"I suppose she's telling the truth. After all, it wouldn't fit in with what the doorman said." I turn to the group. "He said that Chaffey, the man I followed here, was the messenger for some tall robed figure. We must find this tall robed figure and we shall find our culprit. What have you all heard?"
"Well," I began "First things first, from the information gathered from our assassin friend, we know the poison was applied in this church and not too long ago due of the freshness of the blood and the hasty disposal of the weapon, yes? I have also found out from this man, who accompanied us to help find the culprit, that poisoning Thomas was only to distract me and get the both of us out of this church. This man (sorry, I didn't ask for your name yet?) also says that the hooded figure in charge also was not completely honest with his information because he did not inform him of the poisoning. We also know that our church ward, a powerful dragon scale, has been stolen. From the given information we know the culprit would most likely have not gotten very far."
Observing the bear carefully shows that the poisoned needle was inserted into the stuffed toy as a trap. any child holding the toy too closely and squeezing it had a good chance of being pricked by the needle and thus poisoned. Thomas was likely poisoned by holding the bear tightly enough to stab himself with the needle.
I hold up the needle I had pulled from the stuffed owl bear. "Did Thomas make any new 'friends' recently who could have given him this bear as a gift?"
Krengos eyes the group of unlikely strangers and pitches in to them what he knows of the situation. "I was informed that the culprit is not alone and has several accomplices. So this isn't just a one man heist, it's an entire group. It's elaborately planned so this must've been a scheme cooking up for awhile."
Dovah nods and folds his arms in seeming understanding, when really he has no idea what's going on. He was just waiting for the time to use his massive form.
Dovah can you roll an int check? You may remember something or draw a conclusion?
The dwarf did give you some info about strangers
I turn my head to the gargantuan lizardman, and raise a quizzical eyebrow. "Would you like me to run a play-by-play for you? You seem as if you've stumbled into unfamiliar territory in this vast, cerebral overworld."
"I remember a dwarf telling me about strangers in the tavern... church... place. He said they were walking about the town "casing" places. His dialect made most of what he said hard to understand."
"Listen, you iguana's erotic nightmare," I say, grabbing Dovah by the collar and more hoisting myself up to him than anything else, "This may be the single most important piece of information yet. Where are they?"
At the seizing of his, collar, Dovah grabbed Ildun's torso with his massive hand.
"He stated they were camping in the woods outside of town" he said, almost like something was backed up in his throat, ready to come out.
"And you will not grab me by the collar again. Understood?"
Lowering myself to the ground, feathers clearly ruffled, I say "Er, yes, of course. Ahem. At any rate, we should make for the assassins' camp immediately. I doubt they will linger, so we must go with all haste. If you are unfamiliar with the battlefield, I suggest you stay here." I leer shiftily at Dovah. "You should probably come, though. Ahem."
Eladrin aren't accustomed to being lifted one-handed.
Areli, you know, and others with some knowledge of hunting and tracking can tell that it would be hard to try to track anyone in the woods this late and especially in this weather. Plus there are any number of wild beasts, but it is possible to try to find them.
This is a hill community and the only way through the foothills other than the main road which has guard towers overlooking the nearby land, is a rather treacherous pass. Down the sheer side of the mountain area.
So two ways out of town, very hard traveling tonight, tough search for the group of thieves/thugs in the woods
"Oh dear" I thought to myself "I hope we are are able to find those bandits before we rip eachother apart."
[b] " There are two exists into woods and both of them would be quite the trek. The woods surrounding this village are quite treacherous as well, and are full of all matter of dangerous beasts. It would be most dangerous to travel at night under normal circumstances, let alone in this weather. Perhaps it would be wise to devise a plan first? There is certainly no way they are going to travelling now, so we need not worry about them escaping for now." [\b]
Dovah is very uncomfortable with all the rain; it is so unlike where he hails from. He can't make a good decision about what to do because of it. He just wants to be warm and dry.
I shift my weight uncomfortably. Though I want to pursue the bandits right away, if the human girl wants to wait until morning, it wouldn't be fair to her to continue on without her. She's got the most invested in the boy, after all, and she seems the furthest thing from seeking blood for revenge. I knit my brow, thinking "Once she finds those responsible, she'll most likely just ask for an explanation and an apology. I suppose it will be a less hazardous endeavor to track them in the morning anyway." I straighten my stance.
"Areli has the most invested in finding those responsible for tonight's incidents. I will side with her decision, but I suggest we consider the possibility that the targets could be on the move despite the rain, and if we wait until morning, their trail will be considerably cooler than if we pursue them now. The rain and the dark WILL slow us down, but not nearly as much as waiting until morning would, and if the bandits indeed are not on the move now, they are most likely assuming we, too, are resting for the night, and I would prefer to have the element of surprise on my side." I turn to Areli. "Your thoughts? Or anyone else's, I suppose."
"You make a good point," I say, somewhat confused. The Shadar'kai was more or less on the fence, but GODS DAMN was she persuasive about it. "Normally, I would suggest a scouting party, but they would be most certainly doomed if they were to happen upon brigands alone. I hate to say it, but perhaps suspending our investigation for the night is the best course of action." I look sidelong at the Shadar'kai, then back at the human. "However, as it seems to be the custom, I will defer to your judgement, priestess."
Dovah pounds a fist to his chest, his scale mail clinking.
"I am with the assassin! We should take the fight to them!
Krengos hesitantly nods in agreement with the other members of the unlikely group, despite the human woman's preference to leave in the morning after more fairer weather and with daylight on their side there was always the chance that the culprits could get away also as the assassin woman had said having the element of surprise would be quite favorable. With a sigh after all his thinking Krengos responded. "I'm quite indifferent on the matter of whether we leave during the day or night. Personally night time would be the best so we could ambush the culprits before they can get away also the night and this weather doesn't really bother me much, I've dealt with worse."
"Well," I said hesitantly, "You all seem to be seasoned fighters, so I trust you know better than me when you say it is for the best to go now. If you really believe going out in the rain and dead of night is the best course of action then I go with you tonight. I'm a healer, so it is not as if we are leaving defenseless." I give a weak smile. "Shall we pack provisions before we set off?"
I shuffle uncomfortably. "I must inform my companions of this development. If we are to leave presently, I expect all preparations to be complete upon my return." I swish out the front door, the rain pelting down upon my head and a feeling of dark foreboding upon my heart. It's going to be a long night.
Ah, so we're going out at night then!
OK, So Ildun'his is going to be letting his people know what he is doing. You all have a little time to prep and pack and stuff. Here's what i need for this skill challenge, from everyone.
Everyone roll How you are going to be tracking your enemies. You can use things like Nature to try to track, Insight to figure out where one may have holed up, bonus points for creativity.
If you have a question you can post it, or just text me and I'll get back to you about it quicker.
Basically Roll a check and say why it's relevant and I'll narrate the effects. after everyone's rolled
Dovah remembers searching for food in the desert, and how the wind would obscure tracks. Rain did the same, did it not? He scanned the ground, searching for tracks that could have been washed away or filled in with rain. It was not the same as a windswept track, but by the mighty Titan, he was going to try.
I return after checking in with the other priests and leaving some stern words. I find the rest of the group packing their supplies and tightening their armor, and the dragonborn sniffing around on the floor. Par for the course, I suppose.
I take a moment to reflect on all my religious training. The artifact in question rings a bell. If I can just remember what I read about it once upon a time...
Of course, I remember now! It was mentioned on pages 497-510 in "Hylington's Big Book O' Gods, vol. 3, I through L". Now, what was on those pages? It could be a clue towards the artifact's destination...
Unlike the rest of my new found allies, I have knowledge of this town, since it is my home. I thought to myself. I also know quite a bit about this town's history with brigands and their gathering places. Maybe I can use this information to find our culprits?
Krengos sits down on a nearby rock cross legged with his arms sticking out in front of him with his hands pointed towards one another. He closed his eyes and in a meditative-like state began to focus to detect any magic.
Krengos's focus had caught a slight glimpse of a magical aura from the artifact in search or perhaps one of the culprits but the signal was so faint that not much could be made from it, just a brief location. Krengos exited out of his trance and sighed. 'That was helpful.' He sarcastically thought to himself.
I take a seat and mentally list the conditions outside, the nature of the crime, the nearby landscape and the suspected culprits. Maybe I can predict their movements and make an educated guess where they are either currently headed or are currently camping out.
"The theft of the artifact being motivation enough to leave tracks, they also can add the attempted murder of a child to their tab. I imagine they aren't keen on lingering in any one place too long." I think.
The relic that was stolen is a Scale that powered the barrier on the orphanage. It is an ancient relic from the Draconic Epoch of substantial defensive power that could be used as the catalyst of any number of rituals.
After some contemplation, Ildun'hil recalls some information about draconic relics. In order to perform a ritual that would require such an artifact as a reagent, one would need to enact the magic at a special place, so you know the enemy will be traveling. There are some Draconic ruins around, but they may not be going to the nearest place.
That said, with Ildun'hil's understanding of the relic, Krengos is able to trace the overwhelming aura and get a direction from the temple where it seems strongest.
Areli is aware of several places where one could set a hard to find camp, and Twila would be able to discern the likely locations and routs they would take.
You have a good idea as to where they may be camped, but in these woods it is hard to track for Dovah being out of his element, but maybe with a little luck out some help you would have more success.
I need one more round of checks to get you the rest of the way. Our you can do other things as well, if you have different ideas.
"You've thought of some locations where the thief might have gone, I trust?" I say to Areli, as I begin drawing some sigils on the ground. "Given the direction that the abo- the Dark Elf pointed us, what are the most likely places they could have gone? I need you to narrow it down to three places, so think as hard as you can." I start muttering as I draw.
Dovah spoke up. Perhaps one of the party could help him?
Little ones! The bandits' tracks are most likely filled in with rain, but one with sharp eyes might be able to see the small puddles."
He turned his head to the ground again, trying desperately to find any trace of tracks, wracking his eyes and brain.
Based on Twila's insights about the Shadar-Kai, it is likely that the thieves will take the back route away from this place, down the Mountain pass rather than the main road, and would be staying somewhere that they could move from town to their camp without rousing attention while still being close to their escape route down the pass, in case anything went wrong.
Areli points out several areas where someone could have camped for some time without rousing suspicion. A deep wooded area, some places along the Cliff-falls have decent cave structures, and a large area in the foothills full of rock outcroppings and bad terrain for spotting someone.
From the temple, Krengos' tracing of the aura, while imprecice seems to indicate that the Scale was taken south west, and Areli can tell that there are more direct routs to the Cliffs, so it is likely that they made a camp in the foothills or the forests.
The human girl, the Shadar-Kai, and the Dark Elf finish their respective explanations, and I smirk as I see the Dragonborn looking frantically for tracks. I stop my muttering, the sigils on the floor completed, and I clear my throat. "Settle down, young ones, and I will show you exactly what an invoker of Morridan can accomplish."
I kneel and place my hands within the circle of sigils.
"O just and merciful Morridan,
I ask thou lend us helping hand.
That what was lost may be returned,
And through thy will, swift justice earned.
May we find this thief, o divine shrift,
In the foothills, forests, or cliffs?
I entreat ye, great Magistrate,
And conjure up thy Hand of Fate!"
As the candles burn, the smoke rises and swirls forming an arrow. It begins moving emitting a subtle glow like a blue torch, leaving a glowing misty trail slowly fading behind it.
I'll need everyone to roll stealth. I'll take the person with the highest modifier's roll as the primary and the rest of the rolls as Aid to determine your result.
I smirk, unabashedly pleased with myself. I turn to the rest of the party and say, "Now, we simply follow this trail. Don't get lost," I snicker. I begin following the trail.
Dovah huffs. He could see the tracks, even through all darkness and rain. He slinked down and started to follow the tracks, not the smoke.
I grumble to myself that the Eladrin is a showoff and a glowing trail isn't exactly stealthy.
The arrow guides along the same general pass that the tracks take into the foothills. It is fairly nasty going considering the weather, mud sloshing into your boots and rain obscuring your vision. More than once someone takes a spill, tripping on a rock or sinkhole. As you travel, you are able to keep sight of Dovah, although he moves along a pass, easier traveling but slightly more likely to be seen. Then at one point just before the crest of a hill, the arrow turns to craggy rocks.
[ooc]I forgot to call for athletics/acrobatics checks, so congrats, you all pass.
While Dovah walks around the pass, keeping to the edges as to try to avoid being seen, the others move up the out-cropping. Looking down they see the enemy camp at the bottom of the ledge. One tent of slightly higher quality lies at the base of the sheer rock-face while others are scattered about. One person seems to be moving about rousing the folk in the tents.
The path moves from North-east where you came from to South-west. The party is primarily on the South-east corner of the camp on top of a ricky area. The camp is set up within the hollow of a hill, at the bottom of a cliff-face. The edge of the cliffs are 15 ft off the ground.
[/ooc]-You can make an Acrobatics check to jump down, negate the first 10 ft of damage and be fine when you land but risk falling damage and landing Prone.
-You can also make an athletics check and move at half-speed or 1/4 speed. Half-speed means failing lands you on the ground prone cause you fall, and 1/4 means you stop moving if you fail and can roll again to double move the rest of the way down standing and not prone.[/ooc]
Dovah, you are on the path, and I'll need perception from you in a bad way. Others could call out to you and give away their position, or try to attack.
also
I peer over the edge of the cliff, crouching low in the front next to Dovah so others can look over me. They will get what's coming to them. I think, gripping the hilt of my dagger.
I snap to the edge of the cliff behind the others, gripping my staff tightly, and mutter a quick prayer. Morridan, lord of justice, grant me your strength! I tense up and prepare for battle.
Krengos followed along with Dovah just to make sure that none of the members were alone at any time, despite Dovah's size and strength it's better to have two people together instead of one by themselves in case of an ambush. Krengos crept along quietly to the edges of the pass, he looked ahead of him from the grassy area that he had been sneaking around and firmly places his hands on his scythe ready for an attack.
My strengths are healing I thought to myself, It would probably be best if I stay behind everyone else so I may give proper support when needed.I grit my teeth and pray Goddess give me strength.
Dovah smiles as he oversees almost the entire camp. With any luck, they'd never see him, and he would rain poison all over them. They would never expect that!