Ethan asks Avrel

"Was is, scary?"

Ethan smiles at Elra's response,

"Yeah, me too."

Fae would look up from her book, “No... not an orphan. Though, there were days I wished it.”

”Was that the first spell you learned Arvel? Focus magic? Or something else? What was everyone’s first ‘spell’ or specialty they learned?” She’d self consciously tuck her burned hand into her sleeve.

Arvel responds with a look that says "Well, yeah."

"Nah. The blast came second, during a particularly disastrous sneezing fit. The first one was a little...what was that word? Cantrip! The first was a little cantrip that makes it easier to...befriend people. For about a minute. Then they get...unfriendly."

"Hmm..." Elra thinks for a moment, "Well, I don't know about learned, but the first time I knew Oghma blessed me with magic I was watching some of the brothers and sisters at my temple try and figure out the nature of a magical object. I was polishing pearls, cause at this point they were just giving me busy work because they really didn't want me going out to explore the world because they didn't feel like I was ready yet. So once they had all gone to get lunch, I walked over cause I was curious. I still had one of the pearls in my hand, and I had made a necklace out of a couple owl feathers I had found while exploring the temple. I picked up the necklace, and 'poof'" Elra snaps her fingers to emphasize it, "I knew the answer. I was so excited that Oghma had blessed me that I ran around telling everyone who would listen to me for the next week."

"Well for me I have an innate magic, that would be my first, as far as I can remember."

"The artificers who looked after me, said I was found as a young child, homeless, living on the streets of Calimport."

"They took an interest because I could magically repair things for people. They offered to take me to Lantan to teach me how to use it and more, and so that's how they say I end up there."

"I don't really remember that time though, so yeah."

Ethan reaches out with his gauntlet and hovers his hand over some of the parts before him.

A glow starts to emanate from the collar of his armour, on the left side of his neck.

Ethan pulls back the collar a little, showing the top of a glowing mark on his skin.

"This mark, gives me power to magically mend broken items. The professors also think it helps me to intuitively understand artifice and machines."

"It why I was allowed to study at the university so young."

"Fae, what kind of magic user are you?"

"Are you like Elra, or Traja, or are you a wizard or something else?"

"And what was your first spell?"

Arvel points at everyone in turn, conducting the conversation like an orchestra.

Once everyone gives their "first spell" answer, he dramatically turns and points to Fae.

"Dangerous mistake, Fae. Now we each get to ask a question of you. Why did you become an adventurer?"

Tarja stays away from the more showy demonstrations of magic. It doesn't seem right.

I connected with the lands, out in the woods. I could feel is strength and its power. My ancestors have long lived in these forests, from before Falgrim found the forge, to the centuries after where the families of the survivors lived off the land. Many leave, but I always knew this was the place for me. I couldn't point to a first spell - there wasn't a single moment when befriending animals became animal friendship, talking to them became speak with animals or gathering herbs became goodberry.

(ooc: I'll also put up a reaction to the bodies over the hill, I suppose! In case the magic-origins conversation draws to a close while I'm away for the night.)

Hearing of the trouble ahead, Tarja hesitates. With the wagons, they can't simply go around like she would do on her own.

That ain't the work of spiders, they wouldn't kill except to eat, and the bodies are still on the road. Must be the goblins. Who knows why they kill.

She moves turns to Zeke who  seems to be most likely one around who would know what to do here, and Arvel, who's said he's been in fights before.

Have you fought goblins before? They must be close. What do you think we should do? Is there any way to look too threatening for them to attack?

"Goblins? They'd be like fighting Finran. Only less ugly. Sneaky bastards."

Fae would listen intently to the others share their stories along with what they first learned. She loved how everyone had their own unique way of being and learning, she’d even chuckle to herself trying to picture littler versions of them running around discovering. Ethan tinkering, Elra running around the library, Tarja in the forest...

Fae would fidget with the feathers attached to her arcane crystal, “I am a wizard Ethan. Similar to Elra’s holy symbol, I channel my magic with the help of this arcane crystal.” She’d lift the violet crystal from her person to show him if he wanted to take a closer look. “Much to the annoyance of my professor, I tend to gravitate towards divination. I struggled a lot with learning offensive magic because I simply lacked the will to cause harm.” She’d look to her hands, “It took me a better part of a year to produce my first fire bolt, a wizard cantrip staple. It wasn’t good enough. Plenty of high expectations. I was pushed to learn the next level fire spell... ” She’d kind of just chuckle to herself and shake her head, “The irony... I casted Burning Hands only for it to go wild and back fire on me. I wasn’t ready...” Fae would roll up her sleeve revealing the burn scar from her hand travels all the way up. 

She’d look to Arvel, “The simple answer is really similar to yours. To get away from it all. I want to carve my own path instead of being forced to follow in someone else’s footsteps. I want to learn on my own terms.”

"Yeah I kind of understand that. I spent 10 years at the university, I finally had enough."

"I wanted to get out see the world, see if I could learn something new, maybe make something the world could use. Be more useful maybe..."

"So, divination hey? I have only the most basic understand of any divination sigils."

"My magic detection device uses most of the ones I know, but there isn't any future or far seeing going on, just a little better perception into magical energies."

----

As the two wagons crest the hill to see the bodies, Ethan puts his hand to his mouth.

"Oh that horrible. Should we investigate, find out what happened? Maybe bury the dead?"

Ethan packs away his things and steps down to have a preliminary look around.

Investigation check to see what happened: 25

At Tarja's call, Zeke comes trotting to the front of the caravan - asking Arvel to keep an eye on their backtrail.  'Leave the wagons here,  All of you - be on your guard, ready yourself for an attack and expect it from any direction - yes Goblins are tiny, but they are clever and love an ambush.  The wreckage ahead may have been left to draw our attention while they strike us from behind.'  With that, Zeke shifts into what the group now recognizes as his 'scary demon protector' mode - cloak back, wings out, shield down, Kwando extended.  Ready, he nods to two of his companions:  'Tarja, Ethan - I could use your keen senses as we try to sort out what happened here. Stay about 20 feet behind me, and be ready to warn the others if we spring their trap'

With that, he sets off towards the wreckage, head on a swivel, senses extended, looking for any sign of danger.

Fae nodded to Ethan, enjoying what he shared. He definitely had years of experience behind his knowledge. She really also appreciated his more ‘tactile’ approach and view of magic. It inspired a way of visualizing it for her. 

“I still have a lot to learn about divination, but I value knowledge over power. I prefer protection over harm, utilities for safety. But don’t get me wrong, I’ve held my own when push comes to shove.”

___

Fae would hop out of the wagon to catch up with the others. She’d furrow her brows and keep an eye out on the surrounding area, mostly looking for signs of a possible ambush from the tree lines. She’d look for unusual shadows, listen for twig snapping, watching for foliage to rustle unnaturally. Taking inspiration from Tarja, Fae would try to put her knowledge of the area to ‘feel out’ where a goblin may hide and if the rainy weather masked their tracks. 

((lol but CSI Ethan’s on the scene!))

Ethan nods to Zeke, following him in, and going to work trying to piece together what happened, knowing his friend will protect his back.

"Fae, Elra, you want to help? We can work out what happened faster if we work together."

(let's pretend it's more of a team effort, more fun that way.)

Elra doesn't say anything, but does approach the overturned cart and bodies. "Do we remember if Gundren and Sildar left with a cart?" she asks, looking for anything identifying about anything lying around.

Investigation: 6

Tarja shifts into her wolf form and follows closely behind Zeke. The wolf’s strength and keen senses feel more reassuring than a sword and shield. 

A  wolf’s keen nose may well be overwhelmed with the scent  of  death , so she’s perks up her ears and listens, trying to discern whether there are any living creatures around besides the party - the groan of a survivor, the chitter of a spider, or the growl of a worg.

Perception: 20

At the sight of the wagon wreckage, Elra immediately concludes it is unlikely that Gundren was involved, unless he happened to cross paths with these poor folks at just the wrong time.  There are several bodies visible even from afar, a number of horses, and three wagons that all look to have been headed north.  Based on the little the party knows, they don't have much reason to believe Gundren left with much more than Sildar and presumably two horses, maybe four at most if they had extra goods to haul.

Beyond the obvious smell of death, Tarja hears little more than the rustling sound of grass in the wind.  The road here passes through more wide open fields, so the only cover for ambushers would be tall grass, gently rolling hills or the wagons themselves.

The first evidence the party comes upon up close is a body on the side of the road, followed by another ten feet later.  They appear to have been moved, as they lie perfectly parallel to the road and their arms are folded gently upon their chests.  The restful positioning is contrasted by the grisly sight of their faces.  Their eyes had bulged and bled, foam had formed at their mouths and veins in their neck had even grown darker and began to protrude.  Ethan is the first to point out that, aligning with Tarja's suggestion that it wouldn't have been spiders and despite the varied rumors going about, there are no bight or stinger marks of any kind on the bodies.

A few hundred feet beyond three very expensive looking ornate wagons with wooden walls and roofing have been destroyed.  All are off to one side of the road or another, two of them tipped on their sides, and all with their roofs torn completely off.  The dead horses still attached to them are in no better shape than those first bodies on the road.

Elra stays near the bodies, trying to determine if there is any other wound on their bodies. "This is horrible..." she says.

At Zeke's suggestion, Arvel keeps a lookout while the others inspect the scene.