"Well, it seems you good people may wish to enlist a Wizard of sorts" hint of a smirk "in your adventures...? I mean, if there are no objections?"
Delia lifts an eyebrow of superiority at the mention of adventures, "Well, since our next destination is to head for Liepstadt to return the books you came to check on, I would imagine we are going the same way. I cannot prevent you from traveling with us. As I had told Ried before, however, I do not intend to have any adventures or get into more trouble. I'm just trying to complete a final favor for a dearly departed friend. If we run into trouble or adventure along the way, why then I would welcome the assistance, but I'm certainly not going to look for adventure. I believe all our plans have been set, and we leave in the morning. I hope everyone is ready to travel?"
Aerick gets prickly as Delia and Kendra tell their tale, and one can practically see his slate skin crawl at the mention of the Whispering Way. "Adventure? The Whispering Way are no frivolous matter. Ms. Pilachet, I don't believe that a cessation of your activities is possible or advisable. With such a dangerous group abroad, and you and yours having direct contact with their doings, I believe we must pursue them."
"Welcome to dinner, food's great, but really let's go hunt down bad guys," Ried says sarcastically, but follows up a bit more seriously,
"Let's get to know each other a bit before we enlist one another in a religious crusade. I don't get a great sense of urgency to DO something right now, nor would I have any idea where to go, although I appreciate your concern and zeal to stamp out this corruption. Lady Pilachet and friends have an obligation to the Professor and his family. That is pressing, and we need to tackle that first before we go tilt at windmills."
The desert elf stops eating and watches Aerick with a placid expression.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Aerick turns to Reid, his facial expression completely serious and his eyes flat. "I apologize for disrupting your dinner so rudely, and of course I do not mean to enlist you in any sort of crusade. Your obligations are your own, and mine are mine. The dead do not rest, and so I have scant time to do so myself. I merely mean to ask for what aid you will provide when it comes to pursuing the Whispering Way. Even if that's as little as a description of what you know of them or a pointed direction, I can and will use that and find them."
Ried relaxes and waves his hand, "A right worthy cause, to be sure. Plenty of dead to be had around here recently. No harm in you accompanying us on our journey and should you stumble across what you're looking for, I would gladly assist you in putting these things to rest if nothing more than to determine how it's being done. The undead have been a near constant in my line of work and ending the source of them would aid me immeasurably in my research. I cannot speak for the others, but travelling in numbers seems advantageous."
The rest of the night continues without much incident. A sombre tone fills the Lorrimor home with the knowledge that the team, forged and united through the bonds of crisis, necessity, and trust, will be departing on the morrow. A portion of the way through the evening, Valachi makes the unsurprising announcement that he has decided to stay on in Ravengro, involved as his is in the courtship of Ms. Lorrimor, and to aid her in her transitions to life without her father, and now without friends.
The night passes like every other, quietly, and perhaps to quickly, before the morning comes, and the final preparations to be away are made. Gathering their belongings, both old, and those acquired through their recent adventures, packing them up and making them ready for transport. The books, so eagerly awaited, are packed up in the chest the professor used for the same purpose. Shortly after dawn, the team is ready to depart.
The roads are mostly sound upon the way, the spring rains not having been too heavy this year, but there is still enough mud to stall the coach more than once, and to give the horses a little trouble now and again. It gets worse as the roads near the moors, a swampy area about a third of the way between Ravengro and Lepidstadt. It is here that the team finds evening approaching, and with the dark coming on, they begin to keep an eye out for an inn or campsite that might suit their needs. Both Aerick and Zeth, having recently passed this way, are able to convey that their is unfortunately no inn to be found along this particular stretch of road.
It is as the group begins to enter the leadings of a few random foothills, a prelude to the mountainous areas near Lepidstadt, that the team is finally able to find ground dry enough to make a suitable camp. A large, bare, broad and flat hill stretches up, just off the side of the road. Another group has already set up camp there, but the space is easily large enough for both companies, and probably a few more besides. The party already assembled is a larger one, composed of nine covered wagons, of the Varisian style, painted in bright and garish colours. Various figures and images are painted on the wagons side, and a few bear a brightly stencilled legend, reading, "The Crooked Kin—Ustalav’s Greatest Traveling Cabinet of Curiosities!" The wagons look well maintained, if perhaps a little old, but the picket line for the horses hobbles a sorry collection of nags indeed. As the team pulls up to a spot well down the hilltop from their chance neighbours, a group of performers assembled near one turns to watch the new arrivals. They number about half a dozen, though other members of their band can be seen amongst the other wagons, and several bear distinctive appearances to say the least. Not a circus then; a freak show seems more likely.
On the journey the Halfling offers to craft for the team through the nights as we rest, to 'earn his keep'. He suggests a 20% donation on top of his crafting cost to further his 'quality workmanship'. Upon coming up to the 'rest' location, he 'wishes to have his nap toward the end of the night, as he has not expended any arcane efforts today'.
Aerick's initial thought process when the wizard mentioned charging for crafting for them was...fraud, but then he came to terms with the fact that the wizard was offering them magical items at a cost that was lower than those that other crafters would offer. However, he can't help approaching the wizard on the road. "Spellcaster, there is no "keep" here. We are merely traveling together and there have been no services exchanged as of yet."
Aerick eyes the colourful tents with disapproval as they set up camp nearby one another. He was not full of judgment, like some may have been - Aerick understood what it was like to live a life different from your peers - but rather he believed that exposing yourself to the world in such a way was needless and unwise.
As they find their campsite, and begin to make preparations, Delia notices the people up on the hill and represses a shudder of revulsion. With a heavy sigh, she suggests, "Well, if we intend to stay the night here, it would be in our best interests to at least get an idea of who or what it is we are taking refuge near. Father, please join me, anyone else is welcome to come along as well." With that she dusts off her traveling gear, straightens her hair, and makes her way toward the wagons.
Father merely responds with his usual, "Yes, Princess." as he quickly follows, and easily overtakes, her to walk one pace ahead and to the left of her.
"I'm in. Always looking to see what the wanderers are peddling!"
Ember sees the neighboring travelers and remembers how the orphanage treated those who had 'differences'. Moved by sympathy for them, she says, "I will join you also, if you do not mind."
In the convo on the travel with Aerick along the way. "Very well, but you all seem like nice people, and I don't mind doing the work as I'm quite happy doing so during the long dark hours. Plus, having a good reputation through my work should theoretically lead to more income from requests in the future." a brief pause "At least my empty coin pouch would hope such things are true."
On 'visiting' "I think I'll just stay with the cart." being a little timid about approaching the 'performers'. "I'll be able to see what happens from here..." he suggests.
The performers of the freak show turn and watch the party approach, growing silent as they draw close. There are six of the them in the group at present, each rather distinct. There is a short, hunched man with a distorted appearance; an albino man with red eyes and long, white hair that hangs below his knees, a tall red top hat, a long red coat with gold buckles, and striped trousers; a powerfully built woman who stands nearly 7 feet tall and possesses a fine beard down to her waist; a dark skinned woman possessed of four arms, dressed in fine, if somewhat gaudy silks; and two human women with normal proportions, but unusually small heads.
As you approach them a few of them seem to size you up, as though trying to guess how tough you might be. The albino in the brightly coloured coat steps out to greet you first, a reserved smile on his face.
"Greetings, fellow travelers! A pleasure to share the road with you this evening. I am Kaleb Hesse, and these fine folk are but a sample of my friends and family, for we are the Twisted Kin! I would give you introductions and a tour, but I'm afraid that we are presently in dire need of assistance, with which I am hoping you might be able to render us aid. We were to have moved on from this place hours ago, for we stopped not to camp, but just to rest for the midday meal. One of our number, Aleese, wandered off from the hill and has not come back. These," he gestures to the two small headed women, "are her sisters, Lettie and Poppy, two members of the Magnificent Pinheads. Aleese is the third. She told Lettie she was just going for a walk, which she has done before, but she has never disappeared like this in the past. I'm afraid none of us knows the first thing about the wilderness, and even less about the bog, so we have no idea how we might find her. Though I am sure she is fine," he says, flashing a reassuring smile towards the obviously worried sisters, "we fear that she might have become lost, or trapped by the mud or something of that nature. Do any of you have the skills to find her? We are kin in more than just name, and so we would gratefully reward you if you could bring her home."
Aerick remains by the group's tents, uninterested in indulging in the attention that he's sure the circus-goers are used to garnering and unwilling to submit himself to their examination. He does, however, keep a close eye on the group he's traveling with, just in case they're jumped by the malformed kin. As apathetic as he is about the circusgoers, and as little as he knows the current group, highwaymen are less than acceptable to Aerick.
Anxious to avoid any troubles before achieving his goals, the Halfling keeps quiet. Hoping that he won't say something to 'off-put' the group of his presence. He gives a concerning wince, and focuses on something other than the man talking.
"I'm willing to hear more about what you know, Kaleb. You're saying this just happened? How long ago? Was she carrying anything of note or might you have something, easily identifiable as hers here with you that we can use to help find her?"
Delia listens to the man as he speaks, looking for any sign of ill intentions, but she is comfortable knowing Father will be doing the same. She begins to speak to the man, but those that have been around her for a bit recognize that she is being cordial but not necessarily as nice as she usually is when dealing with others. "Nice to meet you Kaleb. I'm sorry to hear of your troubles, but I myself am not trained in any such manner, nor is he." she indicates Father, standing protectively beside her, his arms crossed. "I will confer with the others of our group, and see if together we will be able to offer assistance." With that she turns to the others and hints that she would like them to step aside, possibly back to their camp and discuss what they will do.
As Delia speaks, Ftaher just watches the reactions of the Crooked Kin, seeing if they look ready to act. As she turns to speak with the others privately, he lingers a bit longer, allow her time to get a little safe distance before he turns to follow her.
Kaleb responds to Reid's questions as well as he can, "As far as I know she was dressed normally, in a lady's dress; not exactly the best wear for a walk in this region, but she had clogs to help walk in the mud. Other than that, I think she might have taken her parasol, but other than that?" He glances at the sisters for help, but they shake their small heads.
Aerick looks with disdain and some disinterest at the proceedings over by the circus performers' tents. So far, the malformed men and women have made no suspicious moves at his companions, so he supposes that it's okay to accept that they weren't bandits. Still, what did they want?
Ried thanks the man and then heads back with Delia.
As Ember returns with the others, she speaks, "We should help them find their missing member. It would be the right thing to do"
She glances about the surroundings. "This would be an ill-omened place to be lost or hurt in. Does anyone have the ability to follow her tracks?"
Delia nods in agreement with Ember's assessment, "He seems genuinely concerned. Father and I do not feel that this is a ploy of some sort. We should see if we can help them. They are missing a family member."
"I'm always up for unravelling a mystery but sadly I cannot track. With Valachi gone, we may need to ask our newest travel companions for their aid."
Aerick sighs at his companions. "I suppose I am obligated to inform you that I have some skill at tracking. I have, after all, lived my life hunting the undead. A small girl should be no trouble at all to find, if it will get these folk to move along and us a night in peace."
As he speaks, he begins to creep along the outside of the camp, crouching close to the ground in an attempt to pick up some trace of the girl that had gone missing earlier. "Please keep a modicum of distance from me," he warns his companions, "I do not want you mussing up the tracks."
Father stays back as asked, but cannot help but do what he can to try and lend his own aid. As Aerick tries to find tracks, Father looks for any tell-tale signs, or something he might point out to the crusader against the undead. "I have a little training. I want to help."
Ried hangs back but gently nudges the tracker with things his keen elven sight picks out.
But instead points them to false leads.
"So be it." the Halfling mummers.
Zeth follows the others to assist with the missing girl.
The Twisted Kin show the first signs of relief and hope on their faces since you first met them. They show you the direction they think the girl left in when walking. Indeed, there are a few clear footprints tracking through the mud, skirting the edge of the swampwater, before they all but vanish, the soft, waterlogged mud closer to the edges having swallowed them up, and returning to an undisturbed appearance. Though the direction she was going is indeed pretty clear, it is also evident that this is as far as someone without tracking skills would have been able to follow. After this, it will take skills and the ability to spot signs much more subtle than plainly evident footprints.
Using his talents, Aerick is able to rightly guess the girls path, and picks up signs of her passing a few hundred yards further along the rim of the swamp. From here, there is a grove of trees, covered with early budding pink flowers, that is visible across a short stretch of water. Some disturbed moss points that she skirted the water here to make her way to the grove. Once she left the edge of the bog, her tacks lead deeper in, leaving the grove, headed towards another island across another small stretch of shallow water. The water is only perhaps a foot deep in the middle of these stretches, but still, the girl must have been possessed of an adventurous spirit to have started hoping islands like this, out of sight of the road. She hops a few more islands, signs pointing that she spent significant time on some of them; picking flowers (you find a few discarded bouquets), or sitting at a spot on the shore, perhaps to catch tadpoles. After that, her island hoping starts to take on an odd shift, losing its previous sense of purpose, and becoming seemingly random. It seems that she must have become lost, or feared that she was, and panicked into moving in random directions; guessing at which way would take her back towards the road. The last place you find her tracks lead into the water in a direction that leaves her destination ambiguous. From there, all sign of her disappears. If signs of her passing exist here, they have escaped your current level of examination.
Ried breaks out a flask and sniffs it, mixing a couple dashes of some powders he has and dropping them up. After shaking it up, he looks at the others ruefully, "I really hate this one ..." and downs it.
After a couple moments he begins sniffing around, his pupils dilated to the fullest.
[Ooc]Edit: probably requires another Survival roll.
Zeth says to the group, "I'm not sure if we're more than a mile from our camp yet, which would put me out of range, but I'm sure I would have picked something up by now if our neighbours were snooping... do you think we're getting close?"
Ried breaks out a flask and sniffs it, mixing a couple dashes of some powders he has and dropping them up. After shaking it up, he looks at the others ruefully, "I really hate this one ..." and downs it.
After a couple moments he begins sniffing around, his pupils dilated to the fullest.
"Cross the river and split up .. search down 30 mins in each direction and then return. By then I'll have this new mutagen ready if you haven't found anything."
Aerick stands tall beside the elven man mixing his strange chemicals. "You should not be left alone in such a swamp. Perhaps the cleric or the small girl, or both, should stay behind with you while you are helpless. The construct and I, as far as I have seen, are the only ones around with good tracking skills."
Delia huffs and puts her fists on her hips at being called a small girl, "Oh, and you would be better off wandering off on your own in this fetid morass, taking Father with you? Just so you know, his essence wanes as he gets further from me. I say we all stick together, so as to not lose anyone further. You know, there is one thing we have yet to try."
With that she cups her hands around her mouth to amplify the sound and calls out,
Father seems almost relieved, like he didn't like the idea of being separated from Delia as much as she didn't want him gone. Used to taking what she says as settled, he also calls out, though not quite as sweetly as Delia. His voice coming out wooden as if echoed through a hollow log.
Without leaving sight of Ried , the halfling looks around.
Unfortunately, if there are signs of which direction the girl went from here, they are too well concealed to be found in the time you spend on the search. It could be that the water has washed away the signs of her passing, that the mud here was not the kind to hold footprints, or that she decided for some reason to strike out across the water, but regardless of the reason, her trail runs cold.
As the team reassembles after their independent, and ultimately fruitless scouting endeavors, Ried is at last completing his preparation. A small bottle boils a fizzes over his miniature fire, as he mixes reagents, and collects the distilled elixir he requires. Commenting about how much he dislikes this particular brew, he upends it into his mouth. After a few moments, he begin sniffing around. He must first attempt to distinguish from the known smells, as he has no sample of the girl's smell to follow. He sniffs each of his companions, gaining a sample of their smell, and then begins to hunt along the beach. Before long, he finds something; another smell, distinctly human, or at least humanoid, and not belonging to one of those traveling with him. A peculiar tang to the smell makes him sure that it is a female he follows as well, the scent sharing more with the women on his own group than the smells gathered from the men.
The team gathers up and follows behind him, trailing a short distance behind, so as not to disturb his search for the errant smells. The path leads in an unlikely direction, which might account for the team's earlier failure to find any sign of passing. She did strike out into the water, for gods know what reason, but it is possible that she thought the bridge of land on the far side of this stretch was the road from whence she set out, as it resembles such, if even only a little. Those in the group experienced at travel in the wilderness can tell easily that it is not, for even if its appearance was an exact match, it is too far from the starting point, and in the wrong direction to boot. However, one could almost understand the mindset of someone turned about and lost within this swamp, seeing something that resembles hope after hours of searching, out in the distance, and seemingly beyond reach. There is no sign at the shore, other than the scent only Ried is able to detect.
Setting out into the water, it quickly reaches up past the waist, and the mud and sand below threatens to pull a person down, or hold them fast in one spot. More than once, someone needs to stop in order to work a foot out of the muck, lest they permanently loose a boot within the clinging soft surface beneath the murky water.
Ried continues to follow the trail, the group following behind him, annoyed with the wet, the mud, and the ever increasing number of biting insects. Ried has time only to register an odd smell floating on the water; something that does not belong, something that seems out of place in the natural world, before a cry of warning erupts from Father as something dark and massive moves within the water. With a massive splash, and and wave of water cascading off it, an immense snake like body arches out of the sludge before you. The creature is huge! As it rises out of the water before you, it blots out what little light falls from the overcast sky. It fills up a space larger than most giants! While shaped like a snake, the body looks like a cascade of ropey muscles, all wound around each other, until they all merged together to form some single deadly creature. The lead end, the one that seems to be concentrating on you, possesses four misshapen mouths, surrounding one massive amber coloured eye.
It is a Rorkoun, an aquatic abomination.
CR 6
Huge Size (15 ft)
Hitdice: 9
Attacks: Bite w/grab, constrict, tail slap, or an expectorated sticky gob of slime that can entangle potential prey.
Weaknesses: Acid, and it is dependant on its aquatic environment. Luring or holding it outside the reach of water will cause it to take damage each round, until it is able to get back in contact with moisture.
Surprise Round:
Taking no more time than is needed to identify its prey, the creature lashes out towards Ried, snapping with one of the open mouths.
The massive creature snaps up the sniffing crypt raider, almost instantly coiling its body around him, trying to crush his as if it were a massive snake.
"Mphprhhpphr!" Ried yells, his voice muffled by the coils of the foul creature.
Calling upon some archaeologist luck, Ried attempts to slip out of the bonds knowing he won't survive a moment longer in the creature's grasp.
If only I had time to grease myself!