Muir hops back on his horse and tells the rest "I don't think everyone was killed but given the fruit...those charming fruits...I smell it on the winds here"
Vin looks up as Muir approaches and says "Pretty sure they are here. Nef could smell them. Seems they were being brought OUT of Hokum though. Which... could mean like a hundred different things." Vin goes back to looking for something to give answers in this carriage.
As Sam starts looking around picking up the odd belonging here and there, Boris begins simply and easily pushing through the deserted carts and wagons that are blocking passage through the main road.
Vin swoops down from on high to check out an upturned covered cart that Neferox is barking at and that Muir has also taken an interest in. It is dirtier than the rest with branches sticking through the wheels Asif part of its journey had been taken through hokum's forest.
Vin moves some of the taught fabric out of the way to begin checking the carriage. Sure enough a cascade of the charm fruit begin to pour out and onto the group all over the place. Vin sighs but knows everyone here knows not to eat them. As they pour out he confirms for Muir "Yep. Lots of them Muir. Way more then I though there would be. This is... its like a supply for somewhere else." he continues to look around moving various things and fruits out of the way to dig deeper into the carriage. "I'm wondering if there is a ledger, or a note, or journal, anything that might have a name or location tied to this. nef, you probably can't smell paper through all this fruit huh?" Nef woofs in disgruntlement. "Yeah, that's okay. Just means we gotta search the hard way. Let's be through. Last thing we want is a bunch more folks like Davis." He gets right back to it. Happy for any help in his search.
Muir watches the fruit fall to his feet and says to the group "This is not surprising that someone was taking them out of Hokum but who......Perhaps search to see where the tracks came from?"Muir continues to look at the fruit and asks quietly seemingly muttering to himself
Elthana was starting to get frustrated until the fruit landed everywhere. Thinking back to the ledger that was missing in the cabin back by the mountain, she is worried the search is fruitless (see what I did there? lol sorry its friday), but when Muir mentions tracks, Elthana decides to start looking...
At the mention of tracks vin looks up and so does Nef. It seems the others were started to get invested a bit too and as such Vin says to Nef "Think you can follow them?" The hound nods. The blood left behind an easy thing for them to smell and follow. Vin gets up and says "Lets go track them then. We can search this carriage at our leisure." With that Vin is going to help and follow Elthana and Nef as they follow the trail of whoever left this carriage. Her keen senses defiantly an asset in this search as they help. Vin also helps and together with Elthana and anyone else will see if they can get some answers to this fruity mystery.
Vin and Elthana have a difficult time parsing out the cart tracks in the area, either because the cart tracks are too old or just because they have been swallowed up in other tracks and debris.
They do however have an easier time following old blood smear of whoever was manning the cart. From a large copper coloured stain near the cart, they head off into the tree line for a couple of minutes following a dark smear through trampled grass and broken twig, it is made easier under the canopy of the trees where the snow has not laid itself so thickly on the ground. After a short time they find a humanoid body, a large hoof print in the ground where its head should have been.
"Why we trying to backtrack the fruit and vats of blood?" Sam asks aloud to anyone who is still around to listen. "Don't we know where they came from? Didn't we stop that already?"
"It's concerning they were transporting it out, sure... But who stopped them here? THAT wasn't us," Sam notes. "If we think maybe the not-deer caused the blockade then doesn't that mean the not-deer stopped the fruit from leaving? Are the not-deer and the redcaps not on the same side? Did we stumble into some faerie conflict that is leaking into our world?"
Sam is lingering about the blockade rather than backtracking with them. He assumes they won't go all the way back to the portal... Or holler if they are going to do something crazy like that. Meanwhile he piles up the fruit well away from everything else and decides to put the flame to them so they don't accidentally fall into the wrong hands. For all they really know the fruit could have caused the not-deer... though that doesn't fully make sense, does it? Still, no need to invite the local wildlife to experiment...
As Sam is pondering out loud, Muir wonders if he is asking him or just talking. Muir bends down with his back to Sam and looks at the crates before Sam torches everything. Muir sees a mark with 3 letters. He is unsure what they mean. Muir calls Sam over not realizing he was already on his way "Sam! Have you seen these letters on something before? Perhaps a faction? JFA?"
"A faction, aye. It's the Jasmina Free-Assosciation. The Worker's Faction has some business with them but mostly transactional... In the sense they hire us to move the heavy stuff their tender hands can't. Gewyn might talk kinder about them than I... But they're they well to do, spoiled and bored types. If they're shipping in fruit it's either a luxury or a narcotic would be my guess," Sam would explain, eyeing the letters and trying to determine if they are legit or not.
"Our tender hands are simply made for softer, more beauteous endeavours. I see no unkindness in that,"Gewyn remarks, walking up beside Sam. "But you are right in that it makes this shipping business seem a bit odd. Never mind that I've got an ear to the ground when it comes to the JFA and I've never heard of these fruits before."
He crouches down to inspect the letters. "And if this import is so secret that it's escaped my notice... why would the JFA put their name right on it. That would be downright sloppy. I don't know. The mark looks official, but this feels like a 3rd party is pulling a misdirect. Maybe a frame job... or more likely the JFA is being set up as a scapegoat. Either way, it's not part of our investigation, but I'll do some poking around once we get back to Marblestead. Vin, do you remember the name on that note you found back at the portal?"
"I do not know much about the factions of this realm....Please help me understand. The JFA wants something, they hire the Worker's faction to retrieve it. Is it possible that the Worker's were faction were ambushed here and were working for the JFA. Is it outside the realm of possibilities neither group told of what they were doing? Anyone transporting the fruit had to know what they were doing." Muir asks Sam and Gewywn trying to understand faction dynamics
"The Worker's Faction doesn't move everything," Sam explains. "We aren't a monopoly or anything. I just meant to suggest that it unusual to see the Jasmina's directly involved with shipping. Be about as odd as seeing a bunch of druids chopping down trees for a new road, yes? It could happen... It's just not the norm, eh?"
"Of course ignorance is always an option. You hire someone to move a box they tend not to care what's in it, just how heavy it is, yes? Maybe how delicate. Hell, you can have something shipped to someone and that someone doesn't even need know it's coming. The JFA stamp is interesting... but not proof in and of itself of anything. Shit, could just be reusing an old crate..."
"move these crates, deliver to this person, don't look in them, you'll get extra scratch, lots of people would take a job like that. Could be sellswords, even junior cavalcade adventurers, hell, I wouldn't put it past a few guards to take it on as some moonlighting or extra job if they were already heading a particular direction" Iver chimes in not having moved from the back of his horse.
Muir chuckles at the thought of Druids chopping down trees “Thank you both for explaining this to me. Well Sam, if there’s nothing else you can continue with torching it all, but do be careful of the wind and burning down forests”
Elthana leaves the others to argue over the crates and their contents. Checking the path on ahead she returns quickly and reports, "Just more carriages and debris blocking the path, but it does thin out after a little bit and hopefully won't slow us down too much as we get to our first stop. You all ready to move on yet?"
The group finish up their investigations picking up odd useful items here and there, along with making sure the fruits are fully burnt. The fruits themselves give off a sickly sweet smell when burnt and the flames glow a slight blue in the winter afternoon. With Vin surveying from his broom above, Elthana is joined by Neferox on their scouting ahead, always making sure to keep within a practical distance of the group it is not long before the group starts approaching the edge of the forest where sams second grown tree should stand.
Before the group fully approaches the end of Hokum forest, they begin to hear the telltale sounds of fighting, sword against armour, the screech of some unholy beast and oddly the screaming of rage in a dwarven tongue. "what the **** is going on!?" Iver growls as he readies his sword, though a pain shooting through his side stops him before he can properly ready himself, he sighs and leaves it in his sheath, looking to the others to give some kind of order.
(Vin, Nef and Elthana can give me stealth and perception checks if they'd like to see what is going on before the rest of the party catch up)
Muir hops back on his horse and tells the rest "I don't think everyone was killed but given the fruit...those charming fruits...I smell it on the winds here"
Muir mutters under his breath to himself and rides his horse over to the carriage that Nef and Vin are looking over
Vin looks up as Muir approaches and says "Pretty sure they are here. Nef could smell them. Seems they were being brought OUT of Hokum though. Which... could mean like a hundred different things." Vin goes back to looking for something to give answers in this carriage.
As Sam starts looking around picking up the odd belonging here and there, Boris begins simply and easily pushing through the deserted carts and wagons that are blocking passage through the main road.
Vin swoops down from on high to check out an upturned covered cart that Neferox is barking at and that Muir has also taken an interest in. It is dirtier than the rest with branches sticking through the wheels Asif part of its journey had been taken through hokum's forest.
Vin moves some of the taught fabric out of the way to begin checking the carriage. Sure enough a cascade of the charm fruit begin to pour out and onto the group all over the place. Vin sighs but knows everyone here knows not to eat them. As they pour out he confirms for Muir "Yep. Lots of them Muir. Way more then I though there would be. This is... its like a supply for somewhere else." he continues to look around moving various things and fruits out of the way to dig deeper into the carriage. "I'm wondering if there is a ledger, or a note, or journal, anything that might have a name or location tied to this. nef, you probably can't smell paper through all this fruit huh?" Nef woofs in disgruntlement. "Yeah, that's okay. Just means we gotta search the hard way. Let's be through. Last thing we want is a bunch more folks like Davis." He gets right back to it. Happy for any help in his search.
Muir watches the fruit fall to his feet and says to the group "This is not surprising that someone was taking them out of Hokum but who......Perhaps search to see where the tracks came from?" Muir continues to look at the fruit and asks quietly seemingly muttering to himself
"What should I do"
Elthana was starting to get frustrated until the fruit landed everywhere. Thinking back to the ledger that was missing in the cabin back by the mountain, she is worried the search is fruitless (see what I did there? lol sorry its friday), but when Muir mentions tracks, Elthana decides to start looking...
At the mention of tracks vin looks up and so does Nef. It seems the others were started to get invested a bit too and as such Vin says to Nef "Think you can follow them?" The hound nods. The blood left behind an easy thing for them to smell and follow. Vin gets up and says "Lets go track them then. We can search this carriage at our leisure." With that Vin is going to help and follow Elthana and Nef as they follow the trail of whoever left this carriage. Her keen senses defiantly an asset in this search as they help. Vin also helps and together with Elthana and anyone else will see if they can get some answers to this fruity mystery.
Survival check to follow tracks: 20
Vin and Elthana have a difficult time parsing out the cart tracks in the area, either because the cart tracks are too old or just because they have been swallowed up in other tracks and debris.
They do however have an easier time following old blood smear of whoever was manning the cart. From a large copper coloured stain near the cart, they head off into the tree line for a couple of minutes following a dark smear through trampled grass and broken twig, it is made easier under the canopy of the trees where the snow has not laid itself so thickly on the ground. After a short time they find a humanoid body, a large hoof print in the ground where its head should have been.
"Why we trying to backtrack the fruit and vats of blood?" Sam asks aloud to anyone who is still around to listen. "Don't we know where they came from? Didn't we stop that already?"
"It's concerning they were transporting it out, sure... But who stopped them here? THAT wasn't us," Sam notes. "If we think maybe the not-deer caused the blockade then doesn't that mean the not-deer stopped the fruit from leaving? Are the not-deer and the redcaps not on the same side? Did we stumble into some faerie conflict that is leaking into our world?"
Sam is lingering about the blockade rather than backtracking with them. He assumes they won't go all the way back to the portal... Or holler if they are going to do something crazy like that. Meanwhile he piles up the fruit well away from everything else and decides to put the flame to them so they don't accidentally fall into the wrong hands. For all they really know the fruit could have caused the not-deer... though that doesn't fully make sense, does it? Still, no need to invite the local wildlife to experiment...
As Sam is pondering out loud, Muir wonders if he is asking him or just talking. Muir bends down with his back to Sam and looks at the crates before Sam torches everything. Muir sees a mark with 3 letters. He is unsure what they mean. Muir calls Sam over not realizing he was already on his way "Sam! Have you seen these letters on something before? Perhaps a faction? JFA?"
"A faction, aye. It's the Jasmina Free-Assosciation. The Worker's Faction has some business with them but mostly transactional... In the sense they hire us to move the heavy stuff their tender hands can't. Gewyn might talk kinder about them than I... But they're they well to do, spoiled and bored types. If they're shipping in fruit it's either a luxury or a narcotic would be my guess," Sam would explain, eyeing the letters and trying to determine if they are legit or not.
"Our tender hands are simply made for softer, more beauteous endeavours. I see no unkindness in that," Gewyn remarks, walking up beside Sam. "But you are right in that it makes this shipping business seem a bit odd. Never mind that I've got an ear to the ground when it comes to the JFA and I've never heard of these fruits before."
He crouches down to inspect the letters. "And if this import is so secret that it's escaped my notice... why would the JFA put their name right on it. That would be downright sloppy. I don't know. The mark looks official, but this feels like a 3rd party is pulling a misdirect. Maybe a frame job... or more likely the JFA is being set up as a scapegoat. Either way, it's not part of our investigation, but I'll do some poking around once we get back to Marblestead. Vin, do you remember the name on that note you found back at the portal?"
"I do not know much about the factions of this realm....Please help me understand. The JFA wants something, they hire the Worker's faction to retrieve it. Is it possible that the Worker's were faction were ambushed here and were working for the JFA. Is it outside the realm of possibilities neither group told of what they were doing? Anyone transporting the fruit had to know what they were doing." Muir asks Sam and Gewywn trying to understand faction dynamics
"The Worker's Faction doesn't move everything," Sam explains. "We aren't a monopoly or anything. I just meant to suggest that it unusual to see the Jasmina's directly involved with shipping. Be about as odd as seeing a bunch of druids chopping down trees for a new road, yes? It could happen... It's just not the norm, eh?"
"Of course ignorance is always an option. You hire someone to move a box they tend not to care what's in it, just how heavy it is, yes? Maybe how delicate. Hell, you can have something shipped to someone and that someone doesn't even need know it's coming. The JFA stamp is interesting... but not proof in and of itself of anything. Shit, could just be reusing an old crate..."
"move these crates, deliver to this person, don't look in them, you'll get extra scratch, lots of people would take a job like that. Could be sellswords, even junior cavalcade adventurers, hell, I wouldn't put it past a few guards to take it on as some moonlighting or extra job if they were already heading a particular direction" Iver chimes in not having moved from the back of his horse.
Muir chuckles at the thought of Druids chopping down trees “Thank you both for explaining this to me. Well Sam, if there’s nothing else you can continue with torching it all, but do be careful of the wind and burning down forests”
Elthana leaves the others to argue over the crates and their contents. Checking the path on ahead she returns quickly and reports, "Just more carriages and debris blocking the path, but it does thin out after a little bit and hopefully won't slow us down too much as we get to our first stop. You all ready to move on yet?"
"Should wait til the fire is good and burned out, the fruit totally destroyed, other than that let's move on..."
The group finish up their investigations picking up odd useful items here and there, along with making sure the fruits are fully burnt. The fruits themselves give off a sickly sweet smell when burnt and the flames glow a slight blue in the winter afternoon.
With Vin surveying from his broom above, Elthana is joined by Neferox on their scouting ahead, always making sure to keep within a practical distance of the group it is not long before the group starts approaching the edge of the forest where sams second grown tree should stand.
Before the group fully approaches the end of Hokum forest, they begin to hear the telltale sounds of fighting, sword against armour, the screech of some unholy beast and oddly the screaming of rage in a dwarven tongue. "what the **** is going on!?" Iver growls as he readies his sword, though a pain shooting through his side stops him before he can properly ready himself, he sighs and leaves it in his sheath, looking to the others to give some kind of order.
(Vin, Nef and Elthana can give me stealth and perception checks if they'd like to see what is going on before the rest of the party catch up)