a moment. "Wait, hold on a - ah, dammit." Moving up to inspect the dead man, Totchin quickly sees his clear state of death.

Cursing under his breath, Totchin settles down onto the ground, and begins the ritual to summon his Eidolon, chanting loudly in Draconic. A glowing symbol appears on his forward, that of a large sword pointing upwards. He feels his power begin to drain away from him, drawing the spirit into this plane. I'm not quite sure what's going on, but they'll regret it once they lay their eyes upon Ragin.

Hoping it's alright for me to post again, if not I can just delete it. Didn't go ahead and complete the ritual in case someone decides to snipe the glowing guy shouting to himself in the middle of a field.

The pair have a short conversation, awkward and fearful. There was definitely something off about this dreaded place, and it's bizarre forests. So, August begins rushing off towards the town, and will reach there next post at his current speed. The dead man's attackers are long gone, no where to be seen on the highway. Totchin will stay behind in the mean time, and finish his ritual summoning Ragin. No one sees Totchin, and no one's around to snipe or attack him. Only the wind and the smell of blood flood the summoner's senses. This was crazy. The man was so... unpleasant looking. Death wasn't pretty, and the man had been gutted clean through the stomach and across, then stabbed through the chest. That the man even got this far along the road was miraculous!

So, August is rushing down the path and Totchin has finished summoning Ragin, all the while the two-man search party of Keagan and Halunite prepare to set off up the road!

[Vhaidara]

Children in danger? Why didn't you say so sooner good people? We must be off to find them!
Halunite turns to Keagan.
Let us be gone, good sir, we dare not tarry a moment longer! introductions can be made upon yon road!

[RandomWombat]

Keagan stands among the crowd, listening as they talk amongst themselves, and looks behind himself when the woman starts speaking in his direction. Seeing that everyone else had begun to clear away, he turns back to face her in time to have orders shouted at him. It seemed he had been recruited to help find some kidnappers in the woods. Looking down at the odd, tiny man who was now speaking to him, Keagan just shrugs and scratches at his stubble with his left hand - the short man can see he has some sort of combat glove on it. "W'aright, I suppose. Le's go then." The boy's accent suggests he'd grown up in one of the small farming communities littering the land.

Drawing and loading his pistol in a practiced motion, Keagan looks around, having forgotten exactly which direction the woman with the shining equipment told him to go. Deciding it'd be best to ask her, he wanders south, following the glow of her flaming sword.

[Vhaidara]

Halunite grabs the boy's arm.
This way kid!
He tugs Keagan towards the northern road, his cane still in his other hand.

[Survy]

Totchin finishes the ritual, rising stiffly as Ragin shimmers into existence in front of him. The summoning was always a bit exhausting, drawing upon deeper energies than other magic he used. "Ragin. Glad to see you're still...tall." And indeed he was, the knight spirit rising above him by more than a head, clad in armor that was in truth his skin. The same glowing symbol shined from Ragin's forehead as from Totchin.

Before any more words can be said, the two begin to run towards the village, almost disturbingly in sync. Totchin continues to communicate through their mental link, explaining the situation. "It seems there's been murders and kidnappings. And that guy in front of us is involved somehow. The way I see it, either he's a crazy homicidal maniac off to kill that dead man's kids, or he's telling the truth and he's off to save the kids from the actual murderer. Either way we should probably follow him." Totchin nods towards the body of the man as they pass it, wincing a bit as he realizes he'll need to come back before the buzzards get to him. "I see. A simple game of pursuit then is it? Then we shall settle this. No need to look so concerned, Malite."

Totchin simply sighs at this and continues to run, setting his pace to keep up with the strange man ahead of them.

[RandomWombat]

Keagan is pulled away from his destination by the little man, and supposes he must know where they're to go, so he follows.

[abwinningh42]

As August ran, he noticed the pleasant violet moonlight had turned suddenly eerie and grim with recent events. He wasn't sure he cared for this place after all, but it seemed he was needed. He made no effort to mask his heavy footfalls, he was urgently glancing side to side, looking for the killers -- or assistance, whichever reared it's head first. As he neared the village, he noted a crowd dispersing and two lone figures --one disturbingly small, perhaps a child, or one of the small folk-- that seemed to be heading in their general direction. "Help!" He called out in the direction of the village. "A man's been murdered!" He looked over his shoulder the other man was following him, that was well enough, but he seemed to have gained a companion -- a well armored companion. 'Dammit! This doesn't look good. Any of these folk could be in league with the kidnappers.' He steeled himself for conflict, but his optimism won out and he hoped for the best nonetheless.

He needed to find these children.

[RandomWombat]

"Y'ellow there! I think it were a woman, what were murdered!" Keagan calls out to the stranger down the road to correct his mistake. Keagan wasn't always the brightest, but he was pretty sure the dead person back there was a lady.

[Vhaidara]

Indeed, it was a woman my friend. But this fellow is coming from out of town. Odds are he saw a different body.
Halunite ponders this for a moment
The father, most like. If he's dead, then the poor children are all alone out there. We must find them before they are too far gone!

He extends a hand to the newcomer
Halunite Mechatinker, travelling purveyor of the alchemical arts and of crimes most mysterious, at your service, good sir.
He also offers a rather florid bow

[abwinningh42]

"Nine Hells!" August cursed, another body. "You mean they're not in the town? We've been heading the wrong direction the entire time!" He cursed again under his breath. His mind was racing, two murders, and children lost or worse in these damnable woods. And this infernal creature was just babbling on! "This is no time for pleasantries!" He snapped at the Gnome, probably coming off rather rude , which was unintended. "We must find the children." Urgency colored his tone.

He turned back towards his followers, facing the man and armored mysterio. "They must be back that way," he groaned. With that he started to swiftly move back in the direction of the fallen man.

[Vhaidara]

Jogging to keep up, Halunite follows the panicking man.
Sir, how is it that you are aware of the kidnapped children?

[Survy]

Totchin steps forward a bit, calling Ragin to stand slightly in front of him and to the left. He smiles a bit shakily, holding up a hand. "Let's just hold on a second. Take a deep breath. We don't know where those kids are in the first place, so let's just clear something up real quick." Totchin calls over towards both the Gnome and the armed man. "You two haven't ever seen this man in town before, have you?"

[abwinningh42]

August stopped short, anger welling up inside of him. 'Dammit.' He clenched his fists and turned. His eyes were closed and he teeth grinding. "This was not my doing, I am simply concerned for these children." Turning to Halunite, he responded -- his words venom. "There was a man on the road who fell, when I neared him I saw he had a grievous wound. He moaned of his attackers and missing children."

He took a deep breath and turned to the two who had followed him up the road. "I have never been here before." His tone was dark. "And what of you? Your appearance was suspicious as I heard the dying man's last breath. Not to mention your friend here, where was he when we spoke before?" He watched the assembly before him with hard eyes. He couldn't believe it. They were wasting time here!

[RandomWombat]

"Oh. Well gee, that ain't good," awkwardly scratching under his chin, Keagan looks off to the sides of the road, admiring the purple leaves of the trees. When introductions start happening he gives a brief wave. Not too long after, the hooded man is running off again in the other direction, and it seems as though there was another person killed. Walking up the road at a more leisurely pace he eventually gets caught up with the others. The daft-faced boy chimes in with his two copper, "Well see now, if I were a murderer - and I ain't, less y'count some bandits back when I were doin' guard work - I sure wouldn't be hangin' 'round the road none. Maybe we oughta check these here... bushy bits 'stead o' runnin' 'round like chickens with them's heads cut off?" He gestures with his pistol off to the underbrush along the side of the road.

[Vhaidara]

The little man positions himself between the two men.
Gentlemen, I consider myself a considerable judge of character. Now, I want each of you to looks me in the eye and tell me you are not the kidnapper, nor the murderer of either the man nor his wife.

Take 10 Sense Motive if someone if lying, 14.
Also taking 10 and adding free inspiration to Know(Arcana) to ID an eidolon (just as what it is): 17+[roll0]
Also taking 10 and adding free Inspiration to Know(Local) for anywhere nearby that kidnapper might hide (and same for History)
Local: 17+[roll1]
History: 17+[roll2]

[Survy]

Totchin puffs up his chest a bit. Ragin was his greatest accomplishment, and he wouldn't take any perceived slights lying down...or pass up a chance to gloat. "This 'man' is my pride as a wizard! I created-" Totchin receives a rather harsh look from Ragin at this. "-conjured-" Another harsh look. "-summoned him myself!" He then looks back down the road however, doubt filling his gaze a bit.

Finally he turns back around. Totchin looks down at the gnome, feeling a little ashamed for blustering at a time of tragedy. "And no, I didn't kill anybody. I've been lost in the woods for half a day now!" Grudgingly he nods towards the gunslinger as well. "And the man there is probably right."

[RandomWombat]

"Name's Keagan. Some folks call me 'simple', but I dun' think it's terribly friendly of 'em," Mr. Pistol mentions aside as he begins to peek around in the underbrush near the road and listen for any signs of movement. "If'n I'm hearin' y'right, y'created this fella? Or, erm, 'summuned'? I can't say I knew such a thing could be done."

[abwinningh42]

August gave the man a look of mild annoyance, though curiosity peaked within him. 'Summoned, huh?' he thought to himself. 'I've never seen such an outsider. Though perhaps some sort of lesser archo-- Enough. There's more important things to be worrying over.'

He turned to the Gnome, Halunite, he though it was. "I did not kill this man, nor the aforementioned woman." August's anger was slowly melting to despair. The longer they fooled around, the worse their situation became.

Again he shifted his attention, this time to the gunman. "Keagan, was it?" He started, trying to reassert his usually friendly behavior. "That was my plan, to follow the tracks near the poor soul we encountered earlier. I figure his tracks will lead us to his murderers, or perhaps we'll be blessed and their tracks are there. Though, I must admit, I am no great tracker."

[Hattish Thing]

The Leafcut Highway:

With Shala having gone towards the south, to try and find the lost kids, the town search party towards the east, and the group of traveler's searching around the road, a fairly effective manhunt has been kicked into action. Now it's time to actually find what the group was looking for. So far little information has been provided about the kidnapper's, save for their fondness regarding masks and stealing children. As the party begins to bicker and argue among themselves, time begins to waste away. Who knows what was happening to the kids? It's clear that the people that formed the search party were not the killer's, and nor did anyone in the party resemble a masked man. After walking around stumped, you begin to wonder why the men had taken the children in the first place. What was worth such death? Needless death. Who were these people, the family, and what did these children mean? With a few ominous questions on the search party's mind, some of the more inquisitive members begin to take a look around the roadside. Ahah! After rummaging about, you can see tracks! Made by large boots, by beings clearly in a hurry. The tracks lead inside the forest, and can be easily followed. After about five minutes of wading though brambles, bushes, and past trees of lilac bark, the tracks vanish. It seems like all hope is gone, until a loud sound can be heard deeper within the forest. It's a great woosh, and lights can be barely detected a while away. Lights of flaming red, against the natural violet of the forest.

What do you do?

[Vhaidara]

The halfman stares at the light, concerned.
Well, that is appropriately ominous. I vote someone taller goes first.

[Survy]

Totchin immediately has Ragin step up, and begins to approach the light slowly with him ahead. He casts detect magic, trying to see if he can tell what's going on. He grumbles a bit under his breath, "Can't believe i'm going first, of all the..." Ragin meanwhile has his greatsword at the ready, his form seeming to take the stance with pure efficiency.

Knowledge (Arcana) if you need it.
[roll0]

[abwinningh42]

August crouches as soon as the light comes into view. He immediately does his best to shush further conversation. He watches silently as the self-proclaimed wizard grudgingly volunteers to go first, using his companion as a buffer, of course. August starts to fan out to the left a bit, nocking the arrow to his bow again, not yet drawing. He begin's to creep nearer the lights, still keeping his newfound companions in sight.

He sneaks forward, peering ahead, but glancing to the side now and again to reassess their respective positions.


[roll0] Stealth
[roll1] Perception

[RandomWombat]

The sudden bright light would have been painful in the dark of the night had the forest not been one big bioluminescent light source. Wondering what the source could be, Keagan takes point alongside the large armored man, pistol at the ready. He would be speaking further, of course, but the hooded man was now shushing him.

Perception: [roll0]

[Hattish Thing]

The Violet Forest:

After careful planning composed of hushed whispers and debate, the group forms a marching order. With deliberate but composed steps, the party is rummaging through the forest, deeper inside the thick brambles and bushes. Soon, the Leafcut Highway will be gone from sight, and they'll only be the comforting glow of the trees. The sound of birds fluttering about, mixed with twig snapping sort of makes the search party uncomfortable. The sounds were quite upsetting, all things considered. August continues to watch the horizon for the red light, his expert eyes making sure it doesn't fade away or vanish in the night. However, he's so in tune to watching the light that he's not doing a very good job of staying quiet and stealthy. No matter, for the rest of the search party was fairly loud already. Totchin continues his way forward, with Ragin in front. No doubt the young summoner was feeling quite nervous. Who knows what's out there! You think about the light for a few seconds, sure you've seen that effect before. It's quite familiar to you, but you just can't quite place your finger on it. You do know that it's a spell, so that's something. Keagan doesn't notice much, but his pistol is out and ready. So, that's good. As the group moves forward, August feels something's.... off. He noticed something strange. Somewhere in the glade the opens up ahead. Of course, as he's pondering what could be happening, he'll need to roll initiative!

Something is attacking the group from behind! Everyone roll initiative and attack in your next post. Attacks will take effect in initiative order. So, the first person to be attacked will be the man in last, the halfman investigator.

(Halunite: You will feel something behind you attempting to slam it's tendrils into you and wrap about you. It's fairly frightening, but hopefully the tendrils will miss! If they don't, you'll be able to feel cold leaf and root touch against your skin. It's a foul and unsettling feeling.)



Arms: [roll0] [roll1]

If both hit, the thing will instantly grapple you. Luckily, the damage for the hits are small.

Damage: [roll2] [roll3]

[Survy]

Totchin whirls around, not seeing clearly, just noticing...tentacly things. "Oh, not good. Ragin, get it!" Ragin charges forward with his greatsword ready for a sweep of steel, while Totchin keeps his spear up in a defensive stance.

Totchin takes a total defense action, AC 17.
Init: [roll0]
Attack: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]
Crit Confirm: [roll3]
Crit Damage: [roll4]

[abwinningh42]

'What in the Hells...' August's thought were cut short by a whipping sound behind him. He turned to see tendrils of flesh grasping at the little one, and nabbing him. 'Dammit!' his mind screams. 'This keeps getting worse.' He draws back his arrow and let's it fly, whistling through the brush, aiming to hit the source of the attacks.


Initiative: [roll0]
Attack: [roll1] +1 BAB +3 Dex +1 Point Blank -1 Deadly Aim
Damage: [roll2] +1 Point Blank +2 Deadly Aim

OOC NOTE:This is of course, assuming I'm within 30 feet, I'm not 100% sure. If not, simply subtract 1 from attack and one from damage.

[RandomWombat]

Noise from behind startles Keagan and causes him to whirl around, where he sees... something attempting to grab Halunite. Instinctively bringing his gun to bear on the movement near Halunite, he fires.

Initiative: [roll0]
Attack: [roll1] (+1 BAB, +5 Dex, +1 Point Blank, -4 firing into melee; I believe this is against Touch AC)
Damage: [roll2] (+1 Point Blank)

[Vhaidara]

Halunite, squealing, tries to wriggle free.

Escape Artist: [roll0] vs its CMD

[Hattish Thing]

Normally, the plant matter would be quick and fast, easily dodging whatever ranged weaponry came to him. However, Keagan's musket was something different. It had never felt that bitter blast, nor heard the great sound. Birds fly off as the musket blows, and in the distance, the red light goes out. Clearly something has heard the search party now. Due to the great shot and the halfman's already skilled artistry at wiggling away, the figure manages to escape just before constriction! This was a wildly successful turn, and the light purple monster seems to be just about dead. Ragin and August both miss the beast, for their weapons did not target it's touch. However, their weapons weren't as terribly loud as a gun, either. The bullet blasts through the monster and is lost in the forest, impossible to find. Almost dead, and clearly desperate, the Violet Shambler twists out a final tentacle, different than the others. The tip is a light green and spiked, clearly meant for bludgeoning rather than grappling. The thing swings towards Ragin, the biggest and closest enemy. It's strike is well calculated despite the monster's wounds, and it's clear that it's a much better shot with this particular limb than the others the flailing beast possesses.



[roll0] Damage: [roll1] Additionally, the green goop is injected into an enemy once the thing touches skin through the small spikes at the end of this limb. It's a paralyzing poison, so Ragin will need to make a Fort. Unless the eidolon is immune to poison?

[Survy]

Totchin clenches his teeth in concern over the wound, clutching at his spear. Ragin weathers the blow, keeping his feet under him, and swings again at the dying monstrosity, seeking to finish it off.

Totchin is still taking a total defense.
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[RandomWombat]

With motions mechanically imbedded into muscle memory, Keagan rapidly and efficiently reloads his pistol. He has no idea what this thing attacking them is. It looks like a bush or something, but so far as he knew bushes didn't attack people. Then again, he supposes anything is possible what with the forest all lit up like... something that was lit up a lot, anything is possible. Clearly he will need to be more cautious in his future dealings with shrubbery.

Nonetheless, the others probably have it well in hand, so Keagan turns his attention to their destination - only to find that the light has gone out. The young gunslinger takes care to shield himself from harm from any direction, wondering if the trees and fireflies are going to attack as well.

Move action to reload his pistol.
Standard action for Total Defense, granting a +4 dodge bonus to AC for the rest of the round.

[Vhaidara]

Halunite, furious at the creature for damaging his suit, clicks a hidden button on his cane. A blade shoots up an he catches it before lunging at the beast.

Quick Draw my swordcane and attack
Attack: [roll0]
Crit: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]
Crit: [roll3]

[abwinningh42]

"Dammit!" August cursed as his arrow whistled harmlessly into the dark woods behind the shambling mound of brush. He saw the Gnome work his way free of the creature's grip, and he immediately began to draw and nock another arrow. He drew the tight string back, the supple limbs of his bow bending to capacity. Just before he released his drawn projectile, he saw a nasty looking tendril of plant flesh reach out and strike at the wizard's conjured companion. 'I hope that's not serious,' he thought as the fletchings made a soft ffft slipping out between his calloused fingers. Another low whistle could be heard as the shaft tore through the air towards the creature.


Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Hattish Thing]

With a terrible screech, the Violet Shambler pummels into Ragin, smashing and raking it's mace-like tentacle against the armored being. Unfortunately for the predator plant, it seems attacking these particular travelers was a bad idea. The monster had been quite confused all night. There were large things romping through the forest, and yelling. Terrible yelling. Then, the large rabbit with a stick comes by! And the rabbit friends make fire appear. It's been a terrible night for the thing, and now it's just attacking to defend it's territory. Halunite flips his cane about over his arm and under before slamming right into the bush. Unfortunately, the attack doesn't seem to affect the bush. Several of it's branches rustle and small tentacles move to grip the stick. Before anything else can occur though, a well-shot arrow blasts into the monster. Purple ichor is leaking all over, and the thing is now dead. As it lies still, the group will be able to look around now to the direction where the red light once was. It's gone! But August remembers where it was, and so can lead the party forward.

How far will the group travel forward? Also, 200 XP each.

((Halunite, you'll be able to gather some of the Shambler's poison from it's big tentacle, if you like.))

[Vhaidara]

Halunite is indeed interested in the gathering of some poisons! He sets to work quickly, ascertaining that a creature that struck so lightly must have some other means of incapacitating its prey!

[RandomWombat]

"Well, I reckon my gun done scared off whoever it were up ahead there," Keagan commentates as he scans the area ahead of the group. His weapon remains ready for any more surprises. He doesn't seem in a hurry to carry on, and waits to see what the others decide to do.

[Survy]

Totchin walks over to Ragin and, nicking the tip of his thumb on his spear, places a hand on his shoulder, and forces power through their bond. The dent in Ragin's armor evens out and smooths over, and in a few moments it is once again immaculate. ""It was some kind of spell, I know that, I could feel it. Magical theory isn't exactly my strong suit though." Ragin himself gives his sword a few test swings as he examines the former damage.

Totchin then glances a bit back towards where they were going. "I...suppose we should continue ahead. See if that spell left any mark where it was cast."

Cast Rejuvenate Eidolon, Ragin's all healed up. Roll is in the OOC.

[abwinningh42]

August took a deep breath. The action was over just as quickly as it had begun, but it certainly had grated on his already raw nerves. He noticed the Gnome setting to work, harvesting the shambler. That only set to anger him again, there were still children missing.

He immediately turned to where he remembered the light to be, and waved to the others. 'Hells,' he cursed to himself. 'I hope we can find the children.' Though it was moot by now, he still crept forward towards where the magical light had winked out, doing his best to keep silent.

He was wary, to say the least, at this point and kept his eyes peeled for any more trouble that may come crashing through the bushes.


Stealth: [roll0]
Perception: [roll1]

[RandomWombat]

Imitating the woodsman, Keagan creeps forward behind him. If it were some kind of magic up ahead, he didn't look forward to getting set on fire or something like that. Or a forest fire. It'd be a shame if all the pretty purple trees got burned down.

Stealth: [roll0]
Perception: [roll1]

[Survy]

Totchin watches the others move forward for a moment, then sighs and sets off behind them, keeping Ragin a bit in front of him. Noticing their attempts to keep silent, Totchin clumsily attempts to mimic their actions. "I'm going to die out in the woods Ragin." "You should hold less fear. It will only slow you in battle." "I'm not going to take that from someone who can't die."

Totchin
Stealth: [roll0]
Perception: [roll1]

Ragin
Stealth: [roll2]
Perception: [roll3]