[dice=Perception]1d20+2
[dice=Investgation]1d20+1
As he peers at the branches, Jorlitharr observes several interesting things. All of the branches are over six feet long and they seem to be either cut or ripped from trees. They are laid at all sorts of angles across each other. The brush and leaves are scattered across the top of the branches, covering up most of the branches. He studies the bark and leaves, and notices that they are all from different sorts of trees.
The brush and branches are laying fairly flat on the road's surface. You are not sure how you felt a humanoid presence presumably laying under the brush because you cannot discern any sort of bump, lump, or shape.
[dice=Perception]1d20+2
[dice=Investgation]1d20+1As he peers at the branches, Jorlitharr observes several interesting things. All of the branches are over six feet long and they seem to be either cut or ripped from trees. They are laid at all sorts of angles across each other. The brush and leaves are scattered across the top of the branches, covering up most of the branches. He studies the bark and leaves, and notices that they are all from different sorts of trees.
The brush and branches are laying fairly flat on the road's surface. You are not sure how you felt a humanoid presence presumably laying under the brush because you cannot discern any sort of bump, lump, or shape.
Jorlitharr will start removing branches, making sure to avoid splinters or thorns and also being very careful to observe anything uncovered or revealed from moving the brush. He'll use his Mold Earth cantrip to shovel 5 foot cubes of earth, allowing the branches to fall into the holes to speed up the process.
Jorlitharr will start removing branches, making sure to avoid splinters or thorns and also being very careful to observe anything uncovered or revealed from moving the brush. He'll use his Mold Earth cantrip to shovel 5 foot cubes of earth, allowing the branches to fall into the holes to speed up the process.
After moving a couple branches, Jorlitharr sees the brush and leaves on top fall through and disappear into the earth. Moving more branches,he uncovers a pit in front of him about five by ten feet wide. He senses that the pit is about ten feet deep as well, and he sees a dark lumpy humanoid shape at the bottom.
After moving a couple branches, Jorlitharr sees the brush and leaves on top fall through and disappear into the earth. Moving more branches,he uncovers a pit in front of him about five by ten feet wide. He senses that the pit is about ten feet deep as well, and he sees a dark lumpy humanoid shape at the bottom.Jorlitharr will start removing branches, making sure to avoid splinters or thorns and also being very careful to observe anything uncovered or revealed from moving the brush. He'll use his Mold Earth cantrip to shovel 5 foot cubes of earth, allowing the branches to fall into the holes to speed up the process.
Jorlitharr will pile dirt into the hole so it's level with the ground. He'll then stand on the pit, then remove the dirt underneath his feet to slowly lower himself back down. He'll then investigate the humanoid shape upclose.
Jorlitharr will pile dirt into the hole so it's level with the ground. He'll then stand on the pit, then remove the dirt underneath his feet to slowly lower himself back down. He'll then investigate the humanoid shape upclose.
Jorlitharr slowly lowers ten feet into the pit. An orc is sprawled facedown in a very awkward position at the bottom of this dirt pit. A thick black arrow sticks out of his back, and both of his legs are cocked at very odd angles. A frayed length of rope is tied to his belt, trailing in the dirt beside him. A pool of dark liquid surrounds him. A lumpy leather bag is resting beside him. Brush and leaves are littered around the rest of the dirt pit, and you don't see anything else.
"Hm.."
Jorlitharr will touch nothing and dig and pack a dirt ramp up to his companions.
"It seems that some sort of trap was made on the road. A very obvious trap that was revealed in it's concealment. An orc is at the bottom. Shot and with broken legs. Not sure which happened first and which happened second. he also has some some rope tied around his waist. It's all very curious really."
My passive perception is a 12. Thravum generally prefers things nice and obvious. And killable.
"It seems that some sort of trap was made on the road. A very obvious trap that was revealed in it's concealment. An orc is at the bottom. Shot and with broken legs. Not sure which happened first and which happened second. he also has some some rope tied around his waist. It's all very curious really."
"We should take caution where we step I suppose, might be more traps around. Whoever created it may be back to check on its contents at any point. Do orcs hunt with wolves? If the rope around his waist matches the rope around the wolf it may be his."
He walks a circle around the campsite periodically placing his staff into the ground and muttering incantations. A green ring of glyphs appear and gradually fade away.
"We should know if something tries to sneak up on us now at least."
[dice=investigation: does the rope around his waist look to be the same as what I saw on the wolf?]1d20+5
Yes, it appears to be the same rope.
"Hmm, perhaps he was trying to pull himself out of the hole using the wolf? It's tied around his waist after all. Maybe he fell escaping whoever shot him."
"Are we camping?"
"Ruhhk, do you think you can befriend the wolf? Are there any tracks?"
"Do orcs hunt with wolves?"
"Aye, all manner of beasts."
"Ruhhk, do you think you can befriend the wolf? Are there any tracks?"
"Hmmm..."
Rukkh cautiously approaches the area where Oleksandr spied the wolf.
.
"Are we camping?"
"The sun is setting. I think we've made a good distance today. Based on our surroundings though I may be inclined to suggest setting watches in pairs. Three shifts of three hours each will get us six hours of sleep and an extra set of eyes watching our backs."
Rukkh cautiously approaches the area where Oleksandr spied the wolf.
[dice=perception]1d20+3 .
As Rukkh approaches the tree where Myra perched, he sees that this area has several trees clumped together to create a shadier spot than out in the open by the road. It creates a safe shelter for the wolf to sleep in the daylight, hidden out of sight from the road.
Rukkh reaches out to the sleeping wolf with his senses. The animal is still deep in asleep, but he can feel a sense of what the beast feels. Hunger and sadness pervade its spirit. No magic has affected it that you can tell. Dull pain rumbles in its stomach from hunger and around the area of its ribcage and sides. You sense that, in sleep, this beast is able to find brief relief from the hardships it recently underwent.
Rukkh hisses over his shoulder "Clear away from the pit and the ramp." He makes wolf noises as he approaches and offers the wolf his last goodberry (1 day's food and heals one hp). It the wolf isn't too hostile, Rukkh points it toward the pit.
Jorlitharr will yank out the black arrow from the corpse, snatches the bag and get out if the way. Curious to see how Rukkh is going to do this.
The dire wolf wakes and immediately springs to its feet as it hears Rukkh approach. It bares its teeth, hackles raised and tail straight. When it smells and sees the food offering, hunger takes over: it relaxes a little and swallows the berry whole. The wolf sniffs at Rukkh, still wary, but Rukkh can tell that the wolf is not going to attack him.
As Rukkh points, the wolf growls and takes a few steps towards the pit. Then it whimpers, sits down, and howls a cry that makes everyone feel sad to the core of their being. It does not stop howling, and will not allow anyone to come any closer to it; it growls and bares its fangs if anyone tries.
Now we'll never get any sleep!
The Baron pauses in his snacking. "Oh can someone please get that dog to be quiet!"
The Baron pauses in his snacking. "Oh can someone please get that dog to be quiet!"
"If you want to jump down there and explain to him that we didn't kill his master and we don't mean him any harm by all means. Reasoning with humanoids is trying enough. We're dealing with a wild beast which cannot understand us."
"Jorlitharr, is there anything in that bag?"
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Myra lands by the edge of the pit looking over the wolf and gives her wings a couple of frustrated flaps. She belts out a howl mimicking the wolf as best as a raven can.
"Arooo!"
"A case of potions, 2 lesser, one greater. Also one that aids in concentration. A couple small uncut rubies worth a couple dozen gold each. Some knives. An empty water skin.
I'm a bit more interested in this arrow. I think it's orcish. He may have been injured and fled stumbling into this trap. Maybe he cut his hound lose after he fell? Maybe this is a mystery that will remain so. Ruhhk seemed confident we have miles in all directions free of humanoids. I'll take first watch, if we want to buddy up we can, but I don't think it's necessary. I'll make a perimeter pit around our campsite once we settle in. It should only take a few minutes. "
"Ok, with your pit and my alarm ward then I'm more comfortable with single watches. We should be able to get more sleep that way as long as we can get this wolf to calm down."
"Let me try something." Olias attempts to play a lullaby for the wolf on his lute, while keeping at a safe distance, of course.
Myra lands by the edge of the pit looking over the wolf and gives her wings a couple of frustrated flaps. She belts out a howl mimicking the wolf as best as a raven can.
"Arooo!"
At the sound of this, the dire wolf stops in his howling and looks intently at the raven. He then growls and snaps at the bird, almost playfully.
As Olias' lute music wafts through the air softly, the wolf quiets. He looks at Olias intently for a full minute. Then the wolf looks around at all of you. He seems to sense that you aren't there to hurt him. He looks at Rukkh in particular, as if there is a sort of connection there.
The the wolf quietly and slowly walks next to his old master, curls up, and sighs. His eyes are open but his posture is relaxed.
Myra lands by the edge of the pit looking over the wolf and gives her wings a couple of frustrated flaps. She belts out a howl mimicking the wolf as best as a raven can.
"Arooo!"
At the sound of this, the dire wolf stops in his howling and looks intently at the raven. He then growls and snaps at the bird, almost playfully.
As Olias' lute music wafts through the air softly, the wolf quiets. He looks at Olias intently for a full minute. Then the wolf looks around at all of you. He seems to sense that you aren't there to hurt him. He looks at Rukkh in particular, as if there is a sort of connection there.
The the wolf quietly and slowly walks next to his old master, curls up, and sighs. His eyes are open but his posture is relaxed.
"Well, that's painfully depressing." Jorlitharr looks at the wolf for a time. "Let's get the wagon off the road. You guys get some sleep."
Jorlithar spends a minute or so digging a shallow trench around the perimeter Oleksandr alarmed, then has a seat in the dirt and practices stacking stones into towers.
The the wolf quietly and slowly walks next to his old master, curls up, and sighs. His eyes are open but his posture is relaxed.
"Alright, I think our sleep disruption has subsided for now. Jorlitharr has volunteered for the first watch. I'll take the second. Myra will provide a constant look out as well."
Before retiring Oleksandr continues studying a book he has been reading during stints of riding in the wagon. "Deep Speach Fluency, by Karl Vaidur" is seen on the cover page when opening it. He then rummages through his spell book, writing notes on separate pieces of parchment. If he is satisfied with a particular thought he places the parchment against his spell book and upon peeling the parchment back the changes appear on the page as if they had always been there.
The night passes uneventfully. The dire wolf stays at his dead master's side all night; you aren't sure if he actually slept or not.
Olias, suprised that the wolf responded so well to his playing, continues to serenade it as the adventurers travel, hoping to befriend it. He periodically checks to see the impact his music has.
Oleksandr stretches from a hard earned rest.
When he wakes he assists with watering the horses. He traces a circle around a water barrel and floats it off the wagon in front of the horses. He picks up a bucket, holds it in front of the barrel, and releases it hovering in mid air. He opens the bung, fills the bucket and offers it to the horses.
When he is finished he sits in the back of the wagon, retrieves a pipe from his robes, and puffs on a pungent mix of herbs.
"Rukkh, I think this wolf would be handy to have in a fight, as long as it's on our side, of course. Can we tame it?"
"Can we tame it?"
"Good in a fight, bad for visiting towns. Can't ride it, tha horses won't like it."
Rukkh searches the area around the campsite. Unanswered questions:
- Which direction were the orc and dire wolf headed?
- Were they traveling alone?
- Is there any indication of who dug the pit? How recently have the diggers checked their trap?
- Who re-disguised the pit after the orc fell in?
- Did the wolf also fall in, then escape?
- If the orc was shot after falling in, did the shooter leave any tracks?
Olias, suprised that the wolf responded so well to his playing, continues to serenade it as the adventurers travel, hoping to befriend it. He periodically checks to see the impact his music has.
[dice=Performance] d20+8
[dice=Insight] d20+3
In the morning when the wolf hears the music, his ears perk up and he gazes at Olias. He slowly gets to his feet and walks over towards the bard, sniffing and listening. He stays outside the pit that Jorlitharr dug, but he follows Olias' movement around the campsite, taking a couple steps and keeping his eyes on him. The wolf keeps his distance and growls if you try to get closer to him. Suddenly, after fifteen minutes of this, the wolf dashes off to the east, disappearing into the grove of trees where you found him.
Rukkh searches the area around the campsite. Unanswered questions:
- Which direction were the orc and dire wolf headed?
- Were they traveling alone?
- Is there any indication of who dug the pit? How recently have the diggers checked their trap?
- Who re-disguised the pit after the orc fell in?
- Did the wolf also fall in, then escape?
- If the orc was shot after falling in, did the shooter leave any tracks?
[dice=perception]1d20+3
[dice=survival]1d20+3
The edge of the pit has been mussed by the branches and brush. Close examination of the dirt at the edge shows two things. There is one boot print at the edge, pointing in towards the pit, that is sunken and deep as if an orc stood for a while. At the edge Rukkh also finds bits of frayed rope like the kind around the orc's waist and wolf's neck.
The pit itself is rough and almost unfinished, the bottom covered in brush and leaves and loose dirt. Rukkh remembers that Jorlitharr moved around lots of dirt in the pit in order to get down to the bottom, so this is obscuring some of the original pit details.
As he examines the area around the dead orc, he sees that the dirt below the body is sunken and the dirt wall around it has marks as if the orc tried to dig itself out. He sees that both of the orc's legs are broken. Rukkh does not see any wolf tracks in the pit besides the most recent marks from the night before.
Rukkh's survival skills come in handy in order to find some answers
Rukkh shares these results with the party. "What could it mean?"
"Could the other orcs have turned against this one?"
After his watch, Jorlitharr slept the night face down on the ground. He wakes with a face covered in dried drool and caked mud. His beard is stuck to the left side of his face. He scratches himself and stretches before wandering over to the wagon in a stupor. He cuts off a crusty corner of green bread and a slab from the cheese wheel and scarfs it down in a most undignified fashion. He spends a minute or so eating with one hand and using his magic to fill his trenches back in. Afterwards he wanders over to his companions discussing the pit and listens carefully.
"I think we're left with a few possibilities. This orc was shot, injured and fell into this pit accidentally while leashed to his wolf. OR he was shot once he was in the pit. I did see a pool of blood but I assumed that was caused by his fall as the arrow was still in place. I don't think the wolf would have allowed him to be shot after he was in the pit without a fight and seeing at the Wolf was uninjured and hungry, I don't think there was one. I think it's safe to assume he was shot and injured and fell into the pit."
"The bands of orcs attacking farmland were reported just a short distance from here to the east. I think they were involved. Maybe they created this strange trap to slow down caravans so they could accost them? Maybe this orc fell into the pit while digging it? Maybe he was shot to be put out of his misery by others in his band or perhaps he was a loner that was attacked. Maybe he betrayed the group. The pit was most definitely covered by branches AFTER the orc was in there."
"The wolf complicates things. Surely he couldn't have tied the leash to the wolf once he fell. But he could have tied himself. The mark you describe on the edge.." He pauses to take another bite of breakfast, bits of green bread tumbling out of his mouth. "..maybe the wolf fell in? And the orc tried to use the leash to pull him out by tying it to his waist and as the wolf was able to scramble out the orc fell in? Maybe the orc cut the wolf loose when he realized he was stuck."
He plops the rest of his food in his mouth, overstuffing it. He speaks with his mouth full. "Ay ink wu should get moving." He walks back to the wagon making sure it's packed and pours himself a mug of ale.
To Blasingdell on the road? Or do we go east to the farmlands?"
To Blasingdell on the road? Or do we go east to the farmlands?"
To Blasingdell on the road? Or do we go east to the farmlands?"
"If Rukkh can keep on the trail of that wolf it could lead us right into one of the orc encampments. I don't know how hard it would be to handle the wagon off the road though. And we probably wouldn't be too stealthy with the horses."
The Baron gives a start. He cannot contain his obvious fear. "You want to confront the orcs before we go to Blasingdell? I have no wish for another run in with them. You may be brave fighters, but I have no more interest in adventures."
He shudders, and his eyes drift around this area. "On my way to Haven's Cross a band murdered my companions and left me for dead, if you recall. Might've been around this area, now that I see everything in the daylight," he mutters, trailing off.
"I say we press on to Blasingdell. My family should be there, and if it is under orc attack you would be needed there!" He points to the road. "Let's clear off this annoying brush and be off!"
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"Let's clear off this annoying brush and be off!"
Rukkh hands Baron Altheon his shovel. (It's on Rukkh's char. sheet, no doubt.)
"I think we can circumvent this obstruction and move on. Clearing it would take some time. Let's go to town. You can hire us to clear the road later. "
"Just playing the devil's advocate Baron. I like to consider all opportunities presented to me. I agree about your concern for the citizens. Let's be off."
The Baron looks down at the shovel, then hands it back to the half-orc. "If this dwarf says we can go around the brush on the road, then we should! Can the wagon make it around?"
Myra launches herself from Olek's shoulder with two swift flaps of her wings and takes to the air. She will remain ahead of the party scouting the road and surrounding land.
Oleksandr will ride in the wagon for a while next to the Baron, hitching his horse to the back so it will follow. He reads from his deep speech book, occasionally out loud, making distressing guttural noises as he tries to master the pronunciations and accents. He gives the Baron an occasional sideways glance and smirks.
"I'll range on, 'n head back if I see trouble. If yuh hear a whistle like this **loud whistle** I'm in trouble; come get me."