"I am trained in map-making. Which, unfortunately, doesn't really help when it comes to going down a river that you are more than familiar with," Neya says with a defeated shrug. "But it may come in handy in taking note of what we see at our destination."
Taroo seems excited to lead an adventuring party: "Very well, I'll take the lead. Grab a pole and follow my instructions"
(OOC: I need STR checks from each of you. If you happen to be proficient with water vehicles, you may add your proficiency bonus. Feel free to get creative and use other skills that might give you an edge here.)
If but thanks to the gauntlets adorning his arms, Doozey feared not being able to keep up with his taller compatriots in terms of power, though yet things may be awkward just from the design of the pole. So he compensates, or at least tries to, by keeping a close eye on the river and using every bit of woodsman know-how and past impromptu lessons from a certain sailing family to better circumnavigate even the minor snags the river would have in store for him along the way.
Even Biscuit joins in on the effort in his own way by striking up a rhythmic "boof" and growl and bark as a means to both keep everyone in tune and motivated in the effort!
-Biscuit Performance: 6. (if sufficiently successful, but only able to help one char, directing his help to Neya.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Neya grabs a pole and begins to help negotiate the river. But, since her physical strength is somewhat lacking, she essentially needs to put more of her weight into her efforts.
Clapping Taroo on the shoulder as he climbs aboard and takes his pole, Utar bestows a measure of Torm's guidance on him.
While the half-orc might have been a passenger on a number of sailing vessels, he hasn't actually paid that much attention to how they operated. He could drive a cart if needed, but he suspected that the method differed too greatly to offer many transferable skills.
Taroo takes leadership of the vessel and passes quick instructions to his new crew: "Use the pole to poke our way forward and away from any obstacles. The Trank is not a complicated voyage, so it is a good river for learning the trade. When propelling us forward, try to do it in a way that matches my 'heave' calls. It will allow us to gain speed as we go."
Utar clings to the idea of propelling the vessel forward using his muscle. He takes the port side. Graxx would have been a good partner to claim the starboard, maybe even Thokk. In their absence, the half-orc feels even more determined to put his strength to the test to not let the CRAPers who are present down.
Neya takes the starboard and does her best sailor impression. Knowing she also lacks the muscle for it, Denae serves as Neya's personal cheerleader (help). The pair is far from getting their sea legs, but they can check river punting from their training checklist.
Doozey focuses his efforts on surgically applying his pole to maneuver the keelboat away from the shore or around a sporadic pointy rock. Not many obstacles appear on their way, but the ones that do fail to avoid the well-trained eyes of the halfling on board. Biscuit, on the other hand, causes more trouble than anything else. His loud boofs clash harshly with Taroo's rhythmic 'heave' calls. The sailor is either too polite to call it out or is simply against creating conflict where one might not be called for. Even then, Taroo can't fully hide a tinge of frustration in his eyes.
During the trip, Taroo takes a break from his calling to share some information about himself: "I've worked at the farm for two years and I live in a tiny house on the premises. I've been away from the farm for the past day and a half seeing family. I was supposed to get back yesterday, but it got dark before I could return, so I stayed at a friendly farm a few miles to the east. No one travels after dark."
(OOC: There is still some time to go on this trip. Would you like to ask Taroo anything?)
"Lucky for you that you were not there, Taroo. Otherwise we might not have found out about this development for some time and missed this opportunity to start tracking whatever or whoever is doing this. What can you tell us about the Renons?"
"I'm curious, could you tell us what sort of farming methods are used in this area?" Neya asks. "You don't need to go too deep in the details, just, in general."
After picking up Taroo's agitation, and then subsequently quieting Biscuit in a terse whisper (much to the puppers saddness, judging by the short-lived whines), the stoutling opted to listen in to the conversation with open ears but a wary mind alert for any duplicity, harmless or not.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Taroo looks at Utar first: "The Renons are a middle aged married couple, both humans, in case you are wondering. They have owned their farm for many years. They're not adventurers, not like you or even like old man Romsan, but they are quite capable of taking care of themselves, which is often required given their farm's proximity to the river and marsh. You never know when a giant frog will decide to come for your livestock.... or worse, a lizardfolk hunting band..." Thinking of threats causes Taroo's mind to drift back to earlier in the day. "It was around midday when I returned. I found the doors to the Renons’ house smashed in and they were gone. There were obvious signs of a struggle. A few pigs and a pair of cows are also missing."
Taroo is glad to answer Neya's question next instead of thinking of nearby dangers: "The farm is on the east side of the river. There is a slight curve to the river, leaving a wide gravel bar on the east side. You'll see it once we arrive, as I plan to beach the boat on the gravel bar. The banks on each side are steep, though only about 10ft tall. Both sides are heavily wooded. It is a nice area for being close to the marshes. I work on the fields and plant grain and vegetables for the Renons, aside form tending to animals. As for methods, well, we use ox-drawn plows and other standard farming tools, I guess..."
@Doozey: You sense no duplicity in Taroo's words, though he seems well spoken for a peasant.
The river trip continues until Taroo informs you that you are very close. The proximity brings forth more terror-fueled comments by the boatsman: "I quickly searched the farm, found nothing, panicked, and headed for the inn for help. I didn't think to check the two neighboring farms until I was far upriver, but now that you are here, maybe you can do that too!"
Upon arrival, you see a scene that matches Taroo's description. He instructs you to poke the boat onto the gravel bar and announces that you have arrived. There is a pair of very wide, weathered wooden stairs that go up the embankment. Taroo points to the smaller one says: "If you'd like to, we'll be taking that one because it leads directly into the Renon Farm." Pointing to the other one, he explains that it is at the end of the Farmer's Trail which connects to other farms and small villages many miles to the east of the river. "I used the trail during my trip." More specifically, Taroo adds: "There are three farms at this end of the trail: the Renon Farm, the Alyin Farm, and the Tralio Farm. The Renons’ is the largest. I occasionally work and socialize at the other two farms, so I know them almost as well as the Renons. I can guide you through all three of them. Shall we go to the Renons first?"
"Seeing as the others are at the end of the trail and not along it, might as well start with the guarantee that is the Renon's."Doozey says in much in agreement as the group disembarked, but soon after could be seen scratching at the back of his neck and half-muttering to himself, "Though, now I'm sort of kicking myself... should've kept Gravy and Berry would be available." Yet he's not able to dwell on heavy thoughts for long without Biscuit taking notice and patting him on the shoulders a couple of times and drawing out a tired grin from the halfling.
"Anything you can tell us about the other Alyin and Trailo along the way? Or are things much the same for them as well in terms of how they handled their business and so forth?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Taroo begins leading the group up the shorter set of steps, as per CRAP's preference. "Well, the Aylins, Walos and Jinns, are young adult humans who inherited their farm and moved in only a few months ago. They don't really know the area. As for the Tralios, Hilloo and Gerona, they regularly dealt in livestock with the local farmers. I watched their farm when they traveled, or helped with the livestock."
You do not get too far up the step. Doozey's keen eyes (passive survival) notice that the first clue is right here at the gravel bar. Muddy footprints and a small trail of blood from the stairs to the Farmer's Trail (the set of steps you are not currently taking.)
Utar and Neya both halt the party's advance, noticing (passive insight) Doozey's attention shifting to focus on the blood.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Letting Doozey take the lead with whatever it is he's found, Utar carefully retraces his steps back along the way they've just come towards the boats. Hopefully he's avoided disturbing anything important and had given Doozey the space to work. He then puts his head on a swivel, casting around for anything else out of the ordinary.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Even if a futile effort, both Doozey and Biscuit soon had their noises to the ground in trying to sniff at the footprints and blood. Their hope of course being to try and discern any notable scents -- perhaps even confirming lizardfolk involvement at that -- before focusing again on moving along to the farm. A question however still leaves the stoutling lips towards the tail end of his investigation, and seems directed towards Taroo. "You mentioned before something about lizardfolk hunting parties... I don't suppose these parties are want to use this very same river nearby, or boats in general for that matter are they?"
(@DM: Wasn't sure if an active survival or investigation check would be appropriate to try and glean more from the trail, but if the former would work then add +4 to the roll. And if Hunter's Bane would apply, feel free to roll the adv on my behalf)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
“They very well could,” Taroo replies. “The Trank river leads directly into the marshes where the lizardfolk live. They wouldn’t normally come this far north, though.”
@Utar: Looking around the area, you find that the group may not have overly disturbed the gravel bar, but something else certainly did. Something large was beached here. In fact, up to four large something’s were beached here. Separately, you also now spot hoofprints on the ground.
@Doozey: Although Biscuit picks up no specific creature scents at this moment, your keen eyes spot another clue by the water’s edge. A gourd canteen is wedged between two large rocks. Picking it up, you note that it is empty, but the inside has a nasty odor to it. Maybe Biscuit’s olfactory search was overwhelmed by this particular scent.
@Neya: The footprints corroborate the story you heard so far. They can’t be older than 15 or so hours, which would put their creation squarely in the ”last night” timeframe.
Utar points out his finds to the others, "Four large compactions of the gravel, there, there, there and there. I suspect four beached boats maybe? Taroo, any idea on the type of craft that would leave these marks? There are also some hoofprints, so maybe some use of mounts by whoever we're looking for?"
Doozey nodded absent-mindedly to Taroo's initial reply, as much of the halfling's focus stayed on the gourd canteen pulled free for further investigation. Unfortunately, having left most of his alchemist kit back home(unless Neya hadn't mind storing it in the bag of holding), trying to analyze any residue or remnants of its contents would have to wait for the moment. In the meantime...
"Found something that smells a touch foul as well. Can't be certain if its merely an odd booze one of the farmers stashed away or some concoction the raiders used to help soften up targets yet though."Doozey finally admits. "But if you're seeing some boats and hooves, could be... hmm... I rather not jump to too many more conclusions till we reach the farm. Might costs us a bit of ground if this turns out to be a kidnapping case. But if whoever or whatever did this is working with a lot of number, getting a better guage on what they've taken or how many there might be can mean the difference between life or death out there."He says with an affirmative nod from a still somewhat cringing Biscuit. "But... I leave it to the rest of ya on how we proceed. 'cause much as I wanna help, I... advise against the more rash option."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"These tracks and blood are from around last night. But, I am actually unconvinced that whomever was behind this came with boats with hooved animals, that just seems a little too burdensome and far-fetched. I think it's more they took livestock as well as people. Which is nothing we don't already know."
Neya then stands up to to search for any additional clues.
"I am trained in map-making. Which, unfortunately, doesn't really help when it comes to going down a river that you are more than familiar with," Neya says with a defeated shrug. "But it may come in handy in taking note of what we see at our destination."
Extended Signature
Taroo seems excited to lead an adventuring party: "Very well, I'll take the lead. Grab a pole and follow my instructions"
(OOC: I need STR checks from each of you. If you happen to be proficient with water vehicles, you may add your proficiency bonus. Feel free to get creative and use other skills that might give you an edge here.)
If but thanks to the gauntlets adorning his arms, Doozey feared not being able to keep up with his taller compatriots in terms of power, though yet things may be awkward just from the design of the pole. So he compensates, or at least tries to, by keeping a close eye on the river and using every bit of woodsman know-how and past impromptu lessons from a certain sailing family to better circumnavigate even the minor snags the river would have in store for him along the way.
-Doozey Survival: 28.
Even Biscuit joins in on the effort in his own way by striking up a rhythmic "boof" and growl and bark as a means to both keep everyone in tune and motivated in the effort!
-Biscuit Performance: 6. (if sufficiently successful, but only able to help one char, directing his help to Neya.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Neya grabs a pole and begins to help negotiate the river. But, since her physical strength is somewhat lacking, she essentially needs to put more of her weight into her efforts.
Strength: 13
If help is in effect: 16
edit: show rolls
Extended Signature
Clapping Taroo on the shoulder as he climbs aboard and takes his pole, Utar bestows a measure of Torm's guidance on him.
While the half-orc might have been a passenger on a number of sailing vessels, he hasn't actually paid that much attention to how they operated. He could drive a cart if needed, but he suspected that the method differed too greatly to offer many transferable skills.
Strength check: 24
Taroo takes leadership of the vessel and passes quick instructions to his new crew: "Use the pole to poke our way forward and away from any obstacles. The Trank is not a complicated voyage, so it is a good river for learning the trade. When propelling us forward, try to do it in a way that matches my 'heave' calls. It will allow us to gain speed as we go."
Utar clings to the idea of propelling the vessel forward using his muscle. He takes the port side. Graxx would have been a good partner to claim the starboard, maybe even Thokk. In their absence, the half-orc feels even more determined to put his strength to the test to not let the CRAPers who are present down.
Neya takes the starboard and does her best sailor impression. Knowing she also lacks the muscle for it, Denae serves as Neya's personal cheerleader (help). The pair is far from getting their sea legs, but they can check river punting from their training checklist.
Doozey focuses his efforts on surgically applying his pole to maneuver the keelboat away from the shore or around a sporadic pointy rock. Not many obstacles appear on their way, but the ones that do fail to avoid the well-trained eyes of the halfling on board. Biscuit, on the other hand, causes more trouble than anything else. His loud boofs clash harshly with Taroo's rhythmic 'heave' calls. The sailor is either too polite to call it out or is simply against creating conflict where one might not be called for. Even then, Taroo can't fully hide a tinge of frustration in his eyes.
During the trip, Taroo takes a break from his calling to share some information about himself: "I've worked at the farm for two years and I live in a tiny house on the premises. I've been away from the farm for the past day and a half seeing family. I was supposed to get back yesterday, but it got dark before I could return, so I stayed at a friendly farm a few miles to the east. No one travels after dark."
(OOC: There is still some time to go on this trip. Would you like to ask Taroo anything?)
"Lucky for you that you were not there, Taroo. Otherwise we might not have found out about this development for some time and missed this opportunity to start tracking whatever or whoever is doing this. What can you tell us about the Renons?"
"I'm curious, could you tell us what sort of farming methods are used in this area?" Neya asks. "You don't need to go too deep in the details, just, in general."
Extended Signature
After picking up Taroo's agitation, and then subsequently quieting Biscuit in a terse whisper (much to the puppers saddness, judging by the short-lived whines), the stoutling opted to listen in to the conversation with open ears but a wary mind alert for any duplicity, harmless or not.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Taroo looks at Utar first: "The Renons are a middle aged married couple, both humans, in case you are wondering. They have owned their farm for many years. They're not adventurers, not like you or even like old man Romsan, but they are quite capable of taking care of themselves, which is often required given their farm's proximity to the river and marsh. You never know when a giant frog will decide to come for your livestock.... or worse, a lizardfolk hunting band..." Thinking of threats causes Taroo's mind to drift back to earlier in the day. "It was around midday when I returned. I found the doors to the Renons’ house smashed in and they were gone. There were obvious signs of a struggle. A few pigs and a pair of cows are also missing."
Taroo is glad to answer Neya's question next instead of thinking of nearby dangers: "The farm is on the east side of the river. There is a slight curve to the river, leaving a wide gravel bar on the east side. You'll see it once we arrive, as I plan to beach the boat on the gravel bar. The banks on each side are steep, though only about 10ft tall. Both sides are heavily wooded. It is a nice area for being close to the marshes. I work on the fields and plant grain and vegetables for the Renons, aside form tending to animals. As for methods, well, we use ox-drawn plows and other standard farming tools, I guess..."
@Doozey: You sense no duplicity in Taroo's words, though he seems well spoken for a peasant.
The river trip continues until Taroo informs you that you are very close. The proximity brings forth more terror-fueled comments by the boatsman: "I quickly searched the farm, found nothing, panicked, and headed for the inn for help. I didn't think to check the two neighboring farms until I was far upriver, but now that you are here, maybe you can do that too!"
Upon arrival, you see a scene that matches Taroo's description. He instructs you to poke the boat onto the gravel bar and announces that you have arrived. There is a pair of very wide, weathered wooden stairs that go up the embankment. Taroo points to the smaller one says: "If you'd like to, we'll be taking that one because it leads directly into the Renon Farm." Pointing to the other one, he explains that it is at the end of the Farmer's Trail which connects to other farms and small villages many miles to the east of the river. "I used the trail during my trip." More specifically, Taroo adds: "There are three farms at this end of the trail: the Renon Farm, the Alyin Farm, and the Tralio Farm. The Renons’ is the largest. I occasionally work and socialize at the other two farms, so I know them almost as well as the Renons. I can guide you through all three of them. Shall we go to the Renons first?"
"That gets my vote. Then we can check on the neighbours."
"Seeing as the others are at the end of the trail and not along it, might as well start with the guarantee that is the Renon's." Doozey says in much in agreement as the group disembarked, but soon after could be seen scratching at the back of his neck and half-muttering to himself, "Though, now I'm sort of kicking myself... should've kept Gravy and Berry would be available." Yet he's not able to dwell on heavy thoughts for long without Biscuit taking notice and patting him on the shoulders a couple of times and drawing out a tired grin from the halfling.
"Anything you can tell us about the other Alyin and Trailo along the way? Or are things much the same for them as well in terms of how they handled their business and so forth?"
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Taroo begins leading the group up the shorter set of steps, as per CRAP's preference. "Well, the Aylins, Walos and Jinns, are young adult humans who inherited their farm and moved in only a few months ago. They don't really know the area. As for the Tralios, Hilloo and Gerona, they regularly dealt in livestock with the local farmers. I watched their farm when they traveled, or helped with the livestock."
You do not get too far up the step. Doozey's keen eyes (passive survival) notice that the first clue is right here at the gravel bar. Muddy footprints and a small trail of blood from the stairs to the Farmer's Trail (the set of steps you are not currently taking.)
Utar and Neya both halt the party's advance, noticing (passive insight) Doozey's attention shifting to focus on the blood.
Letting Doozey take the lead with whatever it is he's found, Utar carefully retraces his steps back along the way they've just come towards the boats. Hopefully he's avoided disturbing anything important and had given Doozey the space to work. He then puts his head on a swivel, casting around for anything else out of the ordinary.
Perception - 15
Even if a futile effort, both Doozey and Biscuit soon had their noises to the ground in trying to sniff at the footprints and blood. Their hope of course being to try and discern any notable scents -- perhaps even confirming lizardfolk involvement at that -- before focusing again on moving along to the farm. A question however still leaves the stoutling lips towards the tail end of his investigation, and seems directed towards Taroo. "You mentioned before something about lizardfolk hunting parties... I don't suppose these parties are want to use this very same river nearby, or boats in general for that matter are they?"
--Doozey Investigation: 20.
-Biscuit Scent Capturing: 8.
(@DM: Wasn't sure if an active survival or investigation check would be appropriate to try and glean more from the trail, but if the former would work then add +4 to the roll. And if Hunter's Bane would apply, feel free to roll the adv on my behalf)
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Neya goes over to the bloodstains and footprints in order to try and determine how recent they are.
Survival: 15
Extended Signature
(Posting from mobile)
“They very well could,” Taroo replies. “The Trank river leads directly into the marshes where the lizardfolk live. They wouldn’t normally come this far north, though.”
@Utar: Looking around the area, you find that the group may not have overly disturbed the gravel bar, but something else certainly did. Something large was beached here. In fact, up to four large something’s were beached here. Separately, you also now spot hoofprints on the ground.
@Doozey: Although Biscuit picks up no specific creature scents at this moment, your keen eyes spot another clue by the water’s edge. A gourd canteen is wedged between two large rocks. Picking it up, you note that it is empty, but the inside has a nasty odor to it. Maybe Biscuit’s olfactory search was overwhelmed by this particular scent.
@Neya: The footprints corroborate the story you heard so far. They can’t be older than 15 or so hours, which would put their creation squarely in the ”last night” timeframe.
Utar points out his finds to the others, "Four large compactions of the gravel, there, there, there and there. I suspect four beached boats maybe? Taroo, any idea on the type of craft that would leave these marks? There are also some hoofprints, so maybe some use of mounts by whoever we're looking for?"
Doozey nodded absent-mindedly to Taroo's initial reply, as much of the halfling's focus stayed on the gourd canteen pulled free for further investigation. Unfortunately, having left most of his alchemist kit back home(unless Neya hadn't mind storing it in the bag of holding), trying to analyze any residue or remnants of its contents would have to wait for the moment. In the meantime...
"Found something that smells a touch foul as well. Can't be certain if its merely an odd booze one of the farmers stashed away or some concoction the raiders used to help soften up targets yet though." Doozey finally admits. "But if you're seeing some boats and hooves, could be... hmm... I rather not jump to too many more conclusions till we reach the farm. Might costs us a bit of ground if this turns out to be a kidnapping case. But if whoever or whatever did this is working with a lot of number, getting a better guage on what they've taken or how many there might be can mean the difference between life or death out there." He says with an affirmative nod from a still somewhat cringing Biscuit. "But... I leave it to the rest of ya on how we proceed. 'cause much as I wanna help, I... advise against the more rash option."
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"These tracks and blood are from around last night. But, I am actually unconvinced that whomever was behind this came with boats with hooved animals, that just seems a little too burdensome and far-fetched. I think it's more they took livestock as well as people. Which is nothing we don't already know."
Neya then stands up to to search for any additional clues.
Investigation: 4
Extended Signature