"Well, that's done 'em and more! Good luck gettin' that smell off ya, though, and I don't know how keen the horses are goin' t' be about walkin' through that mess. But all's well that ends well, so should we be on our way or d'ya think we oughtta burn the carriage too, just t'be sure?"
The fire has subdued a bit as its magical origins fade and as the ordinary flames have trouble making a foothold in the damp, frosty grass and scrub. Nevertheless, sparks fly up and scatter, some landing near the upside-down carriage or are carried over your heads by the bitingly cold breeze.
"Y'all clear that up then?" calls Butter from his cart.
You notice some cargo which must have fallen out of the carriage at some point during the battle - a broken lamp and some small toys.
"Did you guys hear that?" she asks the group, not replying to Butter yet, her thoughts elsewhere. "Sounded like someone was in the carriage? Considering both the ghouls where inside it before seems unlikely they're innocent... but if they're aware enough to cry out when the carriage moved they might still be alive. Or at least have some proper thoughts in their head."Missy moves up parallel to the carriage and dismounts 10 or so feet away before kneeling down to try and peer through the window inside.
Missy climbs off her horse and peers inside the vehicle - it's a bloody mess inside. Half-eaten pieces of an aged human male, by the looks of it, mixed with shattered oil lamps, clockwork toys, straw, splintered wood, and other debris – all spattered with blood and gore. It's an awful sight. Whatever might have made the noise - it definitely wasn't this guy.
"Well, they're not in there now."Standing up she scrambles back onto her horse and starts to guide it around the other side of the carriage before pauses. "They couldn't have gotten far right? But I'm not the best tracker... And I guess we really should get going now that I've alerted everything in 300 feet of our location..." She says cringing a bit. "I guess I just wanna know if there was anybody in there. Running off definitely implies culpability! And really, it's probably better to know if there's a necromancer or someone wondering around right? Even if we don't fight them right now..."
"We best find out who this carriage belongs to so we can notify the next of kin and the town guard."
Dwal starts looking through the carriage, trying to avoid the blood, body parts and muck. He will also look over what's left of the man to see if he can find something that identifies him.
"Hello?"calls a weak, muffled voice from somewhere in the base - now the top - of the carriage. "Who's there?"
Dwal's sharp eyes spot a secret trap door in the base of the carriage, under a bench seat - a not uncommon smuggler's compartment in some circles. A carpet probably covered it when it was upright.
"Prellan. I'm a toymaker. You killed the dead ones?"calls the muffled voice from inside the trap door, probably female, probably human. She pauses, then, "Where's Terrence?"she asks quietly.
"How abouts a you remove yourself from ye little cave so we can talk. I hate to say, but I don't think Terrence was as lucky as you. We mean you no harm." He speaks as gentle as a dwarf can. Adding "There's even two members of the town guard here"hoping that may offer some comfort.
You hear a bit of scrabbling, then the hatch pops open on a hinge. Looking down through the small door in the overturned floor is a grim-looking human woman of about 70 - she holds a long dagger out in front of her as she squints at the situation warily. It's very dark, as the dim ambient red glow from the flames has begun to subside. "Get me down from here, if you would." She's crammed into a very tight compartment.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Peri:
Peri takes in the carnage in and around the carriage. "Is it worth gatherin' up what's left o' poor Terrence and throwin' him on the cart, d'ya reckon?" he asks as he checks out the scattered toys. If any seem unusual or interesting he will pick them up to give them a closer look. Investigation9
Dwal helps Prellan out of her overturned hiding spot. She turns pale and becomes silent at the gruesome glimpses of the torn remains of her companion in the near darkness. She has injured her knee, and leans heavily on Dwal to walk, as she can put no weight upon it.
Peri, meanwhile, examines the cargo - lamps and toys - almost entirely smashed and bloodied. Just one wind-up toy - a small but intricate tin cat playing a fiddle - is intact. The rest doesn't look salvageable.
"Here lady, lean on me." he says to her. He will guide her to the cart. "We are just a small group. We were escorting the bodies of fallen comrades back to town when we happened upon your carriage and the monsters. Can you tell us what has happened?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Qivys
He hands Prellan a waterskin while waiting to hear the story of what's happened. While keeping an eye for any other dangers, he tries to determine the truth behind her words.
Prelan seems vacant, emotionless, and distracted, perhaps in shock, as she relates a few details from the cart. Her knee appears broken.
Terrance was her husband for forty years. They were toymakers and lamp dealers, from Seaton - she did most of the crafting, while Terrance did most of the sales work. They travelled to Saltmarsh regularly. They usually didn't travel after dark, but one of their horses became lame. They were ambushed by the two ghouls an hour before you encountered them.
Qivys detects nothing that would make him suspicious. Butter brightens up at her description of Terrance. "Oh - the Toy Man! Everybody knows the Toy Man!" He remembers him fondly from weekly markets of years past.
She asks if you could take her to Saltmarsh, where she has friends who can care for her.
Dwal
Dwal will prod a ghoul just to make sure it's dead.
"Well, that was not part of a lovely evening walk I had anticipated." he says. "Shall we inspect this carriage?"
Peri:
"Well, that's done 'em and more! Good luck gettin' that smell off ya, though, and I don't know how keen the horses are goin' t' be about walkin' through that mess. But all's well that ends well, so should we be on our way or d'ya think we oughtta burn the carriage too, just t'be sure?"
The fire has subdued a bit as its magical origins fade and as the ordinary flames have trouble making a foothold in the damp, frosty grass and scrub. Nevertheless, sparks fly up and scatter, some landing near the upside-down carriage or are carried over your heads by the bitingly cold breeze.
"Y'all clear that up then?" calls Butter from his cart.
You notice some cargo which must have fallen out of the carriage at some point during the battle - a broken lamp and some small toys.
Dwal verifies that both ghouls are quite dead.
Missy
"Did you guys hear that?" she asks the group, not replying to Butter yet, her thoughts elsewhere. "Sounded like someone was in the carriage? Considering both the ghouls where inside it before seems unlikely they're innocent... but if they're aware enough to cry out when the carriage moved they might still be alive. Or at least have some proper thoughts in their head." Missy moves up parallel to the carriage and dismounts 10 or so feet away before kneeling down to try and peer through the window inside.
Missy climbs off her horse and peers inside the vehicle - it's a bloody mess inside. Half-eaten pieces of an aged human male, by the looks of it, mixed with shattered oil lamps, clockwork toys, straw, splintered wood, and other debris – all spattered with blood and gore. It's an awful sight. Whatever might have made the noise - it definitely wasn't this guy.
Dwal
Dwal will move up to the carriage with Missy.
"It's a mess lass. You might not want to get yer hands amongst that." he says.
"Is there anyone alive in this carriage." Dwal calls out.
Missy
"Well, they're not in there now." Standing up she scrambles back onto her horse and starts to guide it around the other side of the carriage before pauses. "They couldn't have gotten far right? But I'm not the best tracker... And I guess we really should get going now that I've alerted everything in 300 feet of our location..." She says cringing a bit. "I guess I just wanna know if there was anybody in there. Running off definitely implies culpability! And really, it's probably better to know if there's a necromancer or someone wondering around right? Even if we don't fight them right now..."
Dwal
Dwal looks curiously around the carriage.
"We best find out who this carriage belongs to so we can notify the next of kin and the town guard."
Dwal starts looking through the carriage, trying to avoid the blood, body parts and muck. He will also look over what's left of the man to see if he can find something that identifies him.
Investigation: 15
"Hello?" calls a weak, muffled voice from somewhere in the base - now the top - of the carriage. "Who's there?"
Dwal's sharp eyes spot a secret trap door in the base of the carriage, under a bench seat - a not uncommon smuggler's compartment in some circles. A carpet probably covered it when it was upright.
Dwal
"Hello there." Dwal says in as soft and reassuring voice as he can. "I'm Dwal and me and my companions have killed those horrid things."
"Who are you?"
(OCC: does the voice sound male or female?)
"Prellan. I'm a toymaker. You killed the dead ones?" calls the muffled voice from inside the trap door, probably female, probably human. She pauses, then, "Where's Terrence?" she asks quietly.
Qivys
"How abouts a you remove yourself from ye little cave so we can talk. I hate to say, but I don't think Terrence was as lucky as you. We mean you no harm." He speaks as gentle as a dwarf can. Adding "There's even two members of the town guard here" hoping that may offer some comfort.
You hear a bit of scrabbling, then the hatch pops open on a hinge. Looking down through the small door in the overturned floor is a grim-looking human woman of about 70 - she holds a long dagger out in front of her as she squints at the situation warily. It's very dark, as the dim ambient red glow from the flames has begun to subside. "Get me down from here, if you would." She's crammed into a very tight compartment.
Dwal
"As long as you do not try and skewer me with that toothpick of yours." Dwal says.
Dwal will help her, trying to guide her away from most of the parts of her companion.
Peri:
Peri takes in the carnage in and around the carriage. "Is it worth gatherin' up what's left o' poor Terrence and throwin' him on the cart, d'ya reckon?" he asks as he checks out the scattered toys. If any seem unusual or interesting he will pick them up to give them a closer look. Investigation 9
Dwal helps Prellan out of her overturned hiding spot. She turns pale and becomes silent at the gruesome glimpses of the torn remains of her companion in the near darkness.
She has injured her knee, and leans heavily on Dwal to walk, as she can put no weight upon it.
Peri, meanwhile, examines the cargo - lamps and toys - almost entirely smashed and bloodied. Just one wind-up toy - a small but intricate tin cat playing a fiddle - is intact. The rest doesn't look salvageable.
The brush fire is beginning to die down.
Dwal
"Here lady, lean on me." he says to her. He will guide her to the cart. "We are just a small group. We were escorting the bodies of fallen comrades back to town when we happened upon your carriage and the monsters. Can you tell us what has happened?"
Qivys
He hands Prellan a waterskin while waiting to hear the story of what's happened. While keeping an eye for any other dangers, he tries to determine the truth behind her words.
Insight 8
Prelan seems vacant, emotionless, and distracted, perhaps in shock, as she relates a few details from the cart. Her knee appears broken.
Terrance was her husband for forty years. They were toymakers and lamp dealers, from Seaton - she did most of the crafting, while Terrance did most of the sales work. They travelled to Saltmarsh regularly. They usually didn't travel after dark, but one of their horses became lame. They were ambushed by the two ghouls an hour before you encountered them.
Qivys detects nothing that would make him suspicious. Butter brightens up at her description of Terrance. "Oh - the Toy Man! Everybody knows the Toy Man!" He remembers him fondly from weekly markets of years past.
She asks if you could take her to Saltmarsh, where she has friends who can care for her.
Dwal
Dwal tries to help the woman the best he can. 'Aye we can see you to those who would take better care of ye." he says.