"We may arouse suspicion leaving the road, plus it might take longer."
'Blade nods, showing little care either way. To the observant, it is apparent that the regimented half-orc is merely carrying out behaviours ingrained during his training and day-to-day life as a soldier. Looking over this other more than capable looking half-orc warrior with an appraising eye, the taciturn Blade merely says,'
(The halfling would have informed you that you should reach your destination shortly after nightfall.)
You move along the road down towards Fort Reckoning, nothing catching your eye that seems to matter. You cross paths with several sets of travelers but they do little more than offering a nod before continuing on their way, away from the fighting to the south where you are headed. You are probably only a few hours before the fort when you hear the faint sound of fire crackling on the road ahead of you. On the trees beside the road around the bend in the road for the hill, you see the light from a rather small fire dancing along the trees, though what is burning is not entirely clear.
As you turn in the road it becomes clear by the tattered banner planted into the ground that it had been a Disfavored caravan, one wagon laying on its side while another one has a fire slowly dying. Several remains of smashed crates and bodies of Disfavored strewn about the battlefield mark it clear as day for a successful rebel attack. Leaning against the side of the overturned cart a Disfavored recruit holds onto a gaping wound in his gut.
'Without even meaning to, Blade raises a hand to forestall anyone rushing in, as he crouches down while notching an arrow. The half-orc looks to the party's scout, Vik, and nods pointedly towards the nearby trees, while the soldier studies the recent battlefield for any signs of danger to his unit. Only after his scan for signs of a waiting ambush or other potential dangers will he move to interrogate the injured survivor, though he'll leave the talking to the Corporal.'
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
Vassa Sunstar (half-drow bard) - Waterdeep Dragonheist DM Ghosts of a Forgotten Land DM Beyond the Bitter Shore DM Echos of a Burning Crown
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Drake follows Blades reaction and hunkers down. He gets close enough to the injured recruit to send some of his innate magic to help heal a little, but he is careful to stay alert: perception - 14
He motions to the others to search the area as he circles to the right and crosses around the burning wagon with care.
"We're not a charity unit."Allison speaks up with an almost defiant tone. She looks sharply at the wounded soldier. "What happened here, recruit? Speak quickly."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PbP characters: Allison Adrova - Reign of the Dragon King Delilah Thorne - Eidolons of Eramyth Melody Velias (Spy) - Power Trip
Vik notches and arrow, then looks back to the group. He see's Blade's signal.
He'll take a quick look around the area to see if he notices any hiding enemies in the trees ahead. perception14
If he doesn't notice anyone, as stealthily as possible, he will split off from the group to take position amongst the trees on the side of the road, to give them cover. stealth24
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Lorahzt readies her shield and warhammer, suddenly alert and wary (well, more wary) of their surroundings. Rather than look for rebels in the trees, Lorahzt will take a few steps towards the carnage (going no farther than 20 ft from the others) and attempt to discern how long ago the caravan was raided, her shield raised and ready to defend herself at a moment's notice.
"One of ours, helping isn't charity. The dead don't speak and I'd like answers." Tibark grunts, working in a group was always different with soldier types.
You spot nothing and are relatively confident that any rebels have already been long gone. The investigation points to the caravan of six wagons traveling towards the Bastard City. Rebels attacked from both sides and caught most of the troops unaware. Wagon wheels travel back down the path awhile before going off the road away from the trees.
The soldier nods to Allison "Of course, ma'am. In the first volley, Captain Valen was struck with 4 arrows and went down. They engaged us in melee and through superior numbers overwhelmed us, I fell unconscious and woke up sometime after they left. Holding my wound hoping someone would come along. We did not know their numbers beforehand and were assured they were poorly organized. But this ambush was well thought out, they have likely taken most of the supplies and materials back to camp." The man speaks in pained breaths, moving to allow the healing to work on him.
You spot nothing and are relatively confident that any rebels have already been long gone. The investigation points to the caravan of six wagons traveling towards the Bastard City. Rebels attacked from both sides and caught most of the troops unaware. Wagon wheels travel back down the path awhile before going off the road away from the trees.
The soldier nods to Allison "Of course, ma'am. In the first volley, Captain Valen was struck with 4 arrows and went down. They engaged us in melee and through superior numbers overwhelmed us, I fell unconscious and woke up sometime after they left. Holding my wound hoping someone would come along. We did not know their numbers beforehand and were assured they were poorly organized. But this ambush was well thought out, they have likely taken most of the supplies and materials back to camp." The man speaks in pained breaths, moving to allow the healing to work on him.
'Blade nods as he sees the others spread out taking different positions around the ambush site, most performing useful actions with little or no prompting. This could work, the grizzled soldier thinks to himself. Perhaps...
Standing at the right shoulder of the corporal, the half-orc's intense gazes never leaves the soldier's face as he speaks. When the wounded man finishes speaking, Blade merely asks,'
"Numbers? Mounted? Spell casters? A leader?"
'At the other half-orc's mention of supplies, Blade looks around to see if any of the regiment's horses survived and were left behind.'
[OOC] insight check on the wounded soldier to discern if he's telling the whole truth or possibly leaving anything out: 15
Another perception check as he looks around the ambush sight for horses: 12
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
Vassa Sunstar (half-drow bard) - Waterdeep Dragonheist DM Ghosts of a Forgotten Land DM Beyond the Bitter Shore DM Echos of a Burning Crown
Lorahzt nods as she looks around at the carnage. "Looks like he's telling the truth, see how the ground's all churned up? Lot of people fought here. And over there, the wagon tracks! Whatever supplies and horses survived the ambush were probably carted off to some hideaway or the other. If I had to guess, they've probably long since moved on. As for things left behind..." She glances doubtfully at the scattered and smashed crates and the two damaged wagons, "Call it a hunch, but I don't think the rebels are ones to waste good supplies. They'd probably take anything of value just to spite us, if nothing else. Speaking of which," the drow moves towards the nearest Disfavored corpse, giving it a once-over, then squats down next to it and shifts him over to get a better look, "Did they take the time to loot our dead? Even if they were here in great numbers, you'd think they'd want to move quickly..." She wrinkles her nose at the stench, but perseveres in her search. In particular, she's looking to see whether or not the dead man before her has his full kit (armor, weapons, equipment, etc.) and baubles, or if he was just left where he fell.
Once he's sure there is no ambush, Vik will move forward to join his companions.
Vik will let the others talk. The rest would doing a good job, but he's found sometimes it's good to add a friendly face to the mix. He takes out his waterskin from his pack. "Let's give him a minute to catch his breath. Here, drink this." Vik sits down near him and hands him the waterskin. " I'm Jared. What's your name, solider?" After he drinks and tells him his name, Vik will ask "You said you were assured that the rebels were not organized. Who was it that assured you? Do you know where the rebel camp could be?"
"In the first volley, Captain Valen was struck with 4 arrows and went down."
"Which corpse is your captain?"
'Blade will dispassionately search the captain's body for anything of note, in particular searching for any papers or other intell. This body was once an accomplished soldier of the Disfavored... but now it is just meat, as are the rest of the dead here. Regardless of whether or not Blade finds anything, the soldier will calmly say,'
"We should move on. Corporal?"
[OOC] investigation check to search the captain's body: 5
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
Vassa Sunstar (half-drow bard) - Waterdeep Dragonheist DM Ghosts of a Forgotten Land DM Beyond the Bitter Shore DM Echos of a Burning Crown
"I do think we should head out soon, but it's not unlikely that the rebels are already aware of our presence, so we'll have to proceed cautiously. Let's let the recruit finish answering our questions, then we can decide how to proceed."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PbP characters: Allison Adrova - Reign of the Dragon King Delilah Thorne - Eidolons of Eramyth Melody Velias (Spy) - Power Trip
"I do think we should head out soon, but it's not unlikely that the rebels are already aware of our presence, so we'll have to proceed cautiously. Let's let the recruit finish answering our questions, then we can decide how to proceed."
'Having searched the dead captain, Blade walks back over to where the corporal and others are interrogating the survivor, saying,'
"No orders or other intel on the captain. If they'll hit Disfavored this close to the city, they're bold enough to hit us.'
Blade merely nods at the corporal's words, standing behind Allison's right shoulder as he surveys the surrounding area alertly, longbow and notched arrow in hand.'
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
Vassa Sunstar (half-drow bard) - Waterdeep Dragonheist DM Ghosts of a Forgotten Land DM Beyond the Bitter Shore DM Echos of a Burning Crown
The soldier shakes his head no at the first question. "Not that I know of sir." Turning to face Blade he appears to be thinking for a moment. "They were many, at least 10 I would say, sir. None mounted, no offensive spellcasters either. As for a leader I could not tell you, it was well organized so I would think so, but I did not see him, sir." Looking around only a couple of dead draft horses are nearby. The rest either stolen or ran off. As he looks around for the body it takes him a little bit, the man is furthest to the front, signs of his body had fallen off the wagon, then ran over as the rebel forces turn the horses back as they would return to their camp. You spend a bit of time searching the man and you are unable to find the papers where you would generally expect them to be. As far as you can tell the man as told you the truth as best he knows it.
"I am very sorry my good man. This is truly a tragedy. May we assist you or go with you to the Fort, it is not far. What is your choice?" Drake speaks to the youth and then surveys the area. "I agree with Blade and Allison, we should proceed as quickly as possible. We should avoid as many of these kinds of entanglements as possible."
Vik will repeat his question to the solider. "You said you were assured that the rebels were not organized. Who was it that assured you? Do you know where the rebel camp could be?"
To the rest of the group, outside of earshot of the solider. "While I agree haste is important, this was a well organized attack. How did they know about the caravan? Do we want to see what information they might have at there camp? This could be pertinent to our investigation."
Drake stops and listens to Vik. "Do you believe you have the skills to track this group of outlaws? I agree that we could potentially help this area a great deal and possibly gain information important to our cause if we find them and put a stop to this kind of tragedy. I agree to follow you for a time to see if the trail looks promising. But if nothing turns up quickly I suggest we continue on with out duties to Fort Reckoning. This is indeed an opportunity to shine but we must be realistic."
"I am very sorry my good man. This is truly a tragedy. May we assist you or go with you to the Fort, it is not far. What is your choice?" Drake speaks to the youth and then surveys the area. "I agree with Blade and Allison, we should proceed as quickly as possible. We should avoid as many of these kinds of entanglements as possible."
'Blade arch's one of his thick eyebrows at anyone calling the deaths of soldiers in battle against their enemies a tragedy, for this was what soldiers did. They killed and died as needed. It was thier very purpose. The soldier nods slightly as the man suggests avoiding peripheral entanglements.'
Vik will repeat his question to the solider. "You said you were assured that the rebels were not organized. Who was it that assured you? Do you know where the rebel camp could be?"
To the rest of the group, outside of earshot of the solider. "While I agree haste is important, this was a well organized attack. How did they know about the caravan? Do we want to see what information they might have at there camp? This could be pertinent to our investigation."
'Blade notes the changling's insistance and turns to listen to the wounded man's response, though his heavy brows furrow slighly at any prospect of any non-essential delay to their mission.'
Drake stops and listens to Vik. "Do you believe you have the skills to track this group of outlaws? I agree that we could potentially help this area a great deal and possibly gain information important to our cause if we find them and put a stop to this kind of tragedy. I agree to follow you for a time to see if the trail looks promising. But if nothing turns up quickly I suggest we continue on with out duties to Fort Reckoning. This is indeed an opportunity to shine but we must be realistic."
'At Drake's mention of helping the people of this insignificant region and avoiding further 'tragedies' in order to 'shine', Blade looks to the corporal incredulously and says through gritted teeth,'
"Are we to lose focus of our mission, of our ORDERS, so easily? At the first distraction that offers the chance to gain a pittance of glory helping mere sheep?
'It is clear that Blade wants no part of any deviation from the Archon's directive. It's also clear that the gruff half-orc resents being forced to use so many words to express something the reticent and stiff necked soldier sees as obvious.'
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
Vassa Sunstar (half-drow bard) - Waterdeep Dragonheist DM Ghosts of a Forgotten Land DM Beyond the Bitter Shore DM Echos of a Burning Crown
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Tibark approaches with his healers kit. "Boy. Need help? What happened? "
'Blade nods, showing little care either way. To the observant, it is apparent that the regimented half-orc is merely carrying out behaviours ingrained during his training and day-to-day life as a soldier. Looking over this other more than capable looking half-orc warrior with an appraising eye, the taciturn Blade merely says,'
"True."
'Without even meaning to, Blade raises a hand to forestall anyone rushing in, as he crouches down while notching an arrow. The half-orc looks to the party's scout, Vik, and nods pointedly towards the nearby trees, while the soldier studies the recent battlefield for any signs of danger to his unit. Only after his scan for signs of a waiting ambush or other potential dangers will he move to interrogate the injured survivor, though he'll leave the talking to the Corporal.'
[OOC] perception check 18
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
Vassa Sunstar (half-drow bard) - Waterdeep Dragonheist
DM Ghosts of a Forgotten Land
DM Beyond the Bitter Shore
DM Echos of a Burning Crown
Drake follows Blades reaction and hunkers down. He gets close enough to the injured recruit to send some of his innate magic to help heal a little, but he is careful to stay alert: perception - 14
He motions to the others to search the area as he circles to the right and crosses around the burning wagon with care.
BONUS ACTION: healing word at the recruit for 5
Lot's of stuff ...
"We're not a charity unit." Allison speaks up with an almost defiant tone. She looks sharply at the wounded soldier. "What happened here, recruit? Speak quickly."
PbP characters:
Allison Adrova - Reign of the Dragon King
Delilah Thorne - Eidolons of Eramyth
Melody Velias (Spy) - Power Trip
Vik notches and arrow, then looks back to the group. He see's Blade's signal.
He'll take a quick look around the area to see if he notices any hiding enemies in the trees ahead.
perception 14
If he doesn't notice anyone, as stealthily as possible, he will split off from the group to take position amongst the trees on the side of the road, to give them cover.
stealth 24
Lorahzt readies her shield and warhammer, suddenly alert and wary (well, more wary) of their surroundings. Rather than look for rebels in the trees, Lorahzt will take a few steps towards the carnage (going no farther than 20 ft from the others) and attempt to discern how long ago the caravan was raided, her shield raised and ready to defend herself at a moment's notice.
Investigation (?) 16
"One of ours, helping isn't charity. The dead don't speak and I'd like answers." Tibark grunts, working in a group was always different with soldier types.
You spot nothing and are relatively confident that any rebels have already been long gone. The investigation points to the caravan of six wagons traveling towards the Bastard City. Rebels attacked from both sides and caught most of the troops unaware. Wagon wheels travel back down the path awhile before going off the road away from the trees.
The soldier nods to Allison "Of course, ma'am. In the first volley, Captain Valen was struck with 4 arrows and went down. They engaged us in melee and through superior numbers overwhelmed us, I fell unconscious and woke up sometime after they left. Holding my wound hoping someone would come along. We did not know their numbers beforehand and were assured they were poorly organized. But this ambush was well thought out, they have likely taken most of the supplies and materials back to camp." The man speaks in pained breaths, moving to allow the healing to work on him.
"Have you any supplies or things of value they didn't take."
'Blade nods as he sees the others spread out taking different positions around the ambush site, most performing useful actions with little or no prompting. This could work, the grizzled soldier thinks to himself. Perhaps...
Standing at the right shoulder of the corporal, the half-orc's intense gazes never leaves the soldier's face as he speaks. When the wounded man finishes speaking, Blade merely asks,'
"Numbers? Mounted? Spell casters? A leader?"
'At the other half-orc's mention of supplies, Blade looks around to see if any of the regiment's horses survived and were left behind.'
[OOC] insight check on the wounded soldier to discern if he's telling the whole truth or possibly leaving anything out: 15
Another perception check as he looks around the ambush sight for horses: 12
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
Vassa Sunstar (half-drow bard) - Waterdeep Dragonheist
DM Ghosts of a Forgotten Land
DM Beyond the Bitter Shore
DM Echos of a Burning Crown
Lorahzt nods as she looks around at the carnage. "Looks like he's telling the truth, see how the ground's all churned up? Lot of people fought here. And over there, the wagon tracks! Whatever supplies and horses survived the ambush were probably carted off to some hideaway or the other. If I had to guess, they've probably long since moved on. As for things left behind..." She glances doubtfully at the scattered and smashed crates and the two damaged wagons, "Call it a hunch, but I don't think the rebels are ones to waste good supplies. They'd probably take anything of value just to spite us, if nothing else. Speaking of which," the drow moves towards the nearest Disfavored corpse, giving it a once-over, then squats down next to it and shifts him over to get a better look, "Did they take the time to loot our dead? Even if they were here in great numbers, you'd think they'd want to move quickly..." She wrinkles her nose at the stench, but perseveres in her search. In particular, she's looking to see whether or not the dead man before her has his full kit (armor, weapons, equipment, etc.) and baubles, or if he was just left where he fell.
Investigation 22
Once he's sure there is no ambush, Vik will move forward to join his companions.
Vik will let the others talk. The rest would doing a good job, but he's found sometimes it's good to add a friendly face to the mix. He takes out his waterskin from his pack. "Let's give him a minute to catch his breath. Here, drink this." Vik sits down near him and hands him the waterskin. " I'm Jared. What's your name, solider?" After he drinks and tells him his name, Vik will ask "You said you were assured that the rebels were not organized. Who was it that assured you? Do you know where the rebel camp could be?"
"Which corpse is your captain?"
'Blade will dispassionately search the captain's body for anything of note, in particular searching for any papers or other intell. This body was once an accomplished soldier of the Disfavored... but now it is just meat, as are the rest of the dead here. Regardless of whether or not Blade finds anything, the soldier will calmly say,'
"We should move on. Corporal?"
[OOC] investigation check to search the captain's body: 5
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
Vassa Sunstar (half-drow bard) - Waterdeep Dragonheist
DM Ghosts of a Forgotten Land
DM Beyond the Bitter Shore
DM Echos of a Burning Crown
"I do think we should head out soon, but it's not unlikely that the rebels are already aware of our presence, so we'll have to proceed cautiously. Let's let the recruit finish answering our questions, then we can decide how to proceed."
PbP characters:
Allison Adrova - Reign of the Dragon King
Delilah Thorne - Eidolons of Eramyth
Melody Velias (Spy) - Power Trip
'Having searched the dead captain, Blade walks back over to where the corporal and others are interrogating the survivor, saying,'
"No orders or other intel on the captain. If they'll hit Disfavored this close to the city, they're bold enough to hit us.'
Blade merely nods at the corporal's words, standing behind Allison's right shoulder as he surveys the surrounding area alertly, longbow and notched arrow in hand.'
[OOC] perception check 4
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
Vassa Sunstar (half-drow bard) - Waterdeep Dragonheist
DM Ghosts of a Forgotten Land
DM Beyond the Bitter Shore
DM Echos of a Burning Crown
The soldier shakes his head no at the first question. "Not that I know of sir." Turning to face Blade he appears to be thinking for a moment. "They were many, at least 10 I would say, sir. None mounted, no offensive spellcasters either. As for a leader I could not tell you, it was well organized so I would think so, but I did not see him, sir." Looking around only a couple of dead draft horses are nearby. The rest either stolen or ran off. As he looks around for the body it takes him a little bit, the man is furthest to the front, signs of his body had fallen off the wagon, then ran over as the rebel forces turn the horses back as they would return to their camp. You spend a bit of time searching the man and you are unable to find the papers where you would generally expect them to be. As far as you can tell the man as told you the truth as best he knows it.
"I am very sorry my good man. This is truly a tragedy. May we assist you or go with you to the Fort, it is not far. What is your choice?" Drake speaks to the youth and then surveys the area. "I agree with Blade and Allison, we should proceed as quickly as possible. We should avoid as many of these kinds of entanglements as possible."
Lot's of stuff ...
Vik will repeat his question to the solider. "You said you were assured that the rebels were not organized. Who was it that assured you? Do you know where the rebel camp could be?"
To the rest of the group, outside of earshot of the solider. "While I agree haste is important, this was a well organized attack. How did they know about the caravan? Do we want to see what information they might have at there camp? This could be pertinent to our investigation."
Drake stops and listens to Vik. "Do you believe you have the skills to track this group of outlaws? I agree that we could potentially help this area a great deal and possibly gain information important to our cause if we find them and put a stop to this kind of tragedy. I agree to follow you for a time to see if the trail looks promising. But if nothing turns up quickly I suggest we continue on with out duties to Fort Reckoning. This is indeed an opportunity to shine but we must be realistic."
Lot's of stuff ...
'Blade arch's one of his thick eyebrows at anyone calling the deaths of soldiers in battle against their enemies a tragedy, for this was what soldiers did. They killed and died as needed. It was thier very purpose. The soldier nods slightly as the man suggests avoiding peripheral entanglements.'
'Blade notes the changling's insistance and turns to listen to the wounded man's response, though his heavy brows furrow slighly at any prospect of any non-essential delay to their mission.'
'At Drake's mention of helping the people of this insignificant region and avoiding further 'tragedies' in order to 'shine', Blade looks to the corporal incredulously and says through gritted teeth,'
"Are we to lose focus of our mission, of our ORDERS, so easily? At the first distraction that offers the chance to gain a pittance of glory helping mere sheep?
'It is clear that Blade wants no part of any deviation from the Archon's directive. It's also clear that the gruff half-orc resents being forced to use so many words to express something the reticent and stiff necked soldier sees as obvious.'
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
Vassa Sunstar (half-drow bard) - Waterdeep Dragonheist
DM Ghosts of a Forgotten Land
DM Beyond the Bitter Shore
DM Echos of a Burning Crown