Roscoe beams with pride at Rosri's praise. "Everywheres and nowhere I guess. We's move 'cross the plains, through forests, and wherever nature calls. We's from nature and we return when it calls."

Roscoe gathers his supplies and attaches his axes to his hips. Having them made him feel safer and they reminded him of his family. He felt the etchings on the hilt of the battleaxe and could almost see the faces of his family. His connection to them was growing stronger every day now. This must be what the others felt on their journey to awakening. "Adventure awaits," he says happily as they prepare to hunt some treasure. 

“Wow, that sound so freeing.” Rosri exclains, all giddy from Roscoes enthusiasm. “I grew up in a mansion far to the south, In the Halfling Republic. My father is an important person there.” Rosri explain.

He remembers all the time he used to run around in that house, hiding from the nanny, practicing his stealth skills. And when ever he got the chance he would sneak in to his fathers work room to leave a drawing he had painted or take a pencil from the pen stand. 

“Thanks to my fathers wealth I had all the time I wanted to practice my stealthy rogue skills.” He says and holds up Roscoe’s coin pouch. 

OOC: sorry for not using color in dialogues, im on the phone and it is a bit tricky to get it right. They ought to make the the tool bar in phone mode easier to use. :/

Roscoe grins at Rosri. "Best yous learn who to steal from and who not to steal from. Yous will live longer that way." Roscoe gives his companion a look of understanding. 

“Ha.” He gives Roscoe a large grin. “I would never steal anything from anyone who needs it, nor from good people either. I’ll use my skills for good if i can. But there is nothing i can’t get my hand on if i set my mind to it.” And he hand the pouch back to Roscoe. 

“Speaking of which..” he swallows hard before continue, because he hates to speak to strangers. “Mr. Tarden, since Oakfields is in ruins now you don’t have any money right? Please take this money and use it to get everyone safety to three peaks.” And he hands Tarden 50gp. Half of his gains from the cabin.    

Edeleth raises an eyebrow slightly, but doesn't speak.  As far as he is concerned, the money from the cabin is not theirs to keep or to give away. On the other hand, there is no doubt the dwarves of Oakfields need it more than Gavin. 

It shouldn't really bother him.  He wonders if it's because of having spent so much time with the High Druid.  The Vithan family tend to be Lawful, sometimes shockingly so for elves.  Talos Vithan always seemed more flexible, though.

In any case, what the others do is not for him to judge. He relaxes, waiting for the treasure hunt to begin, and enjoys a long-forgotten memory of a time he and Prince Kalrondo (getting along for a change) and Princess Anarórë had dug for pirate treasure in the castle's kitchen garden. They had run from an angry cook right into Prince Lintelér, who had dragged them back and lectured them sternly, as a couple of druid initiates repaired the damage to the cabbage patch.

Quote from gosset92 >>

"I don't know, but I bet it is a good treasure. Maybe it will be something that goes with your armour." Rosri suggests as he sees Roscoes hand going to it. "Or maybe it is gold or some other magical wonder like my mug!" He takes it out of his pack and it is instantly filled with Saerloonian Special Vat. He takes a sipp, takes a moment to enjoy the tastes of home, then he offers the mug to Rocoe.

Although the adventuring had turned out a lot dangerous then he could ever imagain, if it was with this group of strange and wonderfull people, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. He was still afraid of pebbles and Grunda, but he felt that he had gotten  closer to the rest. Maybe close enough to call them friends. 

"Oh right! Do you know of The Family Mr. Roscoe?" He looks around to make sure none of the other would overhear them. It was strictly forbidden to talk about them and by doing so he risked being banished from them. 

 

OOC; was the X on the map a different place from the house? 

 OOC: You figure that the X probably was the abandoned Cabin....you did find Shorgreg's secret stash in it after all.

Sorry I know everyone got excited for a treasure hunt. I would have made that detail clearer earlier, but I just woke up from 10hours of sleep lol

Also, Roscoe and anyone that can pass a perception check DC10 and a History check DC10 can hear Rosri's mention of "The Family", and know they are a loose Alliance of roaming Halfling Gypsies, that can be found all over Talaveroth. 

"If we's going to go, we's should head soon. Let me looks at the map. Mayhaps I can find a shortcut. " Having the chance to look at the map, his time as a wandering nomad made him question what Rosri was saying. "See those trees there? That's where we was. That's the cabin we slept in. We's already found this treasure," he says with a bit of disappointment.

• • Feature: Wanderer
  • You have an excellent memory for maps and geography, and you can always recall the general layout of terrain, settlements, and other features around you. In addition, you can find food and fresh water for yourself and up to five other people each day, provided that the land offers berries, small game, water, and so forth.

   

"Ah.  Pity," says Edeleth. "I think I will go see how our driver and the horses are doing."

As he gets up and starts walking, something, something at the back of his mind starts to make a connection...

 Oh. THAT 'Family.'  He has grown to trust Rosri, but it's still something to think about...

OOC: If a treasure hunt is what the Team wants to do next, then don't worry, I've got you covered...

Again, this is a Sandbox Game intended to be player-driven. As your Team evolves and roleplays, the characters most likely will start setting Goals for themselves, and going after them. 

The whole purpose of this Giant Campaign was to introduce a bunch of different characters to the World, let them get used to it, and start making their own storylines, instead of following a set Scenario.

”Oh no, I’m so sorry I didn’t realize that it was the same place..” Rosri looks down in the ground, embarrassed to have gotten everyones hopes up..

Seeing Edeleth walking over to the horses Rosri asks him to take a look at Butterscotch as well.

He then walks over to the collapsed cave to see if there is anything of value around, or any trace of who this Cult is. 

Passive perception: 21

rolled perception: 12

Passive investigation: 18

rolled investigation: 7

OOC: can I roll like this, or have I missunderstood the passive skilles? 🤔 again, Im fairly new to DnD 

OOC: Assuming, since Grotex didn't say otherwise, that they are still there...

Edeleth finds the driver huddled on the wagon seat in terror, clutching a spare axle as a weapon. The driver makes it clear that he does NOT appreciate being left all alone out in the icy chill of winter for an entire night in a gnoll- and hyena-infested land, but that he is glad to see they are still alive.  Little icicles of condensed breath hang from the horses' muzzles.

Returning to the camp, Edeleth says to Pebbles, "We really ought to get back to Three Peaks, if your people are ready. If, in the absence of a cleric, they would like me to perform some sort of memorial rite to honor their dead, I would be willing to do so...but only outside of this..."--he waved a hand vaguely at the dead zone-- "...this...atrocity."

Roscoe gathers up all his supplies and then moves to the horses with the others. "I agree we's should check back in town."

Zyman, still shocked by the events, joins in: "I for one think we should return what we found to the inn keeper. Besides, there is nothing much else left here, and with the villagers leaving too, I see no point in staying. Anyways, I would like to find some libraries and read up on what exactly transpired here. I have some ideas, but if we understand what the ritual might have been for, we could try to prevent other towns from suffering the same fate. And I don't know about you, but I feel like sleeping under a roof in an insulated chamber again, nothing against this hut or anything, but I'm mostly an indoors creature..."

Edeleth nods at Zyman.  "Back when we were at the cabin, the hyenas spoke of a Red Lord. I assumed they were referring to their Alpha, or possibly their Gnoll master, but it's clear that some other powerful force is at work here.  The gnolls clearly did not do...THIS.' He waves his hand at the destroyed landscape. "Perhaps when you are researching, you might see if there are any references to the Red Lord, whatever he or it may be."

He has a sudden, clear flashback of the moment he fell, the flames bursting all around him, and thinks, I should be dead. It was as if the land had sacrificed itself for his life.  If so, his survival had been bought at a very high cost.

Zyman suddenly gros very sad, and, his head hanging low, says to Edeleth: "This wasn't your doing, or that of the hyenas... I did this, I am responsible for this... And it's not the first time that I tried to cheat death and caused horrific suffering as a result... But part of me just has to believe that I can make it right somehow, that the sacrifice of all this can somehow be made worthwhile. Please tell me that we can do good, that I was right to listen to the voice inside of me, that I wasn't selfish in wanting to live. I need to hear you say that, I need someone else... I'm not sure my own inner voices have necessarily my best interests at heart..."

"Hmmmm," says Edeleth, putting on his best Court Manners face and resisting his instinct to back away slowly. "Well, most life survives by consuming other life.  I suppose if anyone were surrounded by a concentration of the plants and animals who have died for their food, their clothes, firewood, and because they didn't happen to look where they were stepping, it would look no worse than this."

Zyman does not look particularly comforted by this, so Edeleth adds, "And it isn't as if your life was the only one saved. Those dwarves and their children are still alive because of your aid, and the rest of our companions.  And...I am personally grateful. Thank you for my life, Ozymandias."

The driver, wagon and horses are indeed still back in the village. The driver still seems confused about what just happened..."It looked like this volcano was about to erupt, then everything went dark..."

Rosri searches the ruins of Oakfields, until he finds a small dagger, burried in the snow...a red dagger, with draconic inscriptions on it...

As soon as the Party is done resting, the Villagers and Pebbles seem ready to depart. 

Maybe half a mile past the ruined village, and the World seems to come back to life... The Sun rises in the Horizon over the Nâr Barhâk Mountains, bathing the valley in a pinkish light. The chirping of birds can be heard again. And the Blizzard has finally stopped, leaving place to a cold, but bright Sunny day...

Laieivis may roll a Religion check to perform a funeral rite for the deceased.

As we are ready to depart, Zyman turns around to look behind him, curious if the sun touches the village...

Perception: 11

OOC: Sorry I just wrote Laeivis instead of EDELETH...just got done writing a post for team...and Im still waking up.