Forgotten Realms Tales

"Indeed they are" replies the gnome to Gorm almost rethorical question. " And big ones if you ask me! But yet again everyone seems big to me hehe. That's what you think happened? A dragon came down here and burned this hobgoblins here and killed the ogre? " as he speaks he starts to walk among the corpses as Logan did but he is careful on not touching nothing. 

"But that doesn't sound much like a dragon... they are evil creatures aren't they?" he asks to them "Oh! and the name is Baratathlaer but you can call me Bar. Unfortunately I am traveling in the opposite direction, trying to reach Suzail, see the capital and all. " he says

Logan’s Intelligence Check:  14

Dr A comes jogging up puffing and out of breath in time to hear Bar's  response "uuuh uuuh uuuh ahbut I wouldn't use those words in a dragon's earshot unless it was a very small wyrmling, like just hatched. They tend to get a bit tetchy about being likened lizards; true as it may be! But like most creatures they are on a spectrum from the classic cold blooded reptiles through various monster types such as hydras and wyverns to the dragons."

Intelligence check (no other modifiers?) = 11

"Ahbut Baratathlaer is an unusual name for a Gnome, where did you say you were from again?" Dr A asks the gnome.

Perception roll = 13

Logan:

History relating to Dragons:  9

Logan considers the gnome's words as he grab's the ogre's coin-purse and hands the gold pieces to Doctor A for safekeeping.

“Ah! Indeed it is haha I am from a little home or near Daggerfolk not much of my kind there. My family tend to be considered a little bit excentric you can say” replies the gnome to Dr. A

”You can call me Bar if you like” he says with a smile. 

“So do you really think this was made by a dragon? Why they could do such a thing?” 

"Ahbut Bar from what I know of Gnomes eccentricity is a common racial feature. You and your family would have to be extremely and I mean right out there, for people to say you were eccentric. Exactly what is it you do that has resulted in your fellow villagers labelling you as an eccentric. As for the damage around you see it is certainly possible that a dragon caused it! As to why I don't know?" Dr A responds to the gnome.

Looking for holes in the gnome's explanation (Perception) = 23 

"Well" replies the gnome "why they called us that.. you should ask them I guess " he smiles " What do you think guys?" he asks to Logan and Gorm while walking casually among the corpses. "Why a dragon should do this? Do you think that he was bored? Or he just disciplined some rogue servants?" 

Logan:

”Oh, I would not presume to guess the motives of dragons,” says Logan, “but this group of creatures here could have killed us if they had ambushed us, so I will consider it a sign of favor from the gods that such a deadly threat was removed from our path.”

"Interesting" says the gnome "Are you a holy warrior my friend? or just a knight?" he asks while poking the corpse of the ogre with a charred stick. 

Logan:

Smiling, Logan says, “I have just recently been provisionally  accepted to train to be a knight of Cormyr, pending approval by the council.  In the meantime, I am attempting to be of what assistance I may to my companions.”

”As my friends have said, you are welcome to travel with us if our paths coincide, but we must be moving on soon,” he adds.

     “Coincidence,” Gorm says with just a hint of curiosity to her voice.  “From what little I know of dragons I doubt they’d care if we were ambushed or not.”

     “Perhaps the dragon was hungry and spotted a meal?  I’d of thought a dragon could find more appetizing feasts though…”

     “I suppose it could be an underling or lackey that disappointed?  But again, I know very little of dragons so my guesses are next to useless.  We do yearn to learn more though…  it is the purpose of our travel,” Gorm says following the gnome as he considers and prods the corpse, acting interested but mostly studying the small man.

     “You have any experiences with dragons yourself?”

“Hmmm… I don’t think so” replies the gnome to Gorm suggesting that perhaps the dragon was looking for a meal. 
“ the ogre is still there, no chewing… and the same for the crispy ones. And I highly doubt that he could have felt intimidated by ourselves running here after the commotion. “ 

“Experience myself you say? Hmmm little besides what one hears on his travels… but… Bear me out. What if the dragon spotted this lot here, ready to ambush the travelers of the road and decided to eliminate the threat just for it was the right thing to do?. I’ve heard histories of dragons of good heart, proud and tall and all yes, but with good intentions in their hearts and that, sometimes, give a hand, or a claw if you follow me, to the rest of us….”

He looks to the trio 

“One piece of free advice and I’ll take my leave. Try to keep an open mind in the roads. It usually helps when encountering others along the way.. Well the hour grows late and I must continue my journey. If you don’t mind… may the Gods smile upon you…” 

He makes a reverence and starts walking back to the woods whistling one catchy melody. 

     “I suppose, as with all things, you hear more bad than good.  And it is more readily believed for it makes a better story to tell…” Gorm considers aloud in response to the gnome’s prompting about the goodness of dragons.  She reaches up up brushes some hair out of her eyes, subconsciously also touching one of her short horns as she does so.  “I most definitely know that no beings are all good or all bad.”

     “Have a safe journey, my new friend,” Gorm says as he is taking his leave, giving him a bow as she says such.  “I look forward to when our paths cross again…”

Logan:

Nodding respectfully at the gnome as he leaves, Logan says, “I suppose that’s it then.  Let us go back to our camp and prepare to continue our journey.”

With nothing else to do here, Logan heads back to camp and prepares to resume their journey.

     Gorm has a crazy idea about the gnome...  But keeps it to herself.  If true, she sees no benefit from poking at it.  If false, well it's such a crazy idea she would seem such to others.  With a shrug she waves one last goodbye to Baratathlaer.

     "Yes, let us continue on...  No telling what we will encounter next," Gorm agrees.

The party keeps on their journey and the road is free from new strange encounters for the next couple of days. The weather is calm, with cold gust of winds at the begining and the end of the day. 

The landscape has been getting higher and higher as the last day progress. They are now in the outskirts of a great mountain range and they are walking among crevasses and ridges. The sun is getting low when they are climbing up a great hill, with the mountains to their left looming over the edge their path has taken them. To their right an almost vertical fall of at least one hundred feet ends in a stream filled with rocks. One of the dozens of rivers that crosses the area. 

The path they are on is wide though, wide enough for a chariot to cross it without fear to fall. It is also clean of obstacles like boulders or trees. Great pines rise from the slopes to both of his sides. and the natural wall to their left has some nooks made by running water or roots of the trees. 

They know that they must reach the top of this climb before sunset or they will be forced to camp in the middle of the road. They are discussing this when they suddenly hear screams and the clear sounds of fight ahead. 

"For the Crown!! Protect the Prince!! Stand firm!! " they hear horses neighing and the unmistakable sound of weapons being drown. Then they hear horses galloping and a weird sound. A beautiful sound that, even at that distance, compels them to go near it and find its source. But soon it is flooded by the sounds of battle. The galloping comes closer and closer and they can hear some men shouting and someone clearly spurring on the horses to go faster. Not a second later a carriage appears from the turn ahead, drove by four horses galloping it heads their way making the ground shake. The driver doesn't see them, he looks over his shoulder, fleeing from something. Suddenly, something dives in from the sky and grabs the man, who, screaming, is lifted from the driver's seat and carried in the air by a creature that has talons and wings like an eagle but the torse and head of a woman. After a few seconds of struggle, the creature reaps the driver's head off, leaving the body to fall into the cliff and turns away with its prize. 

The carriage, now unmanned, and with the horses in panic heads directly towards them at high speed. 

Logan:

"No time to waste," calls Logan as he pulls the wagon off to the left side of the road (non-cliff side).  Jumping down and running towards the oncoming carriage, he yells, "YOUR DRIVER IS LOST!  STEER THE CARRIAGE IF YOU CAN!"

Logan plans to try and jump aboard the lead horses as they thunder by -- or the front of the carriage if that is easier -- and try to get the horses under control.

Athletics:  21 

Quickly sizing up the situation, Dr A yells out the word "STOP" at the lead horse casting Command - Saving throw = DC14 (Wis)