Portal to D&D IC - Thundercracker

[Thundercracker]

You travel for several hours and find that the only thing interesting is that about the time the sun starts to dip in the sky and you grow genuinely hungry, you spot several tempting berry bushes that appear to have been deliberately cultivated in raised beds right next to the path. An open area with a small fire pit is located next to the berries.

Inspect the berries, and the pit, and look around for any others in the area, detect magic and invisible. if it’s nothing out of the ordinary or obviously poisonous, she will give thanks to the Mother for providing the bounty, then eat enough to be satiated, and if there are enough, leave some for whomever might come after.

She’ll the continue on the path, assuming she’s not interrupted.

[Rizban]

Inspect
Blessed Dewberries

You eat a small handful and find that your hunger and thirst are satiated, but you don't really feel like you had a good meal. You could live off them but wouldn't particularly enjoy it. They seem to make a reasonable trail food.

You bypass the obvious camp ground and continue down the trail. You make it almost another hour before the sun has fully set, putting you about two miles further down the trail. The light has faded to the point that your speed will drop considerably while continuing to follow the trail without wandering off of it. You may continue, but you'll only be moving at about 1/3 your normal speed without a source of light.

[Thundercracker]

Inspect
Blessed Dewberries

You eat a small handful and find that your hunger and thirst are satiated, but you don't really feel like you had a good meal. You could live off them but wouldn't particularly enjoy it. They seem to make a reasonable trail food.

You bypass the obvious camp ground and continue down the trail. You make it almost another hour before the sun has fully set, putting you about two miles further down the trail. The light has faded to the point that your speed will drop considerably while continuing to follow the trail without wandering off of it. You may continue, but you'll only be moving at about 1/3 your normal speed without a source of light.

Arelyn has dark vision thanks to her see the unseen invocation, so she’s confident she could continue if she wanted, but she’s starting to get tired after walking the whole day so she backtracks to the camp ground to sleep for the evening. When she wakes up (assuming nothing happens and she’s still alone), she’ll eat a few more berries then continue on.

[Rizban]

The moonless night leaves the forest shrouded in the dim light of distant stars. You can see well enough within 60 feet of you thanks to your darkvision, but your lack of low-light vision or a light source means you can't see more than the trail immediately in front of you before it becomes too dark to distinguish anything but the vague blurs that you assume to be trees.

You hear the howling of wolves in the distance as you slowly make your way back to the campsite. It takes over an hour to make it back, because you can't see well enough to be confident moving at full speed.

You make it back to the campsite and try to rest, but the sounds of large animals moving in the woods nearby prevents you from falling asleep.

Eventually, the sounds of predators in the night fade away when the sky starts to lighten as the sun starts to rise.

You find yourself fatigued.

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn eats some more berries and decides to rest at the campsite until she’s no longer fatigued, then continues on the trail to see where it leads.

[Rizban]

Your unflappable determination to get to the end of this path is respectable; however, you do start to wonder a bit if your unwavering focus on the destination might mean that you're missing out on the journey...

You rest a few hours and resume walking. You walk throughout the day, noting nothing of interest. The path is still there, after all. As the sun begins to sink low to grant the world rest, you see a break in the trees ahead. The undergrowth grows heavier, but the trail widens before ending completely just as it exits the forest.

Approaching slowly, you find yourself standing on the edge of gently rolling plains. About a quarter mile from the edge of the forest, you see the beginnings of cultivated fields. The nearest ones appear to be some sort of grain.

What appears to be a dirt road—one not nearly as nice as the forest path—travels from where you stand through the middle of the nearby fields before cresting a low hill in the distance. Just beyond the hill, you can several wispy trails of smoke rising in the evening light.

[Thundercracker]

Uh oh.

While it was good she'd _finally_ found a settlement, Arelyn had been looking for where that elven priestess might have gone, but she doubted she came all this way.

She debated pushing on towards the town, then decided to take a quick look for any fruits orchards that might be growing nearby that she could snag some food from.

Spoiler

Show

spot: (1d20+4)[17]

If she sees some, she'll take a few back to the trail and eat them there, assuming she can do so without being seen.
If not, she'll backtrack to the campsite on her way back to the grove. On the way, she keeps an eye out for the moon, to judge how long she has before her first change.

[Rizban]

Two full days of travel later while staring at the village in the distance, Arelyn suddenly remembers that the elf woman had said she was going to speak with you the following day... which was yesterday... and it's probably going to take you two days of travel to get back. You sure hope she isn't upset about you just wandering off for so long...

You look around, but you see only grains and some sort of vegetables, though nothing that appears ready for harvest. Perhaps a Survival check could help you find edible food.

If you wish to push through the night to return to the campsite, then you'll need to make Concentration checks every hour to make the Forced March. It will take at least 8 hours to get back, though the limited visibility of darkvision, fatigue, and a lack of food and water may make it more difficult and take longer.

The moon has not yet risen, so you don't know when it will happen...

[Thundercracker]

Survival (1d20)[4]

Arelyn realizes she will need to find some water before she heads back, and looks around for some food and water first. If she doesn’t find any, she’ll head towards the town.

[Rizban]

You find nothing to fill your belly or slake your thirst.

You trudge along the muddy road, managing to make it the quarter mile to the hill. As you crest the hill, the settlement on the other side comes into view.



As you approach, you receive a popup.

Entered Settlement
You have entered the Thorp of Littlegate.

Achievement: Discovered Civilization
You have discovered the Settlement of Littlegate. Gain 10 experience.

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn makes her way into the village and tries to recall what she can about the village.

Geography: (1d20+2)[5]
Local: (1d20+3)[4]

She’ll keep her eyes open for a well, or other source of water, or a tavern. If she sees anyone out and about she’ll stop and greet them.

[Rizban]

It's a village... or maybe a town. People probably live there.

Let's face it, you spent your time marketing the big, flashy parts of the game that drew people in and convinced them to part with their hard-earned money. Farmville may be popular, but sleepy little farming hamlets like this didn't really appeal to the big spenders. When you did actually play, you were so busy pushing the limits of what you could do and rushing toward end game content that you never paid much attention to the towns, unless there was a quest marker.

You don't see any obvious quest markers, so you're honestly not even sure if the town is anything more than just fancy terrain.

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn heads into the town proper. She’ll look for a water source, be it a well, a tavern, or a jug set out to catch rain. She’ll also take note of what types of buildings there are, whether they’re private dwellings or some kind of business like a tavern or an inn or a grocer.

Her goal here was to stock up with enough supplies to make it back to the grove. The only thing she really had to trade was charges from her belt, but hopefully that would be enough for food and water and maybe a backpack.

[Rizban]

As you approach the town, the sky darkens as sun begins to sink below the horizon. It's already bee behind the tree line for a good 30 minutes, but true night is now starting to fall. You've seen no workers in the fields, assuming that they headed home hours ago, but you do spot a pair of old men sitting in wooden rocking chairs on the porch of the nearest building. They've been staring at you for several minutes as you approached the settlement.

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn made her way to the two old men.

“Hello!” she said as she got within speaking distance, “thank goodness I found someone, I’ve been wandering around the forest for days.”

“I’m sorry,” she said as she stopped in front of them, “do you have any water? I’m near parched.”

[Rizban]

The one on the left sniffs, clears his throat, and spits over the railing to the side.

"Pub's that a way." He points a thumb further into town.

"A'yep," replies the other with a sage nod.

[Thundercracker]

“Thank you,” Arelyn replied, “also, I have some magical healing, is anyone in town injured that you know of?”

[Rizban]

"Nope, prolly not."

"A'yep."

[Thundercracker]

"Nope, prolly not."

"A'yep."

“Okay, thank you,” Arelyn said. She followed their direction and tried to find the pub.

[Rizban]

They both make a noncommittal sound and resume staring off into the distance while slowly rocking in their chairs.

You pass two or three of people on the road as they make their way home for the night. They glance at you and quickly look away and pick up the pace, obviously skittish around the strange outsider at this time of evening.

You find yourself standing outside of the second largest building in town. A wooden sign hangs from a pole over the door with a picture of a large strawberry with a dagger stabbed through it, a crimson liquid dripping from the tip of the dagger. Though the sign has no words, the faint smell of cheap alcohol wafting from the open windows lets you know that this is the place.

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn does a quick look around to see if she can figure out where the pub gets their water from. If she spies some, she'll help herself, otherwise she'll enter.

[Rizban]

You do not see any signs that read, "PUB WATER SOURCE," or anything similar. There is a nearby horse trough though, if you really want to drink from it.

[Thundercracker]

You do not see any signs that read, "PUB WATER SOURCE," or anything similar. There is a nearby horse trough though, if you really want to drink from it.

Arelyn thinks the trough is a last resort, but decides to try her luck inside the pub first.

[Rizban]

Spoiler: The Lethal Strawberry

Show

Inside is dark and rank with the musk of unwashed farmhands. A handful of tables with benches are tossed in haphazardly wherever they'll fit.

Several of what appear to be local farmers are gathered together drinking. They give you a cursory glance as you enter but quickly start ignoring you.

Along the right wall is a solid wood bar, once lovingly polished, it's now stained with one too many spilled drinks.

A portly barkeep stands behind it, idly polishing a stein with a dirty rag that smudges the grime around more than it seems to wipe it away.

"Welcome. What I get for you uh... lass?"

[Thundercracker]

"Hi, I'm just looking to pass through, and I'm in need of food and water before I head on my way. Unfortunately I don't have any coin, but I can offer healing magic in trade, or, maybe do some cleaning or work in payment," Arelyn said.

Spoiler

Show

diplomacy: (1d20+1)[6](6)

[Rizban]

His nose crinkles as he tries to suppress a sneer of disgust.

"I don't do charity, and I don't hire. Come back when you have coin."

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn turns to the farmhands and anyone else in the room.

“Does anyone here know anyone who needs magical healing? I just need some water and a good meal, or enough coin I can purchase it,” she said loudly.

Diplomacy: (1d20)[9]
If nobody responds:

“Or point to the nearest well or stream and I’ll get the water on my own, and I’ll be on my way,” she said.