Folding his arms in front of him and appraising each of the individuals he will have to disguise, Olyvvar takes a deep breath and then claps his hands. Very well. I'll have to put my stage direction skills to the test, then. Let's get started while we have a little daylight left.
Pulling out his wardrobe, he begins to adorn Arcavic, Chetiin and Gyro with the trappings of an elf, gnome and armored warrior respectively. After the work of disguising the three, he turns to Harika.
I believe you should be out as well. Your other role -- that of a noble -- has potential. I can see you in the role of caravan owner or guard captain. You have a commanding presence that we can use to continue the ruse. I myself shall be taking up the role of a regular soldier as well.
"cho"
Leather Armor x 2
Scail Mail x 2
Shortbows x3 Including the greased one
Arrows x 50
Longsword x 2
Scimitar x 2
Daggers x 3
46 gold
Potions CLW x 3
Though you would think Drow to Elf would be the easiest transformation, Arcavic is the least transformed guard. The other costumes are fantastic. Claudia cheers Olyvvar's work. Bravo!
The group settles in by the evening campfire. Jambree, the Dwarven merchant, looks around. "So tell me about yourselves. How did you all end up here with this caravan?"
"gold."
While still standing
"After the war, I still worked for the dwarves, now one can say they hire me out" he laughs his metalic laugh
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Harika's transformation is less a costume and more her taking off her distinctive armor. Her traveling clothes are well made and expensive looking while not being the latest fashion- something a noble or well-to-do merchant might wear.
She sniffs at the dwarf's impertinent question. "Obligation. That is why I am here."
Arcavic can't help but chuckle slightly at the bard's difficulty in applying a disguise, but does what he can to help by swapping out his morning star and drow long knife out for a scimitar and dagger, hoping that the switch to wearing more conventional weapons might be enough to throw their foes off long enough to at least give him a chance to ensure a good position to start a fight from.
His answer to the merchant's question, "It's a job, something to do."
The caravan settles in for the night. Gyro and Gorch wander the area keeping an eye out for trouble. Half way through the night, everyone is awakened by screams coming from the woods to the North. Seven to eight voices cry out as if they are in severe pain and agony.
Chetiin readies for combat, but remains near the caravan as a guard should.
Ditto for Gyro. Never leave your ward. Ever. No matter how much you want to chase down the enemy
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Arcavic will take up a hiding position off to the side of where the sounds are coming from about 15 to 20 feet away from the camp. The idea is to put himself where he can hit from the flank or rear should trouble come from that direction, but still be close enough to provide support to to those in camp if needed.
Chetiin will use his small size to fade into the shadows underneath the wagon.
Harika wakes and starts strapping on her armor. "It is likely a distraction to lure some of us out into the dark." Like the guards, she certainly didn't seem inclined to go to the rescue of whoever might be screaming.
The screaming carries on for about five minutes. The sounds are terrifying, as men's voices go from fear and the shouting orders to screams and gurgling. Within a few minutes though, the sounds disappear and the group is left to listen to crickets chirping. The cool night air chills your bones.
Scanning the woods, you see the shadow of a half man/half monster with bright red eyes. The sight startles you. In your mind, you here the words your heard the night before leaving. "Do not fail me."
Hmm. If those were fake screams, they did a very good job. Olyvvar shudders at the thought that they might not be fake. His rapier in hand, he studied the woods, but also resisted the temptation to go charging out into the woods in rescue.
Instead, he goes to check on Claudia.
Olyvvar thinks that even he could not have acted that well. The silence of the night is deafening as the crew slowly gets back to settling in. One of the merchants breaks the silence. "I ain't going nowhere near that. That's what we be paying them guards for. I'm going back to bed."
"I suppose someone needs to see what happened. Stay on your guard; if I'm not back shortly, don't come after me and consider moving to a different spot." Arcavic warily heads off towards where the screams were coming from.
Harika nods at Arcavic. "Give a shout if you find bodies.'
Arcavic climbs the small hill on the North side of the camp and enters the woods. He crawls on his belly for about 50 yards before the tree line ends. He pulls himself into a bush to block his view and peers into the valley below. What his darkvision reveals is a scene from his worst nightmares. Mutilated bodies lie strewn throughout the valley. Body parts litter the battfield as well. For a moment, it appears the soldiers are all dead. After a minute of observation, Arcavic's keen sense of hearing picks up gurgling and coughing sounds from about 40 feet away.
You steathily move onto the edge of the battlefield. There appears to be at least twenty bodies. It is hard to count since many of them have been decapitated and dismembered. There is blood and body parts everywhere. The soldiers' appear to be dressed much like the men you encounterd at the ambush. On closer inspection, you do notice holy symbols like the ones you found on the others.
The wounds appear gruesome. It is as if the men were mauled by some type of wild animal. Necks look as if they have been chewed through. Arms and legs look as if they have been ripped straight off of the bodies with sheer force. Large gashes on the torsos look as if the creature or creatures had large powerful claws.
You suddenly realize that this large of a force would have likely decimated the caravan had they reached you.
You crawl to the gurgling sound and see a man lying on the ground, staring at the night sky. He has a look of sheer terror on his face as blood gushes from a wound on his neck. Blood bubbles from his mouth as he whispers a word. "Vrykolakas" A second later the coughing and gurgling stops.
DC Religion or Local 18
Rumors abound that Vrykolakas are undead creatures who feed on the living. The are believed to appear human, but possess great supernatural power and charm. Campfire stories tell of Vrykolakas having sharp fangs and claws much like wild animals.
A beautiful woman with raven hair suddenly appears only ten feet away from you. You have no idea where she came from. She is dressed in a silken gown that is saturated in blood. Blood covers her face, neck, and arms as well. The gown clings to her body and reveals her thin, muscular frame. She is the most incredible woman you have ever seen. She licks her lips as she looks you over. "You do not appear to be one of them..." Something about here voice draws you in. You want to approach her.
When the strange women appears, he simply watches her quietly and slightly warily before finally responding in his usual neutral tone of voice, "The same could be said of you."
The woman's eyes show a bit of surprise as you are able to avoid her allure. She grins wickedly. "No...I am not." She keeps her distance as she speaks.
You hear a sound in the woods. She turns quickly and looks in the direction of it. You are able to make out three sets of glowing red eyes. She turns back to you. "My master calls. I will see you again soon." She turns again and takes off running. You have never seen anyone as quick and nimble as her. Within a second, she is gone.
Arcavic shows back up at camp quiet and serious. "It was real. At least 20 dead, no bodies left, just random limbs and blood. Looked like some kind of beast like creature did the deed, probably still in the area. We should keep on moving; even if those responsible for the attack aren't still around, scavengers are going to be all over that carnage, and some of them might decide we would make a good appetizer or dessert. Besides, staying on move, even at a reduced pace to spare the horses, will help keep our foes at bay a bit longer and may give us just enough advantage in time to reach our destination without facing a pitched battle that we would probably lose."
Claudia stands next to Olyvvar with a warm blanket wrapped completely around her body and over her head. All you can see is her face. "I am good with whatever you decide."
"Very well, lets keep moving. We have waited long enough." with that the WF begins to make sure the caravan is ready to move out
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"mazo"
Harika looks over at the caravan master. "I do not know much about horses, but I don't believe they see very well in the dark. If one breaks an ankle in a hole it didn't see, we will be pulling the carts ourselves."
Armored and armed, she stands. "Besides, I would like to see the remains. And the equipment of 20 armed men may be worth something at our next stop; giving the caravan master a share may encourage him to forget about this trip."
Arcavic sighs a bit. "The horses won't be happy either way, so we may as well get the advantage of time and distance between us and those who want to kill us and/or visit that gruesome scene. I would rather risk slow travel than risk camping near a fresh site of carnage that large. The risks of the former can be mitigated far easier with our available resources than the latter. Torches and other resources can provide enough light to maintain slow travel on a good road, which is what we are on. The possible gains of retrieving the equipment is not worth the difficulties and risks of securing a large blood soaked battlefield from anything and everything that may show interest in it. There are six of us that can defend an area, gather the loot, and still keep the caravan protected. We are already stretched thin; we don't have the luxury of diverting attention and resources away from our primary goal of getting the caravan and everyone to our destination safely.
If we had more guards, I would be first to agree with your suggestion, probably would have made it myself, but we have what we have; looting and fully investigating an attack on another party is simply not within our capabilities at this time. I wish it was, as more coin is always nice, but it's not."
The goblin remains silent on the issue.
Olyvvar glances between the priestess and the drow while he mulls over the choices. In the time it takes to get ready to move in the night, one or more of us can inspect -- and perhaps loot -- the site of the massacre. If we were so inclined.
The actor crosses his arms and ponders. I dislike the thought of something that could quickly slaughter 20 still being out there in the darkness. Staying put obviously didn't help those poor souls, so moving might be the most prudent action. But then, I'm not the director of this particular drama, merely one of the players. Olyvvar steps away.
Then, in an imitation of her voice, he says, Thank you. I'll stay alert, and gives her a hug. In that moment, he shifts to a likeness of her while making a quick alteration to his outfit.
"If you want to take a quick look while we prepare to leave, keep it quick; I don't feel like waiting around for more trouble to find us. The sooner the caravan leaves this area and reaches its destination, the better. And don't expect me to come rescue you if you run into trouble. This entire trip is rapidly becoming a lost cause to the point that no amount of coin will help much when we're all dead." The drow clearly just gives up on the conversation and goes off to prepare the caravan to leave as soon as possible.
Harika nods at Olyvar and Arcavic. "Rouse the caravan master, then. I will inspect the battlefield while they are harnessing the horses." She beckons to Gorch to follow and goes to inspect the carnage and loot the bodies.
Gyro stays with the caravan to help load anything that needs to be loaded
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Arcavic heads off to wake the merchants up and get them moving. He hears quite a bit of rude comments as the Dwarves spent the late night drinking and are now hung over. "Are you crazy! Waking us up this early? You can't defend us here...What kind of guards did we hire?" They slowly arouse and start getting ready to move on.
Gorch slowly follows his master over the hill.
The two climb the hill cautiously. Harika peers through the trees into the valley. There appears to be at least twenty bodies. It is hard to count since many of them have been decapitated and dismembered. There is blood and body parts everywhere. The soldiers' appear to be dressed much like the men you encounterd at the ambush. On closer inspection, you do notice holy symbols of Vol and Emerald Claw Tattoos.
The wounds appear gruesome. It is as if the men were mauled by some type of wild animal. Necks look as if they have been chewed through. Arms and legs look as if they have been ripped straight off of the bodies with sheer force. Large gashes on the torsos look as if the creature or creatures had large powerful claws.
You suddenly realize that this large of a force would have likely decimated the caravan had they reached you.
DC 18 Knowledge Religion or Local (+2 for your experience in Karrnath)
Rumors abound that undead creatures called Vrykolakas feed on the living. They appear human, but possess great supernatural power and charm. Campfire stories tell of Vrykolakas having sharp fangs and claws much like wild animals. This scene mimicks the stories you have heard.
"Guards that know when we are way outnumbered. There was a large force on their way that if they had gotten here would have wiped us out. Something killed them all, painfully. The only safe defense we have at this point is movement and distance. Whatever is going on, we don't want to be in the middle of it."
Harika nods to herself as she places the wounds. She speaks to Gorch. "Search the corpses for money or gems. Bring any coins or gems to me. Collect their weapons to carry back to the caravan. If I am attacked, cease your searching and collecting and defend me."
"Its not a very good idea to expose you, best have someone better suited for this" the warforged suggests
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Gorch heads throughout the battlefield collecting what is of value. He collects approximately 200 gold worth of coins and gems. He is able to carry about twelve weapons. After a bit, the two head back to the caravan.
The rest of the journey is uneventful as the caravan pulls into Wroat. Unlike Korth, the guards are much more relaxed. They escort the group into the city. The caravan is taken to the trade district where the dwarves work to unload the goods and perform their business.
Within minutes of arriving, a group of five Brelish soldiers dressed in tabards ride up on horses. The leaders looks around and then speaks. "We are here to escort the enclave from Karrn to the Castle."
Harika- dressed like a Karrnathi noblewoman rather than a bone knight- nods at the man. She makes a shooing gesture with her hand down the street. "Escort us, then."
Olyvvar stays close to Claudia as the escort joins them.
He watches for clues of deceit.
Arcavic collects his pay from the dwarves and glances over the Brelish soldiers in idle curiosity, looking for any signs of trouble, having a bit more freedom to worry about the deeper politics now that the caravan and his pay is secure, though he is mostly concerned about possibly securing his next job as quickly as possible.
Gyro follows suit, doing his part, he stays in front,
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Chetiin says nothing, waiting for the situation to develop.