FR PbP

((  At this point, Rinn, Robwin, TT, Ikki, Blaire,  Eli, and Wolfsong have run into mention of "the Black Spider" three times. Thwarting the assassination attempt on the regional high chief of the Goblinkin clans, capturing the rouge wizard who was leading the local ruffians, and in a letter where a group of Daraktan rejected  an alliance offer from it. You don’t know if black spider is a person or organization. ))

"Yes, you're right," Rinn nods in the darkness, "But maybe if we come across anyone we don't know, I wear this." He rubs his fingers on the fleece lining of his coat, and uses minor illusion to create a half mask on the ground next to Silenus. The mask looks like that of a performer, though cracked and broken and with scratches in the paint.

(( @Thoradin - Roll a d100 ... both roll Perception... if you foraged, trapped or fished, roll survival ))

You pack up your gear and head out to finish the trip.

"Oh, very nice, dude," Silenus says when Rinn shows him the mask. "Do you put on stage shows with that mask?"

While they travel on, Silenus keeps his eyes out for any of the berries he's quite partial for and for any sign of game along the trail.

D100: 43  

Perception: 23 

Survival: 22 

Rinn's Perception check: 14

Around noon you come across a wagon with a busted wheel and a mule still attached to the cart.

Their is no sign of trouble or struggle. 

The grass around the mule is eaten down to nubs. 

Rinn sees the wagon and slows his horse. He starts scanning the surrounding area for any signs of whoever this wagon belongs to, such as a path or footprints (Perception: 14).

While Rinn looks around for trouble, Silenus on the other hand notes the limited grass left to the mule.

"Donkey dude is just about to run out of food," Silenus says. He moves forward and unties the mule.

Then he takes a look in the back of the cart to see if there's anything left there.

(OOC - Also, would Rinn have any knowledge of the area as to whether there is somewhere nearby that someone would go to for help? We've travelled a bit, so perhaps whoever owns this wagon went to somewhere nearby to get help to fix the wheel.)

Silenus finds a barrel of water, four bottles of wine, two carpets, pots, pans, and hay with carrots in the back. The wheel is broken but could be temporarily fixed with a belt or rope. The mule seems very grateful and immediately starts grazing. 

Rinn's aware that they're pretty far from anything except Thundertree now. It's about ten miles (16 Km) north. Neverwinter is about twenty miles (32 Km) west along the river from Thundertree and there should be a Logger's camp about twenty-five miles (40 Km) east along the river from Thundertree.

Rinn doesn't see any tracks or signs of passage. Maybe the trail has grown cold.

Silenus pats the mule a couple of times and then liberates the four bottles of wine.

"We can't let this wonderful stuff just go to waste out here," Silenus says as he uncorks one of the bottles and takes a long swig.

He offers the bottle to Rinn.

"Maybe like the dragon dude swooped down and you know, ate the driver, and mister mule there ran off until the wheel broke."

Silenus is about to walk off on their route when he stops.

"Whoa. What if dragon has a huge hoard of treasure? We'd need a wagon for all of it." Silenus says then looks over at the mule. "What do you say my amigo? Want to come meet a dragon."

He rigs up a bit of rope to fix the wheel and then once the mule has eaten and had some water from the barrel, puts the harness back on and leads the mule and wagon along the route to Thundertree.

Rinn declines the drink, but muses about what they might find when they get to the dragon. "Well, if the dragon has a heap of treasure, I can't imagine it will give it up freely." He helps Silenus fix the wagon wheel, but rides alongside on his horse still once they get moving.

This northern path to Thundertree has been largely nonexistent and overgrown the entire trip, still it's easy enough to keep the Neverwinter wood on your right to keep going north. Sometime very late afternoon, you see the town ruins and the path starts improving a bit, but barely. 

You enter town from the norteast side of town, the lane opens up to form a small square. Several ruined buildings surround the south side of the square, but a larger, intact structure to the north looks like a barracks. One lane leads southeast, another heads southwest around the hill in the middle of the town, and a third way meanders north into Neverwinter wood. In the middle of the square, leaning to one side ever so slightly, is a weathered wooden statue of a warrior clutching a spear and shield.

"Whoa," Silenus says as they arrive in Thundertree. "This place has had some bogus times."

He turns around to take in the whole square and the roads leading off. Silenus stops and looks up into the sky.

"Looks like the sun's going to be waving adios soon," Silenus says once he realizes it's very late afternoon. He looks over to Rinn. "Dragon hunt in the dark or find somewhere to get some good sleep?"

While he waits for Rinn to give that a thought, Silenus checks out the wooden statue to see if it has a plaque or inscription on it, and to see why it's leaning to the side.

Rinn shrugs, "I can see alright in dull light, but if it gets pretty dark I may struggle. Perhaps a search in the daylight will be a little safer."

(OOC - any signs of life? Especially in that intact building/barracks?)

The leaning statue is ten feet tall, including the base. The faded plaque has some discernible words.

"Palien,

... founder ... protector ...,

Thundertree

..."

The barracks appears to have weathered the years better than most buildings in town. The simple battlement on its rooftop and arrow-slit windows suggest that it was probably built to serve as a small keep in times of emergency.

There does not seem to be any movement inside. 

Outside of the square around the buildings just off of it in the south, southeast, and southwest corners of the square, you both notice twig blights in the brush and bushes as well as other wildlife (rabbits, squirrels, birds). 

(( OOC - twig blight stealth roll was Nat 1 - LOL! ))

(OOC - if twig blights aren't moving, they just look like normal bushes, so are they moving about?)