Red Dead Annihilation: Campaign Thread

“Mind the hallway, Ran.  Looks like those goblins didn’t find the only trap.” MIca points out the arrow slits along the walls. “ Can’t find what sets it off though.  Maybe Velan or one of the others could help have a look in the morning.” 

(Ready for camp here as well!)

Danica grimaced at Velan's question and simply nodded at the other healer's response. "I could try and heal him further but I don't think it'll do anything against the illness. He'll beat it." She rested a hand on the man's shoulder, not entirely sure how conscious he was to hear this exchange, "It's just a matter of how long it'll take." Danica didn't go through the dead's things but did help stack the bodies into neat piles for Velan to alight. Staying with Meili and trying her best to make the diseased man comfortable. If he was awake she would ask, "What's your name? Not sure if you caught ours with everything going on." Her voice was quiet, not pitying but had a softer edge than her normal brogue intoned. "This's Meili." Gesturing to the monk woman at their side before introducing, "And I'm Danica. The two that went into the ruins were Ran and Mica. The one handy with fire is Velan, our dwarven guide is Hew and that lovely lady is Inete." She was quiet a beat before the elf encouraged, "I had this Shivering Sickness a few days ago. Nasty business but if I can pull through, so can you." The brunette gave the soldier a crooked smile. 

(Ready for le camp~)

The ill soldier looks up at Danica and smiles faintly at her encouragement.  "Quick," he says.  "Will Quick."  Then he rolls over to get closer to the fire, whispering a prayer to Lathander.

The night passes.  

At one point, an awful, screaming howl begins in the jungle.  It is loud and jarring enough to stir everyone.  Hew calms everyone and suggests you continue to be still.  The howling continues intermittently, sometimes sounding nearby, sometimes far away.  And then it stops.

"Howlers.  Don't rightly know what they are or if they are dangerous.  But you hear them sometimes... always at night.  Never had any trouble from them, but they sure as hell make the skin crawl."  Then he returns to his watch.

In the morning, a light rain turns into a heavy fog that doesn't burn off right away, even in the morning sun.  The ill fighter is still suffering from his shivering sickness.  

Hew stands before you, holding a canoe paddle.  "We need to decide what to do about Camp Vengeance.  And our newest tagalong.  From what the late Sir Dominick had to say, things are bad there.  But it is right between us and the Aldani Basin.  It commands the river, and its not likely we can pass in canoes safely if they try to stop us.  It seems to me our options are to head straight there and hope for the best, or go ashore somewhere north and try to skirt the camp through the jungle.  I'm not sure that will work, and I work for you so tell me what you want us to try."

Mica stretches and shakes his braids before glancing back at the House of Man and Crocodile “I sure would like to check out that tunnel some more before we head upriver.  Be a shame to pass by such a mystery.  But we need to look around first, there are more traps then them goblins found.”  He looks around at the group “What do you think?  Are you up for a short side trip? The traps have to be hiding something.”

Ran shakes off the lingering effects of the howler in the night.

"Nearly as bad as the sailors coming out of the Friendly Flounder in the morning," Ran says. 

As they gather outside to discuss next steps, Ran keeps looking up at the statute above, with the man carrying the crocodile. There's something there but he's not sure what.

"Yeah, I'm up for a spot of mystery solving," Ran says in reply to Mica.

As usual, morning brought new troubles, though, healed wounds softened the bad news. Although... Would they notice canoes if we take off right now? In the fog? Will," Meili looked at the - sadly - still shivering soldier, ¨do those people left in the camp Camp Vengeance watch the river? And what do they do if someone passes by?¨

Before deciding anything she would prefer to learn as much as possible. Fortunately, the source of information was still alive even if not too well. However, regardless of said information, one thing was clear.

¨Will, as we said to Sir Dominick, we can not return now and you can not hope to get through the jungle alone and sick.  So, you have to chose. Our mission in the jungle is quite dangerous and the road is difficult. But we might come across some settlements on our path. You can stay here and hope that someone else passes by, or you can join us and share the danger of the travel.¨

Meili did not comment on suggestion to study the ruins. It was tempting, of course, but it would take precious day time and more important things - like what to do about Camp Vengeance - were not decided yet.

“It is not only braving the jungle alone, Meili.” He says approaching monk and ailing warrior. “This camp was already breached by beasts. Sick and alone he will need a miracle to survive.”

Something Velan didn’t think would happen. Will’s state should be enough proof of that. The man entered a soldier, part of a large crew, with a fort, weapons and supplies. He turned victim of the tyranny of his company’s leader, then a deserter of Dominick’s group and now he was Dominck’s group.

“If he comes with us.” The wizard said rising to his feet and moving into Danica’s direction. “… then traveling close by Vengeance we will need to either hand him to his former commander or fight the entire garrison – something that despite the proven abilities of each an everyone in this group, would be a lost battle more likely than not finished on our deaths.” A scenario he was clearly interested in avoiding. “And let me say that I don’t quite like the idea of handing Will. Most military orders punish desertion with execution and if half of what Domnick spoke about the men in charge, Quick will be made an example, which means to expect a slow and very painful execution.” It would be more merciful to kill the man themselves or simply leave him alone. “If he is to be alive and travel with us, then the best option is to go ashore north and skirt them through the jungle.”

[Mica, you were able to recover one arrow from the foliage.  The other three are still stuck in the flanks of a family of Ceratosaurs somewhere in the jungle.]

Ran listens to Velan's and Meili's thoughts on Camp Vengeance. There was no easy solution out of this.

"Leave him here to die, drop him off at the camp to likely be executed or abandon our expedition to take him back," Ran mulls the options over out loud.

He thinks a moment or two longer.

"I can't turn around, and I have to see if my sister got held up at Camp Vengeance," Ran says finally, pauses a few more seconds before continuing. "I could sneak up to the fort, see if I spot any sign of my sister. Without my armor on I can be reasonably quiet. If I don't see sign of her, there may be extra canoes and I could steal one of them. In and out, good as gold. Let Will have it and float downstream to the hunter's camp. They could help him."

"You're probably right to avoid the camp," the sick soldier says and he staggers out from a tent.  He leans for support on a notched branch, like a crude crutch.  "My name is Will Quick, for those of you I haven't met yet."

"The Order serves a noble purpose, but these last months have tested the men of Camp Vengeance to the breaking point.  Ordinarily they would be obliged to give shelter and aid to any travelers.  But the last groups to pass through tried to steal supplies and bewitched some of the guards.  I think Commander Breakbone would be just as like to fire upon any passing boats as to offer aid, or let them by in peace."

"... But I am going back.  Breakbone might punish me, but he has no idea what happened to our patrol.  I can sing him a song and mayhaps convince him we just ran into some goblins.  I appreciate the thought, but I could no more manage my way past the Bloody Beaches on my own than I could fly to Silverymoon.  No, (cough) my only chance is with the order."

Hew scratches his beard.  "No harm in poking around those ruins if you youngsters need to slake your curiousity.  As long as you don't take more than a couple of hours, we will be near enough to Camp Vengeance well before nightfall."

"I think we can disguise you enough, Will, that your Commander would not recognize you. But if you wish to return, so be it." The group could use more helping hands, but their mission's nature called for passionate volunteers, not desperate strangers.

"I'll go with you into the ruins." More people could speed up the process and - hopefully - reduce the risk. Meili picked up the rope and followed Mica inside the Temple, stepping as lightly and carefully as possible. (Perception: 8 , Survival: 15)

Mica was about to suggest they ask the young soldier what he thought when Will spoke up.  Mica was only a little surprised when he expressed the desire to return to Camp Vengeance, it was possible that Dominick and Thondell were the real leaders behind the desertion and the others just followed along.  “We can vouch for your story of goblins, even mention how we came upon you and fought alongside you when Dominick and the others fell.  It is true enough”  He looks at his companions “They may look kindly upon us if we return a lost member of their patrol, enough to share shelter and  information of those that passed before us. It may be worth the risk.”

He breaks out into a wide grin when Hew suggest they have enough time to explore the tunnel under the House of Man and Crocodile. “Don’t worry, we will be right quick. Would like Velan or someone to check out this hallway, it’s got my hackles up.”  Mica shows Velan and whoever else follows along the suspected arrow slits in the hallway to help any of them search for a potential trap.

“You could come with us to the village in the jungle. Get help there or make a life there. It would be safer than bet your life on the reason of what you and your friends described as, basically, a madman.” He said looking at will just before turning to the others “Remember back at the temple of Savras when I spoke about using magic to turn someone invisible? Well, part of the time I spent studying my spellbook around the campfire I was working on it and recently I completed the spell. I can make Will or anyone, for that matter, invisible for an hour. Two, if push really comes to shove.” His voice showing quite clearly that he preferred if things didn’t got to that point. “But this will not help if the commander decides to attack us because of his previous and less than pleasant experiences.” Velan really preferred their chances taking on the jungle, but he couldn’t just ignore Ran’s search. “Will, are the prisoners kept on the open, in an area visible from the sky?” The wizard didn’t even wait for an answer before speaking again. “If they are, I can have Ninlil check if there are any females while we keep our distance.”

The problem would be if the prisoners were kept on a proper dungeon. Then they would need to enter the camp.

"Yes (cough) they are out in the open.  And yes, there is a woman prisoner.  A couple of the enchanters who came through were captured.  And then maybe a week later, a woman showed herself at the gate one night, alone.  She told some long-winded sob story about being lost... but in the meantime (cough)... in the meantime another lady hopped the back fence and tried to steal supplies.  Guards nabbed that one, but the one outside the gate slipped away."

"Dammit," Ran says when he hears the story about the prisoners. "That's right bang on the nose something what Shephard would do."

He thinks for a couple of seconds then smiles.

"But she was alive. And if I rescue her I'll have that over her head forever," Ran says. Then he looks over at Velan. "I might need you to test your wee bit of magic on me. Lot easier to knick my sister out from under them if they can't see me."

Despite his earlier interest in the tunnel, the news has made him less eager to waste time seeing what's inside.

"Right quick, eh?" Ran calls to Mica, then looks back up at the Man and Crocodile statue. "What was that tale again, Inete? Why was the man carrying the crocodile?"

“Prisoners?” Mica glances over at Will “Damn, I didn’t know about them.  Makes things a bit more dicey.  But if we are going to get sneaky it is best to approach the camp near nightfall, so we have some time before we leave here.  It is up to you Ran.  It is your sister.” 

He looks over at him “I imagine whichever one didn’t get pinched is hanging around outside the camp.  Probably worthwhile to find them and learn more.  I can help us move around quietly as well.”

In response to Ran's question, Inete recites the story again, sounding as though she may have told it countless times before:

"In the early days of the world, Man stood by the banks of a river, frightened. Crocodile raised his head from the water and asked, “What troubles you, cousin Man?”

Man said, “I must cross this river, but I fear to enter the water alone, because it teems with your brethren.”

Crocodile replied, “It’s true, you would not be safe. But I will carry you across the river safely on my back, if you promise to return the favor.” Man agreed, and Crocodile bore him safely across the water

When they reached the far bank, Man asked, “How can I repay you?” Crocodile replied, “I wish to see the realm of Humans, but I fear to go there alone, because it teems with your brethren. You must carry me on your back across your realm.” Man had been tricked, but a promise is a promise, so he carried Crocodile safely on his back across the entire realm of humans, a journey that lasted many years. He also swore, in his anger, that never again would Men and Crocodiles be friends, and so it has remained to this day."

While Ran listens to Inete, he focuses on the statue and then looks back into the tunnel.

"That's a whole lot of piggybacking going on in the story and that statue," Ran says. "Maybe we can't figure the trap because we need to look from higher up."

Ran looks over at Velan.

"Your birdy friend able to take a look from ceiling height?"

The Howlers weren't the best wakeup call, but finding that Will was still shivering was just as bad. 

As Hew mentioned their "newest tagalong" Danica swore internally. She had forgotten that Quick was the only one they had managed to save and thus couldn't foist him onto his companions to deal with so that they could continue without entirely guilty conscience. Listening to her crew discuss the man's fate she stayed quiet with pursed lips as Quick himself not so quickly exited the tent and offered up his own voice.

Nodding at the soldier's decision, Danica finally spoke, "It's decided then. We should try and do a little reconnaissance but still just head straight towards the Gauntlet and be....mostly honest." Giving a glance at Will. "And whatever hells are being thrown at Camp Vengeance, we're sure to be going up against worse where we're headed." Both preparing her crew and trying to console Will in his choice. She only hoped the Commander was feeling merciful. Both for the ill soldier as well as their own sake. If he attempted severe corporal punishment on the man, or if somehow Ran's sister had been captured by them... She wasn't looking forward to dealing with such complications. The elf rubbed her forehead in worry as she followed the group. Giving a forced smile at Hew as he stated that they had enough time for them to sate their curiosity. 

Surveying the beginning of the tunnel, she snapped a Light into existence to better help them see. "Maybe we need to piggy back ourselves to see?" Only half teasing before murmuring a small prayer for Guidance and trying to see if she could spot any traps or anything else of note from her viewpoint. 

Perception: 7
Guidance: 3