The half elf woman looked at Red. "I'm from Ridonport and I've only been here a few weeks so I don't really know anything of the people of the town. I was thinking of checking out these claims of banditry and white stags with my friend here." She said, looking back to the druid at the bar. "Join us, a little company won't kill you."
The wizard's attention turned to the other party, looking from person to person. "Hey, what do you say we all check it out together?" She suggested.
"I suppose I could lend a hand. I do need to hang around town until morning though. We have a small manacle problem that needs taken care of."
He replies, making another small gesture towards Red.
The broken chains rattle against the heavy manacles around Red's wrists as if responding to Lorenzo's words.
"If you ah, don't mind me taking a look now," Ireza offers, "I can see if I can do something about the chains tonight, so the young lady can get some decent sleep." Then, tapping her chin for a moment, she adds as an afterthought, "It might still come in handy to have a key for the chains, though."
The Kayal offers Red what she hopes is a sufficiently reassuring smile, and then moves to her belongings to fetch her un-thief's tools.
Red reluctantly reaches out to the woman. As she lays the manacle in Ireza's hands the full weight of the manacles becomes apparent it is a wonder that Red's arms aren't dislocated.
Elain felt her insides prick upon being called over, but as the intent was friendly and there wasn't anything else to do, she headed over to the wizard's new table. It seemed she was trying to attract allies for this information hunt.
... they certainly made a strange set. A level-headed-looking young man with a keen eye, a quick smile, and an air of serenity. A massive woman, weighed down by the remnants of her chains. Her actions showed her to be skittish, but given the circumstances, this might have been an appropriate response to show. The third one... was an outsider. Elain lacked the experience to understand the interplay of planar essences, and she had been taught to respect outsiders as natural creatures of their own worlds, but outsider interference... unnerved her. However... this one had a very natural countenance, no pretense of being a higher being. Perhaps she was different in some way.
She opted to keep her introduction short. "Hello. I'm Elain of Uta Grove, and I guess I'm working with Ayla until we understand what's going on here."
"Well what all do you know about these occurrences?"
Lorenzo asks the gathered people while watching Ireza work on the manacles.
Red flinches at the sound of the new voice but soon calms when Lorenzo speaks again.
As Ireza inspects the massively heavy slabs of metal that make up the manacles, you find that even with your most careful and thorough efforts do nothing to jimmy the locks open. Whoever chained Red up wanted to make sure that she would never get out. The locks are of an exceptionally complex design, and something deep in the pit of your stomach tells you that they are most likely reinforced with magic as well.
Ayla repeated the general gist of what Kale had told her about the bandit attacks and the talking white stag as she tucked a lock of hair behind an ear, leaning over to look at the manacles. "Mm...I think there might be more to these things than meets the eye, let me take a look." She said, reaching out to touch the cool metal of the manacles.
After a few minutes of conversation Red's stomach growls loudly
Ayla's inspection reveals little else. The manacles are little more than heavy lumps of iron. Magic detection shows that the manacles are enchanted.
If you settle down for dinner, the Silver Stoat's meal is a simple, but filling stew. As promised, some blankets are thrown on the ground near the hearth as the crowd thins out, providing a decent place to sleep for the night.
Kale wakes you up early the next morning. Breakfast is also simple fare.
For those who go to the smith's, Isker offers a hearty greeting and attempts to use a wax mold to copy the manacle's keys, but his attempts end in failure despite his skilled efforts. The manacles remain in place, but they do not seem to be bothering Red enough to be a major worry.
It is now mid-morning. There are multiple rumors that have caught your interest. What path do you wish to pursue?
Ayla stretched and loosened up her tight muscles after sleeping in a chair all night. She looked at the assembled party, "So, what are we going to do?" She asked as she sat back down, opening her spell book and looking it over.
Lorenzo picks himself up from the floor, seats himself at the table, and begins to dig into the meal offered. He responds quietly to Ayla so as to not wake any not involved in the conversation.
"Well I am more of an explorer than a warrior, but it seems something has to be done about these attacks in the Border Wood. If all you lovely ladies are requesting my assistance, I could not possibly turn you down. So I say we take a stroll through the woods after we finish up eating and see what we can turn up."
Elain had woken with the dawn, and was practicing her whittling in another corner of the room. When she heard Lorenzo and Ayla speaking, she walked over to join the conversation as well.
"Is there no way to begin looking into the white stag? I'm not seeing the connection between these bandits and the weather."
Ireza frowns, clearly disappointed with herself at her inability to remove the manacles. As much a slight to her own abilities as to her wish to help the young girl out.
She glances around at the others who join them, nodding at their introductions and brightening somewhat. "Lovely to meet you, Ayla and Elain. I'm Ireza."
...
When they reconvene the next day, Ireza joins in the conversation, seeming to pull away from the shadows left by the early morning around the edges of the room. Her bags are packed. "I think we should look for these bandits, as well. The people of this town are lovely and the bandits are probably an easier problem than the weather. And if we find signs of other things as well...." She trails off, shrugging lightly. "I know a bit of the lay of the land here and the way things should be, hopefully anything out of sorts that might be affecting the weather would stand out."
Grabbing a hold of Lorenzo's shirt it is obvious that Red will follow wherever he leads.
At the response from the woman called Elain Red's expression turns to one of irritation.
Red's expression returns to neutral when Ireza chimes in agreeing with Lorenzo's plan.
Lorenzo addresses the entire group from him seat at the table.
"Well it looks as if this is settled. Sorry Elain, I just believe we can find these missing people and put a stop to it ourselves while the weather isn't going anywhere. There is no reason we can't look into it after we take care of these bandits though."
The wizard cracked her knuckles after putting her spellbook away and grinned. "Alright then. I think we should start by going to where Lady Argentea was attacked." She said as she stood up, hefting her pack onto her back.
Lorenzo stands, shoulders his pack, and retrieves his glaive form a nearby wall. "Well then, if you would be so kind as to lead the way." He replies with a short bow and gestures towards the door.
Elain pursed her lips, but did not immediately speak. She considered her options.
It was too early to go home, for sure. Sitting around and waiting for news was doable, but would also prove to be unpleasant and unhelpful. Going out to seek the stag herself would be pleasant and helpful, at least until she ran into something horrific. Looking for another group would likely be tortuous. Most of the adventurers she'd seen had come alone or in pairs, at best. The ones who were well-armed and well-fed seemed to have already established groups, and she feared approaching them. The ones who had come alone were more often than not outturned bumpkins or wandering scarecrows.
Loathe as she was to admit it, this was a unique opportunity. Four other novices, who all seemed to have the drive, skill, and direction to move toward what she needed.
She looked toward Lorenzo. "Well, you never know what might turn up. I'll keep with you all for now."
Before you all head off, you realize a few things: First and foremost, with the wildly changing weather, you have no idea how cold it might get out in the wilderness. A warm change of clothes is most likely a good idea.
Also, for hunting bandits, a well-armed party would be a good idea. Besides the manacles and clothes on her back, Red is conspicuously lacking in any forms of arms or armament.
Elain came to a realization. Though she'd been able to provide herself with food and ward off the night's cold with the correct preparations, there was no guarantee that she would be able to make those preparations in the future, nor was there any guarantee that, if the worst came about and this was truly unnatural weather, her preparations would prove to be sufficient. She had seen some of the more competent-looking adventurers with heavy fur-trimmed coats as well as the general store near the tavern from which they probably came.
"If we're heading out, I'll need to break off for a moment. I'll be right with you."
She went out and quickly returned with a winter traveling outfit and five days' rations.
Despite the grievous nature of his wounds, the mercenary who survived the bandit attacks and the local village woodsmen are able to piece together and weave a somewhat crude, but clear set of directions to where the ambush of Lady Argentea Malassene occurred: South.
The journey begins easily enough. Much of it is taken along the road that weaves towards the Border Wood. While the day begins with the expected heat of midsummer, the further south you go (and closer tot he woods you get) the air turns noticeably colder. Small patches of snow become commonplace.
After taking a turn, you see that the road ahead is littered with debris and the corpses of slain humans and horses. A carriage stands in the roadway, its team of horses missing or cut free, while another overturned carriage lies sprawled and broken next to the tree line. To the south, more bodies have fallen around what appears to be a statue of ice. A snowy trail leads deeper into the forest.
The smell of blood shocked her, not by its presence, but by its quantity. The sour tang did not alert her as it did when she was on patrol, but rather flooded over her, burning her nostrils. Elain's irritation, having been just about constant since the morning, was subsumed by a cloud of ruddy, unthinking mist. A voice spoke within her.
Perhaps they are abusing the hospitality of the forest. You can see it now, can't you? Sloppy, drunken rogues roasting pieces of deer carcass. Tossing the guts and surplus into the bushes. And if they aren't now, they will be. Maybe they've cut down a grove to make camp. A little hillock, bald and trampled into mud for them to put bonfires on. Is that enough for you to move?
The voice was hers, and yet it was something else, only made to sound like hers. And yet again, her voice was within it. Yes, I will move, she told the voice.
Then find them.
Elain, without speaking to her comrades, moved towards the scene of the carnage and looked about, to make sure there wasn't anything looking back.
As she scanned, she began to look for outgoing prints. It shouldn't be too hard. It's been snowing.
Approaching the site, Lorenzo gestures for Red to stay back with the rest of the group and follows Elain up to the scene.
"So, I guess they are murderers as well as bandits. They will not be getting much mercy from me when we find them. Which way do you think they went?"
He posits, while wandering around the carts checking for any signs of life.
Red hesitates when she is told to wait by the others not looking particularly pleased but she does not try to follow instead she looks around where she is at.
Ayla puts a hand on Red's shoulder, squeezing it lightly. It was far better for them to stand in the back while the other two explored the massacre site. this way the three of them, mage, barbarian and rogue could keep an eye out for anything that might be coming back.
Flinching at the sudden contact red turns and stares at the half elven woman with a look of panic. She calms down after she finally focuses on the half elf and goes back to looking around.
The layout of the site is easy to assess. The bandits did nothing to hide their tracks. The corpses of guards and handmaidens alike lay scattered about, pierced by icy needle-like shards. The bodies have been stripped of all their valuables...
...all save for the captain. Thought to have been an ice statue at first glance, Elain discovers that the captain of Lady Argentea's guards has been frozen in a block of ice in a crude mockery of a statue or work of art. Something has had a few shots at the frozen man, as several large chunks have been carved from him, and his right arm lays on the ground by his feet. The fallen arm is clutching an obviously fine sword.
Behind him is a break in the foliage. As the bandits made no attempt to hide the ambush, they made an equal lack of effort to cover their tracks. Even a half-blind idiot could follow the trail of churned snow and broken branches.
In regards to the two carriages, one has been smashed nearly to tinder. The other one, a fanciful ornate piece emblazoned in Taldan heraldry, is in far better condition. A spear has been wedged in the handles of the door. Behind the locked door, you can hear muffled scraping and thumping. Something is inside.
"Well, it sounds like someone is trapped in there. I suppose we should take a look." Lorenzo suggests as he approaches the carriage.
looking the opposite direction Red notices a squirrel climbing a tree, she stares at it curiously.
The thumping and scraping makes no change in its sense of urgency as Lorenzo goes to open the carriage door. It looks like it may take you a few moments to pull the spear from the door. Try as you might, you are not able to see inside the carriage.
Lorenzo places a hand on the spear on the door, glances back to the three in the clearing, then looks back to Elain.
"Ready to find out exactly what is in the mystery carriage?"
Elain woke from her focus, but didn't quite register what was being said. She heard the thumping and the muffled screams for the first time and realized it was what Lorenzo was indicating towards.
"Yeah, sure," she said, and started heading toward the carriage.
"Alright then, here goes nothing."
He says as he gives the spear a yank to dislodge it from the door.
Lorenzo has little trouble prying the spear from the door, only to find a pair of zombies inside! Moaning at the sight of delicious, fresh living meat, they stagger and stumble awkwardly from the carriage.
Group A, you are up!
Never having seen such a thing Red jumps backward bumping into the woman behind her. after recovering she shakily holds out the spear Lorenzo gave her for defense.
Zombies are undead created by foul invokers such as necromancers.
Mindless, they either act under the control of their creator, or if the control is broken, they will simply hunt for the closest living thing, which they will do their best to devour.
They have DR 5/slashing
Fumbling with his glaive, Lorenzo calls out.
"Use slashing weapons, it will bring them down faster."