Edran, who is wearing his clothes and a couple daggers, nods, taking another steadying breath.
"OK. I was ... am! ... a merchant. I've got experience at supervising people, and making sure they're doing things right and leading ... but never in a military situation. I mean, like with a caravan! A homestead, you said? Dyou think there will be resistance fighters there who can help us?"
He continues to ask similar questions as you being moving out, still glancing back over his shoulder from time to time in search of any pursuit.
The heavy woods cast a shadow over the group as it travels, some seeing it as a comforting shade that's helping hide you from any hobgoblins, others as just more of the ominous darkness that's come to this region. For every villager who's moving on to make sure you all survive, another seems to be overcome with fear or some other emotion, grumbling and slowing things down on your march.
By mid-afternoon, you find a patch of brambles heavy with large, ripe berries growing in a sunny glade, offering a potential harvest.
Aramis approaches the berries and plucks one off the bush, examining it carefully to ensure it's not poisonous.
As you go to approach, you notice several of the plants seem to quiver, and realize
A blue-green vine covered with stiff, verdant leaves and barbed
thorns protrudes from this hedge.
They're bramblelashes, a type of carniverous plant that subsists on blood. Fortunately, they move slowly, so you could easily avoid them, but if you want the berries, you'll need to get rid of them.
"Careful. Those thorns belong to bramblelashes and you don't want those biting into you."
Arryn flings his hand out, sending a local rock at the bramblelash, while trying to avoid the berries.
Apparently, he just avoids the whole thing.
Dregg arches an eyebrow at Arryn's flung stone then turns to regard the man for a few seconds before chuckling, "You can hit things when you do that, can't you, little angel?"
”I’m still working it all out. Maybe after this, you could help me practice my aim!”
Dregg laughs heartily, nodding in strong agreement. "Oh we'll practice. This whole, Arryn-throws-a-rock-and-then-Dregg-gets-something-sharp-stabbed-into-him rhythm we're finding isn't my favorite."
"We can do this easily enough. Everyone with bows, come here. We're going to cut these plants down without getting close. Let me cast this spell on my quiver, and then we can all start shooting the plants." He gives everyone a chance to get ready before he casts the spell. He swaps into his striped fur as he casts Abundant Ammunition on the quiver, giving the group 20 rounds to shoot at the plants without using up any arrows at all.
You're able to take care of the plants quickly, keeping far enough away that you can eliminate them with arrows and other projectiles, giving you a chance to harvest the berries .
You're moving too slowly to make it to the homestead in a single day, though Barhador is certain you'll make it tomorrow, barring something unexpected. You can make camp here , or push on and hope to find somewhere else to stay on your way.
"This looks like a good spot to set up camp," Aramis remarks to her companions.
---
Aramis lets out a whistle to get everyone's attention, and waves at the group. "Gather round, guys. Come on. Yeah."
When everyone's paying attention she says, "You can breathe a bit of a sigh of relief now, guys, cause we're done walking for the day. Great job, everyone! I know this is hard, but you're all really pulling through."
"Everyone knows what their jobs are, so we're going to split up and get to work in a moment, but come morning we'll be up walking again. We should reach the homestead by the end of tomorrow, and we can reassess where we'll go from there the day after. Alright?"
She looks around the crowd of weary survivors, before asking, "Does anyone have any questions about their duties?"
"Wonderful. Well, let's get cracking, then. I'll be around soon to see if anyone needs help."
Aramis watches the survivors, to make sure everyone's off to perform their duties. Then she turns to look at the new guy.
"Well, Edran. Do you feel like joining the watch or scavenging for food?"
---
After she's got Edran doing a duty of some kind, Aramis wanders the camp to ensure everyone's doing their jobs, and pulling their weight. If anyone's in need of help she does her best to lend a hand, or offer some guidance. She keeps an eye out to see if anyone's horrible at their assigned tasks, or has a particularly foul attitude.
---
Once everyone's on task, Aramis heads out into the surrounding wilds to scout the area, and collect as much extra provisions as she can before nightfall.
---
Arryn helps set up shelters, though any ropes involved seem to tie themselves, as he continues to use every opportunity to practice his new power.
Partway through the setup, Dregg feels something hit him square in the back. Turning around, he sees a quivering clump of sod lying on the ground and just catches a glimpse of Arryn before he ducks behind a nearby lean to.
Once everyone is set, and the easy gathering of berries has begun, Barhador sets out to find what he can elsewhere in the wood.
[dice=Survival to "get along" w/ MW Survival Kit bonus]1d20+7+2[/dice]
The elf returns with a single large rabbit, some wild garlic, onions, and a few mushrooms.
When she overhears the new man Edran mention having stayed at the Taproot Inn she's surprised. It is surely the lucky place to have been considering how many of the people with them came from there.
As they walk during the day Clover mentions it to Jet. "Do you know there's a new man with us now who was one of your guests at the inn? How amazingly lucky your place was!"
+++++++++++
Clover lets those with bows take care of the nasty plants. She does have a sling, but only 9 pellets left so she decides it's best to save them.
+++++++++++
When the group stops for the day, Clover spends some time foraging for plant foods nearby.
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Dregg regards the lean-to with a flat, piercing gaze as he works his jaw slowly back and forth. After a few long, pregnant moments, the broad-shouldered half-orc bursts out in gravelly laughter, his voice carrying over the refugee's camp. "Ha ha ha! You'll regret that later, little angel! Though, your aim's at least getting better! Ha ha ha!" Shaking his head, he returns to his labors.
As Barhador drops his rabbit and vegetables down, Dregg strides up out of the wood a few breaths later, a slain deer slung over his shoulder. He drops it beside the elf's pile and silently shifts his gaze from the rabbit to his deer, then back to the rabbit again. He works his jaw for a moment then looks up at Barhador, "Cute rabbit."
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Barahdor’s dead rabbit suddenly, though clumsily, sits up, and shakes its fist at Dregg.
A quick glance spots Arryn peering out from behind a different lean to.
"You know the chances of hunting as well as anyone, I'd imagine. The deer's a good find, even as small as it is."
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Dregg's eyes dart to the side and catch a fleeting sight of Arryn, but he turns back to Barhador. Rising up to his full height, he works his jaw and rolls one shoulder, as if warming up before a ruckus. His scarred face instead breaks into a wide grin at the elf's subtle jab and Dregg laughs again. "Ha ha ha! Don't feel bad, Feathers! Coney's gamier than fawn but it still fills a belly. Maybe the little shepherd's belly, but a belly just the same." He laughs again, clapping the wild hunter on the shoulder.
Barhador and Dregg's finds lift the spirits of tghe camp, helping provide enough food for everyone, along with the berries and other provisions, ably prepared by Jet.
As she cooks, she confirms that Edran was indeed a guest at the inn.
"Lucky as anyplace in Phaendar, I guess," she says sadly. "But it's gone now, so maybe not that lucky overall."
Edran, for his part, seems content to join the watch, apparently not wanting to go out on his own from the larger group.
"You're sure there are no reinforcements coming?" he asks again. "The army can't be that far away, can it?"
The night passes uneventfully again -- broken by a few cries in the night as refugees' nightmares prompt their sleeping reactions in the waking world -- and in the morning you set out to finish your trek toward the homestead.
At mid-afternoon, you arrive at your destination: A wooden cabin, small and square, stands in a clearing dotted with tree stumps. Someone has deforested this area to make room for the structure, leaving only tall grass to carpet the clearing. A jumble of poles near the cabin serves as a rack for drying animal hides or fish. No smoke issues from the chimney.
Arryn looks to see if the tall grass has been recently trampled indicating a large force may have recently visited the cabin. He also just looks at the house for awhile, trying to get a feel if it`s empty and abandoned.
(I'm guessing)
As the group prepares to bed down for the evening, Dregg calls out as he strides across the campsite, "Hey there, little angel, this yours? I think you might have dropped it earlier?" Before Arryn can even turn around though, the clump of moss he'd thrown at Dregg earlier claps him in the side of the head. The half-orc didn't pull anything from the throw, either, and some of the moss and dirt remain behind in Arryn's ear, almost like thrown snow. He laughs heartily as he returns to his bedroll, "Ha ha ha! Looking forward to practicing some more tomorrow!"
-----
Later, at the homestead, Dregg works his jaw as he surveys the scene. "Hmpf. No smoke. Either no one's home or someone doesn't want signs of a fire to bring any visitors." He looks to Barhador then, "Did you know the people who lived here, Feathers?"
There's no sign of large groups in the area recently, but you can't tell if the home is abandoned or not.
Aramis helps get everyone up and moving the next day, then walks near the rear--letting better guides lead the way, and ensuring no one falls behind.
When they reach the homestead she urges the people in the back to move a bit closer to the front, so they're all together and easy to watch.
"Quiet and careful, while we check it out, alright? Drugan, Elrik, you're in charge." With a nod to their lead guards to ensure they're in agreement, Aramis heads off to check out the homestead with Arryn and the others.
She approaches the cabin, and circles around it once, looking for any signs of trouble, violence, or dangerous wildlife before approaching the front door.
She raises a hand and raps on the door, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
"I don't know, but, honestly, I have been hoping it was deserted. Why? Because the attackers have gone after where they knew people were settled. If there's more than a hermit here, that could have been enough to attract their attention. If we spend long here, we'll want to set up shelters back inside the woodline, making it harder to spot there's more than the one cabin here."
As she looks around, Aramis notices the woods immediately surrounding the cabin are marred by countless scratches and the bones of dead animals. The scratches, she believes, belong to a lynx or bobcat, but marking trees is an atypical behavior for either species.
As she gets closer, however, she hears a loud crack and feels a searing pain in her leg. Looking down, she sees an iron-jawed bear trap that had been hidden in the tall grass now biting into her leg, holding her immobile where it's chained.
"Hey, guys, there's some thing strange about--"
"AAAAH!" Aramis exclaims, falling to the ground and clutching at the bear trap clamped on her leg. "Grrrr!" she growls through gritted teeth.
”Nobody move! There could be traps all throughout. Aramis, try to hold still!”
He reaches his hand towards Aramis, attempting to manipulate the trap.
It opens slightly, then snaps shut again.
”Dammit! Sorry!” he calls before trying again.
This time, the trap snaps all the way open and spins away from Aramis, to the length of its chain.
Arryn then begins littering the grass between them and Aramis with debris to trigger any more traps before nodding to Dregg to go get her.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Aramis exclaims in pain, as Arryn snaps the trap onto her leg again.
"AAAAAHHHHHH!"
When the trap finally snaps open she drags herself back out of it and hisses in pain, looking at her mess of a leg.
Clover rushes to assist Aramis, as much so as treating every square inch of the area around Aramis as possibly covered in snappish devices allows.
She takes care of the sorcerer's leg, and looks at the trap to see if it look fresh and new or old and rusty.
"This probably means somebody is around here doesn't it?" she sighs while looking skeptically at the scatter of bones.
Dregg nods soberly at Clover's question, "Yup." Seeing that the halfling made it to the half-elf unscathed, he turns to the building and takes his time, watching his steps and brushing the tall grass aside, as he approaches the door.
With her leg healed, Aramis nods at Clover gratefully. She takes a few deep breaths, and rises to standing nervously.
"Well, that hurt. Thanks, Clover."
She gives an absent-minded wave to the survivors off in the distance to show she's alright, then slowly and carefully follows Fulgun towards the house.
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”You’re welcome,” Arryn says, though the thanks was clearly not meant for him. He stops his bombardment of the path to the house now that Dregg is demining it by foot.
You don't find any other traps in the grass as you make your way to the new-freed Aramis. The bloody trap is relatively rust free, though you do notice a few spots on it.
The door remains closed as you approach it, no signs of life inside despite the noise of Aramis' screams.
Arryn reaches out to the door with everybody at a safe distance and attempts to open it. If it’s locked, he uses his mind to reach inside the lock to manipulate the pins directly.
Take 10 on Disable Device for 19.
Dregg watches Arryn start to focus on the door and he crosses his arms and stares down at the man. "Your first impulse always to break in first and knock second?" Even as he asks the question, Dregg slams the butt of his meaty fist into the door three times. Boom. Boom. Boom.
"Anybody home? You've got traps out here biting people."
The door doesn't appear to be locked, but before he can open it, Dregg approaches and slams his fist into the solid wood. There's no response.
”My first impulse is to open the door from a safe distance, where we can clearly be seen to not be hobgoblins. Either nobody is home or the owner needs to be warned.”
While Aramis, Arryn, and Fulgun go to the door to check on occupants, Clover remains to check some of the bones scattered about. She's looking for some reassurance the bones are the type one would expect from trapped animals.
Barhador doesn't simply wait while the others free Aramis, he takes another look around the clearing, now even more worried about who or what might be using this cabin. As Clover starts poking around in the bones, he gives them a quick look, agreeing that they might tell us something about the trapper. Given what they've seen out here so far, when anyone moves towards the door, he readies his bow.
The bones all appear to be animal bones. Many -- indeed, almost all of them -- look to have been gnawed on. Barhador is pretty sure by a lynx or bobcat, likely the one that oddly left the scratches her.
At the door, Arryn's instincts prove to be prescient, as its opening causes an arrow to come flying out, fortunately hitting nothing but the ground some distance away.
The entry area stands abandoned, though you can't see further inside the eerie cabin.
Dregg frowns down at the arrow quivering in the dirt and works his jaw for a few long seconds before looking up at Arryn. "Huh." He then nods approvingly and turns back to the building, his axe now loose and in hand. He pokes his head in through the open doorway, letting his keen sight take in the interior as his gravelly voice fills the space, "That one missed. Any more dumb traps for us? Maybe some dogs? Or bees? Or maybe dogs with bees in their mouths so when they bark they shoot bees at us?"
Trying to be more pragmatic, the elf adds the arrow to his quiver.
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Dregg does not find any dogs or bees or dogs with bees in their mouths or even fricking sharks with fricking laser beams on their head in the cabin. Unfortunately, he does find a walking corpse, its flesh rotting and putrid, its body skeletal in places and its eye sockets glowing with red light.
It's a wight! They're an undead the rises due to necromancy, a violent death, or an extremely malevolent personality.
Fortunately, he seems to move more quickly than the monstrosity, which lumbers toward him.
Arryn moves towards the open door, but stops outside, peering in at the horrid creature. He mentally flings a dusty plate from a nearby table at the foe’s head, leaving a nasty gash that doesn’t bleed.
"Whoa! We got a zombie thing in here people!" Dregg strides in and brings his axe whistling around. Halfway through the swing, and Arryn's plate careens off the thing's head. With a hearty chuckle, Dregg bellows, "That's more like it, little angel! Plates work much better for you than rocks!"
HP: 23/23
AC: 17 (11 T / 16 FF)
CMD: 17
F/R/W: +4/+1/+2
Rage rounds used: 0/7
-Ongoing Effects-
Power attack: -1 to hit, +3 damage
Rage: +2 to hit, +2 damage, +2 Will, -2 AC, +2 temp HP
Accurate stance: +1 to hit
"Zombie?" Aramis replies with surprise from behind Fulgun and Arryn. "Damn!"
She steps inside the cabin, and throws her arms forward, sending a writhing mass of vines at the zombie. The she clenches her hands into fists, making the vines wrap tight around the zombie's legs. With a flick of her wrist the vines retract, trying to pull the undead down to the ground.
Clover laughs at Fulgun's image of barking dogs shooting bees. She starts to laugh again when he claims a zombie is in the cabin, thinking it is a continuation of his joke. But everyone else takes him very seriously so she hurries up through the door to see what's happening.
Clover: 19
Fulgun: 15
Arryn: 13
Barhador: 8
Aramis: 8
Antagonist: 7
Clover rushes into the cabin to see Dregg rush forward and chop at the zombie-like figure with his axe -- but miss as the figure sways back. Arryn follows her in , a plate flinging itself at the creature's head and shattering as it flinches back. Off-balance, it falls to Aramis' vines. It stands up and swings a meaty fist at the half-orc, but still partially entangled with vines, misses badly.
Barhador moves toward the door, but before he can enter the cabin, he sees a blur moving toward the group from the woods. It's on him in a blink, yowling as the feline creature pounces on him. He's barely able to get his bow up and between its teeth to prevent it from sinking its teeth and claws into him.
Well, that was a spectacularly bad set of rolls.
W: 10
L: 0