"If we aren't killing it, what are we going to do?!" Cyrioul calls to Thorek. "Let me see if we can knock it down - Bree, put some grease under it, and I'll try, too!"
Lily just sighs. Taking inventory in her head everything she has is sharp and pointy. Looking around she sees and rock and says," Sure... You know what I'll try and knock it out. "
Bree shakes her head sadly. "I do truly feel bad about this, but the die has been cast. If we don't take that thing down now, he surely will take us down."
She waves her right hand while muttering her spell.
Cedric heals Caladra, while Thorek appeals to the invasive nature of the refugees.
Lily attempts to non-lethally damage the wolverine, but, the rock just bounces off of its tough hide.
Caladra's swing misses the wolverine entirely.
Bree casts grease beneath the wolverine.
Boudra, following the others, either doesn't hear or chooses to ignore Thorek's injunction. She watches her friends fight anxiously and, as the wolverine snarls, the shadows surrounding it seem to grow imperceptibly denser...
Boudra casts on the wolverine.
The enraged wolverine continues to attack Caladra.
All three attacks hit Caladra.
Caladra falls.
The wolverine attempts to move forward.
CYrioul pulls out his wand, and fires a bolt of force at the approaching monstrosity!
The wolverine could not move after its attack on Caladra.
Cyrioul damages the wolverine
Now the wolverine attempts to move toward Cedric.
The wolverine moves toward Cedric and takes a bite at him.
Cedric grunts as the Wolverine bites into him. It hurts a lot, but there isn't time to worry about the wounds just yet. He can worry about his own hurt, and the unconscious Caladra, once the threat is removed. Hopefully she'll last until then. He steps back and thrusts as though his very life depends on it, which it does.
Her mind clears as the wolvetine's claws tear into her. Peace. Quiet. Darkness. She collapses to the floor as the wolverine moves on to its next target.
Blood begins pooling from the open wounds.
Boudra's eyes widen as Caladra falls, but the other woman is too close to the raging wolverine for her to get in and heal her safely. No no no no no...I need to get room! She lets out a yell of anger--almost entirely subconscious--as she moves slowly closer to the beast.
Cyrioul curses as Caladra hits the ground, and prepares to fire off another bolt of force if the others can't take the beast down.
[ooc]If it's still standing on Cyrioul's turn:
Growling, Thorek starts his dorn-dergar to whirling, "It's still just an animal, not worth one of our lives." Murmuring a blessing he feels the power of Angradd strengthen his limbs as he advances, then lashes out.
Bree slows her breathing and tries to concentrate on the shot. "Come on, come on."
Lily is breathing hard. She spent all her effort trying to solve this without killing the animal. "I can do this... I can hit him.," she says while almost dropping to one knee.
Cedric hits the wolverine with a solid blow.
Thorek misses
And, Lily kills the beast
You manage to fit everyone into the cave during the storm-tossed night.
No one gets a good nights sleep, and everyone is fatigued (barring magical intervention), but, the group gains 8 Provision Points from the body of the dire wolverine.
=================
Spend another day in the forest, and make checks as normal
As morning comes, Thorek sheepishly apologizes to the others. "I was being foolish and sentimental, the thing was dangerous of course, and we have our own people to look after before some mangy beast. I am sorry for not aiding sooner."
As the group finishes packing, he offers to help conceal the cave's entrance. "This would make an excellent bolt-hole or supply cache later, if we had the need. Might be worth marking and coming back to."
Over the course of the day Thorek finds not only a heavy amount of nuts and berries, but also (to his delight) is able to bag half a dozen various small-game animals with his improvised snares and sharpened sticks.
Herds: Herd increases by 0, caring for 14 animals
Herds (Primary Care): Annis the Fletcher - Handle Animal (Take 10): 14+2+2+2+2+2=24
Herds (Assisting Annis): Cleo - Handle Animal (Take 10): 14
Herds (Assisting Annis): Clyde - Handle Animal (Take 10): 14-2 = 12
Herds (Assisting Annis): Sera - Handle Animal (Take 10): 14-2=12
Herds (Assisting Annis): Faro - Handle Animal (Take 10): 14-2 = 12
Herds (Assisting Annis): Edran - Handle Animal (Take 10): 18-2 = 16
Hunting/Foraging: 17 produced by people, 14 by herds
Hunting/Foraging, Cooking (+1 bonus): Jet - Survival +5 (Take 10): 15
Hunting/Foraging: Baldric the Councilman - Survival +4 (Take 10): 14
Hunting/Foraging: Clidon the Trader - Survival +4 (Take 10): 14
Hunting/Foraging: Farrow the Trader - Survival +4 (Take 10): 14
Hunting/Foraging: Caladra Swordborn - Survival:
Hunting/Foraging: Cedric Thistlewyne - Survival:
Hunting/Foraging: Cyrioul Fasar - Survival +2 (Take 10): 12
Hunting/Foraging: Thorek - Survival: 21
Shelter: Shelter provided for 24 individuals
Shelter (Directing Work): Aubrin the Green - Survival +7 (Take 10): 17
Shelter (Assisting Aubrin): Benn - Survival +1 (Take 10): 11
Shelter (Assisting Aubrin): Innis - Survival (Take 10): 10
Shelter (Assisting Aubrin): Mera - Survival +1 (Take 10): 11
Shelter (Assisting Aubrin): Pete - Survival (Take 10): 10
Shelter: Kining Blondbeard - Survival +5 (Take 10): 15
Shelter: Oreld - Survival +5 (Take 10): 15
Shelter: Boudra Kellanet - Survival (Take 10): 20
Shelter: Cyrioul (Endure Elements)
Shelter: Aubrin the Green, Benn and Mera (Endure Elements)
Shelter: Tents
Shelter: Cedric (Calming Touch)
Watch
Watch 1: )
Watch 1: )
Watch 2: )
Watch 2: )
Watch 2: )
Watch 3: )
Watch 3: )
Scouting
Scouting: Bree Fairchild -
Crafting
Crafting: Lily Moore - Craft(Alchemy): Take 10 = 16
"For my part, Thorek, I forgive you. Such a mighty creature! What - or who! - could make such a small animal so large?"
Once revived, the sickness she was all too familiar with post magical intervention coursed through her. She emptied the contents of her stomach onto the cave floor before pushing herself up. She wiped her mouth as she approached the fallen wolverine.
"Congratulations, beast. Not many can say they've felled me," she said as she put her heavy boot on the side of its head. She then reached into its mouth and with some effort, pulled out one of its fangs. "But let this be a reminder that none are strong than us. Knock one down and the others will finish you."
Day 12
Using her bow, Caladra attempted to find some game to help the others back at camp.
Finding a plump buck she took aim and fired her bow. Her aim true, for once, and tossed the deer over her shoulder before returning tonthe others.
In the morning, several of the refugees notice that Innis is missing.
Not long after the search for Innis begins, the relative calm of the forest is rent by a high-pitched scream. Bree appears near the camp, her skin as white as a ghost.
"I... found him," she stammers. "Part of him, anyway." After taking a few sips of water, she leads the others back to the body, hidden under a pile of leaves.
"Deep breaths, Bree, you're okay. Take us to him."
Kneeling beside the corpse, Thorek grimaces and brushes several leaves away from the wound.
With the cramped night in the cave, Cedric spends all of his ability to remove fatigue right away, restoring Caladra, Thorek, Lily, Bree and himself to a more alert state. With only five to choose, and seven of the most active defenders, he decides to prioritize the ones that tend to get into physical combat most regularly.
"Deadeye help us," Cedric says, wincing, as Bree brings their attention to what's left of Innis. He helps Thorek examine the wounds for signs of who, or what, might have done this to their charge.
Looking at the body, it becomes obvious to Thorek that the head was severed from the body after death with a short blade and vigorous hacking.
Investigating Innis' sleeping arrangements, it appears that he was murdered in his sleep, and the body taken outside of camp, where the head was removed, and the body covered with leaves.
Lily just stands there seething. She yells,"Come on you cowards. Why don't you attack us instead or are you just too weak?"
Bree whispers to Lily, "I'm not so sure there's someone 'out there.' It may have been someone among us."
Thorek curses in Dwarven, fists clenching and unclenching. "We must make for the troglodyte caverns immediately, the sooner we're somewhere defensible the safer we'll all be."
"If Bree's right though, and it is someone in camp, It may just make it easier for whoever's doing this." Caladra added. Around her neck was a leather thong necklace with the dire wolverine's tooth as a pendent resting against her chest.
"We have hobgoblins hunting us, isn't it more obvious to suspect some sadistic hunter than to turn upon ourselves? Don't do the enemy's work for them!"
"Believe me, I want it to be the gobs. Them I can deal with. This... this doesn't seem like something they'd do. Storm the camp and burn it to the ground yes, kill one guy and then do... that." She shook her head and placed her hand over her mouth and chin in a thinking motion. "It just doesn't feel right."
"Well the problem is that I can see it happening either way. They are pretty smart. Why not use hit and run tactics to instill fear and paranoia in the small group of people competent enough to stop them?" Lily says while pacing back and forth.
"I have an idea though. Not a particularly clever idea but one of us can stay up through the night. The person would be exhausted but it would definitely help us determine who or what is killing us off. I'd do it if no one objects.," Lily says staring at the ground deep in thought.
"We must keep this suspicion to ourselves though so we don't frighten the others."
She takes a deep breath, squares her shoulders and sets her jaw. "We should dig a grave for Innis. We may also want to ask if Aubrin can make some alcoholic beverages this evening. It might ease tensions a bit... maybe even loosen tongues."
"Its not like we can't be discrete about it though. Hell its not infeasible that one of us got sick like the villagers and can't fall asleep'"
"I agree with Caladra that the signs point more strongly to a traitor in our midst than they do to the Ironfangs," Cedric weighs in, after hearing the discussion.
"I further agree that we need to have a burial for Innis. It's only decent. And, while I had hoped that this cave would suit our needs, it's clear that we need something much bigger like those Trog caverns. Unfortunately, I don't think it a good idea to move there yet until we've been able to resolve this possible traitor situation. The last thing we need is for someone to slip away and bring the Hobgoblins down upon us when we're still getting entrenched.
"I don't think Lily's suggestion is likely to do more than make one of us exhausted. If one of us is behind this, then they've been biding their time for so long already that I very much doubt they'd feel pressured to reveal themselves after one night. Unfortunately, I don't have any better ideas."
I know its going to take time but still you are talking to someone who trained themselves at deception. Its far better for me to try this than to try and herd cattle. I could make alchhemical items but the time I finish another water filter everyone could be dead.
Cyrioul's face is pained. Innis wasn't the most competent creator of shelters, but he followed directions well from Aubrin and could at least put together a place for himself to sleep. "Cedric, I know we asked you to lead our group, and I'll respect your decision, though I think that your faith helps refresh someone who has not slept well to recover quickly, and that we shouldn't put all the burden of keeping watch on those same seven townspeople. They must certainly be feeling horrible right now. What have we to lose by staying awake ourselves?"
Cyrioul also takes time to go over notes from their encounter with Veld to try and narrow down the location of the Troglodyte caves.
"Then we're agreed? We make for the troglodyte caverns and claim them as our base? Even if the killer is one of ours, we still have Ironfangs to worry about."
"I'm willing to take a few shifts of night watch. I'm not sure I can sleep much tonight anyway. And Cyr's right. We don't want to wear down the same villagers over and over. I didn't even think of the toll that would take on them. Lily and I can take turns."
"Any idea how far away those caverns are?"
"Veld said the Children of Stone's cave was northeast of her cabin, but if she specified how far I didn't catch it." The dwarf hesitates a moment. "What do we tell the others...about Innis?"
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Bree shakes her head sadly. "We cannot lie, but we do not want to cause panic. I propose we tell them that someone was able to sneak into the camp, and kill him, and that we are not safe here. We can't prove that didn't happen, and, if there is a traitor among us, it leaves him thinking that we don't suspect him (or her)."
She sighs heavily. One of my lessons from the Kitharodien Academy: the best lies contain as much truth as possible.
Boudra takes in the conversation, not trying to interject herself in the parts where the conversation is moving most quickly. When it's winding down, she signs, I agree with Bree. We can't cause a panic. Whoever did this...we need to catch them, and stop them. She looks profoundly upset.
"I hesitate to agree. If one of them is, indeed, the killer, then it will hit them that much harder when the truth comes out. They may never trust us again. However, I defer to our collective judgment - I'll reconfigure our supplies as best we can without Innis."
Cyrioul sits down with his ledger, alone, and begins drawing up ways to distribute resources among the townspeople for the easiest load sharing.
"I'll just be happy when this is easy again. See the bad guy, kill the bad guy, move on," Caladra says with crossed arms.
"I don't think that we should outright lie to the group about what happened," Cedric says, uneasily. "But i do agree that we don't need to tell them everything, and certainly not the magnitude of our suspicions.
"Cyrioul, if you think that it would help to rotate out those on watch, then I defer to your judgement in the matter. You've been keeping a closer eye on that sort of thing than I have."
"And," he concludes, "It sounds like most people would prefer to take the caves as soon as possible. I can see the good points in waiting until after we've dealt with our possible traitor, like I first suggested. But the more I think about it, the more that generating and maintaining a sense of normalcy and security seems like the best course of action. This past night was especially draining on us, and the sooner we can consistently rest properly, the better we'll be able to handle all of our problems."
Cyrioul nods. "I think that the seven of us need to be at our fighting best, just in case we should encounter more vicious wildlife or bands of Ironfang Legionnaires, so your faith can help Caladra, Lily, and Bree recover after a night of keeping watch with the others. I gather from our time together that they will be the most likely to notice anything amiss. The three of you," he motions to the women mentioned, "will have to tell us how you feel tomorrow morning, and whether you can continue on or if you need a night of actual sleep to more fully recover. Magic can stretch our limits, but there's always a cost."