A Tale of Two Orphans — IC

Post by **Fialova** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 2:52 pm

"Hmph, very well," replies Cormic skeptically. He does not fully trust the knights' words, but has grown sick of talking to the group. Clearly one of them had it out for him, but he cannot fully tell who is trustworthy or not. He will just have to watch them more closely from now on.

Zara does not fully grasp the situation at hand, but clearly it had been heated and she is glad that, whatever it was, it was over now. Guess it must not have been too important. When Valc and Drake tell their guide to lead on, she quickly finishes packing up her things and finally joins the group, just in time to leave.

* * *

The group once more wanders through the dense trees and underbrush of the Senshenk Woods, searching for any clues to lead to the missing Wellesly children or the witch. However, as with yesterday there is little to find, and to make matters worse there is a thick fog that descends on the forest early on in the day and sticks around for hours.

[SHOW]: Some of the things you have passed by recently seem very familiar, enough so that you suspect you have gone in a circle, or at least have passed through this area before.

kalis5 · Post by **kalis5** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 4:38 pm

As Rorin and the others realize they might be having some trouble navigating the fog, he pauses in step for a moment.
"Hang on... I feel like we've been here before. That or the fog's thick enough that we're having a sense of deja vu... Can we stop for a moment and get our bearings before we go trying to find the witch?"
He looks at the others for a moment, waiting for a response.

Post by **ratwizard** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 4:55 pm

"Hold on, here... I know I've seen this area before. Not sure if it was an hour or two ago, but I definitely have. Cormic, is it possible that you're leading us in a circle?" Valc, still bothered by the morning's events, is in sort of a pushy mood. "What kind of guide leads somebody in a full circle? Do you even know where we've been walking this past few hours?" Valc sighs, exasperated. It's probably more likely that this witch will find us far before we find her.

Post by **Scratcherclaw** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:05 pm

Caelen grumbles silently to himself as Rorin works himself out of this situation. He played them like a fiddle. I don't trust him one bit. He'll get what's coming for him eventually. He follows the guide onward, glancing at Rorin from time to time, as such a suspicious character who could weasel himself out of that was clearly not to be trusted. Not only did he lie to Cormic, he lied to his companions as well.

* * *

With a thick fog now blanketing the forest, Caelen pays more attention to his surroundings rather than the conniving man. As the group passes familiar objects, he grows increasingly worried that they've taken a wrong turn and went in a loop. Speaking to the group rather than Rorin—who Caelen is still angry at for lying and then lying himself out of the situation— he says, "I swear we've passed th-that peculiar tree stump before. I'm with Valc. Are you leading us the right way?" He hopes Cormic isn't getting revenge on the group for the morning's situation by leading them astray.

Post by **Fialova** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:41 pm

A bit flustered, both at the situation and at being called out on his error, Cormic bites back, "look, I ain't no damn Cyrus, ok? Not like it's easy to find trails in the fog, and we are already out further than I normally come as it is." He picks up the pace a bit, trying to make up some for lost time from the mishap. Eventually he gets somewhat of a bearing on his surroundings and turns a direction he knows they had not gone in yet. "See? This way is new," he says, "damn fog."

The party continues on in the new direction for awhile, no one noticing any familiar terrain anymore. Cormic tries to see over the fairly low fog as best as he can, keeping his neck high and occasionally standing on his tiptoes to peer off as far as the fog will allow. As he is walking ahead of the group, not paying attention to the ground beneath his feet, the woodsman suddenly stumbles and falls over something. "What the-"

"A corpse," Zara chimes in, having spotted the object shortly before Cormic clumsily tripped over it. "You didn't smell it a ways back? It reeks." She walks over and helps the man off his feet before getting a closer look at the body. "I am surprised it has not animated like the ones that attacked us, it looks pretty fresh and the fog is certainly making this area dark enough."

Post by **ratwizard** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 6:22 pm

Valc scowls when Cormic makes excuses for his incompetency. "Cyrus? Who is Cyrus?" He asks, annoyed at the man and confused by his reference. Maybe we should have had the elf lead. We might have gotten there faster.

As the group comes across the fresh body, something feels off to Valc. His hand slips to the pommel of his bastard sword, still in its sheath. "Zara, perhaps you should perform your rights on this one. I wouldn't like to encounter any more undead while we're out here in the fog. And the prospect of this being a fresh body is troubling. We should proceed with great caution."

kalis5 · Post by **kalis5** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 6:58 pm

Rorin draws his dagger as he approaches the corpse, not trusting it. It's off. It feels wrong. At the same time, he bends down and softly nudges its pockets, seeing if there's anything inside them as he examines the corpse. He wants to know exactly what could have killed it. Maybe that'll give them some clues.

[SHOW]: Perception Check: 1d20+6=16

Post by **Scratcherclaw** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 7:12 pm

Caelen jumps back upon seeing the rotting body, both frightened and overwhelmed by the putrescent odor. "It's n-not g-g-going to come alive w-with us right here, i-is it?" he asks Zara, hoping for the answer he wants. "D-do the rite before it d-does." He hadn't been too afraid of the undead creatures the night before as they had no mystery or suspense to them. This creature could spring to life at any moment, though, as far as Caelen knows. He listens to Valc's suggestion of caution and nods in agreement. A body doesn't just appear in the woods like this... He watches in disgust as Rorin examines and touches the body. That's sick. That's a dead man. Are you into that kind of thing or something?

Post by **Fialova** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 7:13 pm

[SHOW]: The pockets do not contain much: a half-eaten and now stale piece of bread, a few copper coins, a seemingly-unused dagger, and a piece of parchment. The parchment is the only real thing of note, possessing a broken wax seal and some writing that Rorin cannot seem to read. The seal imprinted into the wax looks something like this, and the same symbol (albeit more stylized) can be found in the bottom right corner of the parchment itself after the other text.

kalis5 · Post by **kalis5** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 7:34 pm

Rorin looks over the parchment for a few moments, eyeing the script with interest, trying to figure out what it could mean before rolling it up.
"Wellesly. Damn. This guy's not getting up again. He must have been part of the original search party trying to find his kids. He's got an unused dagger, so it's likely he was killed by surprise... The seal's open on this... But if it does belong to Wellesly, why the mysterious writing?... Hm... This could be arcane writing for all I know. Definitely not common, or Tulrissian for that matter. Anyone wanna give it a shot reading it?"
He pulls the dagger out as well, running his fingers over it to see how sharp it is and if it's of any use to him after handing the scroll over to the rest of the group.

Post by **PureZaros** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 9:30 pm

"Ooh! Goody," Embla says as she notices the body. "Fluffy always appreciates a mid-morning snack."

Realising that most everyone's attention was on Rorin now, she turned to hear him describing the letter he held. Holding out her hand, she motioned to him. "Let me try to read it."

Post by **Fialova** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 9:32 pm

[SHOW]: Embla has no better luck than Rorin at reading the letter, meaning it isn't written in Dwarven either.

Post by **PureZaros** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 9:40 pm

"Hm. Definitely a shopping list... Leather straps, a dozen eggs, thread, fourteen smooth marbles, and half a goat's head." Rolling her eyes to the sky, she held out the paper to the group at large. "Anyone else want to try?"

Post by **ratwizard** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 9:06 am

Valc recognizes the Wellesly seal at the bottom of the letter, but like Rorin, cannot understand the written words on the letter. "Looks foreign to me." He passes it to the rest of his allies, in hopes they will be able to translate.

Post by **Scratcherclaw** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 2:05 pm

Caelen grabs the cryptic parchment from Valc and examines it. Although he only only knows Common and Tulrissian, growing up in an Elven settlement brought him in contact with enough Elven to recognize it, if he remembers it. "Let's take a look here..." he says to himself.

Remembering Elven characters clearly now, he can tell this is not the language of his ancestors. "Not Elven." He hands it off to the next companion.

[SHOW]: History check: 20(1d20) -1 = 19

Post by **Namelessjake** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 2:10 pm

Drake watches as a few of his companions try to read the letter, to no avail. "I only know Common and Tulrissian, but I suspect, given the country's current circumstances, that it could be Imardanian. Seems the most likely to me anyway." He says, glancing at the meaningless symbols on the page. "Anyone know Imardanian? He asks, looking at the members of the group yet to look at the letter.

Post by **Fialova** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 2:37 pm

"I do," Zara says, as she takes the letter from whoever currently has it. It only takes her a moment to know the answer to Drake's inquiry. "And it is most certainly Imardanian, good guess." With the language no longer in question, she looks the note over more carefully before reading aloud its contents:

"Take them deep into the woods, do not let anyone see you. Make sure they are kept safe, or I will make sure the rest of your short life is miserable. A messenger will arrive in a week with further instructions and payment."

"That's all it says, though there is the seal at the bottom." Hm, it looks like we may be headed into a trap. She looks the body over for any wounds but sees no signs of physical harm. "I am not sure what killed this man, but I think it'd be best if we put him to rest soon."

Post by **ratwizard** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 5:00 pm

Valc is clearly bothered by the contents of the Imardanian letter. It had Wellesly's seal on it, but its motive seemed to counter what the man's intentions were. "Could it be possible that Wellesly sent his children here under his own volition? I don't understand what this means. Or am I following this wrong?"

Post by **Namelessjake** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 5:05 pm

"The forest wouldn't be a bad place to keep people you love safe from an invading army. A sacking isn't the kindest place to be if a city falls." Drake adds to Valc's theory. "At least without a witch about." He continues, nodding in the direction of the dead body. "What ever happened, it doesn't change why we're here. We should deal with the body properly and keep moving." He says, more appreciative of Zara's profession since the fight in the clearing the night before.

kalis5 · Post by **kalis5** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 5:11 pm

Rorin eyes the dagger in his hands, pondering it for a moment.
"... Looks like the witch got him posing as the courier. Best I can tell at least. He didn't use the dagger, so he was either ambushed really well and given absolutely no time to react. Or he knew the person that ambushed him. I was right not to trust Wellesly either way. This guy shouldn't have mattered. Even if he died from the other courier, Wellesly doesn't seem like the guy that would give a damn. He doesn't have his payment either, before you guys ask, otherwise he'd have more than a few copper on him. Either way, the witch does have the children. Let's see if we can't find her and get some answers."

Post by **ratwizard** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 5:26 pm

"Hold on, Rorin. If he was killed by the witch, maybe we can get some sort of read based on any magical wounds or such that this man sustained." Valc uses his boot to roll the body to the side, inspecting the corpse. "He doesn't seem to be stabbed or bludgeoned anywhere obvious. Embla, I know you're somewhat of a savant with the arcane arts. Can you check the corpse to see if there's anything of interest? I read in a history book of some sort of high-wizard finding out who had killed one of his apprentices based on the magical remnants left from the murderer's signature spell. Rorin thinks that the witch did this poor fellow in, and I'm thinking along the same lines."

Post by **PureZaros** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 5:55 pm

"Well, I suppose I could try."

Moving to stand over the dead body, Embla spread her arms out and closed her eyes. Opening her senses to the forest around her, she grasped around with her mind, searching for any faint wisps of past magic. She failed miserably. Opeining her eyes, she stood there for a moment. "Hmm."

She adjusted her footing, closed her eyes again, and reached once more for the strands of spellcraft that surely were even now whirling around them... and failed again.

"Mmm-nope. I'm not picking anything up around here."

[SHOW]: Arcana roll to see if the witch dun got 'im: 12

Post by **Namelessjake** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 6:04 pm

"Well we shouldn't rule it out, the witch could just be undetectable to you or something. I'm no expert." Drake says, disappointed that Embla had been unable to figure out what had happened to the dead man. "We should probably burn the body." He adds, thinking back to the night before in the clearing. "Right Zara?"

Post by **Fialova** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 6:33 pm

"Yes, that is best," the priestess responds as she steps up to the body. "If everyone is done with it, then allow me." Seeing no objections, Zara kneels besides the lifeless man and, placing her hands on his torso, begins muttering words under breath yet again. As the last word leaves her lips the body begins to sizzle and crack, starting from where her hand is placed and emanating outwards. The stench of burning flesh engulfs the area as the corpse is quickly reduced to nothing more than a pile of ash.

"There," she says, standing up once finished. "That will never rise to bother anyone now. Shall we get going, then?" she says, turning to Cormic who had kept quiet since they came across the body.

"Sure, sure, if you all are ready then let's get a move on." He seems a bit flustered, perhaps due to tripping and falling, or perhaps for some other reason - no one can really tell at the moment. Once again, the party begins to scour the fog-covered woods in search of any other clues to the witch's whereabouts.

[SHOW]: As you begin to move forward once more, you get the distinct feeling that something is watching the group. Occasionally you can swear that something is moving in the distance, but the thick fog prevents you from clearly seeing who or what it might be.

[SHOW]: Everyone roll initiative.

Zara Initiative: 21

[SHOW]

[SHOW]: A thick fog covers the forest:
* Enemies within 5 squares of you have concealment, and you take a -2 penalty to melee and ranged (not close or area) attacks against them.
* Enemies further than 5 squares of you have total concealment; you take a -5 penalty to melee and ranged (not close or area) attacks against them and they are invisible to you (meaning to even attack them, from range for example, you just have to guess where they are).

Tree trunks block line of sight and movement, and provide cover; any square that is all or mostly tree trunk is blocking terrain, and squares that are partially tree trunk are difficult terrain. (If you are not sure about a square, ask.)

*See pages 280 and 281 of PHB1 for more info on cover/concealment*

[SHOW]: You cannot yet see any enemies.

[SHOW]: Caelen (C, 23) HP: 24/24 Surges: 7/7 AP: 1/1 +1 to defenses from Fluffy
Drake (D, 20) HP: 31/31 Surges: 12/12 AP: 1/1
Embla (D, 22) HP: 26/26 Surges: 8/8 AP: 1/1 +1 to defenses from Fluffy
Rorin (D, 23) HP: 24/24 Surges: 7/7 AP: 1/1 +1 to defenses from Fluffy
Valc (C, 20) HP: 25/25 Surges: 8/8 AP: 1/1
Zara (C, 21) HP: 25/25 Surges: 8/8 AP: 1/1 +1 to defenses from Fluffy

Cormic (C, 19) HP: 22/22 Surges: 6/6 AP: 1/1
Fluffy (C, 22)HP: 13/13 grants +1 to defenses of adjacent allies.

Post by **Namelessjake** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 6:37 pm

[SHOW]: Drake Initiative: 9

Post by **PureZaros** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 6:40 pm

Stumbling through the fog, Embla misses a tree root in her path. Stepping on it, she catches her foot and falls flat on her face. "Oof!"

Picking herself up, Embla brushed herself off, completely oblivious to her surroundings, and unsheathed her staff to use as a walking stick.

[SHOW]: Fekin' 3!!

Post by **Scratcherclaw** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 6:49 pm

As Caelen walks, uneasiness overcomes him. Something, it seems, is observing the group from the depths of the fog. Remembering what happened the last time mysterious noises came from the unknown, he speaks up. "Um, g-guys. I feel as though we're being watched. I th-thought I heard something moving out there. W-we sh-should be careful. Something's lurking..."

[SHOW]: Caelen Initiative: 19(1d20) +5 = 24

Post by **ratwizard** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 11:07 pm

The fog seems to be getting to Valc, as he is having a hard time even keeping his allies in his sights as they trudge on through the rough visibility. Unsure of why the guide ignored his question, he asks again, a scowl on his face. "Cormic, you never answered my question. Who is this Cyrus you mentioned?" However, he can hardly make out the man through the fog, so getting a read on him is near impossible.

At the warning of the elf, Valc unsheathes his bastard sword, too uncomfortable with the earlier findings of the fresh corpse to be taken unawares. Despite his poor conditions with the fog, he is ready to act in case he needs to.

[SHOW]: Initiative: 1d20=2

Insight: 1d20=7

Free Trigger: Use Battlefront Shift. Valc shifts 2 squares to E19.

kalis5 · Post by **kalis5** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 10:40 am

Rorin eyes Cormic for a bit but dismisses it as him being flustered over having fallen. However, at Caelen's words of being watched, he draws his dagger and eyes the surrounding fog.
"Looks like we're about to find out what killed that man... Weapons out, circle up, we don't want to be hit from behind..."

[SHOW]: Insight against Cormic: 1d20+3=5
Initiative: 1d20+4=19
Oooh. I'm speedy as always.

Post by **Fialova** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 7:43 pm

Encounter 2

"Cyrus?" Cormics responds to the knight, only half paying attention as he tries to guide the group through the woods. "Oh, yeah. He is a legendary hunter and tracker, my idol really. Wasn't really think that a foreigner wouldn't know who he was, everyone in Garland knows the tale..." The woodsman trails off, becoming alert just as Caelen warns the group of his sighting.

"Yes, I saw it too, elf," he says as he draws his own bow. "And I don't care to stick around to see what it was, either." With that, he quickly makes his way to the nearest tree and skillfully climbs up it. "I'll be up here, you guys have fun," he whispers down, before crouching into a hidden position.

Go: Cormic, Caelen

[SHOW]: Valc: shifts

Enemies: roll initiative

Cormic Initiative: 30

Cormic: moves to (B, 19); athletics check to climb = 18. Success, climbs 3 squares into (A, 20) [altitude 3].
Stealth to hide: 21

[SHOW]

[SHOW]: A thick fog covers the forest:
* Enemies within 5 squares of you have concealment, and you take a -2 penalty to melee and ranged (not close or area) attacks against them.
* Enemies further than 5 squares of you have total concealment; you take a -5 penalty to melee and ranged (not close or area) attacks against them and they are invisible to you (meaning to even attack them, from range for example, you just have to guess where they are).

Tree trunks block line of sight and movement, and provide cover; any square that is all or mostly tree trunk is blocking terrain, and squares that are partially tree trunk are difficult terrain. (If you are not sure about a square, ask.)

*See pages 280 and 281 of PHB1 for more info on cover/concealment*

[SHOW]: You cannot yet see any enemies.

[SHOW]: 30 Cormic (C, 19) HP: 22/22 Surges: 6/6 AP: 1/1
26 Caelen (C, 23) HP: 24/24 Surges: 7/7 AP: 1/1 +1 to defenses from Fluffy
??
23 Zara (C, 21) HP: 25/25 Surges: 8/8 AP: 1/1 +1 to defenses from Fluffy
21 Rorin (D, 23) HP: 24/24 Surges: 7/7 AP: 1/1 +1 to defenses from Fluffy
??
11 Drake (D, 20) HP: 31/31 Surges: 12/12 AP: 1/1
??
5 Embla (D, 22) HP: 26/26 Surges: 8/8 AP: 1/1 +1 to defenses from Fluffy
4 Valc (E, 19) HP: 25/25 Surges: 8/8 AP: 1/1

Fluffy (C, 22)HP: 13/13 grants +1 to defenses of adjacent allies.

Post by **Scratcherclaw** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 8:42 pm

Caelen grabs his bow from his back and walks into the foggy oblivion, keeping a sharp lookout for whatever creatures were stalking the party. Suddenly, he sees a vicious wolf baring its razor-sharp teeth and growling at him. "N-n-n-nice d-doggy." Scared of what it may do to his fragile body, Caelen grabs two arrows and sends them spiraling through the air toward the canid, both striking the beast.

[SHOW]: Move to -B25

Minor: Hunter's Quarry on Wolf

Standard: Twin Strike on Wolf
Attack One: 9(1d20) +9 = 18 -2 = 16
Damage One: 7(1d10) +1 = 8
Attack Two: 10(1d20) +9 = 19 -2 = 17
Damage Two: 8(1d10) +3(1d6) +1 = 12