3.5 Homebrew IC

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

Now at last you begin your adventure, or at least the journey to where you hope you will find adventure. Having very little spending money, and very much road ahead of you, have not made the trek pleasant. With each passing day you feel less and less like a hero, and more like a ball of filth. Travelers gaze upon your ragtag group with suspicion, and Innkeeps always seem to find the dirtiest corner of the common loft. The heavens also seem to frown upon you. During your short journey you have managed to see snow, be covered in mud, drenched in hot rain, and baked beneath an even hotter sun. Yet, you finally arrive at last at the great city of Magna Urba.

You pass through the outskirts, which consist of small farmsteads and scattered villages, to arrive at the main gate of the walled city. Once passing beneath what summarily the most intimidating and imposing battlements you have ever laid eyes upon, you are assaulted by a swirling cacophony of sound and color.

The party has arrived at the main market district of Magna Urba. In a space enclosed by a quarter mile wide semi-circle are more carts, vendors, and shops than you have seen in your entire life. Sigil was diverse, in so much as you could find many types of people, but this is diversity of a different flavor. In Sigil everyone was part of a whole, and lived in the same small community. The market place displays a great clashing and bustle of strangers. Each individual seems to exist in their own world, with their own unique style.

You can’t help but get pressed into the crowd and be drawn in by the many attractions. All of the vendors seem quite willing and able to assail against every one of your senses. Had you a bit more gold on hand, you might have found yourself parting with it very quickly.

From what you can tell from you vantage point at the edge of the crowd, the center of the ring is completely inundated with the same chaos . Somehow, probably due to the vigilance of the very competent looking guards, there is a relatively clear path surrounding the central swirl. Carts carrying various goods can be seen passing along this path, which is lined along the wall with more established places of business.

Where do you go now, adventurers?

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti - you all know him as "Fence," stares wide-eyed at the chaos around him, feeling especially immersed at his scant 3 feet high vantage point. Holy monstrous carnival he mutters in his native halfling tongue, then in common - This place is AMAZING! He turns to his companions, a little calmer. Maybe we can find our bearings, and some information also, at a local tavern? He grins impishly, then begins looking around for a tavern nearby, while continuing to take in as many sights as he possibly can.

[Wiz]

Nevar

The somewhat travel-worn wizard nods.

That sounds good. I always feel more at home in a Tavern.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

To Zadreck, Magna Urba was everything he had imagined it to be - crowded, busy, large, hectic,... all of the typical descriptions that readily come to the minds of passers-by, yet which are almost forgotten (or ignored) by the local populace. The warrior assumed that one could easily adapt to a life like this, if one were inclined to become, say, a merchant. Of course, to them a life of adventure would evoke an equal curiosity, and although the journey Zadreck and his companions had embarked on had not been exactly pleasant, he wouldn't have it any other way.
While he was glad he and his companions had reached their destination, or better yet, that they had finally gone on an adventure (whether to follow a familial legacy or for other reasons) he felt that this was the city where the real adventure would start.

Zadreck nodded at the halfling's suggestion.
"A tavern is as good a place to start as any. However, if we don't find anything of interest there, we should consider going to the local constable. He'll be sure to have some honest work for us."

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

ooc: Just going to wait for Severedevil, and then we can get on going.

[Severedevil]

Canran, Male Goblin

The goblin you know as Canran stands only slightly higher than Eranti, but his height is extended by an almost Seussical hat of orange and black stripes which rests upon his head. His silly city-hat bears many wrinkles from its long days smushed inside a full backpack, but it certainly makes him more visible in a crowd.

Canran frown seriously up at Zadreck, the copper cookware that hangs from his backpack jangling lightly with every step. "It's only a good start if it's a good tavern. So hunt us up a good one!" He grins at Eranti, and gestures to the taller pair of adventurers. "You two can go first," the little greenskin declares, "you're the ones with the long legs."

If Zadreck and Nevar honor his decree, Canran will follow closely behind them so he doesn't get lost in the crowd. He seems somewhat wary of the legs and feet of taller beings in such a cramped environment.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

The party manages to pry themselves from the wonders of the central market, and make their way toward a tavern. The nearest establishment is only a few yards down the path, and obviously caters to travelers. A stableboy can be seen running about taking in the mounts of various patrons. The sounds of laughter and song echo out from behind the large oaken doors each time they swing open with the gusto of inebriation. Above these doors hangs a gayly painted sign with a lewd depiction of some manner of fae creature. Beneath the bawdy display are the words 'Drunken Dryad'.

You enter the crowded establishment and are treated to the smells of fine cooking, and too many bodies. The place is quite packed, a portly man sporting muttonchops and a greasy apron approaches and shouts over the din, "Grab a seat where ya can, and a wench if yer able. We've more than enough to go around, but not enough to get it there". He then whisks away to the back of the room.

[Wiz]

Nevar

The young wizard takes a deep breath of the collision of odors and nods.

Oh yes, this is a good one!

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

The establishment offered a fine refuge for those weary of shouting merchants, vivid tapestries and the overwhelming scent of exotic spices. As such, it didn't come as a surprise to see that the tavern was almost as packed as the streets outside.
Zadreck sat himself down at a nearby table, one that offered a good view of the entire bar, and then motioned for his companions to join him.

The warrior stretched his legs for a bit before taking a good look around, and listening for anything unusual or interesting.

Most of the tavern was filled with long trestle tables (such as the one Zadreck, Nevar, Fence and Canran found themselves at). Nearly all of them were occupied, making for a very lively, very crowded center.
Off to the sides of the room were a couple of private round tables, but the people who sat there didn't seem particularly different from those elsewhere in the bar. The crowd itself consisted mainly of travelers and merchants, with a few off-duty guards here and there.
Zadreck spotted a bar wench in the crowd and motioned over to her, but one his companions beat him to it.

As the woman approached, the warrior couldn't help overhearing on some conversations, but, as he expected, there was little more to be heard than the usual, trivial gossip. His ears caught the words 'wars in the east' somewhere, but it was nearly impossible to find out who had spoken of such troubles, much less keep track of the conversation itself, what with all the ambient noise.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti, pleased that his suggestion had been accepted, took in the revelries of the bustling tavern with great confidence, though he half wondered why there weren't any dryads, but of course there weren't any trees either. Big folk were strange after all. He sat down with his companions at Zadreck's behest, and begins twirling a few silver pieces about his fingers, hoping to attract the attention of a server, or someone else who might be well-informed about the premises. He begins talking to his companions casually, but keeps his ears sharply attuned to any relevant conversation he might overhear in the background.

So what do you fellows think of the place, eh? It's pretty easy to get lost and feel small or insignificant, I suppose. Still I warrant that could be a good thing if you wound up in some kind of trouble. I haven't quite decided yet, but I think I prefer the comforts of an open road.

Rolled a 19 on listen check, +5 makes 24. Specifically listening for words in the background like "money," "caves," and other words relating to adventuring.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

You finally manage to flag down a serving wench, and a hearty meal of stew, bread, and ale has somehow been delivered safely before you. You eat and enjoy the simple fare, a welcome change from stale rations, and table scraps. It would seem that the proprietor of the Wasted Waif does not discriminate when the coin is good.

After a time, you finish your meal, and notice that the crowd has thinned out. It strikes you as a little odd, as the lunch bells should be ringing any time now. Where previously it seemed that every departing patron was replaced with two eager fellows, now the tavern populations seems to only dwindle. The side tables are mostly clear, and while there are still a respectalbe number of individuals in the main room, the comparative silence is a bit eerie.

[Wiz]

Nevar

Nevar looks around thoughtfully. He's lived his whole life in taverns and something about the dynamic of what's going on doesn't feel right.

Okay... so what's all this then?

I'd like a spot check, and if you feel it's appropriate, maybe add a circumstance bonus for my long tenancy in taverns. I'll let you roll it since I don't know what if any bonus you might assign. Basically, I'm trying to see if I can spot anything which might explain why the tavern is emptying out, and why those who remain do so. Are they gathering in one area... watching the stairs or the door for someone to come in... keeping their eye on the windows as if waiting for a set time... etc. etc.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

"Maybe there's some sort of event going on outside," Zadreck shrugs. "I think it's about time we move on anyway, and get to explore the rest of the city a bit."

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Immediately seizing upon Zadreck's notion, Eranti scrambles out of his chair and assaults the attention of the nearest passerby. Is something going on in the city today? He hardly waits for a response before sauntering out the door to have a look around, thanking the barkeep on his way out. As an afterthought, he remembers to summon his companions before venturing too far.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

As soon as the party steps outside they can't help but notice the alarming number of rather sharp looking blades glinting in the early afternoon sun. There are a dozen well-equipt guards who stand in tight formation to either side of the tavern door. Their arms and armor glint in the sun, and they look very ready to deal with any troublemakers. A burly and severe looking man, obviously some manner of watch captain, stands opposite the tavern door. He is just letting some other patron pass as you leave the door.

The guards to either side close their formation around you a bit, and allow just enough space for the watch captain to approach you. The captain looks you over for a moment, and withdraws a scroll from his belt pouch. He unfurls it in a deliberate manner, and reads, "By order of his excellency the Duke, by extension of the honorable Constable Dongel, you are to be apprehended and executed for crimes against the state." He stares you down, as if daring you to resist.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti frowns thoughtfully at this turn of events and mutters aside to Canran, who happens to be nearest, and the same height, I guess they really don't like tourists around here. He offers no resistance, presuming that there had been some mistake which would surely be cleared up...surely? He hadn't even stolen anything yet!

[Wiz]

Nevar steps forward slowly, bowing his head.

If I may ask, Captain, what crimes we've been accused of? I have been with my companions since our arrival in your fair city and I'm not aware of any activity we've engaged in that might be called illegal, and particularly nothing that should require the death penalty.

He rises from his bow and looks the captain in the eye. His own eyebrow is cocked in polite interest, and he projects no hostility and makes no sudden movements.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

The captain shouts his reply while swiftly drawing his sword, "Silence criminal!". Nevar is dealt a vicious blow to the head with the pommel of aformentioned sword and is tossed to the ground. He manages to stumble back to his feet with his vision swimming, just in time to have a hood placed over his head. The rest of the party suffer a similar fate, depending upon their level of resistance. After the entire group has been hooded, then you are all tied together at the wrists. A shrill whistle and a vicious jerk start your march to the gallows.

The party is lead through what seem to be crowded streets, into the heart of town presumably. At one point it feels as if you are crossing water, and there were definately a few gates alone the way. You arriving at a large interior place, and after a few shouted commands, continue within. The halls echo with the sounds of marching feet, and sharpening blades. Finally, the hoods are removed, and the ropes cut. You are inside a large stone building, presumably a keep or dungeon. Before you are two well armed guards standing at attention on either side of a wooden door. The troup that lead you in depart, and the door is opened. Pikes usher you inward.

The room manages to be both richly appointed and spartan at the same time. There are few furnishings in the spacious room, but all are obviously finely crafted of the best materials. The center of the room is dominated by a large and cluttered desk. Off to either corner are a makeshift cot, and a small table with the remains of a meal. Behind the desk and off to the left are two bookshelves. Lining the walls are sconces which radiate a soft glow, illuminating the windowless room to a perfect reading level.

At the desk sits a middle-aged man, who is busily shuffling through papers and scrolls. He is possessed of fine noble features, which age and desk life have done a bit to wear away. Overall he is of average height and build, and nothing seems remarkable about him. After a moment he waves and the guards leave the room. He pushes a parchment forward without looking up, and says, "Name and occupation here".

[Severedevil]

Canran

At the tavern, Canran folds his tall hat down to normal size and places it on the seat besides him. The counters are awkwardly above his shoulder level, but the little goblin makes do. "You could've just let me cook..." he mutters as eats the inn's hearty food.

Canran's eyes flash with fear at the sight of sharpened steel, but as he has nowhere to run, the little greenskin quickly hides the emotion with a look of wide-eyed innocence. He opens his mouth to speak, but thinks better of it after Nevar's rough treatment. Following along without resistance, his eyes neverthless watch for an opportunity to escape.

Canran steps up to the clerkish man, feeling much more relaxed now that the violent guards are gone. "I'm Canran," he offers, scribing the name in a neat cursive, his yellow eyes wide and innocent once more, "but I only just got here, so I don't really have an occupation. Sometimes I spread the goodwill of my benevolent Goddess, and I can sort of cook." He frowns thoughfully. "I'll put 'sort of cook' for my occupation. That seems about right."

Passing the sign-in sheet to the next beleaguered adventurer, Canran glances over the scrolls on the desk and addresses the clerk directly. "Do you read all this stuff yourself? Wow! That sounds like quite a job."

[Wiz]

Nevar stands shakily, and stares at the man. The hostility he witheld before is now evident in his eyes.

But you know my name... don't you? Am I not a criminal? A felon arrested and beaten by the Duke's guards? If you want something from me, you will be the one forthcoming with information at this point!

[Freshmeat]

"Calm yourself, my friend," Zadreck says as he places a hand on Nevar's shoulder. "This man is not to blame for the unfair treatment we've been given by the guards."

Although he felt the need to remain calm in this situation, and not make matters worse, on the inside Zadreck was filled with both confusion and regret. Certainly if there was a specific, local law they had to be aware of, their peers would have let them know before they even began their journey, right? Yet there they were, treated as criminals.
Still, it felt like something was really off about this, and as the goblin wrote down his name on the parchment, Zadreck searched his mind, wondering if he had ever heard of this Duke before, and if so, what...

"Still," the warrior said while turning to the clerk, "My companion is right. We are entitled to an explanation. We've been in this town for scarcely an hour and have only enjoyed a fine meal. On my honor, we haven't broken the law, unless there is some obscure local law we, as newcomers to this town, weren't aware of.

I do wonder though, if you think us criminals, why do you insist on being left alone with us? Were we of evil intent, we might decide to harm you, or use you as a hostage. I do not believe this great city, of which I have heard nothing but good, picks up random people in the streets for no reason, only to convict them of undefined crimes. In fact, I think that something else is going on here, and I'd like to know what.

As for my name and occupation, I am Zadreck Ysaron. Perchance you may have heard of my father, Gerlynn Ysaron? He benefits of a fairly good reputation, and while I haven't yet earned one of my own, I'd be grateful if you kept it in mind. I think I speak for the rest of us when I say that we are currently unoccuppied. Merely travelers passing through, looking for fair and honest work."

I'd like to make the following checks:
- Sense motive: We've been treated awfully weird, and the clerk did send away the guards while in the presence of four criminals sentenced to death. Either he's very bold, or something doesn't make much sense.
- Knowledge(nobility): Who is the Duke? What kind of man is he, and how is his reputation? Same rationale for:
* Constable Dongel
* The clerk: you described him as 'possessing noble features'
(of course, neither of the last two might even be nobles in the first place)
- Diplomacy: Assuming that they really do think we're criminals, maybe my words will make them reconsider, and wonder if maybe a mistake has been made. Feel free to give penalties on this, as he's probably used to 'criminals' claiming they're 'innocent'.

Alebeard, I'll leave it up to you to roll these, after you've decided which you feel are appropriate, given the circumstances.

[Wiz]

Nevar

Nevar chuckles, looking at his friend.

Don't you understand... I was being sarcastic. This man has no idea who we are, he sits here asking our names and professions. Obviously the criminal charges were merely an excuse to get us here.

He looks at the noble-featured man, rubbing the lump on his forehead.

I'd guess he needs something done. Something that he couldn't trust to anyone local, or anyone he knows. So, he has the guards gathering strangers that fit some profile... perhaps young adventuring types? And now he expects us to roll over and do the task he wants done. But Zadreck and I are both right... we deserve an explanation, NOW!

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

Still keeping his head thoroughly buried in his stacks of paper, the man speaks, "You have a choice". He produces a set of four parchments and four large clinking bags, and continues to speak, "You take these bags, which contain 250 gp each, and follow my instructions implicitly or," he finally gazes up at the party, his eyes glinting with authority, "you may face the charges of treason".

While the party is still deciding what to do, the man returns to his work and seems to drift into another world. After a moment he returns to his senses, and speaks again, "In the courtyard of the keep you will find a smith, alchemist, and general stores. I have given them instructions to sell to you whatever gear you may need, but keep in mind that haggling will be frowned upon. Also, do not tarry long," he produces a large oilskin packet, "these are your orders, do not under any circumstances open them within the city".

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

"Either carry out your orders or be falsely sentenced for treason? I strongly disapprove of the methods you use to enforce cooperation, but I'll play along for now, if only because of Duke Leon's outstanding reputation.

As you don't seem intent on giving us a full explanation within these walls, I'll hold on to my judgement until I read these documents. Before then, don't expect us to make any promises about whether or not we'll carry out your instructions."

Maybe he has a mission he can't trust one of his servants or guards with...

Zadreck takes the oilskin packet and pockets it. After some hesitation he takes one of the gold bags as well, though he hopes accepting the money doesn't count as an unwritten agreement to carry out unspecified tasks.

Reflecting on the old man's words, the paladin glanced over at his companions, trying to gauge their reactions.

If permitted, I'd like to cast detect evil, just in case.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

"You will keep a civil tongue in your head, my reasons are my own, and you will soon see that they are just. You have also neglected to sign this waiver", he gestures to the parchment placed beside the bag of coin.

[Wiz]

Nevar

Nevar nods, rubbing his head.

Your reputation is secure, your grace. I will trust that it is your generosity, and your honesty about what is just, that keeps most people silent about your methods. However, you might want to consider one thing... If you truly want people to do your dirty work for you, it doesn't pay to treat them like dirt.

He leans over. Writes out his name: Nevar, and his profession, Wizard; then he signs the document and takes his bag of gold.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti looks visibly relieved when the bag is removed from over his head, but he then peers disconsolately at the bump on Nevar's head (or what he can see of it from his height). He idly scribbles the name "Fence" on the paper, then puzzles over occupation. In the end he decides on "entrepreneur," and proceeds to check the corner table for anything edible while the others talk. Finally discarding this ploy, he snatches up one of the bags of coins, nods at the old man at the desk, and goes to hover near the door out to the courtyard. I wonder what the castle town has to sell?

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

Wordlessly, Zadreck writes down his name on the paper, and lists 'paladin' as his occupation.

The warrior hadn't sensed any malevolent presence in the man, which assured him somewhat, but evil was always moving, ever changing. Zadreck had been taught that it could strike anyone if they let their guard - or rather, their spirits - down. And although such cases were rare, it was not impossible for someone to cause great harm without necessarily following the path of evil. The line of morality is a thin one indeed, and the greater the power one possesses, the easier that line is crossed.

Still, it became more and more likely that even though they didn't have a choice in this matter, neither might their employer. It was almost as if he was keeping up a certain charade. But if that was the case, who was he afraid of?


Letting himself out after Fence wrote down his name and occupation, Zadreck moves downstairs, to the courtyard.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

The man addresses Nevar, "I assume you are refering to the unsightly swelling upon your head. I do not recall personally striking you, though I doubt it was underserved. You seem to forget your place quite a bit, this can only mean trouble for you. As far as 'treating you like dirt', he spits the words back at you with contempt, "I have just handed you a large sum of money, the value of which is greater than what many may comprehend. Keep this in mind when questioning my generosity".

ooc: PM me a list of purchases, and I will approve them. Think back to your wishlist, was it realistic? The armory has a limited selection, but at the general stores and alchemist you will find any item from the PHB.

[Wiz]

Nevar

Nevar bows deeply.

Certainly, your grace. You are right to point out that I am the one who's behavior has been improper. I apologize.

He rises from his bow and turns to depart.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti scrambles about from shop to shop, looking through various items, shaking them about to determine their value. With a look of disappointment, he abandons a particularly shiny brass instrument, figuring he'd be better off finding something to protect him on their new quest. Sauntering to the smithy, he orders some weapons sized for him, but as they had none, he merely picked up a normal sized crossbow and a rapier (amusingly oversized - he needs two hands to wield it), though the smith very graciously refitted a beautiful set of studded leather armor for him. Feeling somewhat heavier after he dons it, Eranti searches for his companions, hoping to ease his load a bit, he spots Nevar hauling a mule behind him. He tugs on Nevar's shirt, holding a coil of silk rope, and says Do you think your mule would mind holding a bit extra weight?

[Wiz]

Nevar

The tall, gangly wizard chuckles.

I doubt he'd even feel it.

He takes the rope and ties it onto the pack saddle.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

Zadreck raises an eyebrow as he reunites with his companions in the courtyard. Apparently, the wizard had had the same idea as him and bought a pack mule. And seeing how he was busy with a silk rope, it seemed that Zadreck hadn't been the only one to think of bringing along some classic adventuring items.

The warrior himself is wearing breastplate, still shiny and without any scratches or marks. Depending on what their mysterious task exactly was, that could change quickly.
You can still see his trusty greatsword strapped on his back, but along the side of his right leg now dangles a fine shortspear. It appears that the saddlebags of his donkey are filled with numerous items too.

"Looks like we'll have to wait for Canran..."

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti looks around for the cleric worriedly. I hadn't thought of it, but perhaps we should not have left him by himself? Big folk tend not to favor goblins much, and might take exception to his presence.... Eranti wanders around the courtyard looking for Canran.

[Severedevil]

Canran

Irritated by the clerk's seeming indifference to his speech, Canran idles behind the rest of the party, intent on getting the last word. After the larger folk (and 'Fence') depart, however, Canran feels unsettled, as if something hazardous watches him. Perhaps pestering htis clerk is a poor idea.

Canran makes his way to the courtyard slowly, trying to detect anyone that might be following him. Eventually the little goblin reaches his destination a little out of breath. "Sorry I'm late!" he apologizes, trying not to pant. "You all look ready, I'll be done in just a... quickly." Canran makes a beeline for the armory, seeking a petite suit of unstylish but functional leather. Once his order is placed, he steps into the alchemist's shop and begins a violent spending spree.

"I'll take... this one, and this one," he begins, gesturing to a tanglefoot bag and a thunderstone respectively, "a fiery-bottle, one with acid... and one of those skinny sticks." He pauses, frowning. "Better make it two sticks. Sometimes I break one. One of those pouches would be good, too." Eyeing his new array of alchemicals as he purchases them, Canran adds thoughtfully, "Maybe I should get a belt."

Armored, belted, and laden with various expensive little toys, Canran departs the shops and looks cheerfully up at his waiting companions. "Sorry about that. I'm ready to go now! Let's get out of the boundary of the city so we can know what we're doing."

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

Realizing that Fence's concern might not be unfounded, Zadreck begins to look around for the goblin as well. He decides to head to the armory, as that was the last place where he had seen the cleric. Fortunately it didn't have to come to that, as the rest of the party spots the well-stocked goblin leaving the alchemist's. About as fast as Canran had darted off to the shops, he returns, and soon the four of them are reunited once more.

Zadreck takes a good look at his companions, and concludes that they are all set. He puts a few more items in his mule's saddlebag, and then heads to the keep's gate.

[Wiz]

Nevar

Drawing his mule up behind him, Nevar follows Zadreck out of the city.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti is delighted to see Canran return with so many interesting looking things on his person, some of which he recognizes. As they leave, he has very mixed feelings. He liked the city, up until the arresting/bag over the head part, and wanted to see a good deal more of it yet before they had to suddenly leave, but he was also insatiably curious about the contents of their mission. Once the group gets out of the city proper, he can't help but waggle from side to side in anticipation. What's the message say? I want to see what the message says!

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

"Very well. Let's see what this is all about."

Zadreck produces the oilskin packet that was given to them in the city and begins to unwrap it, while Canran, Fence and Never gather round...

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard steps forward to look at the message.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

As you unwrap the oilskin packet, you get a strange feeling of power from the seemingly ordinary parchment within. Nevertheless, you proceed with reading.

Three days march along the norwestern road lies the ruins of an ancient fortress. This fortress was under reconstruction by elements of the Duke's forces. There have not been reports from this reconstruction effort in the last two weeks. You are to investigate and return with favorable new, and you have one week to do so. Upon your successful return you shall be richly rewarded. Failure will result in your execution.

After the last line has been scanned by the eyes of the party, the script begins to glow with a bright heatless flame.

OOC: Everybody roll a reflex save, and was is Freshmeat_ who opened the package?

[obliged_salmon]

Rolled a 9, +7 is 16

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard steps back from the parchment, looking away and raising an arm to shield his eyes.

[roll0]

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

Zadreck didn't have time to contemplate what he had just read. Apparently some sort of magic was stored within, and now that the letter had been read, it discharged. Instinctively, he reacted...

[roll0]

Also - yes, it was Zadreck who opened the package.

[Severedevil]

Canran

Canran stands on his tip-toes and peers at the paper. As it begins to heat up, however, he recoils instinctively at the bright parchment.

[roll0].

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

OOC: BWAHAHA, artificial suspense.

The parchment continues to glow for a moment, and begins to burn brightly enough to dazzle the eyes. Unfortunately it also becomes hot enough to burn flesh as well, but through quick thinking Zadreck is able to toss it aside. The rest of the party also manage to avoid the small flash of searing flame which erupts from the ground where the parchment landed. Once your eyes have recovered, you see only a small scorched patch of earth where the orders had fallen. Obviously, they were for your eyes only.

You stand on the path from the city, the guards having lead you to a sortie gate hidden in the side of the main keep. The road is well maintained, but does not seem to be overly traveled. The southern road held the majority of mercantile traffic. Nevertheless, this road stretches invitingly before the group. It rolls off into the distance through pleasant farmland, and disapears into the distant woodland.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Three days there, three days back...that gives us only one day to investigate the fortress...unless... he says quietly, It might be in our better interests to leave and swiftly? I think I'd rather go along with it though...rich rewards were, in fact, mentioned. Either way, we'd better hurry.

Eranti starts walking along the path, then realizes he should wait for the others to make up their minds, and comes back.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

The paladin breathes a sigh of relief as he watches the flames consume the parchment.
That was close.

"I hope the two of you are fast readers," Zadreck says to Canran and Nevar with a grin. Fence had already voiced his opinion, and the warrior was inclined to agree with him.
"Well, the task seems simple enough. Since the alternative is somewhat... less appealing... I'd be fine with going along with it. I do wonder why the Duke needs to strong-arm us into doing what appears to be a minor errand, though."

Zadreck gazes back at the the keep with a frown on his face.
"There's clearly more going on here than we're allowed to know."

[Wiz]

Nevar

Indeed. Why would he send us in secret this way. What behind-the-scenes political maneuvering makes it impossible for him to send any more of his own men. And apparently we must return with favorable news, or it will go poorly for us... I wonder... without favorable news is his own reign in jeapordy?

[Severedevil]

Canran

Though unharmed, Canran appears stunned and dismayed by the apparent... hostility of the letter and its subsequent destruction. Zadreck's comment returns the cheerful grin to the little goblin's face. "Of course we're fast readers. You never know when a parchment's going to up and catch fire on you." Canran frowns to himself. "That happened once. Now they only let wizards into the library after-hours."

The little greenskin listens quietly to the wise suggestions of his allies, and makes a composite decision of his own. "How about we investigate and hopefully get rich rewards... but if the news is unfavorable, we don't come back?"

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti throws his arm around the goblin's shoulder in agreement. Yes indeed, that would give us three whole days to get far, far away from the city.... Everyone having decided, he starts to take off down the path in earnest, humming a catchy tune.

Eranti has a bad spot check, so suggested marching order would be Zadreck, Eranti, Nevar, Canran, with the mules trailing on either side.

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard nods.

Indeed, we all set out for adventure, didn't we, well here it is. We walk to our destination, look around, gather what we can from it, and if we have good news, we consider whether it's worth going back to that duke with it or whether we're better off heading off toward the rest of our lives.

He shakes his head.

I can't say I'm too impressed with my first exposure to... "nobility." My point to him seems quite obvious from our reactions. Had he treated us well, we'd all be anxious to do our best for him and return post haste...

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

For about three hours you pass by a series of small hamlets and farm houses, which are scattered along the rolling countryside. The peasants are not hostile in any way, and do their best to go about their business, without stopping you from going about yours. After a time, the farmland gives way to a lightly forested area. The road is still well maintained, and kept free of underbrush.

You continue along easily enough, but arrive at a break in the trail. The woods have become a bit thicker here, and it appears that a larger tree has fallen across the path. To the side a fresh trail has been cut, presumably by hunters or woodsmen. At the foot of the fallen tree you see and old man putting out a small cookfire, and packing his belongings. As you approach, he notices you and greets you warmly.

OOC: By the way, I just came back from seeing the Bourne Ultimatum, and I highly reccomend it. Excellent film, and this far from the release, the crowds are minimum.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

Zadreck nods in a friendly manner at the old man. Meanwhile, he tries to assess the damage the fallen tree has caused, and how it affects their passage.
Perhaps, with only a bit of effort, they could climb over or walk past the tree and continue their journey. Since they were short on time, it would probably be unwise to follow trails leading deeper into the woods.

Suddenly, Zadreck is struck by a feeling of suspicion - a blocked road, a forested area that lends itself nicely for a highway robbery...
Maybe it was the Duke's treatment that had put him on edge, but the paladin catches himself scanning the woods for any signs of unusual movement...


Shaking his head and banning these dark thoughts from his head, Zadreck approaches the old man with outstretched hand.

1d20+1 (hrm... see OOC thread I guess)

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

The old man smiles and pumps Zadreck's hand, "Looks like we've got a bit of a rough patch in the trail. This path should go around it. I tell you, there was one hell of a storm couple of nights back, must have knocked trees down all over".

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

"Apparently." the paladin replies matter-of-factly, his eyes fixed on the tree blocking the path.

"So, this trail leads onward? Very well then," Zadreck glances over at his companions before adressing the old man again.
"I'd love to stay and chat, but we're in a bit of a hurry. Thanks for the directions. Enjoy your meal."

Zadreck turns to the trail and begins to follow it.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Once down the road a short ways, Eranti whispers to the paladin Do you think we can trust him? It may be a trap for passers by...you'd best "check" him, I think, if you haven't already. Eranti moves about fussily, listening carefully to his surroundings. Besides, I get lost easily.

listen check: rolled 6 + 5 = 11

[Wiz]

Nevar

Nevar nods to the man, and as they go down the path the stranger indicated, he watches carefully where the main trail is. If this new path winds excessively and/or, loses sight of the main trail, and/or doesn't rejoin the main trail within two minutes, he will call for a halt, and a direct return to the main trail.

(read the spoiler if any of the above occurs)

This is ridiculous. We have diverted this far from the main trail for ONE fallen tree? We are being led into an ambush, and that man is the lookout for the brigands who set it.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

The trail appears to be heading north, not quite directly toward the fort, but not away from it either.

OOC: Just a note about throwing around Detect Evil. It detects the presence (or absence) of evil auras, not idealogical alignment. The only way a human or demi-human would set off Detect Evil, is if they were the vessel of an evil power, i.e. a cleric.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti calms down a bit, buoyed by the delightful sound of chirping birds around him. Oh well, if there's a trap we're to spring, we'd best be about it quickly, it won't due to keep in suspense like this, he confides to the mule at his left, patting it on the side.

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard pauses, raising a brow.

Is this the concesus? Continue forward and if there's a trap or ambush, run into it?

[Severedevil]

Canran

Though he walks along cheerfully, Canran keeps his head down in the countryside. His tall and flashy hat lays crumpled in his pack, replaced by a long brown cloak seemingly spun of hemp fibers with a hood that covers his head. The little goblin seems disinclined to show his green skin to the random passersby.

Mildly suspicious of the old man, Canran will try to judge his character an honesty. Despite some misgivings compounded by Eranti's concerns, the little greenskin replies brightly to the even shorter halfling's fatalistic cheer."That's the spirit! We can't leave those silly horses behind anyway." Canran looks up to Nevar very seriously. "And they're not very good at climbing trees. Even sideways trees."

[roll0]

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

"The old man seemed trustworthy enough, if you ask me," Zadreck says, tugging his mule along on the forest trail.
"I'd prefer it we continue, rather than dwell on this...paranoia."

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard shrugs.

Perhaps I am being a little paranoid... but, recent events haven't exactly helped me in that area.

Regardless of this, he follows along the trail, looking around suspiciously.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti reaches up to pat Nevar on the back. It's okay, a little paranoia may make us late, but none at all will almost surely make us dead. If we go north, we go north. We'll turn left first chance we get, eh? Eranti reaches into his pack and starts nibbling on one of his rations as they travel.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

The fresh path winds in and out among the taller trees, but sticks to a fairly northerly path. Someone has taken the time to cut back the undergrowth, as well as mark the trail with wood blazes. After a time, you come upon a bend that seems to lead in a more northwesternly direction.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

"Ah, excellent." the paladin says cheerfully. "Now we're definitely on the right track."

Zadreck looks back at his companions to see if they share his delight.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti begins singing in response, actually, perhaps croaking is a better description. Either way, you are incredibly glad he only knows one verse, kind of. (in G#, but modulates down by 5th's each line):

A wastrel's home is on his brow,
A something something day.
When copper's spent, he takes his bow
And saunters off his way.

I don't remember the rest, but there's a camel in it somewhere. Does anyone else think we ought to stop to eat for a bit?

Untrained perform check:
[roll0]

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

"Yes! Good idea! Let's stop here." the paladin says quickly, hoping that the goblin will stop his awful performance once he starts eating.

The paladin ties his mule to a nearby tree and takes several rations out of the saddlebags.

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard ties his mule off as well and gets out some rations.

Did everyone bring enough for the journey? I'm assuming we all did, but sometimes that can get people into trouble?

He fills the mules feedbag and takes care of the animal.

How much longer will we be going on, til nightfall?

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

OOC: It is about midsummer at this point, Agri Zone about 6-7 for a climate range. Time is roughly 4PM.

[Severedevil]

Canran, The Party's Goblin

Canran smiles cheerily back at Zadreck, though it takes him a moment to realize why they're on the right track. "Oh! The trail's right again. Good."

Inured to dubious vocal talent by his years among his fellow goblins, the little greenskin doesn't seem to mind the smaller halfling's musical incompetence. "I remember a song with a camel," he offers helpfully with a thinking frown, "the camel and a rider were crossing the desert, but the desert was only a desert because there wasn't enough rain." Canran snaps his fingers, and his yellow eyes shine in recollection. "That's right! There was a drought, and the man was looking for anywhere with food and water. He made it all the way back to civilization, and everyone was glad to see him, and then he was sacrificed to appease the gods and bring back the rain."

Rubbing his finger on his low lip, Canran recalls the end of the tale. "The rain... did come back, and everyone cheered the camel as a hero. Then it got sacrificed to make sure the drought stayed gone, just in case." Canran shrugs helplessly. "I forgot most of the words, though. It might've been a nursery rhyme. But it wasn't in common anyway, so it's probably not the same one you were singing." He looks up at his taller colleagues faces, hoping for approving looks, and claps his little hands. "Anyway! We're eating late-lunch now?"

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Or early supper, what have you. Eranti sets himself down upon a nearby rock and begins munching in earnest upon his trail rations. I haven't brought enough food to get back to the city, so I hope the fort is up and running. Is there anything around you can cook, Canran? He ponders to himself a moment. You know, I've never heard that song, but it reminds me of an old song of my people about riding through a desert on a nameless pony. That one I know the words to, but you can't sing and eat at the same time. He shrugs and continues munching.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

"That reminds me...", Zadreck says as he sets himself down next to a tree. "I didn't know you could cook, Canran. You do realize that, by law, you'll have to show us, right?" he adds with a grin.

"I don't know how much longer till the next town. I'm not exactly familiar with this road." he says, turning to Nevar. "We'll just have to see how far we get. If we don't encounter anything before nightfall, we might have to spend the night camping in a forest or something."

Zadreck takes one of the trail rations in his hand, and then smiles.
"You know, while I've got to admit that I expected our first quest to be a little more... epic, it's good to be traveling with you three."

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard smiles.

While I was working in my father's inn, I listened to a lot of adventurers and retired adventurers telling stories. Most of them talked up the exciting parts... the "epic" bits, but when they got quiet over their beers most would admit that most adventures were 99 percent boredom and 1 percent screaming terror. Strangely, this didn't turn me off adventuring. But I did resolve that if I was going to adventure, it would be with people I liked spending time with... because that is what most of it is... moments like these.

[Severedevil]

Canran

Canran nods gravely to Zadreck's demand. "Okay. I'll make the dinner." His false severity breaks into a lighthearted shrug. "I'm not the best cook in anywhere. So we'll probably have stew."

Munching on some sort of dried meat, the goblin nods sagely at the talk of epic quests and stories. "Well, if we can switch one percent screaming terror for one percent intense-but-not-too-dangerous action, and then ninety-nine percent boredom for ninety-nice percent amiable travelling and chatter, this should go pretty well. Canran frowns slightly, and looks down at his sandaled feet a little self-consciously, "I'm not very good at the screaming terror part, unless it's screaming terror that runs slower than me or can't find me in the shadows." Canran admits. He looks up a Zadreck's well-armored form. "If you could stand between me and any terrors, I'd like that a lot. I have a spear, but it's not very good. It's not a divine harbinger of Diana's wrath like the bow."

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

I love stew! Don't worry about the screaming terror, it will have trouble finding us because we're small. He elbows Canran's ribs affectionately. When the stew arrives, he takes a portion with relish, and finishes the bowlful almost before he starts eating it. Naught to do but keep traveling, I suppose...a few hours left before dark at any rate. With that, Eranti dismounts from his rock, slings his backpack on and takes his place again in their makeshift caravan.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

"Don't worry, little friend. I'll make sure you stay in one piece," Zadreck says to Canran. He waits for a moment, as if thinking, and then adds with a misschievous grin "Who else would do the cooking for us?"
The paladin stands up and turns to Fence.
"I suppose you're right. It'll be dark before we know it."
He looks to see if the rest are done with their meals, and then walks over to his mule.

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard finishes his food and begins cleaning up.

With the time limit on us, I think it best we get in every hour of travel we can.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

OOC: So, moving onward? Marching order, and disposition if you please.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

The party casually rounds the bend that heads to the NW. Zadreck and Canran lead, chatting idly as the others follow. The day is pleasant, and nothing seems amiss. Perhaps this whole mess has just been a misunderstanding. Mayhap upon reaching the fort you will find simply that their messenger broke his toe, or some similar mishap. You will ride back with this happy news and earn your reward. Dongel will stop treating you as criminals and give you the respect that you deserve. A parade might even be in order, or not.

Zadreck's mule snags its foot on something, as he bends to attend his animal, there is a peculiar noise from above. It sounds like ropes unfurling, pulleys spinning, and a large weight falling to earth. You look up to see a fantastically oversized net falling down upon you.

OOC: Reflex for Zadreck and Canran. Initiative for everyone. These mules are going to make this ugly is all I have to say. In any event, I will try to post a rough sketch of the layout later today, and we can run it from there.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

As the paladin sees the net coming down, he frantically tries to get away as soon as possible...

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

Zadreck manages to jump aside at the last moment, the mighty paladin crashing to the dirt a few feet down the trail. His hapless mule however, becomes entagled in the mesh of knotted hemp and leaden weights.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti eyes the falling net curiously and looks around for foes and potential hiding places.

[roll0]

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard looks up to see the net descending.

Yeah... I'm just paranoid

we'll see if his thinking slows his intitative: [roll0]

[Severedevil]

Canran

Deftly evading the falling net, Canran scurries back behind Zadreck and draws his bow, looking up into the trees for the nasty folk what would drop a net on some peaceful travellers' heads.

[roll0]
Initiative 1d20+3=18. (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1271465)
Spot 1d20+3=15. (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1271475)

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard stands ready, eyes darting about the clearing to see if he can see any sign of the attackers.

Spot Check: [roll0]

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

OOC: Ok, this is bad. I seem to have misplaced the adventure at a critical point. It really can't have gone far, as little blue folders don't generally possess ambulatory capacity, afterall. It is somewhere in the house, on a shelf that I thought was a good resting place at the time. I could try to play it by ear in the meantime and see what happens, but I would rather not. Of course I am going to be out of town tomorrow through either Saturday or Sunday, so looking for the book will be a very low priority. What say you to this?

[obliged_salmon]

OOC: I can wait, have plenty of stuff to keep me occupied in the meantime, like work and classes. You know.

[Freshmeat]

OOC: If the DM thinks waiting is the best idea, than I defer to his judgement. I don't really have a problem with waiting anyway. Quality over quantity, any day of the week.
I could make a seriously cheap pun here, but I will proudly resist all attempts at weak humor.

[Wiz]

OOC: Take your time. :)

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

OOC: Found it, in a stupid place, just like I said. I really have no idea how it got there, or why. Anyway, back to the death and destruction.

IC: Before you is a roughly square clearing about 30 yards to a side. In the middle is a small camp fire and two unoccupied bedrolls. Standing next to this fire is a large angry man who is currently drawing a bow. Farther back in the corner of the clearing is another angry man with a bow who stands next to a tarp. You can see that the tarp is covering something, but not what that something is.

The party members were able to dodge the net, but mules are not quite as quick on there feet. Next to Zadreck and Canran is a roiling mass of rope and hooves.

Canran is able to act the fastest, having quickly recovered from avoiding the net. However, Zadreck seems to have been a bit dazed by the near miss.

OOC: Initiative is as follows :Canran, Nevar, Eranti, Bandits, Zadreck

[Severedevil]

Canran

Though he would prefer to run, Canran stands his ground and knocks an arrow, agily aiming his goblin-sized longbow at the bow-drawing bandit. "Drop it!" he warns the man in a loud, high voice. "You can be friends with me, or with my arrow. Put down the bow!"

Readying an attack against the man drawing his bow, to be released if he knocks an arrow to fire. [roll0], [roll1]. Considering how badly those rolls came out, Canran would much rather not have to fire.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

Canran's arrow strikes true...to a tree at the other end of the clearing. The man does not seem very much impressed. In fact, he doesn't even notice, taking aim at the larger members of the party as he nocks his own shaft.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti sizes up their opponents, and bravely draws his rapier...or attempts to. He forgets about the last half foot of the blade still in the scabbard, which gets stuck, and he promptly finds himself holding the air in front of him very menacingly. He looks at the air angrily and tries again with more success after a few errant tugs. While frantically releasing his weapon, he heads purposefully toward cover (hopefully to end up behind cover), be it trees or bushes or something, within 20 ft or so of one of the bandits.

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard steps back behind the mule and speaks in a loud clear voice enunciating strange and arcane syllables which are obviously requiring a great deal of concentration to focus, especially as he seems to be trying to work from cover. He finishes, but nothing seems to happen.

So much for scorching ray... it would have been impressive if it had worked.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

The paladin draws his greatsword as soon as he sees the large man raising his bow. There was no mistake of the bandits' intent, and no time to resolve this situation peacefully, what with weapons being drawn and arrows flying in every direction.

Zadreck breaks off into a run, using the momentum to his advantage to raise his blade up high, his eyes never leaving sight of his assailant.
When he reaches his target, he flicks his wrists, and, in a move that seems almost graceful, brings the sword down with all his strength...

This only takes place if they fire. If they don't, just post their actions and I'll change this to a more appropriate response.

Charge (-2 AC, +2 AB)
[roll0]
[roll1]

AC (flatfooted): 15
AC (normal): 16
AC (after my turn): 14
HP: 12

[Severedevil]

[OOC: Waiting for the conclusion of the combat round to declare Canran's next action.]

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

OOC: I rule that as the concentration check was not required for this situation, scorching ray is cast successfully.

Eranti: One bandit is about 15 yards away in the center of the camp. The other is directly across from the party on the other side of the clearing.

Before Zadreck can act two shafts fly out in his direction. The bandits have clearly marked as the most dangerous individual, paying little attention to the smaller party members, and less to the wizard.

Unfortunately unlike Canran, these men find their mark, both arrows striking Zadreck with sickening thuds. Blood wells up from his wounds.

OOC: 7 damage.

IC: But, the paladin is not stopped by this attack, he charges in and slices at the closer bandit. The greatsword arcs down, whistling as it travels, and severs the bandits left arm at the shoulder. The man staggers for a moment, but does not fall.

[Severedevil]

Canran

Though concerned by Zadreck's injuries, the paladin is too far away for the little cleric to heal. Canran continues his projectile assault, clearly demonstrating his skill with the bow as well as the weakness of his arm.

Attack 1d20+5=21, damage 1d6-1=1 (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1281773).

[Wiz]

Nevar

If the scorching ray goes off it hits the first bandit who was knocking his arrow. Ranged Touch Attack: [roll0] Damage:[roll1]

It may surprise some of his friends who know that Nevar is only a beginning wizard that after his gestures a scorching ray of intense heat jumps from his fingertips to strike toward the bandit at the center of the clearing.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

OOC: OK, this changes things. Quick rewarping of the fabric of reality. The second arrow never gets a chance to hit Zadreck (+6 HP), and he runs through a pile of ash and bone, not a bandit. You could run to the other bandit though, no AoO as he does not have a melee weapon out. I say that is what happens.

IC: Canran's second arrow manages to strike home this time. Dealing a superficial wound to the thigh of the farther bandit. The man grunts and readies himself to face Zadreck.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti, though disoriented and somewhat alarmed by the projectiles and fire beyond shot around the battleground, decides to pluck up his courage and forge toward the nearest foe with the intention of introducing him to the business end of his oversized rapier.

Eranti will approach the nearest foe and try to flank if possible, then stab.

[roll0]
[roll1]
If necessary:
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

The paladin is slightly taken aback when he suddenly sees an arrow sticking out of his armor. He had never really felt the impact, probably due to the unusual angle in which the arrow had penetrated his breastplate, barely scratching the skin underneath.

Seeing his initial opponent go up in flames, Zadreck continues his run, this time heading for the other bandit...

Charge the second bandit.

(charging: +2 to hit, -2 to AC)
[bonus not taken into account yet, though it probably won't matter]

[roll0]
[roll1]

AC: 14 (before and after my action)
HP: 11

(If the bandit surrenders, whether naturally, or because of Nevar's intimidation check, disregard the above action)

[Wiz]

Nevar

As his friends surround the other bandit, Nevar raises his arms and calls out.

Surrender, or be turned to ash like your friend!

I'll leave it to the DM if this merits an intimidation roll and what situational modifiers might exist... say, seeing your friend go up like a roman candle.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

OOC: Moving on now.

IC: Eranti moves in for the kill, but his short stride does not allow him to make it across the whole clearing. He still stands some 20 odd feet from their last assailant.

When Nevar shouts at the man, he seems to be taken aback a bit. Either that, or the fact that his comrade-in-arms is not in the best of shape. He turns and runs, but not out of the clearing. He dashes underneath the tarp and starts scrambling around for something amongst the obviously stolen loot assembled therein.

Canran knocks another arrow, but his view is obscured by a crate. This arrow sails a bit too low, and thuds dully into the soft wood.

Zadreck bounds across the clearing with the intent to bring about the demise of the bandit. His intent notwithstanding, the bandit deftly avoids his clumsy swing.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti attempts to close the remaining distance and deliver a fierce stab, before the bandit can retrieve what he is rummaging for.

[roll0]
[roll1]
if applicable (flank if possible):
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

The paladin gives chase, hoping to catch the bandit before he can escape with whatever stolen goods he's trying to take with him.

Modifiers:
- Charge (already taken into account)
- Flank (not taken into account yet, though if there's an opportunity to do so, Zadreck will take it)

[roll0]
[roll1]

AC (before and after my action): 14
HP: 11

[Severedevil]

Canran

Shifting for a better shot, Canran knocks another arrow, ready to let fly as soon as the bandit tries to escape. "The hunt's almost ended..." he mumbles to himself.

Moves 30' for a better firing position, and to bring himself closer to the last bandit. Readied action to shoot his bow at the bandit once he moves away from Zadreck. (To avoid shooting into melee, and maybe catch the bandit running so he's denied Dex bonus to AC.) [roll0], [roll1].

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

OOC: New rule, I NPC idle characters to keep the pace of combat up.

IC: Canran once again is unable to strike the bandit with his oversized bow. His arrow flies wide, and Zadreck thinks he hears a whistling sound.

Nevar decides to move in a bit closer and determine what the bandit finds so important that he would drop his bow, but not run out of the clearing.

Eranti runs up behind the bandit, leaping over a small crate in the process. However, his deft manouvering causes him to stab wildly at the ground rather than the back of the bandit.

The bandit pushes aside a sack of flour and reveals a small hollow in the earth. From the hollow he whips out some manner of weapon, but only manages to fumble and drop it to the ground.

Zadreck then bounds in and beheads him. The clearing is now silent.

OOC: I can only view Eranti's character sheet, rpgwebprofiler must not be working or some such. Find a way to get me the sheets, or at least the basic combat rundown of AC, BAB, Spells, and Saves.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti recoils slightly from the gory scene in front of them, as his adrenaline stops pumping. Killing folks shouldn't be nearly as messy as this, he decides. Once the initial queasiness passes, he begins searching through the loot piled beside the campsite, and possibly on the bodies of the fallen, unless the paladin stops him.

These men fought bravely. But we fought MORE bravely. Yay us. Eranti pats Canran heartily on the back, in the comradeship of ineffectiveness.

Oh, maybe someone should release those mules. Maybe someone could boost me up there, if it's too high?

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

It takes a few moments for the large paladin to catch his breath, after the sudden, unexpected exertion. He looks behind him to see if any of his companions had been hit by a stray arrow, but is glad to see no one is wounded. Carefully, he approaches the ensnared mules, with the intention of freeing them and calming them down.

Handle animal check. If they're too stubborn, Zadreck will just leave them alone for a while, spending his time with looting the area, until the mules have calmed down somewhat.

This really should be in the OOC thread, but anyway, a few words on looting: Zadreck isn't opposed to it. Just letting useful items laying around is simply stupid, and doesn't make you more 'honorable'. As long as certain boundaries aren't crossed (such as blatantly disrespecting the dead by knocking out gold teeth and the like), all is fair game.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

A quick search of the bandits reveals that each carried a shortbow and shortsword, as well as a wineskin and 15 silver pieces.

The tarp covers a random assortment of goods no doubt 'liberated' from passing travelers such as yourselves. Sorting through it all would take some additional effort.

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard makes a quick gesture and mutters an arcane-sounding phrase.

Detect magic on the pile of stuff... can I sort out if anything is giving off magical emanations?

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

Zadreck inspects the items closely, trying to determine their worth.

Appraise, straight 1d20 per item. No modifiers.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti searches around carefully for shiny things.

[Severedevil]

Canran

Although eager to hunt around in the grass for glittering trinkets, or maybe a new set of pans, Canran remembers something important he needs to do first. Approaching the paladin, Canran murmurs something to himself and touches the man's wound. As it seals itself, the little goblin smiles. "Thanks for protecting us!"

Once Zadreck is healed, Canran adds his little yellow eyes to the hunt for valuables.

[roll0], untrained [roll1]. Canran cast Cure Minor Wounds, losing Guidance. (I can't access the sheet either, but I'm pretty sure he memorized Create Water, Detect Magic, and Guidance as his cantrips.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

"No problem, little fellow. Glad to help," Zadreck replies, while rubbing slightly over the now-closed wound.
"Since there's no point in leaving anything of value here, I suggest we store whatever looks interesting into our saddlebags. We can always sell it later."

The paladin brings one of the bags over to the center of the camp, and starts to sort through the items that had been covered by the tarp. Most of the things he puts aside are random junk, though he does put a nice-looking ham and some bread into the bags.
"I'll take this over trail rations any day of the week." he says with a wide grin.

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard gestures to a mace that the bandit had been fumbling after.

That is the only item that carries an aura of magic. It might be an enchanted weapon.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

With a gleeful shout, Eranti triumphantly jumps to and fro, holding a bag full of what sounds like coins jingling. He meticulously counts them out and reports,30 gold pieces, gentlemen. Excellent spoils. He grins and drops the bag next to the other valuables collected.

[Freshmeat]

Zadeck Ysaron

"A magical weapon, you say?"
Zadreck looks curiously at the mace in Nevar's hands. "Hm, who would have thought...It does explain why that bandit wanted it so badly though. Maybe you should look it over more thoroughly tomorrow, just to be on the safe side. For all we know it might be cursed or something."

The paladin watches as Eranti counts the gold pieces with unbridled joy, and fails to hide a smile himself. He crouches down to pick up one of the gold pieces, and holds it up to his eye.
"Doesn't look like a fake to me. Well, I suppose everyone's okay with, hm..." Zadreck pauses for a second to think "7 gold pieces and 5 silvers then?"

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

7 gold, 8 silver, 7 copper, Eranti says, pointing to the 15 other silver pieces, with two copper left over for group expenses. Eranti refocuses his attention on the magic mace. Now why would someone enchant a pointy stick? I guess priests use them, so maybe a priest enchanted it. He ought to enchant my feet instead, though, I stubbed my toe on a tree root during that fight.

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard chuckles.

At this point, a more detailed examination would take an hour of time, and several components I don't have... including a rather expensive pearl. Still... even if it has the least possible permanant enchantment that could be on it, it's worth a good 1000 in gold.

He looks the weapon over and stows it in his mule's saddlebag.

Still, I do harbor a hope that someday I might render more accurate assessments of such with greater alacrity and without such cost.

[Severedevil]

Canran

Finding nothing of value himself, Canran oo's and ah's appropriately at the others' finds, and grins avariciously at the magical mace. "Kind of a clumsy weapon," the goblin notes critically, to no one in particular, "but it's prob'ly worth a lot of money."

He frowns. "We still need to get to the fort in time, though. Let's keep going." Canran is eager to depart as soon as the animals are untangled and calm enough to continue.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

The other end of the clearing has a similar trail to the one you used to enter. This trail quickly leads you onto what you believe to be the original path. It is wide and clear and fades off into the distant north.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

The paladin nods and begins to stuff everything they decided to take along into the mules' saddlebags, making sure not to put too much load on either of them.
Looking back at the now-silent clearing, Zadreck frowns for a second, and then heads over to where the two bandit corpses lie. He takes the tarp, covers both ruffians with it, and then rejoins the others in silence.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Awfully messy way to die, I say. I didn't pick it for them though. Eranti hums to himself as they continue to follow the original path. After some time, he asks, So what god do you worship, Canran? We of the prairie honor the wind and the rain. Devotion to a single being has always intrigued me.

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard looks thoughtful.

I've no objection of course to moving on as quickly as possible... but, do you think the old man was in with the bandits? Would it be wise to leave him back there?

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

"I don't think he had anything to do with this, and even if he did, there's no way we could prove anything. I say we just move on. We can't afford to waste any time."

[Severedevil]

Canran

So what god do you worship, Canran?The goblin's gaze snaps to Eranti, and for a split second the halfling can see his eyes wide with fear. Then the moment ends, and he's Canran once more.

"Oh! Gods. Right." Canran's hand clasp together unconsciously, and his thumbs vie gently for supremacy. "I'm sort of fond of Diana. She's the goddess of the moon and hunt. They're both good things."

Canran nods his agreement with Zadreck, stepping slightly away from Eranti and a discussion of deities. "He'll probably just sit there for a while, wondering what happened. We won't get in trouble for not being caught, or anything." He shrugs. "Let's go."

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti looks bemusedly at the frightened goblin and ponders his response. I knew a girl named Diana once. She was pretty, but not very smart. My cousin Meltene wanted to marry her, but she told him he wasn't handsome enough. In the end, though, she wound up marrying a handsome stranger who ran off with half her family's good ponies. No one would touch her since then. Seems a silly name for a goddess. What about you, Zadreck, do you worship a particular god?

Eranti feels somewhat less mirthful since their recent fight. He's not sure if he was ready for the harsh necessity of killing real people, this being his first real battle and all.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

As you discuss each other's respective religious affiliation, you continue along the path. It goes off in the proper direction, but is delightfully free of old men and fallen tree. You pass no other travelers, and it seems that few venture this way in any event. If there is a fort out in these woods, it is no small wonder that nothing has been heard from it in weeks. You begin to wonder if you have been sent on a fools errand. Regardless, the sun begins to sink, casting the world in an orange glow.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

The paladin squints his eyes at the fading sun, and stops.
"It's getting late. We need to start looking for a place to set up camp."

Zadreck rummages through his backpack for a moment, and soon produces a crudely-drawn map from it. Several patches of dirt cover the crumpled paper. With a confused look, he turns the map sideways, and then back.
"So, do any of you know this place? Are we close to a town or something?"

Knowledge (geography), or perhaps an intelligence check to try and figure out the map (which is so bad, I suppose it probably gives circumstance penalties). Either way, both checks are unmodified (straight 1d20's).

As for the religious discussion, that'll be something for another time I guess. I don't really feel like breaking the continuity here by replying to a 'past' event, only to suddenly shift to the present and react accordingly.

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard shakes his head, "I'm afraid I don't know this area. Camping outdoors might be best... we should set watches."

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

The paladin nods, unable to make heads or tails of the map. He looks around for a moment, and then leaves the path, heading towards a small clearing.
After stamping a bit with his foot on the ground - to make sure they wouldn't rest in a deceptively muddy patch or worse, ant nests - he turns to his companions.
"To me, this seems like a decent enough spot. After our run-in with those bandits, I'm pretty sure that we should indeed set a watch, just to be safe. If it's alright with you guys, I'll take first."

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti pulls out his bedroll, lays it neatly on the ground and promptly flops into it. I'll do second watch then, g'night gents. He mumbles and falls asleep almost immediately.

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard pulls out his bedroll and makes sure it's on a patch of dry ground. "I'll take last watch." He unsaddles the mule, setting his equipment aside. Ties the beast up and gives it a nosebag of feed, then throws a blanket over him before taking to his own sleep.

[Severedevil]

Canran

Canran knows as little as anyone else about the woods, but is happy to make camp and get some sleep. As he makes his own bedroll, Canran counts the watches. "Does that mean I don't have to take a watch?" he asks. "I can see when it's dark, so I'm okay to take a night-time watch."

Regardless of his watch schedule, Canran will arise about halfway between dusk and dawn and step a short distance away from camp to sit crosslegged, watching the moon. Placing his longbow on the ground in front of him, he draws an arc in the dirt, completing the circle started by his bow. For about an hour the goblin sits crosslegged in the center of the circle, looking at the moon, until finally he stands stiffly, stretching his legs, and wipes the circle away. Taking his bow, he curls up in his bedroll, asleep once more.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

The party manages to set up camp just in time to see the sun's last rays disappear from the crimson sky. The sky revealed is clear and luminous. You could lose hours to counting the glittering gems which pepper the heavens. From in between the trees, a bright full moon is visible.

A small fire is fed by some dry brush and fallen branches you find in the immediate vicinity. You have enough fuel to keep a modest flame, and warm the party through the mild night air. Zadreck positions himself to take the first watch.

At some point he drifts for a moment. He snaps back after only a minute, but realizes that it should be time for the change of watch. Just as he is about to rouse his companion, he hears a snapping sound from the woods. Just outside the firelight, something is moving about.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

Zadreck raises his head ever so slightly at the unexpected sound, unsure what to make of it. Although he's willing to attribute it to a small animal scurrying about, or a fallen tree branch, he quickly rules these options out, as neither of these would create such a distinct snap.

Not making any sudden movements, the paladin keeps his ears pointed, while surreptiously looking from side to side.

Spot/listen check, both +1.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

As Zadreck strains to pierce the darkness beyond the fire, the creatures make their way toward the camp. The brush rustles and snaps, and allows for the passage of four black bears. They are now tenatively circling the edge of the firelight, but do not approach any further. They are not exactly being stealthy at this time. It is very likely that the rest of the party has awakened.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti (presumably) wakes from slumber, slowly gets up and eyes the bears anxiously. He whispers, Zadreck, do you see four black bears circling our campsite? Because I see four black bears circling our camp site...!

Eranti quickly sobers up and searches about for a means of escaping the threat, such as a tree to climb or something the party could hide in that the bears couldn't reach. He looks over at the mules to see how they are handling this situation. He digs in his pack and finds 3 rations, probably not enough to ward the bears away, and running while they were distracted might not work so well in any case.

He whispers any ideas? to his companions and trains his senses on the bears to detect change in behavior.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

The paladin blinks in surprise at the impressive sight of four bears entering the clearing. For a moment, it's almost as if he stands frozen at the campfire, though then he quickly glances over at his companions to see if they were aware of this sudden turn of events, or were still asleep.

Finding them all still in one piece, Zadreck slowly stands up, trying not to make any sudden movements, and reaches over to the campfire...
As the bears draw near, he carefully takes a burning piece of wood and throws it in front of them, hoping to block their path.

If they draw back in fear, Zadreck will throw a few more.
If they respond... unfavorably, he'll climb the nearest tree, pronto.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

Eranti notices that the mules, up until this point silently asleep, have now been roused by the commotion. They begin to bray frantically and tug at their lines.

Zadreck's hand begins to blister from holding the hot burning wood, but he manages to toss it in front of the lead bear. Whether the reaction is unfavorable is up to him to judge. The burning brand hits the ground with a thud and a shower of sparks. The bears balk momentarily, then the lead stands up on its hind legs and bellows at Zadreck.

OOC: I guess Zadreck has never gone camping. Pffft, paladins...

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti cowers at the bear's challenge, and looks in askance of the spellcasters, perhaps their arts can attend to the situation. He also slowly walks to the mules' location, attempting to calm them. At the same time, he happens to catch a whiff of dried meat and his eyes widen considerably. He frantically digs in the packs for the ham Zadreck had placed there earlier. Finally finding it, he holds it aloft before the bears enticingly. You'd like this ham, wouldn't you? he says as soothingly as possible. He attempts to stay out of reach of the bears, but moves to the edge of the campsite. From there, he throws the ham deep out into the wilderness.

Provided that Eranti has time to do all this before someone stops him, has a different plan, or the bears attempt to maul him. If the latter happens, he will, um...cry.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

The lead bear stares Eranti down and licks its muzzle. When he tosses the ham, it flies a few yards and gets tangled in a branch. One of the bears goes up to the tree and begins gnawing on the salty treat.

The lead bear shambles up to Eranti, it whuffles, stands on its hind legs once again, and brings its forepaws down in a vicious swipe...

[Wiz]

Nevar

Wakes and stands, waving his hands in an arcane gesture and tossing something into the air.

Cast Color Spray, try to catch all 3 bears in it if possible (sans the bear going after the meat).

[Severedevil]

Canran

Blinking into full wakefulness, Canran stares in confusion at the boldness of the bears. "Aren't they supposed to be scared of us?" he demands of Zadreck. "Shouldn't you be able to scare them away?!"

Raising his voice, Canran shouts at the bears in an angry tenor. "Aren't you supposed to be afraid of us?" he points his finger accusatorily. "Aren't you supposed to run away?"

If the bears do not retreat, Canran will withdraw the thunderstone he purchased earlier and look for something to throw it against. If he can find no hard surfaces to safely break the stone against, he will run up to the lead bear and smash the thunderstone with his fist.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti, now quite terrified, will take any available opportunity (bear distraction due to loud things and bright flashes) to hide in a bush somewhere, provided he is still alive after the bear swipes at him. He tried his best with the ham, but rogueish tricks seem to be of no avail here.

If the party decides to fight the bears, Eranti will try to grab his crossbow and snipe from the bushes.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

As the situation grows worse by the second, Zadreck decides to interfere more directly, as per Canran's suggestion. Averting his eyes from Nevar's colorful spell, he draws his greatsword and moves towards the nearest bear that doesn't look blinded, stunned, or worse.

The paladin takes a deep breath, and - while training a fierce stare on the creature - he bellows out as primal a roar as he can muster.

Intimidate check (+3).

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

Before anything can be done, aside from Eranti's cowering, the lead bear smashes down upon the pack. It tears through the cloth and gives each item a tenative taste.

The three remaining bears are washed over by the dazzling lights of Nevar's spell. The lead bear completely ignores it, being wholly engrossed in the pack. Only one seems to be affected by the spell at all. It stands rigid and looks off into the distance long after the colors have faded away. The third bear looks at Zadreck, and promptly destroys the nearest pack.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

The paladin raises a curious eyebrow, but then stands down and takes a step back. Although he shares a crooked grin with his companions, he mentally double-checks to make sure nothing of value was in those sacks...

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti hides in a bush, or continues to hide in a bush if he was already hiding in a bush.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

As long as the bears are provoked no further, they will mangle the packs that they have, sniff around, then leave. No more damage than the loss of a bit of material wealth. Of course, if you are feeling lucky, you could attack...

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard stands, watching his companions and the bears.

Since nobody is acting, I suppose I shouldn't either...

Material wealth is one thing... vital stuff is another. Let me know if more than half my food stores are destroyed... if they are we may need to get some bear meat (well cooked... I don't want trichanosis).

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

The bears finish mutilating the packs, but do not go on to mutilate the party. They finally make off with 8 trail rations, and destroy some of the contents of the packs. Zadreck's lantern has been severly dented (halve the listed illumination) and his tindertwigs were gnawed on heavily (must be the herbs alchemists use). Eranti fares slightly better, with only his single torch unaccounted for, and half of his rope slighly frayed (25ft are full load, but using the full 50ft incurs a 1/4 penalty)

The four bears having either been magically dazed, or satiated, decide to part ways with the party. They disappear into the brush as suddenly as they came upon the party, falling out of earshot within moments.

OOC: Don't worry, I'll keep track of the penalties.

Also, speaking of penalties, I still do not have a corrected sheet for either Canran or Nevar. If you don't get a new sheet to me some time soon, I might get angry when I need to look something up. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry :smallbiggrin:. I can't access the profiler at all, so you need to find some way to recover or redo them. No need to put up the backstory, I know who your characters are, just the crunch if you will.

[Severedevil]

Canran

Clutching his bear-scarer in his little hands, Canran watches the bears attack the saddlebags nervously. So long as they don't hurt anyone, he's not inclined to try to run them off with a thunderstone.

After the hazardous creatures depart, the little goblin looks to his comrades. "Maybe we should go back to sleep?" he suggests, staying near to the campfire. "We can't get back the stuff they took anyway, and it's... well, it's too dark to see much."

If the night proceeds quietly from here on, Canran will ask Diana for several castings of Mending to repair their abused equipment.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

"Well," Zadreck remarks with a slight grin, "That's enough excitement for me in one night. I believe it was time to change the watch anyway."

With that, the paladin looks for a spot to spread out his bedroll, hoping to spend the rest of the night in a more peaceful manner.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

It's my watch, and I'm too awake now to go right back to sleep anyway. Perhaps I should put up a sign for other marauding woodland creatures to the effect that we're fresh out of stock. While the others bed down again, Eranti gathers the tatters of the packs and assorted belongings together and bundles them up securely, then takes his place for the rest of his watch.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

Eranti and the rest of the party each take a turn at their watch. Nevar and Canran each perform their respective rituals to replenish their mind and spirit. Through the night you sleep peacefully, with no further ursine interruptions. Whatever wounds you had heal over, and the weariness of travel has left you. The dawn greets the world with warming tendrils of fire. It is a new day and the road stretches before you.

[Severedevil]

Canran

Put off by the invasion of the party's supplies, Canran grumbles to himself as he examines the wreckage, and uses his powers to repair whatever bags and packs he can. (Cast Mending three times.)

Once finished, he looks up at any comrades available. "Well, that's what I can do." he declares. "Let's keep going? I'd like to not be executed," the little goblin rubs his neck, "it's bad for the back."

"And probably the front, too..." Canran adds to no one in particular, re-attatching his pans to the back of his pack.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

Canran manages to take the dings out of the lantern and put the shredded pack back into working order. However, the rope is beyond any simple repair. It looks as if you should either discard the frayed end, or risk putting a load on it.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti yawns, stretches, goes about hiding his dagger in his clothes, and picks up his newly mended pack. It's just like new, only lighter, because there's no food. He sighs, and finds the frayed rope, wherever it lay, and cuts off the chewed end reluctantly. Poor mules, he says whimsically in their direction, Caught in a net trap, spooked by bears...I wouldn't wonder if they became very anxious animals indeed after this adventure of ours, if they make it that long. Eranti, now prepared to depart, takes his spot and heads out when the others are ready.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

Zadreck inspects his lantern for a while, and nods approvingly at the goblin's handiwork. He gently rubs the now-fixed dents before storing it in his backpack.

"You're right about the mules," he says to Fence. "Maybe we should move them more towards the back whenever we're traveling. That way they won't be so much in the thick of things, should we run into trouble."

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard looks thoughtful. "If you wish, I can lead both mules."

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

The party moves steadily along the road for the better part of the day. You encounter nothing out of the ordinary, and everything seems to be going along smoothly. Even the heavens seem to smile down upon you, but this shining weather is less enjoyable as you come into the deeper woods.

The trees, which before had been sparse enough to let in the sky, now form a leafy tunnel. The path is unchanged, but seems more substantial now. The undergrowth is now verging on overgrowth. Whomever it is that maintains the road must be very diligent indeed.

Still, there is no indication of a hostile presence, human or otherwise. The forest is alive with activity, but all of said activity seems to stem from the antics of small, herbivorous creatures. You feel compelled to press onward into the forest.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

You press on into the forest. You walk on for many hours, and the sun begins to sink once again. Everything seems to be going smoothly, but for one small niggling detail. The road now takes a hard bend to the east, a direction decidedly out of your way. It would seem that the road goes around the more dense regions of forest. However, according to your instructions, you must go into those places.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti frowns, bewildered. I suspect we have a problem, gentlemen. Any clues, magical or otherwise? Eranti begins searching the area of the path's bending diligently.

Taking 20 for a check result of 27

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

Eranti is unable to uncover any clues in his search of the ground. As he searches the party starts looking off to the distant west. Seems that the rest of the party has heard something that he missed by scuffing around among the trees.

Everyone except Eranti hears some kind of distant whooping and general commotion in the direction of the thicker woods.

OOC: Sorry, rolled a 1 for listen.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

Frowning, Zadreck peers into the dense forest, and back to the muddy trail.
"I don't think we'll accomplish much by following this path any further. It seems to head into a completely different direction from here on out."

With a strange look in his eyes, he lets his gaze wander, as if looking for something.
"Is it just me or do I hear something out there?"

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard considers the situation. "I am not an outdoorsman to any great extent. Does anyone feel they could lead us where we need to go should we leave the path?"

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

The noises continue as the party discusses their plan of action. As they stand at the side of the road, some of the party begins to notice more distinct noises. Once again, Eranti seems to be left out of the loop. Everyone else hears the occasional word amongst the commotion. Canran recognizes the words to be uttered in the language of the goblin-folk.

[Severedevil]

Canran

Canran frowns at the instructions. "Those trees look like danger. If we have enough time, I really want to go around them." The little greenskin looks at his feet. "I'm not so good at trailblazing. I can do a little, but not as much as Diana wants me to."

Canran licks his upper lip, concentrating on the sounds in the woods. "I hear it too." he agrees with Zadreck, and strains to pick out more details.

He perks up in surprise. "I think they're speaking goblin!" His face falls slightly. "That could be bad. They might not like you guys, or they might not like me." Canran's thought process picks up speed. "We might have to talk quickly. Or run quickly. You can't run quickly." he notes, indicating the paladin's armor. "That's okay. I can talk quickly." His hand goes to his collarbone. "Holy symbols. Does anybody have a symbol of Magubliyet? You'll want to take off other symbols. Most goblins like Magubliyet, and he doesn't like the nice gods much."

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti abruptly straightens up and joins the rest of the group, discontinuing his fruitless search among the foliage. He strains once, focusing intently on the sounds, trying to make out any of the speech the others can hear. I don't have any holy symbols, Canran, just a pointy stick, if you think that might be useful as well. Eranti pulls his rapier out of its sheath in advance this time, to avoid blundering about with it in a pinch.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

OOC:So off into the woods are we?

As you grow nearer, the sounds intensify. Canran is able to distinguish a few more words, but less than he should. It's almost as if the speakers are slurring everything they say, it must be some dialect with which he is unfamiliar. At this point it would be very hard not to find the goblins.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

The paladin nods at Canran's suggestion and stores his holy symbol into his backpack for now.
Quietly, he heads deeper into the forest, approaching what he assumes will be a goblin camp. At the same time, he keeps his eyes open, in case these goblins have ill intent.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti whispers Hang on, gentlemen, let me have a look first, discreetly. Barring some exception from his friends, Eranti creeps forward into the forest to get a closer look at the goblins (presumably) up ahead.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard watches the Eranti move off into the woods and waits.

[Severedevil]

Canran

Canran's brow furrows as the mangled words reach his pointed goblin ears. "They're speaking funny." He tilts his head. "Must be some kind of forest goblin. That probably should've been obvious."

He nods agreeably to Eranti, glad to let someone else do the dangerous sneaking. "Be careful," Canran advises quietly, "Goblins run quicker than you."

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

Eranti creeps along in the underbrush, his small agile strides deftly manouvering through the tangle of branches and leaf matter. After a short walk he realizes that it wouldn't matter how much noise he makes. Nor does being spotted seem to be an issue either.

He is now observing a troup of a dozen or so goblins who now assemble about a roaring fire. There are a few casks of an unidentified liquid a bit away from the fire, and a good deal of empty containers littering the forest floor. Eranti is well hidden, but it wouldn't matter because the goblins seem to have both literally and figuratively drank themselves blind. The noise you heard was not the chanting of a warband or a raging battle, but rather the cacophony of a rowdy forest romp.

Some of the goblins are engaged in what seems to be a game of chance. There is a sizable pile of coins by which at any given time there is a seperate commotion unfolding. Some form of game piece is tossed and then the pile will grow or shrink. The players quickly move on to either drinking or eating from the roasting meat that is impaled on sticks by the fire. They are quickly replaced by the next set, so the game goes on perpetually.

None of the goblins have noticed the presence of Eranti. The sun hangs low, but there should be more than enough daylight for the rest of the party to arrive at the clearing.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti returns quietly to the others, with a puzzled look on his face. He explains what he saw. I guess they're trying to set up a tavern of some kind, but it's quite a strange location.

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

The paladin doesn't know what to make of Eranti's story, so he goes to see for himself what the fuss is all about, making sure to remain at a considerable distance. Once there, he takes a look at the goblin encampment before turning back to his companions, clearly unsure of what to do.

"So, what do you think we should do? Do any of you think they would accept visitors to their camp? "

OOC: How hungry/sleepy are we?

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

OOC: You could stand to be up for a few more hours.

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard looks thoughtful. "I don't know much about begging for goblin hospitality... did anyone see what kind of meat they were eating?"

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

OOC: The meat looked decidedly rodent in origin, and wholly unappetizing, except to a goblin pallete.

[Severedevil]

Canran

Canran chews lightly on his fingernail. "'I'd rather keep away, an' not have to deal with then at all. They might be trouble... there's more of them than us." The little goblin frowns in contemplation, allowing his right cheek to rest on his foreknuckles. "But I think we have to go past them, and they might take it badly if we don't say hello." He shrugs helplessly. "Maybe they'll be friendly and show us how to go. We're not good enough foresters to sneak around."

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard looks thoughtful, "Well, the only way we could overcome them with any ease would be to attack by surprise. I don't think that we are that kind of people, so we should go around."

[Freshmeat]

Zadreck Ysaron

"I agree with Nevar. It looks like we've still got enough supplies for at least a few more days, and finding our way around shouldn't be that difficult.
it's probably best not to risk anything and simply go around their camp."

[Severedevil]

Canran

"Very well." the little goblin nods gravely. "Try to remember which way's north, though. I don't want to get lost."

Shouldering his backpack, Canran begins the trek through the forest, but stops after a few steps. "Maybe you should lead." he suggests, looking to Eranti. "I think you're better at sneaking."

"Probably listening, too." he adds thoughtfully. "Halfling ears."

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

It is getting dark. The forest now seems more sinister, malevolent even. Roots and thorns seem to find their way around your feet. The very ground fights for each step you take, and several times the mules are mired in small patches of mud. A few hard miles later, and the sun has fully set. It is too dark in the dense canopy to catch a glimpse of the moon and sky, let alone pick a path through the darkened sentinels that tower above you. This is truly the deep forest now, not the cultivated woodland closer to the city. There is no path other than the one you create, and not a soul, aside from the goblins, to call out to.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti sighs, feeling quite hapless. Perhaps we should find a clearing and call it a night, gentlemen. Might be a good idea to tie up our edibles this time, as well. Doubtless the forest will at least seem a little more friendly in the morning.

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard chuckles, "Indeed. Nature has seen fit to teach this town lad a lesson about the outdoors." After an appropriate campsite is located, he takes care of his mule, sets up his bedroll, and ties his food in a bag which he hangs off a high branch.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

The party manages to sleep and recuperate themselves without anything nasty befalling you. The dawn greets you through the trees, which do seem a bit less daunting now. However, you are still on a deadline, and have only the vaguest idea as to your destination. The forest is calm and quiet, only the ambient sounds of birds and small creatures can be heard. Whatever the goblins had been up to before, they have now ceased their activities.

Canran, whilst on watch, heard the sounds fade around 4am. The goblins did not seem to move away though, so they must have settled down for the night.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti looks around, worriedly. I think we should go...that way. But I'm not sure at all. These woods are very confusing to someone my size.

Eranti makes a survival check? I rolled a 19, -1 would be 18, if I get to do the rolling for it.

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

Eranti decides that the best path lies deeper into the woods, in a roughly northwesterly direction. His instincts do not lead him astray, and you encounter a small deer track after about an hour of travel. At this point the woods are definately at their densest. As you continue onward, the loose canopy tightens to form a natural roof. The deer path snakes its way in between increasingly larger trees, and just barely allows each of you to move without getting caught in the underbrush. The sunlight of the new day barely penetrates the thick branches, and the world is given a shadowy cast.

[Severedevil]

Canran

Though still nervous, Canran feels mostly better in the morning, with the sun shining and his orisons refreshed. "Lead us on!" he advises Eranti, in slightly-forced good cheer. "Maybe Diana's shown you the way."

The goblin's cheer turns genuine when the halfling finds a deer track. "She really is looking out for us. It's funny that we'd get the Moon Goddess's intervention during the day, though." He frowns thoughtfully. "Maybe at night she's busy being the moon?"

[Wiz]

Nevar

Nevar chuckles, "I never turn down the assistance of the gods, despite any conundrums they involve. The fact is, more often than not, the gods like their assistance to be confusing to mortals. Keeps us on our toes."

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

The path is rather pleasant, after your eyes adjust. There is an abundance of strange mosses and low hanging creepers. Zadreck even catches a glimpse of some manner of fae creature in between the trees. As he turns back for a second glance, he hears a faint giggling, and there is nothing to see.

Canran however, sees something concrete. A group of goblins stand blinking at the party. They don't seem to know quite what to do.

OOC: Initiative for surprise round: Zadreck, Eranti, Nevar, Canran.

[obliged_salmon]

Eranti

Eranti attempts to pull his rapier out of its sheath without looking too ridiculous. Much to his chagrine, he fails, completely. On the plus side, he manages to have the weapon pointed in the right direction by the end. Goblins, stay back if you value your lives! He yells in his best goblin dialect.

rolled a 6 for intimidate check. Couldn't hurt, I guess.

[Wiz]

Nevar

Nevar looks up into the trees, surprised.

Initiative: [roll0]

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

OOC: You misunderstand. The party managed to get the drop on the goblins, I already rolled your initiative.

[Wiz]

Nevar

The wizard raises his hands as in preparation for an incantation.

Hold action to see what they do.

[Severedevil]

Canran

Canran's teeth clatter together nervously for a moment, and then he appears calm. "Hello, friends!" he waves. "We're going to the other side of the forest. Can you tell us the way?"

[Alebeard_Thunderax]

The goblins look puzzled for a moment, and chatter urgently amongst themselves. Canran manages to catch the words 'priest' and 'reinforcements' a few times, otherwise he cannot make out much. There are several furtive glances toward the paladin, who to the goblins must seem an iron-covered juggernaut. It is unclear whether they are hostile or fearful, but one thing is certain, Canran's presence is an asset. After a moment more of deliberation, one of the goblins steps forward. The only distinguishing feature about him is that his gear seems to be in better condition that that of his fellows. You can acertain that he is a leader of sorts for this little band.

He speaks in a dialect that Canran is unfamiliar with, but has no problem translating, "You are a priest, you come to look at the work? We go after deserters. Did you see them, they stole much Thudrud." At this he gestures down the road back toward the goblins you had avoided.