It's clear enough that wolves killed and partially devoured the team. But there's no blood on the wagon seat, no ripped clothing in the brambles, no sign of beasts or robbers having killed or injured a man.
The group does find two deer paths leading out of the clearing, but the passage of animals has effaced any human tracks that might have been made in either one. One goes north, the other south. A man could have gone off through the woods in any direction, but the paths would offer the easiest footing.
The oxen have been dead for several days. The meat has gone green, and now that the birds aren't flapping about, swarms of flies take to it again.
((I did a couple of skill checks based on player posts about intentions, for the sake of keeping things moving, but of course you are all in control of your PCs. If you want to reroll, feel free. Do whatever you like and post as you please. ))
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Holy smokin' cow pies!" Xylys burst out, "What in the blazes was that all about? Talkin' giant crows? Shayne, are you okay?" He is still pretty agitated, after action tension seeming to vibrate off him. He will go over to where the rope was tied to the tree and poke around, looking at the knot, looking at the ground searching for anything a bit, or a lot, odd.
Investigation 20
"I didn't see any sign of the miller on the way here, any of you see anything?"
"Holy smokin' cow pies!" Xylys burst out, "What in the blazes was that all about? Talkin' giant crows? Shayne, are you okay?" He is still pretty agitated, after action tension seeming to vibrate off him. He will go over to where the rope was tied to the tree and poke around, looking at the knot, looking at the ground searching for anything a bit, or a lot, odd.
Investigation 20
"I didn't see any sign of the miller on the way here, any of you see anything?"
Xylys sees that one of the ropes had snapped, likely when that ox tried to escape wolves or whatever it was that ripped out its throat with sharp teeth.
The sturdy knot is of a type Xylys has used at the smithy, tying up a horse before assisting the smith with a shoeing. Werthan, who worked with his hands, surely knew it, too.
"So. There's two ways this played out. First, Werthan was on his way back with the seed grain and was forced into the woods. He pulled up here, perhaps to be out of sight of the road." He mulls over his next wording. "Second, Werthan was ambushed on the road and the bandits came in here, perhaps to be out of sight of the road. Either way, it ended badly for the oxen." His voice takes on a more somber tone, if that's at all possible for a man of few emotions. "My guess would be that he was waylaid further down the road. He knows these parts, as we all do. You don't venture into the Darkling Woods without reason. You DO venture in here if you know no better. I think this is a getaway gone wrong. We should look for him closer to Monkshall." He walks back towards the road, already looking for the path out. He stops to see whether the others follow his lead, however he doesn't turn around.
Alyna did not follow, not right away. "Why would bandits leave the goods? What would be the point? If they wanted to ransom the miller, we would already know about it. Or do you think everyone got killed and now just lying on the road? Surely that closer to the town someone would already discovered it and sent a word."She did not really argued, just trying to understand the point of moving towards the city now. "Do you suggest to search both sides of the road for bodies up until Monkshall? That can take weeks. But what if your first idea is right and the man is out in the woods, waiting for help? We are here already, may be if we check both deer paths we find some tracks a bit deeper in the woods?"
The hailstorm struck ten days ago. Werthan set out very soon after on the same morning, as it was clear that without new seeds the village was in deep trouble. Monkshall is about thirteen miles up the High Way. Werthan claimed the whole business would take him three days.
The turnoff the oxcart, and you, took into the Darkling Wood is six or seven miles north of Rillford. If you hike the distance (less than a mile) back through the forest to the roadway, you can hike to Monkshall today. It's still morning.
"I think we need to at least look around on those two deer trails," Xylys says. Maybe we can learn something, then we can go to Monskhall and see if we can find out anything there. Though I don't know how that would be of help, what with all the seed spoiled and such."
He looks at the Gorcrow, "Alyna, can you tell that thing the 'food'," he shudders a bit, "is all his, but we will want the wagon and will be back for it sometime. So, when we leave we'll let it go. If I was in the place of the miller and came here to hide from something, or hide the wagon from someone, needing help I'd head to the closest place, that would be (north?) to Monskhall so, Eric would you check the north trail first, please?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Panic is a mechanism that strengthens the gene pool.
OOC, yes, Monkshall is north. You are about midway between Monkshall and Rillford now. To be clear--from the clearing it is less than a mile to the road. Then you are looking at walking six or seven miles north to Monkshall or six or seven miles south to Rillford.
“Personally I suspect the Miller was lured here, somehow. And then led away, leaving the cart behind,” Shayne opines.
“It’s too close to home, I cannot imagine him trying to hide for the night to sleep. If he knew bandits were afoot, I could see him hiding here if he knew of this spot, a big if that, but he or the bandits would have returned for the cart by now... Same if bandits caught him down the road and stashed the wagon here, why’d they never return for it?”
“My guess? Something lured him off the road that cared not for the seeds... at least not for planting. Big Bird here, would be my guess. A sweet song that somehow caught the millers attention, made him curious enough to come investigate... or bewitched him somehow.”
((So it does appear Miller made the transaction to buy seed and was returning, yes? Bandits would have preferred gold but still would have taken the grain... or even the oxen to sell cheap... I just don’t see that angle here?))
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
We're doing one small murder-y thing for a bigger, better reason. The ends justify the means.
“Personally I suspect the Miller was lured here, somehow. And then led away, leaving the cart behind,” Shayne opines.
“It’s too close to home, I cannot imagine him trying to hide for the night to sleep. If he knew bandits were afoot, I could see him hiding here if he knew of this spot, a big if that, but he or the bandits would have returned for the cart by now... Same if bandits caught him down the road and stashed the wagon here, why’d they never return for it?”
“My guess? Something lured him off the road that cared not for the seeds... at least not for planting. Big Bird here, would be my guess. A sweet song that somehow caught the millers attention, made him curious enough to come investigate... or bewitched him somehow.”
((So it does appear Miller made the transaction to buy seed and was returning, yes? Bandits would have preferred gold but still would have taken the grain... or even the oxen to sell cheap... I just don’t see that angle here?))
((It does appear that Werthan bought the grain, as there is grain spilling from the sacks. Grain and oxen certainly have value and might have been stolen by bandits, yes. The meat has rotted and what's left of the grain has spoiled, which suggests whatever happened here occurred about a week ago, when Werthan should have been coming home with the grain. ))
“Well, Eric?” Shayne said to the back of the ranger. “You’re our tracker. If you think road is best then I’ll follow where you lead...” Shayne did feel the Miller was likely deeper into these woods but didn’t feel he had a solid enough case to argue with the man who had made this kind of thing his life...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
We're doing one small murder-y thing for a bigger, better reason. The ends justify the means.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"I will of course do as the group sees fit. Heed these words though. They don't call these the Darkling Woods for nothing. We may find more than we seek. And we MUST be clear by nightfall."
He steps back from the track that leads to the road. Drawing his hand axe he heads to the north game trail and begins searching for signs of human tracks.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
The Gorcrow flies away as soon as Alyna unties it, and the flock with it.
The game trail to the north makes for an easy hike. Soon the path bends west. In an hour or so the party reaches a broad meadow in the midst of the forest, tall grass and wildflowers and berry bushes. It takes another hour to search the big clearing.
3
The party doesn't find the missing miller or any sign of human presence but it does find some old deer bones overgrown in a bramble, complete with antlers, quite a few wild rabbits and pheasants dashing about, and two more game trails leading out of the open area. Eric finds tracks and scat that suggest the Darkling Wood must be rich in game even beyond the animals he actually sees. One path runs west and one southwest.
It's getting on noon now, and even through a torn veil of pearly-gray clouds the sun feels almost hot in the open air, away from the eternal shade of the tall trees.
You all had a hasty breakfast before first light, unless you decided not to eat, but by now stomachs may be starting to grumble.
"Not a sign," stated Alyna the obvious. "Shall we return and check the other path? Or continue on that one, that looks like it can lead us back?" She modded at the south-west path.
((Please note this map is not to scale. Nor is it complete. It is meant to show you the general layout of the region and to show direction of travel, relative location of certain sites. I am not going to update it further. But you can take notes as you like))
"I'm not sure we, as a party, see fit to do anything. We're all pretty much clueless, I think," Shayne assures Eric. "You have skills outside, I'm just a pub crawler who is expendable to the village. I'm following whatever you think best... I just sometimes cannot help but chime in with my opinion. Ask for or not."
Shayne does his best to keep alert and observant while searching, feeling he somehow dragged the ranger into poking around the woods. Frustration at finding nothing grows and while Shayne says nothing it is pretty clear he is not enjoying nature.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
We're doing one small murder-y thing for a bigger, better reason. The ends justify the means.
-- Eleanor Shellstrop
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
....
You've been over the scene a couple of times now.
It's clear enough that wolves killed and partially devoured the team. But there's no blood on the wagon seat, no ripped clothing in the brambles, no sign of beasts or robbers having killed or injured a man.
The group does find two deer paths leading out of the clearing, but the passage of animals has effaced any human tracks that might have been made in either one. One goes north, the other south. A man could have gone off through the woods in any direction, but the paths would offer the easiest footing.
The oxen have been dead for several days. The meat has gone green, and now that the birds aren't flapping about, swarms of flies take to it again.
((I did a couple of skill checks based on player posts about intentions, for the sake of keeping things moving, but of course you are all in control of your PCs. If you want to reroll, feel free. Do whatever you like and post as you please. ))
"Holy smokin' cow pies!" Xylys burst out, "What in the blazes was that all about? Talkin' giant crows? Shayne, are you okay?" He is still pretty agitated, after action tension seeming to vibrate off him. He will go over to where the rope was tied to the tree and poke around, looking at the knot, looking at the ground searching for anything a bit, or a lot, odd.
Investigation 20
"I didn't see any sign of the miller on the way here, any of you see anything?"
Panic is a mechanism that strengthens the gene pool.
Xylys sees that one of the ropes had snapped, likely when that ox tried to escape wolves or whatever it was that ripped out its throat with sharp teeth.
The sturdy knot is of a type Xylys has used at the smithy, tying up a horse before assisting the smith with a shoeing. Werthan, who worked with his hands, surely knew it, too.
"So. There's two ways this played out. First, Werthan was on his way back with the seed grain and was forced into the woods. He pulled up here, perhaps to be out of sight of the road." He mulls over his next wording. "Second, Werthan was ambushed on the road and the bandits came in here, perhaps to be out of sight of the road. Either way, it ended badly for the oxen." His voice takes on a more somber tone, if that's at all possible for a man of few emotions. "My guess would be that he was waylaid further down the road. He knows these parts, as we all do. You don't venture into the Darkling Woods without reason. You DO venture in here if you know no better. I think this is a getaway gone wrong. We should look for him closer to Monkshall." He walks back towards the road, already looking for the path out. He stops to see whether the others follow his lead, however he doesn't turn around.
Alyna did not follow, not right away. "Why would bandits leave the goods? What would be the point? If they wanted to ransom the miller, we would already know about it. Or do you think everyone got killed and now just lying on the road? Surely that closer to the town someone would already discovered it and sent a word." She did not really argued, just trying to understand the point of moving towards the city now. "Do you suggest to search both sides of the road for bodies up until Monkshall? That can take weeks. But what if your first idea is right and the man is out in the woods, waiting for help? We are here already, may be if we check both deer paths we find some tracks a bit deeper in the woods?"
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Player note on distances and time:
The hailstorm struck ten days ago. Werthan set out very soon after on the same morning, as it was clear that without new seeds the village was in deep trouble. Monkshall is about thirteen miles up the High Way. Werthan claimed the whole business would take him three days.
The turnoff the oxcart, and you, took into the Darkling Wood is six or seven miles north of Rillford. If you hike the distance (less than a mile) back through the forest to the roadway, you can hike to Monkshall today. It's still morning.
"I think we need to at least look around on those two deer trails," Xylys says. Maybe we can learn something, then we can go to Monskhall and see if we can find out anything there. Though I don't know how that would be of help, what with all the seed spoiled and such."
He looks at the Gorcrow, "Alyna, can you tell that thing the 'food'," he shudders a bit, "is all his, but we will want the wagon and will be back for it sometime. So, when we leave we'll let it go. If I was in the place of the miller and came here to hide from something, or hide the wagon from someone, needing help I'd head to the closest place, that would be (north?) to Monskhall so, Eric would you check the north trail first, please?"
Panic is a mechanism that strengthens the gene pool.
OOC, yes, Monkshall is north. You are about midway between Monkshall and Rillford now. To be clear--from the clearing it is less than a mile to the road. Then you are looking at walking six or seven miles north to Monkshall or six or seven miles south to Rillford.
“Personally I suspect the Miller was lured here, somehow. And then led away, leaving the cart behind,” Shayne opines.
“It’s too close to home, I cannot imagine him trying to hide for the night to sleep. If he knew bandits were afoot, I could see him hiding here if he knew of this spot, a big if that, but he or the bandits would have returned for the cart by now... Same if bandits caught him down the road and stashed the wagon here, why’d they never return for it?”
“My guess? Something lured him off the road that cared not for the seeds... at least not for planting. Big Bird here, would be my guess. A sweet song that somehow caught the millers attention, made him curious enough to come investigate... or bewitched him somehow.”
((So it does appear Miller made the transaction to buy seed and was returning, yes? Bandits would have preferred gold but still would have taken the grain... or even the oxen to sell cheap... I just don’t see that angle here?))
We're doing one small murder-y thing for a bigger, better reason. The ends justify the means.
-- Eleanor Shellstrop
((It does appear that Werthan bought the grain, as there is grain spilling from the sacks. Grain and oxen certainly have value and might have been stolen by bandits, yes. The meat has rotted and what's left of the grain has spoiled, which suggests whatever happened here occurred about a week ago, when Werthan should have been coming home with the grain. ))
Alyna cawed to Gorcrow about "Food yours, we come back for the log" and freed the bird the moment decision of moving in some direction was made.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
“Well, Eric?” Shayne said to the back of the ranger. “You’re our tracker. If you think road is best then I’ll follow where you lead...” Shayne did feel the Miller was likely deeper into these woods but didn’t feel he had a solid enough case to argue with the man who had made this kind of thing his life...
We're doing one small murder-y thing for a bigger, better reason. The ends justify the means.
-- Eleanor Shellstrop
"I will of course do as the group sees fit. Heed these words though. They don't call these the Darkling Woods for nothing. We may find more than we seek. And we MUST be clear by nightfall."
He steps back from the track that leads to the road. Drawing his hand axe he heads to the north game trail and begins searching for signs of human tracks.
Survival 18
4
The Gorcrow flies away as soon as Alyna unties it, and the flock with it.
The game trail to the north makes for an easy hike. Soon the path bends west. In an hour or so the party reaches a broad meadow in the midst of the forest, tall grass and wildflowers and berry bushes. It takes another hour to search the big clearing.
3
The party doesn't find the missing miller or any sign of human presence but it does find some old deer bones overgrown in a bramble, complete with antlers, quite a few wild rabbits and pheasants dashing about, and two more game trails leading out of the open area. Eric finds tracks and scat that suggest the Darkling Wood must be rich in game even beyond the animals he actually sees. One path runs west and one southwest.
It's getting on noon now, and even through a torn veil of pearly-gray clouds the sun feels almost hot in the open air, away from the eternal shade of the tall trees.
You all had a hasty breakfast before first light, unless you decided not to eat, but by now stomachs may be starting to grumble.
"Not a sign," stated Alyna the obvious. "Shall we return and check the other path? Or continue on that one, that looks like it can lead us back?" She modded at the south-west path.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Note that the large clearing has three trails connected to it:
1 on the east side of the big clearing, which leads back toward the much smaller stony/brambly clearing (ravens and wagon) closer to the road.
2 One on the west side, leading west.
3 one to the SW, leading that way.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5e/a9/5f/5ea95f33ec37b4b200468a5e54318dda.png
((Please note this map is not to scale. Nor is it complete. It is meant to show you the general layout of the region and to show direction of travel, relative location of certain sites. I am not going to update it further. But you can take notes as you like))
"I'm not sure we, as a party, see fit to do anything. We're all pretty much clueless, I think," Shayne assures Eric. "You have skills outside, I'm just a pub crawler who is expendable to the village. I'm following whatever you think best... I just sometimes cannot help but chime in with my opinion. Ask for or not."
Shayne does his best to keep alert and observant while searching, feeling he somehow dragged the ranger into poking around the woods. Frustration at finding nothing grows and while Shayne says nothing it is pretty clear he is not enjoying nature.
We're doing one small murder-y thing for a bigger, better reason. The ends justify the means.
-- Eleanor Shellstrop