The wagon jolts as the horses toss their heads and increase their speed even further in a frenzy to escape the dreadful noise. Garret and Hanlin shout out, torn between holding the reins steady and trying to cover their ears. A few of the wolves whimper and whine, and the largest peels off, returning to the hills. The others slow down, and then turn to follow the first. The wagon continues to thunder down the road, a few snowflakes beginning to fall through the air, with the sounds of mournful howling fading behind the wagon and its passengers.
Still early into her hike up the mountain, Marion hears a dreadful piercing sound echoing through the hills. She looks back down, and from her vantage she can see that in the valley stretching out below her a wagon drawn by two horses is careening around a turn in the road. In a few minutes, it will likely be passing the point where Marion and Lady Kasores had left the road for the mountain path.
It's hard to tell with the acoustics of the valley, but the wagon seems the likely origin of the terrible noise.
A high-pitched whine from ahead interrupts Joren and Ashley's conversation with Daerwul. "What in the-!" Daerwul exclaims as the two horses go wide-eyed and rear up in panic.
Ashley:
Ashley, give me a DEX saving throw
DC 10 to stay on the horse
DC 5 to not take damage in the fall
Below a five, take 3 bludgeoning damage
Joren:
If you are walking again, you can make a DEX save to catch either Ashley or Daerwul if they get thrown
DC 10 you catch them and if they would have taken damage, they don't
DC 15 you catch the reins of their horse in the process
If you are still on the horse,
DC 15 to keep Daerwul from being thrown (if he fails his save)
Ashley soon finds herself enjoying her travel companions and they go through the valley. At one point, she looks behind to check on Joren and his progress and sees, what, two of him? and then boom, he's right back at the horses. "What trickery is this?? Ha! I thought I was the one with tricks! Do tell, Joren, how do you control such magic?"
As the horses go wild from the high-pitched sound, she tries her best to hold on and grabs for the mane..
Seeing the wolves falling away and retreating, Samir turns the dreadful little contraption off, the sound ending with a squeak. Singing heavily, he pulls himself back into his spot in the corner of the cart, smiling sheepishly at Malachi as he does.
"Sorry about the noise, um. I just didn't want to hurt them if we didn't have to."
Malachi turned at the first howl, searching for the wolves at the source of the eerie noise, then falls back into the wagon bed as it lurches forward, picking up speed. He grabs onto the wagon with both hands as he peers over the edge, but his attention is quickly drawn to Samir as he starts fidgeting with his contraption. “What in the name of..”
Mal claps his hands over his ears as the rest is drowned out by the high, screaming sound. He feels a brief crawling presence in the back of his mind displaying irritation, but it is quickly gone and he is relieved to see the wolves turn back from the wagon. He shouts forward to the driver "Whoa, take it easy, the wolves are gone. You can slow down now."
He looks over at Samir as he apologizes for the noise “That’s alright. Never apologize for doing what needs done. That was impressive work, especially in the back of a bouncing wagon. Now what was that contraption, is that the type of business you are in?”
Upon receiving the blessing of their Goddess that Lady Kasores has bestowed upon her, Marion cannot help but close her eyes as she takes a moment to feel the presence of the Blue Lady settle upon her. Opening her eyes as Lady Kasores dons her helmet and begins to depart Marion simply nods her thanks, before tracing a line from her belly up to her chest with her index finger and then clenching her fist, a gesture known as the sign of the rose within the Order. "Word of my deeds in the Lady's name shall herald such a day." she says as Lady Kasores rides back down the path.
Turning back towards the mountains Marion gazes up at them once more for a moment, before re-examining her travel pack to ensure all is secured before setting off up the path. A short while later she stops to have a drink from her water skin when she hears the awful sound echoing from down in the valley. As Marion gazes down and sees the wagon, which appears to be the source of the troubling noise, her hand subconsciously moves to the hilt of her longsword, while she tries to determine if the wagon, which appears to be moving rather quickly, is in trouble or not.
"Wow!" Hanlin exclaims as he watches the wolves retreat into the distance. He uncovers his ears. "That's some talent ye've got there, Samir." Garret grunts as he gets the horses back under control and slowed down to a trot, "Yeah, that's twice now ya done us a favour with that tinkerin' o' yours. Tell ya what, Why'nt ya go ahead and grab another of those cloaks there. It'll do ye good ta have a spare. An' just in time too." He points up ahead where a path branches off and heads up into the foothills.
"Tha's yer stop up there," Garret says. Hanlin chimes in saying, "An' how 'bout you, Mal? Where we lettin' you off?"
Training her eyes and ears on the scene below, Marion soon hears the howls of wolves layered behind the shrill screech coming from the wagon, though she doesn't see any come round the bend in pursuit. She scans her own surroundings quickly, determining that she's not at threat of an ambush herself. Looking back to the wagon, she hears the shrill sound abrubtly cut out as the wagon begins to slow. Watching for a few more moments, it seems whoever is leading the wagon considers the threat to be over.
The snowflakes are beginning to get bigger and more frequent where Marion is now, and she is high enough that there are starting to be patches of snow scattered about.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Random check to see if Joren is mounted or not at time of noise, d4, 1 or 2 = echo-marching, 3 or 4 = riding double with Daerwul: 3 Dex save regardless: 7
Random check to see if Joren is mounted or not at time of noise, d4, 1 or 2 = echo-marching, 3 or 4 = riding double with Daerwul: 1 Dex save regardless: 12
Joren, getting a bit tired and focusing on the discipline of his "echo-marching," is then immediately annoyed with himself at being startled by the shrill, unnatural noise. Losing my composure at the slightest sound is not a good soldier making!
He does manage to steady himself and catch Daerwul as the bearded half-elf tumbles from the rearing horse, but misses in his lunging, one-handed attempt to snag the reins of Daerwul's horse. His eyes widen slightly in appreciation as he sees Ashley easily maintain her seat. A good lass indeed.
(Prior to that, in answer to Ashley's question about his echo): "My lady - the echo. Seeming like magic yes, but not being exactly. Though the theory of it I never stayed long enough to be fully understanding. Some soldiers of my... of the Khirian dynasty are learning this discipline, though I am not mastering it yet. Having to do with alternate timelines, it does, not learned magic as wizards are having, nor nature's magic as druids are using, nor even divine or intrinsic magic as you may be channeling within you, perhaps? I can be sharing more later once I am catching my breath," he allows ruefully, just before the shrill sound. (See above).
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Relaxing her posture and releasing the hilt of her sword Marion shakes her head in frustration at the distraction from her path. Noting the increasing amounts of snow she turns back towards the mountains and continues her journey, renewing her determination and striding swiftly and with purpose.
After a few a couple of minutes she comes to a stop, turning back to look down into the valley. The words of Sir Ennerd Echo through her thoughts: “Do not be quick to draw conclusions Marion. The world is a complex place, sometimes those who appear to have the situation in hand are barely managing to get by.”.
Scolding herself she turns about and begins to walk back down where she came from, continuing to keep a careful eye on the situation below as goes.
Samir seems almost to shrink under the attention, despite a small smile of enjoyment for the appreciation.
"Oh, um, thank you. That... that was just something impromptu. See using a few different types of metals with opposing metamagical properties and setting them to spin in opposite..." He trails off, sensing that he was quickly approaching another long winded explanation of something no one else understood (or cared to).
"Business? Oh, well no. See my parents are merchants back home, and the issues at the coast have been causing them some worry. I'm going to see what I can do to help them out, maybe find new shipping arrangements perhaps. They're watchmakers, see."
Samir turns to Garret, nodding gratefully. "Thank you Garret, your generosity is deeply appreciated."
As they approach the point of his shift to traveling on foot, Samir begins gathering his things and readying himself to go. Two of the heavy cloaks disappear into his satchel, somehow seeming to fit without altering the look of the bag at all. The oblong leather case from before is quickly slung around his torso on a buckled strap to ride at his left hip, opposite of his satchel.
"I can't thank you both enough for the ride. Surely you have given me an excellent start on this journey!"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Malachi gives Samir a bemused grin as he begins to explain his tinkering then stops. “Well, impromptu or not, it was still very impressive. Trouble on the coast, eh? There is a lot of that going around, or so I hear. Watchmaking? Interesting, there is a market for high-end craftsmanship, I am sure that you can find something.”
As Garret and Hanlin ask about his final stop, Mal realizes he doesn’t have one and figures this spot is as good as any other. “This works for me as well, thanks” Mal glances over at Samir “You don’t mind having some company on this trip, do you?”
He shoulders his hastily packed pack and glances up at the sky at the falling snow. “Garret, those cloaks do look warm. Fine craftsmanship and thick wool, I can tell they are a labor of love.” He gives an embarrassed smile and empties his jacket pocket displaying a single gold piece. “But I am afraid that I am ill prepared and am down to my last coin. A weak price to pay for a ride and a cloak, I know. But alas, it is all I can offer at the moment. Can we strike a deal?”
Garret drums his fingers in thought at Malachi's offer. He looks to Hanlin, who simply shrugs.
"Tell ya what, for 1 gold piece, we'll lend ya the cloak. So be sure to make it over that mountain in one piece, ya hear?" He looks Malachi up and down one last time, taking in the worn down soles, the weathered clothes, and the pack that is awfully light for a self-professed businessman. He absently touches a dagger tattoo on his arm that Mal now notices is covering a scar. Garret says just loud enough for Mal to hear, "I knew a couple once. Often found themselves in trouble, and one day realized they had to run. Ran a long way, and got pretty desperate, but they found a place to make a new life. To start fresh." The country twang has slipped from his voice. "I hope you find what you're looking for. And that when you find it, you don't let it go. You don't screw it up."
He straightens up and tosses Mal a cloak. Then with a snap of the reins, the horses start carrying the wagon away from Samir, Malachi, and the path toward the Shield Pass. Hanlin waves back, and then they are gone around the next hill.
Daerwul topples back off the horse, his fall arrested by one of Joren's broad arms. The impact doesn't even knock Joren back a step, though it slows him down enough that the horses reins slip by as he tries to grab them. The horse whinnies an bucks a few times before it calms down, the noise having since stopped.
Ashley, on the other hand, was able to press forward against the horse's back and hold on tight, staying in her saddle. With reins in hand, she is quickly able to get the horse relatively calm again.
"Thanks," Daerwul says, standing on his own feet again, looking a little shaken and a little embarrassed. "What in the name was that sound!?"
Joren has never heard anything quite like the noise. It wasn't like any animal noise he was familiar with, nor did it quite sound like a sword tearing through plate mail. All he can say with confidence is that it came from up the road somewhere, perhaps around a couple bends. It's then that Joren notices the wolves. He only sees two, up on a low hill by a copse of trees. Their bodies are pointed north-ish, but their heads are now looking over their shoulders at the trio and their horses. Howls come from up ahead.
"Damn it," says Daerwul, noticing them too. "Perhaps we'll get lucky and they will keep their distance."
"I am not knowing the nature of that sound, and not hoping to hurt innocent animals seeking food. But..."
Assuming the wolves are over 40' away, Joren moves his echo 30' away from himself, between his group and the wolves.
"... also not hoping for any of us or the horses to become this food they are seeking."
He suggests that the three of them lead the horses forward on foot along the path at a normal walking pace, not towards the wolves and not looking threateningly at the wolves. But not running away either. His echo matches their movement, staying 30' away, always between the wolves and the group, also not looking directly at the wolves.
He will of course listen if Ashley or Daerwul would prefer to do something else.
Samir:
Give me an INT check plus proficiency for your tools (+6 in total I believe)
DC: 20 for the best effect
Intelligence + Proficiency: 25
Samir and Malachi:
The wagon jolts as the horses toss their heads and increase their speed even further in a frenzy to escape the dreadful noise. Garret and Hanlin shout out, torn between holding the reins steady and trying to cover their ears. A few of the wolves whimper and whine, and the largest peels off, returning to the hills. The others slow down, and then turn to follow the first. The wagon continues to thunder down the road, a few snowflakes beginning to fall through the air, with the sounds of mournful howling fading behind the wagon and its passengers.
Marion
Still early into her hike up the mountain, Marion hears a dreadful piercing sound echoing through the hills. She looks back down, and from her vantage she can see that in the valley stretching out below her a wagon drawn by two horses is careening around a turn in the road. In a few minutes, it will likely be passing the point where Marion and Lady Kasores had left the road for the mountain path.
It's hard to tell with the acoustics of the valley, but the wagon seems the likely origin of the terrible noise.
Joren and Ashley
A high-pitched whine from ahead interrupts Joren and Ashley's conversation with Daerwul. "What in the-!" Daerwul exclaims as the two horses go wide-eyed and rear up in panic.
Ashley:
Ashley, give me a DEX saving throw
Joren:
If you are walking again, you can make a DEX save to catch either Ashley or Daerwul if they get thrown
If you are still on the horse,
Daerwul's DEX save: 4
Ashley soon finds herself enjoying her travel companions and they go through the valley. At one point, she looks behind to check on Joren and his progress and sees, what, two of him? and then boom, he's right back at the horses. "What trickery is this?? Ha! I thought I was the one with tricks! Do tell, Joren, how do you control such magic?"
As the horses go wild from the high-pitched sound, she tries her best to hold on and grabs for the mane..
DEX save 16
Seeing the wolves falling away and retreating, Samir turns the dreadful little contraption off, the sound ending with a squeak. Singing heavily, he pulls himself back into his spot in the corner of the cart, smiling sheepishly at Malachi as he does.
"Sorry about the noise, um. I just didn't want to hurt them if we didn't have to."
Malachi turned at the first howl, searching for the wolves at the source of the eerie noise, then falls back into the wagon bed as it lurches forward, picking up speed. He grabs onto the wagon with both hands as he peers over the edge, but his attention is quickly drawn to Samir as he starts fidgeting with his contraption. “What in the name of..”
Mal claps his hands over his ears as the rest is drowned out by the high, screaming sound. He feels a brief crawling presence in the back of his mind displaying irritation, but it is quickly gone and he is relieved to see the wolves turn back from the wagon. He shouts forward to the driver "Whoa, take it easy, the wolves are gone. You can slow down now."
He looks over at Samir as he apologizes for the noise “That’s alright. Never apologize for doing what needs done. That was impressive work, especially in the back of a bouncing wagon. Now what was that contraption, is that the type of business you are in?”
Upon receiving the blessing of their Goddess that Lady Kasores has bestowed upon her, Marion cannot help but close her eyes as she takes a moment to feel the presence of the Blue Lady settle upon her. Opening her eyes as Lady Kasores dons her helmet and begins to depart Marion simply nods her thanks, before tracing a line from her belly up to her chest with her index finger and then clenching her fist, a gesture known as the sign of the rose within the Order. "Word of my deeds in the Lady's name shall herald such a day." she says as Lady Kasores rides back down the path.
Turning back towards the mountains Marion gazes up at them once more for a moment, before re-examining her travel pack to ensure all is secured before setting off up the path. A short while later she stops to have a drink from her water skin when she hears the awful sound echoing from down in the valley. As Marion gazes down and sees the wagon, which appears to be the source of the troubling noise, her hand subconsciously moves to the hilt of her longsword, while she tries to determine if the wagon, which appears to be moving rather quickly, is in trouble or not.
perception: 19
Samir and Malachi:
"Wow!" Hanlin exclaims as he watches the wolves retreat into the distance. He uncovers his ears. "That's some talent ye've got there, Samir." Garret grunts as he gets the horses back under control and slowed down to a trot, "Yeah, that's twice now ya done us a favour with that tinkerin' o' yours. Tell ya what, Why'nt ya go ahead and grab another of those cloaks there. It'll do ye good ta have a spare. An' just in time too." He points up ahead where a path branches off and heads up into the foothills.
"Tha's yer stop up there," Garret says. Hanlin chimes in saying, "An' how 'bout you, Mal? Where we lettin' you off?"
Marion:
Training her eyes and ears on the scene below, Marion soon hears the howls of wolves layered behind the shrill screech coming from the wagon, though she doesn't see any come round the bend in pursuit. She scans her own surroundings quickly, determining that she's not at threat of an ambush herself. Looking back to the wagon, she hears the shrill sound abrubtly cut out as the wagon begins to slow. Watching for a few more moments, it seems whoever is leading the wagon considers the threat to be over.
The snowflakes are beginning to get bigger and more frequent where Marion is now, and she is high enough that there are starting to be patches of snow scattered about.
Random check to see if Joren is mounted or not at time of noise, d4, 1 or 2 = echo-marching, 3 or 4 = riding double with Daerwul: 3
Dex save regardless: 7
Inge(Barbarian2): Krayveneer's After the Fall | Seri(Cleric1/Sorcerer1): Uhtred's Windward Isles | Xarian(Fighter1): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Nivi(Rogue4): Raiketsu's CoS
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Toa(Barbarian6/Fighter4): MrWhisker's Dark Lord's Return
Joren, getting a bit tired and focusing on the discipline of his "echo-marching," is then immediately annoyed with himself at being startled by the shrill, unnatural noise. Losing my composure at the slightest sound is not a good soldier making!
He does manage to steady himself and catch Daerwul as the bearded half-elf tumbles from the rearing horse, but misses in his lunging, one-handed attempt to snag the reins of Daerwul's horse. His eyes widen slightly in appreciation as he sees Ashley easily maintain her seat. A good lass indeed.
(Prior to that, in answer to Ashley's question about his echo): "My lady - the echo. Seeming like magic yes, but not being exactly. Though the theory of it I never stayed long enough to be fully understanding. Some soldiers of my... of the Khirian dynasty are learning this discipline, though I am not mastering it yet. Having to do with alternate timelines, it does, not learned magic as wizards are having, nor nature's magic as druids are using, nor even divine or intrinsic magic as you may be channeling within you, perhaps? I can be sharing more later once I am catching my breath," he allows ruefully, just before the shrill sound. (See above).
Inge(Barbarian2): Krayveneer's After the Fall | Seri(Cleric1/Sorcerer1): Uhtred's Windward Isles | Xarian(Fighter1): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Nivi(Rogue4): Raiketsu's CoS
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Toa(Barbarian6/Fighter4): MrWhisker's Dark Lord's Return
Also for Joren, Perception check to see what is around and ahead, perhaps the source of the sound: 15
Inge(Barbarian2): Krayveneer's After the Fall | Seri(Cleric1/Sorcerer1): Uhtred's Windward Isles | Xarian(Fighter1): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Nivi(Rogue4): Raiketsu's CoS
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Toa(Barbarian6/Fighter4): MrWhisker's Dark Lord's Return
Relaxing her posture and releasing the hilt of her sword Marion shakes her head in frustration at the distraction from her path. Noting the increasing amounts of snow she turns back towards the mountains and continues her journey, renewing her determination and striding swiftly and with purpose.
After a few a couple of minutes she comes to a stop, turning back to look down into the valley. The words of Sir Ennerd Echo through her thoughts: “Do not be quick to draw conclusions Marion. The world is a complex place, sometimes those who appear to have the situation in hand are barely managing to get by.”.
Scolding herself she turns about and begins to walk back down where she came from, continuing to keep a careful eye on the situation below as goes.
Just in case it is still needed!
perception: 12
Samir seems almost to shrink under the attention, despite a small smile of enjoyment for the appreciation.
"Oh, um, thank you. That... that was just something impromptu. See using a few different types of metals with opposing metamagical properties and setting them to spin in opposite..." He trails off, sensing that he was quickly approaching another long winded explanation of something no one else understood (or cared to).
"Business? Oh, well no. See my parents are merchants back home, and the issues at the coast have been causing them some worry. I'm going to see what I can do to help them out, maybe find new shipping arrangements perhaps. They're watchmakers, see."
Samir turns to Garret, nodding gratefully. "Thank you Garret, your generosity is deeply appreciated."
As they approach the point of his shift to traveling on foot, Samir begins gathering his things and readying himself to go. Two of the heavy cloaks disappear into his satchel, somehow seeming to fit without altering the look of the bag at all. The oblong leather case from before is quickly slung around his torso on a buckled strap to ride at his left hip, opposite of his satchel.
"I can't thank you both enough for the ride. Surely you have given me an excellent start on this journey!"
Malachi gives Samir a bemused grin as he begins to explain his tinkering then stops. “Well, impromptu or not, it was still very impressive. Trouble on the coast, eh? There is a lot of that going around, or so I hear. Watchmaking? Interesting, there is a market for high-end craftsmanship, I am sure that you can find something.”
As Garret and Hanlin ask about his final stop, Mal realizes he doesn’t have one and figures this spot is as good as any other. “This works for me as well, thanks” Mal glances over at Samir “You don’t mind having some company on this trip, do you?”
He shoulders his hastily packed pack and glances up at the sky at the falling snow. “Garret, those cloaks do look warm. Fine craftsmanship and thick wool, I can tell they are a labor of love.” He gives an embarrassed smile and empties his jacket pocket displaying a single gold piece. “But I am afraid that I am ill prepared and am down to my last coin. A weak price to pay for a ride and a cloak, I know. But alas, it is all I can offer at the moment. Can we strike a deal?”
Persuasion for the price: 10.
Samir and Malachi
Garret drums his fingers in thought at Malachi's offer. He looks to Hanlin, who simply shrugs.
"Tell ya what, for 1 gold piece, we'll lend ya the cloak. So be sure to make it over that mountain in one piece, ya hear?" He looks Malachi up and down one last time, taking in the worn down soles, the weathered clothes, and the pack that is awfully light for a self-professed businessman. He absently touches a dagger tattoo on his arm that Mal now notices is covering a scar. Garret says just loud enough for Mal to hear, "I knew a couple once. Often found themselves in trouble, and one day realized they had to run. Ran a long way, and got pretty desperate, but they found a place to make a new life. To start fresh." The country twang has slipped from his voice. "I hope you find what you're looking for. And that when you find it, you don't let it go. You don't screw it up."
He straightens up and tosses Mal a cloak. Then with a snap of the reins, the horses start carrying the wagon away from Samir, Malachi, and the path toward the Shield Pass. Hanlin waves back, and then they are gone around the next hill.
Ashley and Joren:
Daerwul topples back off the horse, his fall arrested by one of Joren's broad arms. The impact doesn't even knock Joren back a step, though it slows him down enough that the horses reins slip by as he tries to grab them. The horse whinnies an bucks a few times before it calms down, the noise having since stopped.
Ashley, on the other hand, was able to press forward against the horse's back and hold on tight, staying in her saddle. With reins in hand, she is quickly able to get the horse relatively calm again.
"Thanks," Daerwul says, standing on his own feet again, looking a little shaken and a little embarrassed. "What in the name was that sound!?"
Joren has never heard anything quite like the noise. It wasn't like any animal noise he was familiar with, nor did it quite sound like a sword tearing through plate mail. All he can say with confidence is that it came from up the road somewhere, perhaps around a couple bends. It's then that Joren notices the wolves. He only sees two, up on a low hill by a copse of trees. Their bodies are pointed north-ish, but their heads are now looking over their shoulders at the trio and their horses. Howls come from up ahead.
"Damn it," says Daerwul, noticing them too. "Perhaps we'll get lucky and they will keep their distance."
"I am not knowing the nature of that sound, and not hoping to hurt innocent animals seeking food. But..."
Assuming the wolves are over 40' away, Joren moves his echo 30' away from himself, between his group and the wolves.
"... also not hoping for any of us or the horses to become this food they are seeking."
He suggests that the three of them lead the horses forward on foot along the path at a normal walking pace, not towards the wolves and not looking threateningly at the wolves. But not running away either. His echo matches their movement, staying 30' away, always between the wolves and the group, also not looking directly at the wolves.
He will of course listen if Ashley or Daerwul would prefer to do something else.
Inge(Barbarian2): Krayveneer's After the Fall | Seri(Cleric1/Sorcerer1): Uhtred's Windward Isles | Xarian(Fighter1): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Nivi(Rogue4): Raiketsu's CoS
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Toa(Barbarian6/Fighter4): MrWhisker's Dark Lord's Return