Princes of the Apocalypse, Game Thread

Breakfast complete, a plan in hand, the group departs the Watchful Knight with kind words from Neshor.

The Dessarin Road leads south through the barren Sumber Hills. You don’t meet any other travelers this day, but you find evidence that the trail supports traffic — wagon ruts and mule droppings prove that people come this way on a regular basis. You find nothing else until you are about fifteen miles south of Beliard, when you spot a cloud of ravens and vultures circling a mile or so west of the trail.

(gunna go ahead with this since you are clearly going to check that out...)

Sensing that this may be what you are looking for, you travel west towards the circling birds and the unmistakable smell of carrion rotting in the midday sun.

In a small dell a mile off the road, you find the remains of a battle. A dozen dead soldiers lie on the ground, dressed in black surcoats bearing the emblem of a red axe. Most appear to have died from battle injuries, although some lie in small craters or jumbles of broken rock. Abandoned and looted wagons lie nearby. A couple of broken trunks sit on the ground by the wagons. Two rock cairns — one large and one small — stand atop a hillside nearby.

"Pewwww!  Place is smell of death." Shrek whispers as they inspect the site of the battle.  "Why everyone wearing red axe uniform?  Where's delly-gashion?"  he says with a worried look as his gaze looks over to the rock cairns.

Shrek will make his way over to the two rock cairns, but looking down for signs of foot tracks in the area.  Anything that might give a clue as to who the 'victors' of this battle were, and where they went.

Perception: 9

(can I get a survival check from Shrek?)

Randall walks the periphery of the battlefield, a little sickened by the loss of life and crass disregard for the dead.  In Red Larch, the dead, even vagrants, were cared for and given proper burials.  This is inhuman.

Noticing Shrek heading up the little hill, he follows along to make sure no one is left alone out here.

Shrek's survival: 17

Olaerys heads up to the hill after surveying the scene of battle as well.  He looks for one of the less destroyed / bloodied surcoats with the red axe and takes it, folding it up, then walks up to the top of the hill with Shrek and Randall.  

Ankita takes in the battle scene in silence.  While some head up to the cairns, she looks around the battlefield to see if she can figure out anything from it.

Perception 15

Shrek is able to notice some tell-tale tracks; Bugbears! It looks like a large group of about thirty bugbears and Medium humanoids wearing boots headed west into the hills, almost exactly in the direction of the graves you investigated yesterday you think.

Ankita examines the battleground carefully and can't help but feel the craters and broken rocks could not have been done naturally. There must have been powerful earth magic involved.

Shrek, through a series of grunts and pointing, manages to get the story out to Randall and Olaerys of the battleborne bugbears who dominated this battle.  He's trying to limit opening his mouth, for fear of inhaling the putrid air, heavy with the stench of rotting corpses.

After seeing all he can see, he trudges back down the hill to rejoin with Ankita and Melchor.  Filling with anger and rage, his voice booms over the battlefield.  "Bad juju happen here.  Shrek no like.  Delly-gashion stand no chance against bad like this.  What they do to deserve?!"

Randall lets out a long, exasperated whistle.  "30 bugbears... that's practically an army."  He looks at their little band.  Could we stand any chance against such a force?

He walks back down the hill and relays Shrek's story to Ankita and Melchor.  "What do you two make of all this?  I haven't seen any sign those buzzard knights were here... maybe they are innocent after all."  He turns again and looks over the field of dead.  "Can we do anything about this?  Did anyone see a church or something nearby?  I think we need to continue our investigation, but its not right to leave all these people to rot.  Can we figure out a way to get them buried properly?"

"I'm not so sure yet they are innocent, this damage here is caused by some sort of magical means.  They could have attacked while riding their buzzards." Ankita looks around, "As for the dead, maybe we could use the wagons over there for transport?  I agree, we should not just leave them here."

Does Shrek recall any churches nearby that he may have delivered parcels/packages to?  Religion check: 19

Quote from o_Merlin_o >>

Does Shrek recall any churches nearby that he may have delivered parcels/packages to?  Religion check: 18

 

Yes, Shrek has visited Summit Hall (where the delegation was headed) many times in the past, and there is a church back in Beliard.

Randall will inspect the wagons.  

(There are no draft animals, right?  So no chance of using the wagons to transport the dead?)

His brow furrows.  "We could bury them ourselves, right here.  It wouldn't be the first new graveyard to appear thanks to a battle."

Quote from Bartjeebus >>

Randall will inspect the wagons.  

(There are no draft animals, right?  So no chance of using the wagons to transport the dead?)

His brow furrows.  "We could bury them ourselves, right here.  It wouldn't be the first new graveyard to appear thanks to a battle."

There are a couple of dead horses but none alive

Having been briefed, Melchor limps up to the scene of the massacre, seemingly unbothered by the stench of the decaying bodies.

’Did they take any prisoners?’ he asks ‘I’m afraid tracking isn’t my forte…’

Spotting the opened trunks, he heads over to inspect them more closely, to see of they offer any clue as to why the group was attacked, Glimmer perching on his shoulder to offer a second pair of eyes (Glimmer is performing the Help action..)

(Investigation: 18)

Glimmer spots a chipped stone mask amongst the rubble. Looking at it, you immediately recognize it as similar if not identical to the ones you saw in Red Larch.

Inspecting the trunks shows they were pillaged; everything of use has been taken. You are just about to give up when you notice a secret compartment in one. Popping it open reveals a bag with 100gp.

Melchor stand up from his searching, holding up the purse 'This will help with expenses. I don't think the dead have need of it...' he then steps over to where Glimmer has spotted the mask and bends down to lift it up 'Well, well, well. What do we have here.' He shows it to the others 'We have evidence of more interested parties...'

Shrek looks up at Melchor, holding the bag of coin up high..."What dat?  Food?" he announces, almost as loud as his stomach grumbling.  Why is he hungry right now, with all the stench of rotting corpses around, is anyone's guess.

"Shall friends go to Summit Hall next?  Is church there who can take care of dead peoples here.  Me thinks delly-gashion was heading there next.  Maybe we finds them on way?"