Leaving the Alcalde's house and walking as a group through Ambersilt, you notice the same hustle and bustle of the frontier town, though with a few noticable differences. Pairs of armed Silverstar guards can be seen all around the town, marching to-and-from each of the gates and patrolling the inside of the palisade walls. The sounds of hammers, saws, chisels and other tools carry through the morning air due to the abundance of work being carried out on the village's damaged foritifications.
As you walk through, you notice that the circus tents and wagons in the middle of the town square look to now have a couple of guards gathered around them, though there is no sign yet of the big tent being packed up. Glancing around you also note that some of the businesses and homes look to be closed or boarded up, a sure sign that more concerned or frightened residents are looking to travel to safer locales after the recent troubles. A few wagons outside the Marsh Oak Inn indicate that some of the travellers in town might be having the same idea. Regardless, you also hear and see other activity that reinforces the tough, resiliant character of the town - here a young man taking food to a neighbour whose home was damaged in the attack, there a young woman signing up as a recruit for the Silverstars and over there the ever reliable Thurk's forge open for business, with smoke billowing from its chimney and the loud *CLANGING* sounds of iron-on-iron emnating from within.
Approaching the newly repaired Northgate, you see two guardsman on duty, both leaning on their spears as they watch a group of trades people nearby patching a whole in the palisade. Seeing your approach, one makes as though to ask your reason for leaving town, but the other whispers something in his ear which causes the other guard to stop. Instead the two guard hastily unbar the gates and nod respectfully as you all leave the town's interior.
Moving out and down the North road for a distance, you round a bend and eventually come to the bridge that leads across towards the Drake homestead that you'd visited after finding Exbrin's body. Ignoring the plume of smoke rising from the large, two storey building, you cross and track furhter Northeastwards towards the rise where you saw the mounted figures. Alert for the possiblity of danger as you cross the last few hundred feet across the marshy ground, you eventually come to what you think is the right spot.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Alright, I think this is where they were when we saw them. Let's split this up. Those with the kind of keen mind for investigating help those with the hawk eyes look around the area. Those with the hawk eyes help those with the keen minds to make sense of whatever they see."
OOC: Trying to get people with high Perception Help and then vice versa, people with high Investigation Help.
If that works, Kestrell will begin pointing out things he sees: tracks, broken foliage, anything dropped, any unnatural smells to one of the party members.
And then he will try and figure out what that means. What kind of tracks, where are they going, how heavy were the animals and riders, did they stand here the whole time just watching or were they coming and going?
[Tooltip Not Found]: 13
OOC: That's supposed to be Investigation, but I put it in the action tag. Should be in the skill tag, I think.
Mazin will follow along and survey the ground seeing if he notices anything.
perception23 (if he has advantage from someone helping) 11
He will point out if he sees anything that needs investigating. Then he will go and help anyone who needs it with there investigation.
Edit: I guess he didn't need the help.
Kestrell provides direction and the other party members all assist each other in the search, but trained as you were by Daruk, you need little help in finding orc tracks. Atop the rise itself, you kneel to find scuffed earth and scratched stone, clearly indicating to you that this was the very spot where the four mounts stood last night. Having once hunted such beasts with your former mentor, you recognise the distinctive signs of worgs and recall Daruk's words about strong Orc tribes and warbands putting such creatures to use as mounts and guard beasts.
Backtracking down the far side of the rise, you find a slaughtered boar carcass at the base, fly-covered and already starting to rot, but clearly slain and savaged by the worgs. Behind the trail of one of the worgs, you notice signs indicating that something or someone was dragged to this location behind one of the mounts. The tracks of the worgs appear to lead further North East into the even boggier marshlands where you judge it will be very hard to continue tracking them.
Noticing the signs of a minor struggle, you follow a seperate trail of dried blood to find a shallow gulley a short distance away. At the bottom of the 8' deep trench, you see the dismembered and mutilated corpse of an orc. The orc's head has been severed and lies face down three feet away, while the torso which also lies facedown looks to have had its spine torn completely free from the body.
[OOC] Nice nat 20! What ever there was to find, you're fairly certain that you found it.
Dewi assists ( help) Kestrell, her wild senses and tracking abilities on the lookout for broken foliage, footprints or other spoor.....
Kneeling even lower than the goliath, you scamper and crawl about the area, almost animal like yourself as you touch, sniff and even taste on occassion the stone, grass and earth. Pointing out signs to be examined and investigated further by your new allies, you immitate the movements and actions of various swamp creatures as you help to search the surrounding ground.
"Alright, I think this is where they were when we saw them. Let's split this up. Those with the kind of keen mind for investigating help those with the hawk eyes look around the area. Those with the hawk eyes help those with the keen minds to make sense of whatever they see."
OOC: Trying to get people with high Perception Help and then vice versa, people with high Investigation Help.
If that works, Kestrell will begin pointing out things he sees: tracks, broken foliage, anything dropped, any unnatural smells to one of the party members.
And then he will try and figure out what that means. What kind of tracks, where are they going, how heavy were the animals and riders, did they stand here the whole time just watching or were they coming and going?
[Tooltip Not Found]: 23
OOC: That's supposed to be Investigation, but I put it in the action tag. Should be in the skill tag, I think.
Having provided a framework for the group's search efforts, you follow both Mazin and Dewi as they scour the area for signs of the mysterious riders. At your strange new companion's urging you kneel alongside her to examine bent grasses, a snapped twig and even a pile of relatively fresh droppings. Examining the signs found by both atop the rise, you readily deduce that there were indeed four worgs in this spot, each bearing a rider who did not dismount up here. The spacing between the tracks and the heavier scoring of the rock in one place indicates to you one of the worgs was much larger and heavier than the others. You find a single squashed humanoid eyeball and a small piece of still bloody bone near those tracks. Two small, round divots in the earth at either end of the tracks also correlate with the long poles that the banners you saw last night were attached to.
Following Mazin down the other side of the rise, you see the ravaged boar remains. At first the beast appears to have died slowly by fang and claw, but a closer examination reveals a long, jagged blade wound across the remainder of its neck. Unlike the rest of the dead boar's injuries, the edges of this wound are blackened and lined with pus, already severely decayed by rot far beyond the time of death. Following the hulking barbarian further still, you climb down into the shallow gully to examine the dismembered orc.
Turning the severed head over, you immediately notice that the orc's left eye has been gouged out, very recently by the bloody and ragged look of the wound. The head's green skin is marred by what looks like deliberate scarring, with 3 diagonal cuts connected by 2 parralel cuts across each cheek. A red-brown pigment also appears to be smeared its forehead. Examining the leather clad body, you notice similar pigment smeared on the armour. The gaping wound up the creature's back where its spine looks to have been torn out is hard to miss, though looking around there is no sign of the removed spinal column itself. Judging from the signs around you and decomposition of the wounds, you are fairly certain that this orc died up on lip of the gully last night and was then dumped into the shallow trench.
[OOC] Nice nat 20! Like Mazin, Kestrell is pretty sure he's found all the clues that are here to be found. Very nice coordination of the group's search efforts as well. I've got absolutely no issue with the help being used this way, as long as it's RP'd, not overdone and suitable to the party's circumstances. This was a great instance of the help action being employed well in my opinion. :)
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
Dewi shook her head, " Not much use has been made of this flesh, on boar or orc.....very wasteful."
Kestrell gulps. "Ah, right. Yes. Very wasteful."
After the group comes together and relays their findings, Kestrell asks: "So whatever was on the worgs tore out this orc's eyeball, then killed him. Were these two separate factions, do you think?"
"Also, should we try to track these things further into the marsh? If they stopped to rest, they can't be more than a couple of hours ahead of us."
"I do not know if tracking them through the marsh is a good idea. We know the way they headed in, maybe someone will know what tribe lives I that direction. Seeing they have the advantage of speed and knowledge of the area, I think it would be easy to ambush us as we are.
If there masters are as visious as is reported, the orc that was killed could have been made an example of for failing to take Ambersilt. I would imagine with the warriors they lost during the battle and seeing they breached the walls, they would have expected to take the city. But in the end they failed."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Yevna Galanodel - Wood Elf | Level 8 | Druid/Circle of Spores 6 - Ranger 2 - Ravnica Nyx - Satyr | Level 9 | Rouge/Swashbuckler 5 - Bard/Collage of Lore 4 - Lost Mine of Phandelver/Storm King's Thunder
Mazin looks over the corpse and the markings on the body and head. "They called themselves the 'Severed Spine'. I guess they were being literal." He flips the body over. "I agree with Altani, I don't think it's worthwhile going to follow them now. We may want to bring this body back with us, someone might know more about what these symbols mean. Also, we still need to solve these murders that are happening. If we can dispatch one enemy, that will help."
Mazin will carry both halves of the body back if no one else will.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Sylmerisappears, unable to help crease her nose at the mess or the smell. The elf finds herself a little distracted looking at mutilated corpse, wondering what their last thoughts were. aware what they were about to become...
Upon seeing Mazin with the pieces of orc, Sylmeris approaches solemnly, "Mazin, I can try and have a look at what these symbols mean..."
Getting close and eyeing up he body, she tries to come to some sort of conclusion to what the markings are for.
Mazin looks over the corpse and the markings on the body and head. "They called themselves the 'Severed Spine'. I guess they were being literal." He flips the body over. "I agree with Altani, I don't think it's worthwhile going to follow them now. We may want to bring this body back with us, someone might know more about what these symbols mean. Also, we still need to solve these murders that are happening. If we can dispatch one enemy, that will help."
Mazin will carry both halves of the body back if no one else will.
Easily hoisting your bloody burden, you drape the torn corpse over one massive shoulder and tie the head to your belt. Lifting the body, you notice a crude hatchet still secured at the orc's belt and spot a spiked buckler that was almost buried in the soil beneath the slain creature's form. The corpse stink and flies might have bothered another, but the experienced hunter dismisses them without a thought.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
Sylmerisappears, unable to help crease her nose at the mess or the smell. The elf finds herself a little distracted looking at mutilated corpse, wondering what their last thoughts were. aware what they were about to become...
Upon seeing Mazin with the pieces of orc, Sylmeris approaches solemnly, "Mazin, I can try and have a look at what these symbols mean..."
Getting close and eyeing up he body, she tries to come to some sort of conclusion to what the markings are for.
Arcana check: 20
While the reddish paste smeared on the armour and forehead is definitely intentional, the ritual scarring is absent from the rest of the orc's body, being particular to the severed head which you raise from Mazin's belt to examine.
At first you think that you've never seen anything quite like this before, but then your mind takes you back to a gilded, expensive tome covered with small emeralds carved to resemble scales, that you once acquired in your previous life for another. Unable to resist the urge to look within, you could barely discern the language, some archaic deviation of draconic you thought, but still understood enough to realise that the book was written by a Vrael Olo or 'Favoured One' an apparently important Yuan-ti who also refered to themself with pride as Zill Saeth or 'Pit Master'. The tome seemed to contain Tenku Hilatt or 'Rituals of Release' - obscure arcane rites, always involving scarring, mutilation and painful magical transmutation that transformed other races into Draelik Zaruell Li Seth or 'Fitting Servants of Seth'. Even the brief time you spent examining the contents of the book left you feeling unclean and with a skin crawling feeling that persisted for days afterwards.
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
"Away from here? A most wonderful idea,"Sylmerisspeaks up, but waits for another to lead.
On route, Sylmeris struggles to express the information about the rite, "I... do believe I have read some markings like that previously. A horrific transformation after a gruelling ritual which revolves around marks of pain and blood. No matter who or what you are, it allows one to become a... 'Fitting Servant of Seth'." The elf flinches as she finishes, and swats an unseen insect by her neck. "Has anyone else... heard of this?"
"Away from here? A most wonderful idea,"Sylmerisspeaks up, but waits for another to lead.
On route, Sylmeris struggles to express the information about the rite, "I... do believe I have read some markings like that previously. A horrific transformation after a gruelling ritual which revolves around marks of pain and blood. No matter who or what you are, it allows one to become a... 'Fitting Servant of Seth'." The elf flinches as she finishes, and swats an unseen insect by her neck. "Has anyone else... heard of this?"
How she longed to be in an inn, by a fire...
Dewi shook her head, " No, but I know little about the world away from the river."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Alwin just nods his head in agreement as the group suggests it is time to go see the fletcher. As their new companion mentions the marks and then asks if they have any knowledge, he begins to think about them and anything he may have heard.
Making the trek back across the marshlands and the bridge, back down the road and through the North Gate, you see the sun is about halfway between the horizon and zenith. Those of you more attuned to nature or better versed in reading the weather notice a dark cloud of what could be a storm front (still distant yet) far to the South. Passing the guards and workers gathered at or around the gates, you pause to ask a young Silverstar the whereabouts of the Ambersilt's bowyer and fletcher, Pente. The guard, a somewhat jittery and still beardless dwarf points you to a block of shacks and other small buildings a little South of the Marsh Oak Inn.
Trecking through the frontier village's homes and businesses towards your destination, you pass near the large circus tent in the middle of town and are suddenly accosted by a comical seeming gnome, with bright red afro-hair, a painted red nose, white make up on and stained jester's motley. The small performer tubmles nimbly across the grass between you, rolling back to a kneeling position with a flyer outstretched towards you, saying in a screechy voice through a slightly too-wide grin,
"Greetings from the Great Arcabra, wondrous travellers. Tonight's the night, your last night, in fact, to witness the preeminent and peerless peformance of the incredible Circus Gaga! For five silver only, you will see feats of strength, agility, accuracy, acuity AND magic... yes, magic most marvellous, I tell you! Come one, come all, but tonight only, for tomorrow we travel East, taking our exquisite entertainment to delight, no less, than the elegant elves of Leyinthalar... Remember, great ladies and gentlemen... tonight only... the show begins at Sunset... do NOT miss it!"
The strange gnome spits forth his spiel, hands you a colourful, handdrawn flyer with the above information, then quickly tumbles away in the direction of the Marsh Oak Inn, giving you no time to respond or make further inquiry. The gnome is halted at the Inn's door by tall, pale-skinned elvish woman with long silver hair and a formiddable looking hand-and-a-half sword slung crosswise on her back. A brief altercation takes place before Myren appears from within to calm the situation down.
Moving onwards, you reach the indicated area and quickly discern the building in question - a small, ramshackle abode with a green painted roof, single closed door and a tiny window beneath which hangs three small flower pots. Larger flower pots stand at the corners of the shack and all the pots are filled with vibrant flowers of different colours. A single rectangular table strewn with feathers, shafts and other pieces of incomplete arrows. A large, dented brass pot next to the table looks to hold about half a dozen tied-together bundles of arrows. While a few townsfolk walk the streets nearby, there is no sign of this building's occupant.
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
DM Trevails Upon the Trackless Sea
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Dewi followed the centaur with eager footsteps...
Sylmeris joins the team, a deep part whirling with excitement. That part doesn't touch the surface as she slinks into the shadows as they proceed...
Stealth: 21
Alwin just stands up and begins to follow putting away his book.
Campaigns:
Wildemount: The Felderwin Irregulars (2020) - Balassar Silverstone - Dragonborn Fighter (Rune Knight) Lv. 5 | Rise of TIamat - Aiwin Aralana - Wood Elf Fighter/Ranger (Arcane Archer/Gloom Stalker) Lv. 9
Leaving the Alcalde's house and walking as a group through Ambersilt, you notice the same hustle and bustle of the frontier town, though with a few noticable differences. Pairs of armed Silverstar guards can be seen all around the town, marching to-and-from each of the gates and patrolling the inside of the palisade walls. The sounds of hammers, saws, chisels and other tools carry through the morning air due to the abundance of work being carried out on the village's damaged foritifications.
As you walk through, you notice that the circus tents and wagons in the middle of the town square look to now have a couple of guards gathered around them, though there is no sign yet of the big tent being packed up. Glancing around you also note that some of the businesses and homes look to be closed or boarded up, a sure sign that more concerned or frightened residents are looking to travel to safer locales after the recent troubles. A few wagons outside the Marsh Oak Inn indicate that some of the travellers in town might be having the same idea. Regardless, you also hear and see other activity that reinforces the tough, resiliant character of the town - here a young man taking food to a neighbour whose home was damaged in the attack, there a young woman signing up as a recruit for the Silverstars and over there the ever reliable Thurk's forge open for business, with smoke billowing from its chimney and the loud *CLANGING* sounds of iron-on-iron emnating from within.
Approaching the newly repaired Northgate, you see two guardsman on duty, both leaning on their spears as they watch a group of trades people nearby patching a whole in the palisade. Seeing your approach, one makes as though to ask your reason for leaving town, but the other whispers something in his ear which causes the other guard to stop. Instead the two guard hastily unbar the gates and nod respectfully as you all leave the town's interior.
Moving out and down the North road for a distance, you round a bend and eventually come to the bridge that leads across towards the Drake homestead that you'd visited after finding Exbrin's body. Ignoring the plume of smoke rising from the large, two storey building, you cross and track furhter Northeastwards towards the rise where you saw the mounted figures. Alert for the possiblity of danger as you cross the last few hundred feet across the marshy ground, you eventually come to what you think is the right spot.
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
DM Trevails Upon the Trackless Sea
"Alright, I think this is where they were when we saw them. Let's split this up. Those with the kind of keen mind for investigating help those with the hawk eyes look around the area. Those with the hawk eyes help those with the keen minds to make sense of whatever they see."
OOC: Trying to get people with high Perception Help and then vice versa, people with high Investigation Help.
If that works, Kestrell will begin pointing out things he sees: tracks, broken foliage, anything dropped, any unnatural smells to one of the party members.
And then he will try and figure out what that means. What kind of tracks, where are they going, how heavy were the animals and riders, did they stand here the whole time just watching or were they coming and going?
[Tooltip Not Found]: 13
OOC: That's supposed to be Investigation, but I put it in the action tag. Should be in the skill tag, I think.
Mazin will follow along and survey the ground seeing if he notices anything.
perception 13 (if he has advantage from someone helping) 12
He will point out if he sees anything that needs investigating. Then he will go and help anyone who needs it with there investigation.
Edit: I guess he didn't need the help.
Dewi assists ( help) Kestrell, her wild senses and tracking abilities on the lookout for broken foliage, footprints or other spoor.....
Kestrell provides direction and the other party members all assist each other in the search, but trained as you were by Daruk, you need little help in finding orc tracks. Atop the rise itself, you kneel to find scuffed earth and scratched stone, clearly indicating to you that this was the very spot where the four mounts stood last night. Having once hunted such beasts with your former mentor, you recognise the distinctive signs of worgs and recall Daruk's words about strong Orc tribes and warbands putting such creatures to use as mounts and guard beasts.
Backtracking down the far side of the rise, you find a slaughtered boar carcass at the base, fly-covered and already starting to rot, but clearly slain and savaged by the worgs. Behind the trail of one of the worgs, you notice signs indicating that something or someone was dragged to this location behind one of the mounts. The tracks of the worgs appear to lead further North East into the even boggier marshlands where you judge it will be very hard to continue tracking them.
Noticing the signs of a minor struggle, you follow a seperate trail of dried blood to find a shallow gulley a short distance away. At the bottom of the 8' deep trench, you see the dismembered and mutilated corpse of an orc. The orc's head has been severed and lies face down three feet away, while the torso which also lies facedown looks to have had its spine torn completely free from the body.
[OOC] Nice nat 20! What ever there was to find, you're fairly certain that you found it.
Kneeling even lower than the goliath, you scamper and crawl about the area, almost animal like yourself as you touch, sniff and even taste on occassion the stone, grass and earth. Pointing out signs to be examined and investigated further by your new allies, you immitate the movements and actions of various swamp creatures as you help to search the surrounding ground.
Having provided a framework for the group's search efforts, you follow both Mazin and Dewi as they scour the area for signs of the mysterious riders. At your strange new companion's urging you kneel alongside her to examine bent grasses, a snapped twig and even a pile of relatively fresh droppings. Examining the signs found by both atop the rise, you readily deduce that there were indeed four worgs in this spot, each bearing a rider who did not dismount up here. The spacing between the tracks and the heavier scoring of the rock in one place indicates to you one of the worgs was much larger and heavier than the others. You find a single squashed humanoid eyeball and a small piece of still bloody bone near those tracks. Two small, round divots in the earth at either end of the tracks also correlate with the long poles that the banners you saw last night were attached to.
Following Mazin down the other side of the rise, you see the ravaged boar remains. At first the beast appears to have died slowly by fang and claw, but a closer examination reveals a long, jagged blade wound across the remainder of its neck. Unlike the rest of the dead boar's injuries, the edges of this wound are blackened and lined with pus, already severely decayed by rot far beyond the time of death. Following the hulking barbarian further still, you climb down into the shallow gully to examine the dismembered orc.
Turning the severed head over, you immediately notice that the orc's left eye has been gouged out, very recently by the bloody and ragged look of the wound. The head's green skin is marred by what looks like deliberate scarring, with 3 diagonal cuts connected by 2 parralel cuts across each cheek. A red-brown pigment also appears to be smeared its forehead. Examining the leather clad body, you notice similar pigment smeared on the armour. The gaping wound up the creature's back where its spine looks to have been torn out is hard to miss, though looking around there is no sign of the removed spinal column itself. Judging from the signs around you and decomposition of the wounds, you are fairly certain that this orc died up on lip of the gully last night and was then dumped into the shallow trench.
[OOC] Nice nat 20! Like Mazin, Kestrell is pretty sure he's found all the clues that are here to be found. Very nice coordination of the group's search efforts as well. I've got absolutely no issue with the help being used this way, as long as it's RP'd, not overdone and suitable to the party's circumstances. This was a great instance of the help action being employed well in my opinion. :)
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
DM Trevails Upon the Trackless Sea
Dewi shook her head, " Not much use has been made of this flesh, on boar or orc.....very wasteful."
Kestrell gulps. "Ah, right. Yes. Very wasteful."
After the group comes together and relays their findings, Kestrell asks: "So whatever was on the worgs tore out this orc's eyeball, then killed him. Were these two separate factions, do you think?"
"Also, should we try to track these things further into the marsh? If they stopped to rest, they can't be more than a couple of hours ahead of us."
"I do not know if tracking them through the marsh is a good idea. We know the way they headed in, maybe someone will know what tribe lives I that direction. Seeing they have the advantage of speed and knowledge of the area, I think it would be easy to ambush us as we are.
If there masters are as visious as is reported, the orc that was killed could have been made an example of for failing to take Ambersilt. I would imagine with the warriors they lost during the battle and seeing they breached the walls, they would have expected to take the city. But in the end they failed."
Yevna Galanodel - Wood Elf | Level 8 | Druid/Circle of Spores 6 - Ranger 2 - Ravnica
Nyx - Satyr | Level 9 | Rouge/Swashbuckler 5 - Bard/Collage of Lore 4 - Lost Mine of Phandelver/Storm King's Thunder
Mazin looks over the corpse and the markings on the body and head. "They called themselves the 'Severed Spine'. I guess they were being literal." He flips the body over. "I agree with Altani, I don't think it's worthwhile going to follow them now. We may want to bring this body back with us, someone might know more about what these symbols mean. Also, we still need to solve these murders that are happening. If we can dispatch one enemy, that will help."
Mazin will carry both halves of the body back if no one else will.
Sylmeris appears, unable to help crease her nose at the mess or the smell. The elf finds herself a little distracted looking at mutilated corpse, wondering what their last thoughts were. aware what they were about to become...
Upon seeing Mazin with the pieces of orc, Sylmeris approaches solemnly, "Mazin, I can try and have a look at what these symbols mean..."
Getting close and eyeing up he body, she tries to come to some sort of conclusion to what the markings are for.
Arcana check: 13
Easily hoisting your bloody burden, you drape the torn corpse over one massive shoulder and tie the head to your belt. Lifting the body, you notice a crude hatchet still secured at the orc's belt and spot a spiked buckler that was almost buried in the soil beneath the slain creature's form. The corpse stink and flies might have bothered another, but the experienced hunter dismisses them without a thought.
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
DM Trevails Upon the Trackless Sea
While the reddish paste smeared on the armour and forehead is definitely intentional, the ritual scarring is absent from the rest of the orc's body, being particular to the severed head which you raise from Mazin's belt to examine.
At first you think that you've never seen anything quite like this before, but then your mind takes you back to a gilded, expensive tome covered with small emeralds carved to resemble scales, that you once acquired in your previous life for another. Unable to resist the urge to look within, you could barely discern the language, some archaic deviation of draconic you thought, but still understood enough to realise that the book was written by a Vrael Olo or 'Favoured One' an apparently important Yuan-ti who also refered to themself with pride as Zill Saeth or 'Pit Master'. The tome seemed to contain Tenku Hilatt or 'Rituals of Release' - obscure arcane rites, always involving scarring, mutilation and painful magical transmutation that transformed other races into Draelik Zaruell Li Seth or 'Fitting Servants of Seth'. Even the brief time you spent examining the contents of the book left you feeling unclean and with a skin crawling feeling that persisted for days afterwards.
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
DM Trevails Upon the Trackless Sea
" Fletcher now?", Dewi queried.
"Away from here? A most wonderful idea," Sylmeris speaks up, but waits for another to lead.
On route, Sylmeris struggles to express the information about the rite, "I... do believe I have read some markings like that previously. A horrific transformation after a gruelling ritual which revolves around marks of pain and blood. No matter who or what you are, it allows one to become a... 'Fitting Servant of Seth'." The elf flinches as she finishes, and swats an unseen insect by her neck. "Has anyone else... heard of this?"
How she longed to be in an inn, by a fire...
Dewi shook her head, " No, but I know little about the world away from the river."
Alwin just nods his head in agreement as the group suggests it is time to go see the fletcher. As their new companion mentions the marks and then asks if they have any knowledge, he begins to think about them and anything he may have heard.
OOC:
history check:14
Campaigns:
Wildemount: The Felderwin Irregulars (2020) - Balassar Silverstone - Dragonborn Fighter (Rune Knight) Lv. 5 | Rise of TIamat - Aiwin Aralana - Wood Elf Fighter/Ranger (Arcane Archer/Gloom Stalker) Lv. 9
Making the trek back across the marshlands and the bridge, back down the road and through the North Gate, you see the sun is about halfway between the horizon and zenith. Those of you more attuned to nature or better versed in reading the weather notice a dark cloud of what could be a storm front (still distant yet) far to the South. Passing the guards and workers gathered at or around the gates, you pause to ask a young Silverstar the whereabouts of the Ambersilt's bowyer and fletcher, Pente. The guard, a somewhat jittery and still beardless dwarf points you to a block of shacks and other small buildings a little South of the Marsh Oak Inn.
Trecking through the frontier village's homes and businesses towards your destination, you pass near the large circus tent in the middle of town and are suddenly accosted by a comical seeming gnome, with bright red afro-hair, a painted red nose, white make up on and stained jester's motley. The small performer tubmles nimbly across the grass between you, rolling back to a kneeling position with a flyer outstretched towards you, saying in a screechy voice through a slightly too-wide grin,
"Greetings from the Great Arcabra, wondrous travellers. Tonight's the night, your last night, in fact, to witness the preeminent and peerless peformance of the incredible Circus Gaga! For five silver only, you will see feats of strength, agility, accuracy, acuity AND magic... yes, magic most marvellous, I tell you! Come one, come all, but tonight only, for tomorrow we travel East, taking our exquisite entertainment to delight, no less, than the elegant elves of Leyinthalar... Remember, great ladies and gentlemen... tonight only... the show begins at Sunset... do NOT miss it!"
The strange gnome spits forth his spiel, hands you a colourful, handdrawn flyer with the above information, then quickly tumbles away in the direction of the Marsh Oak Inn, giving you no time to respond or make further inquiry. The gnome is halted at the Inn's door by tall, pale-skinned elvish woman with long silver hair and a formiddable looking hand-and-a-half sword slung crosswise on her back. A brief altercation takes place before Myren appears from within to calm the situation down.
Moving onwards, you reach the indicated area and quickly discern the building in question - a small, ramshackle abode with a green painted roof, single closed door and a tiny window beneath which hangs three small flower pots. Larger flower pots stand at the corners of the shack and all the pots are filled with vibrant flowers of different colours. A single rectangular table strewn with feathers, shafts and other pieces of incomplete arrows. A large, dented brass pot next to the table looks to hold about half a dozen tied-together bundles of arrows. While a few townsfolk walk the streets nearby, there is no sign of this building's occupant.
D&D is a game, but it's not just a game. It's the ultimate storyboard, a campfire to share with friends, an imaginary call to imaginary arms and a ship to sail to horizons yet undreamt of...
DM Trevails Upon the Trackless Sea