(Most of the wagons on this caravan are not cult wagons, but normal merchants...)
Taviel finds herself offered a job with... Achreny Ulyeltin (Male Human Merchant). Ulyeltin is an independent wagon master with two wagons in this caravan. Both are hauling cured furs and uncured hides. He is a boorish man without a trace of civilization about him. He’s not unfriendly — just smelly, vulgar, and utterly without manners. His second wagon driver and two laborers, on the other hand, are perfectly pleasant. if she accepts, Taviel is hired as a sergeant for 8 gp per tenday, plus food and living expenses on the road. Sergeants are expected to manage two to five other guards.
Ulric is offered a job by... Oyn Evenmor (Male Human Merchant). Evenmor is an independent wagon master hauling exotic birds to the lucrative markets in Waterdeep. He is a stubborn, argumentative man with strong opinions about almost everything, but he is generous when it comes to pouring drinks for those who will sit and argue with him endlessly. If he accepts, Ulric is hired as a bodyguard for the merchant at 10 gp per tenday, plus food and living expenses on the road. Bodyguards are expected to stick close to their employer and protect him or her against harm.
Naroth is offered a job by... Samardag the Hoper (Male Human Merchant). Perhaps someone who hauls crates of expensive, fragile porcelain in a bouncing, jarring wagon along the Trade Way must be a born optimist. In Samardag’s world, the sky is always blue, the weather is always fine, and the outlook for tomorrow is always bright. Odds are he would be a wealthy man if he hung onto his money, but he is a soft touch for every urchin and hard-luck story that crosses his path. If he accepts, Naroth is hired as a bodyguard for the merchant at 10 gp per tenday, plus food and living expenses on the road. Bodyguards are expected to stick close to their employer and protect him or her against harm.
Germain is offered a job by... Aldor Urnpoleshurst (Male Human Lawyer). A lawyer by training but a skunk by inclination, Urnpoleshurst is relocating from Baldur’s Gate to anywhere that isn’t Baldur’s Gate. Gossip around the caravan is that he was driven out by a scandal, and that’s hard not to believe. He is suspicious of everyone and makes outrageous accusations at the drop of a hat. If he accepts, Germain is hired as a bodyguard for the merchant at 10 gp per tenday, plus food and living expenses on the road. Bodyguards are expected to stick close to their employer and protect him or her against harm.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(WHOOPS, somehow I totally missed the last line that asked for that!! Sorry!!!)
Persuasion test : 3. (lol, I'm not going to get a job am i?)
Toc tells the group he plans to follow the caravan from behind and keep tabs on them, since he couldn't get hired. He'll use his hawk to keep an eye on them as he trails them a mile or so behind.
(WHOOPS, somehow I totally missed the last line that asked for that!! Sorry!!!)
Persuasion test : 2. (lol, I'm not going to get a job am i?)
Toc tells the group he plans to follow the caravan from behind and keep tabs on them, since he couldn't get hired. He'll use his hawk to keep an eye on them as he trails them a mile or so behind.
Toc, No one is interested in hiring you, but you can tag along as a traveler. Guards sometimes quit or die on the road, and a replacement has a chance to find employment.
Money were never the goal and Taviel was born to order people around, so, everything seemed to be shaping up quite nicely. She played a "good sergeant", that takes care of her people, does not bother without a reason and generally friendly and approachable - all for the sake of collecting gossips and rumors.
Germain eyes the lawyer carefully as he makes his offer, before nodding slowly, "Agreed, I will keep you safe. Tell me if you see anyone acting suspicious, I've heard tales of assassins in the most unlikely of places."
The stretch of road from Baldur’s Gate to Waterdeep is a journey of 750 miles. Horse-drawn or mule-drawn freight wagons cover 15 miles per day, depending on conditions. The animals need one day off after every six days of hauling to recover from their work. All things considered, the trip is expected to take two months.
The caravan leaving Baldur’s Gate contains the three wagons of the Cult of the Dragon plus 2d4 more. Not all travelers are merchants. A wagon might carry a family relocating to the north or a diplomat on a mission to Waterdeep. People and wagons join the caravan along the way, and others leave according to the dictates of business and fortune. Some travelers ride horses, some walk beside the wagons, and some pay the merchants to ride aboard their wagons. On several occasions, you notice the cult teamsters turning away passengers even though they have spare room on their wagons.
Here are a few NPCs you would meet as you travel...
Eldkin Agetul (Female Shield Dwarf Guard). Agetul has made this trip several times before and never hesitates to wave that experience in others’ faces. She is a perfectionist, and she wants others to know it.
Enom Tobun (Male Lightfoot Halfling Teamster). Tobun has driven freight wagons across Faerûn for the past forty years, from Waterdeep to Calimport and from Baldur’s Gate to Hillsfar. He is a font of stories and legends, but it’s impossible to tell the truth from fiction in his tales. If anyone challenges him on the truth of a story, he grows argumentative, then sullen and vengeful. As long as a traveler stays on his good side, Tobun is a wonderful traveling companion.
Green Imsa (Female Human Traveler). The reason behind Imsa’s name is obvious: she is green from head to foot. Her skin, hair, eyes, nails, teeth — everything about her is green. She readily admits that she is traveling to Waterdeep in search of a remedy for her condition. The coloration doesn’t seem to bother her, but she becomes flustered if anyone asks how she came to be this way. She is friendly, if somewhat quiet, as long as the conversation stays away from her past.
Leda Widris (Female Human Guard). Widris is as honest and courageous as mercenaries come. She has spent many years in the south and now wants to see the snows and frozen seas of the far north and experience what a truly cold wind feels like.
Losvius Longnose (Male Lightfoot Halfling Teamster). Although Losvius’s nose is respectably large, even for a halfling, the appellation Longnose was hung on him for a different reason: he is curious about everything, including other people’s business, and especially other people’s embarrassing secrets. Losvius doesn’t poke his nose where it’s not wanted in a search for blackmail material. He is just overpoweringly curious about what other people don’t talk about.
Orvustia Esseren (Female Human Guard). Esseren grew up in the farmland outside Baldur’s Gate, and this is her first trip more than two miles away from home. She is smart, tough, and talented with both spear and bow, but she knows nothing of the world beyond her aunt’s farm or of people who deal dishonestly. Her aunt, a wise woman, believes this trip will be good for her.
Radecere Perethun (Male Rock Gnome Traveler). No one knows where Perethun is ultimately headed or why. He eats alone, seldom speaks, and always rides in the back of the wagon, staring wistfully at the road gone by. The only thing that brings him out of this shell is a game of chance. He gambles boisterously and well.
Sulesdeg the Pole (Male Human Guard). Among his tribe in his homeland of the Shaar, Sulesdeg’s name means “tall as a lodge pole.” On the Sword Coast, he is just known as “the Pole.” At 7 feet 5 inches in height, he probably is the tallest human the characters or anyone else in the caravan has ever seen. He doesn’t talk much, but when he does, people generally listen.
Tyjit Skesh (Female Shield Dwarf Guard). It won’t take long before everyone in the caravan knows to steer clear of Tyjit Skesh. She is quick to anger and quicker to resort to her blades when something sets her off. She is honest to a fault and never fails to let people know why she was angry, so they can correct their behavior in the future. She will not tolerate bullying.
Werond Torohar (Female Human Teamster). Quiet, unassuming Werond Torohar can handle a team of horses or mules better than anyone on the Trade Way. She has an uncanny knack for making animals understand what she wants from them with only a twitch on the reins, a whistle, and a snap of her whip. Mud, stones, and ice seem to not be obstacles at all when Torohar is handling the team. She is a starry-eyed romantic at heart, and she can bring strong men to tears with her tales of long-ago lost loves and thwarted passion.
The wagons travel for about eight hours per day, with a few stops to feed and water the horses and mules. Many nights are spent camping along the road. Most small towns have roadside inns if travelers want more comfort, and walled hostelries catering to wagon caravans are spread a few days apart. Animals and travelers can rest comfortably at these walled compounds while wagons are safely locked inside. The map for chapter 5 shows a structure that once served that purpose. It can be used as the model for a typical hostelry if needed.
The most difficult part of the journey is near the beginning. A few days’ travel north of Baldur’s Gate brings the caravan into a countryside known as the Fields of the Dead. The road twists and wanders through hills dotted with ancient battlefields, dolmens, and barrow mounds. Common wisdom holds that it’s a very bad idea to light a fire on a hilltop at night in the Fields of the Dead, because the light attracts monsters from miles around. Crossing this territory takes several days, during which everyone will be edgy and on watch.
You travel for several days, getting into the routine of the road. Each day you travel for about 8 hours, then rest for the night. Campfires are lit, food cooked, and groups gather to tell stories. Is there anything specific you wish to be doing before the first of the encounters? You have multiple days of travel before the first encounter, which I rolled randomly.
Germain will spend his time with his client and listening to the stories of the others. In particular, he will encourage Longnose's curiosity about the cultists, asking what they're so secretive of in their wagons.
For the most part Naroth will remain silent but listen to any that talks, he will remain close to Samardag doing his job well. He understand that the silent ones tend to fade into the background and so can hear things that some might not want others to hear.
My plan here is to not make this 2 month journey take a massive amount of time. The way I want to try this is to have you post things like the above, general things you are trying to do between each encounter. If you want to do the same activity after the next encounter, then just say so at that time. When an encounter comes up, I will take any of your between-encounter-activities, like the above, into account and how those things effect or modify the encounter. Also, things you do might not have an affect until many encounters later, but I will try to keep them in mind as we move along. Pretty much this is your time to specify downtime activities you wish to be working on along the way. I'll be giving until Monday probably to let you post any actions, then I plan on moving along to the first encounter.
The caravan is ahead a hundred feet, plodding along the rutted grassland path between the large barrows. The wind blows at his tattered cloak that is part of his disguise, the holes in it, and ragged edges make him grit his teeth. He has a small sketch pad out as he sketches the barrows, his mind wandering as he draws each mound, wondering how many lives were lost to build all of these. Lives scattered to the past. Glancing back at the caravan, he closes his eyes, suddenly focusing on the bird in the air above. Looking through its eyes, he sees the vast landscape, giving it all a quick scan to make sure there's nothing using the mounds as cover for an ambush. Then he returns his vision to himself, sending his familiar higher into the sky to continue its surveillance. He puts his sketch away, and then turns and continues walking, hoping to keep up the pace. The Inn last night was nice, and despite his ragged persona he has still paid for a bed at each place they come to. A quiet private place to read his books and focus on his magic. Forming illusions and then watching them for mistakes that make them easy to see through, improving small features and training himself on how to avoid easy mistakes. The day, he follows behind the caravan. A lonesome traveler by himself, with a strange accent and bit of an odd way about him, but who keeps quiet and shares nothing. If ever confronted by other travelers who try to spark up conversation, he speaks of far away lands he's been to, describing foreign lands, and talks like a homeless vagabond who is simply wandering the world seeking godless spirituality.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer? Class.
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Ulric suppresses his disgust at the cultist when he arrives to apply, years of practice help him appear as just another sullen and grumpy sell sword.
Athletics 21
Naroth assumes his dumb brute persona and applies to be a caravan guard, showing off his skill in fighting.
Athletics: 22
Germain attempts to jumpstart himself and show off what he can do to get them a slot.
Athletics: 20 + guidance 2
Toc plays the sullen silent type and stands behind the others, quietly picking under his nails with a knife blade.
Performance : 14
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?
Class.
So are you not trying for a job then? I don't see a persuasion or athletics check from you...
(Most of the wagons on this caravan are not cult wagons, but normal merchants...)
Taviel finds herself offered a job with...
Achreny Ulyeltin (Male Human Merchant). Ulyeltin is an independent wagon master with two wagons in this caravan. Both are hauling cured furs and uncured hides. He is a boorish man without a trace of civilization about him. He’s not unfriendly — just smelly, vulgar, and utterly without manners. His second wagon driver and two laborers, on the other hand, are perfectly pleasant.
if she accepts, Taviel is hired as a sergeant for 8 gp per tenday, plus food and living expenses on the road. Sergeants are expected to manage two to five other guards.
Ulric is offered a job by...
Oyn Evenmor (Male Human Merchant). Evenmor is an independent wagon master hauling exotic birds to the lucrative markets in Waterdeep. He is a stubborn, argumentative man with strong opinions about almost everything, but he is generous when it comes to pouring drinks for those who will sit and argue with him endlessly.
If he accepts, Ulric is hired as a bodyguard for the merchant at 10 gp per tenday, plus food and living expenses on the road. Bodyguards are expected to stick close to their employer and protect him or her against harm.
Naroth is offered a job by...
Samardag the Hoper (Male Human Merchant). Perhaps someone who hauls crates of expensive, fragile porcelain in a bouncing, jarring wagon along the Trade Way must be a born optimist. In Samardag’s world, the sky is always blue, the weather is always fine, and the outlook for tomorrow is always bright. Odds are he would be a wealthy man if he hung onto his money, but he is a soft touch for every urchin and hard-luck story that crosses his path.
If he accepts, Naroth is hired as a bodyguard for the merchant at 10 gp per tenday, plus food and living expenses on the road. Bodyguards are expected to stick close to their employer and protect him or her against harm.
Germain is offered a job by...
Aldor Urnpoleshurst (Male Human Lawyer). A lawyer by training but a skunk by inclination, Urnpoleshurst is relocating from Baldur’s Gate to anywhere that isn’t Baldur’s Gate. Gossip around the caravan is that he was driven out by a scandal, and that’s hard not to believe. He is suspicious of everyone and makes outrageous accusations at the drop of a hat.
If he accepts, Germain is hired as a bodyguard for the merchant at 10 gp per tenday, plus food and living expenses on the road. Bodyguards are expected to stick close to their employer and protect him or her against harm.
Ulric hears the offer from Evenmor and nods, "As long as we travel you shall come to no harm."
(WHOOPS, somehow I totally missed the last line that asked for that!! Sorry!!!)
Persuasion test : 3. (lol, I'm not going to get a job am i?)
Toc tells the group he plans to follow the caravan from behind and keep tabs on them, since he couldn't get hired. He'll use his hawk to keep an eye on them as he trails them a mile or so behind.
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?
Class.
Toc, No one is interested in hiring you, but you can tag along as a traveler. Guards sometimes quit or die on the road, and a replacement has a chance to find employment.
Even better, he tags along as a Traveler.
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?
Class.
Money were never the goal and Taviel was born to order people around, so, everything seemed to be shaping up quite nicely. She played a "good sergeant", that takes care of her people, does not bother without a reason and generally friendly and approachable - all for the sake of collecting gossips and rumors.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Germain eyes the lawyer carefully as he makes his offer, before nodding slowly, "Agreed, I will keep you safe. Tell me if you see anyone acting suspicious, I've heard tales of assassins in the most unlikely of places."
Naroth grunts his approval and then goes and stands right behind Samardag.
The stretch of road from Baldur’s Gate to Waterdeep is a journey of 750 miles. Horse-drawn or mule-drawn freight wagons cover 15 miles per day, depending on conditions. The animals need one day off after every six days of hauling to recover from their work. All things considered, the trip is expected to take two months.
The caravan leaving Baldur’s Gate contains the three wagons of the Cult of the Dragon plus 2d4 more. Not all travelers are merchants. A wagon might carry a family relocating to the north or a diplomat on a mission to Waterdeep. People and wagons join the caravan along the way, and others leave according to the dictates of business and fortune. Some travelers ride horses, some walk beside the wagons, and some pay the merchants to ride aboard their wagons. On several occasions, you notice the cult teamsters turning away passengers even though they have spare room on their wagons.
Here are a few NPCs you would meet as you travel...
Eldkin Agetul (Female Shield Dwarf Guard). Agetul has made this trip several times before and never hesitates to wave that experience in others’ faces. She is a perfectionist, and she wants others to know it.
Enom Tobun (Male Lightfoot Halfling Teamster). Tobun has driven freight wagons across Faerûn for the past forty years, from Waterdeep to Calimport and from Baldur’s Gate to Hillsfar. He is a font of stories and legends, but it’s impossible to tell the truth from fiction in his tales. If anyone challenges him on the truth of a story, he grows argumentative, then sullen and vengeful. As long as a traveler stays on his good side, Tobun is a wonderful traveling companion.
Green Imsa (Female Human Traveler). The reason behind Imsa’s name is obvious: she is green from head to foot. Her skin, hair, eyes, nails, teeth — everything about her is green. She readily admits that she is traveling to Waterdeep in search of a remedy for her condition. The coloration doesn’t seem to bother her, but she becomes flustered if anyone asks how she came to be this way. She is friendly, if somewhat quiet, as long as the conversation stays away from her past.
Leda Widris (Female Human Guard). Widris is as honest and courageous as mercenaries come. She has spent many years in the south and now wants to see the snows and frozen seas of the far north and experience what a truly cold wind feels like.
Losvius Longnose (Male Lightfoot Halfling Teamster). Although Losvius’s nose is respectably large, even for a halfling, the appellation Longnose was hung on him for a different reason: he is curious about everything, including other people’s business, and especially other people’s embarrassing secrets. Losvius doesn’t poke his nose where it’s not wanted in a search for blackmail material. He is just overpoweringly curious about what other people don’t talk about.
Orvustia Esseren (Female Human Guard). Esseren grew up in the farmland outside Baldur’s Gate, and this is her first trip more than two miles away from home. She is smart, tough, and talented with both spear and bow, but she knows nothing of the world beyond her aunt’s farm or of people who deal dishonestly. Her aunt, a wise woman, believes this trip will be good for her.
Radecere Perethun (Male Rock Gnome Traveler). No one knows where Perethun is ultimately headed or why. He eats alone, seldom speaks, and always rides in the back of the wagon, staring wistfully at the road gone by. The only thing that brings him out of this shell is a game of chance. He gambles boisterously and well.
Sulesdeg the Pole (Male Human Guard). Among his tribe in his homeland of the Shaar, Sulesdeg’s name means “tall as a lodge pole.” On the Sword Coast, he is just known as “the Pole.” At 7 feet 5 inches in height, he probably is the tallest human the characters or anyone else in the caravan has ever seen. He doesn’t talk much, but when he does, people generally listen.
Tyjit Skesh (Female Shield Dwarf Guard). It won’t take long before everyone in the caravan knows to steer clear of Tyjit Skesh. She is quick to anger and quicker to resort to her blades when something sets her off. She is honest to a fault and never fails to let people know why she was angry, so they can correct their behavior in the future. She will not tolerate bullying.
Werond Torohar (Female Human Teamster). Quiet, unassuming Werond Torohar can handle a team of horses or mules better than anyone on the Trade Way. She has an uncanny knack for making animals understand what she wants from them with only a twitch on the reins, a whistle, and a snap of her whip. Mud, stones, and ice seem to not be obstacles at all when Torohar is handling the team. She is a starry-eyed romantic at heart, and she can bring strong men to tears with her tales of long-ago lost loves and thwarted passion.
The wagons travel for about eight hours per day, with a few stops to feed and water the horses and mules. Many nights are spent camping along the road. Most small towns have roadside inns if travelers want more comfort, and walled hostelries catering to wagon caravans are spread a few days apart. Animals and travelers can rest comfortably at these walled compounds while wagons are safely locked inside. The map for chapter 5 shows a structure that once served that purpose. It can be used as the model for a typical hostelry if needed.
The most difficult part of the journey is near the beginning. A few days’ travel north of Baldur’s Gate brings the caravan into a countryside known as the Fields of the Dead. The road twists and wanders through hills dotted with ancient battlefields, dolmens, and barrow mounds. Common wisdom holds that it’s a very bad idea to light a fire on a hilltop at night in the Fields of the Dead, because the light attracts monsters from miles around. Crossing this territory takes several days, during which everyone will be edgy and on watch.
You travel for several days, getting into the routine of the road. Each day you travel for about 8 hours, then rest for the night. Campfires are lit, food cooked, and groups gather to tell stories. Is there anything specific you wish to be doing before the first of the encounters? You have multiple days of travel before the first encounter, which I rolled randomly.
Germain will spend his time with his client and listening to the stories of the others. In particular, he will encourage Longnose's curiosity about the cultists, asking what they're so secretive of in their wagons.
For the most part Naroth will remain silent but listen to any that talks, he will remain close to Samardag doing his job well. He understand that the silent ones tend to fade into the background and so can hear things that some might not want others to hear.
Taviel continues to play a good sergeant, getting on friendly terms with her people.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
My plan here is to not make this 2 month journey take a massive amount of time. The way I want to try this is to have you post things like the above, general things you are trying to do between each encounter. If you want to do the same activity after the next encounter, then just say so at that time. When an encounter comes up, I will take any of your between-encounter-activities, like the above, into account and how those things effect or modify the encounter. Also, things you do might not have an affect until many encounters later, but I will try to keep them in mind as we move along. Pretty much this is your time to specify downtime activities you wish to be working on along the way. I'll be giving until Monday probably to let you post any actions, then I plan on moving along to the first encounter.
The caravan is ahead a hundred feet, plodding along the rutted grassland path between the large barrows. The wind blows at his tattered cloak that is part of his disguise, the holes in it, and ragged edges make him grit his teeth. He has a small sketch pad out as he sketches the barrows, his mind wandering as he draws each mound, wondering how many lives were lost to build all of these. Lives scattered to the past. Glancing back at the caravan, he closes his eyes, suddenly focusing on the bird in the air above. Looking through its eyes, he sees the vast landscape, giving it all a quick scan to make sure there's nothing using the mounds as cover for an ambush. Then he returns his vision to himself, sending his familiar higher into the sky to continue its surveillance. He puts his sketch away, and then turns and continues walking, hoping to keep up the pace. The Inn last night was nice, and despite his ragged persona he has still paid for a bed at each place they come to. A quiet private place to read his books and focus on his magic. Forming illusions and then watching them for mistakes that make them easy to see through, improving small features and training himself on how to avoid easy mistakes. The day, he follows behind the caravan. A lonesome traveler by himself, with a strange accent and bit of an odd way about him, but who keeps quiet and shares nothing. If ever confronted by other travelers who try to spark up conversation, he speaks of far away lands he's been to, describing foreign lands, and talks like a homeless vagabond who is simply wandering the world seeking godless spirituality.
What's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorcerer?
Class.