The Iron Carnival - Pentor Lionsmane's Mercenary PbP - #2 Squad

Game Master Monkeygod

"I wonder if he know's about the aquatic vampires that like living at the bottom of wells?"

Pulling his fingers from his ears, Jax turns slowly to stare at Valen. "I... Kill... You!" With a roar he launches himself at the Mage, dagger drawn, getting all of two steps before he is dogpiled by the rest of the group.

Wheezing from the pressure, namely of having Gremm crushing him to the ground, Jax looks up at Valen. "Sorry Boss... Wont happen again!"

Dusting himself off and fury burning behind his eyes, Valen stares at Fury. He struck you. Insulted you. Humiliated you. You should get your revenge. Yes, it would be easy. A few words, gestures. Burn him alive. Like you did to the others. Yes, very easy. Go on. You know you want to. Pushing the thoughts from his head Valen closes his eyes and breathes deeply. "It's alright Fury. I suppose we all let ourselves take it a little too far. No blood, no foul. Let's just put it behind us and move on. Come on, there's a camp to set up and dinner to cook. Daylight is fading fast."

Jax nods softly, pushing himself to him feet, brushing dirt off of his clothing. He sighs softly. If Valen and him were to work together, to lead this group right, he really needed to control himself better. It was a mark of how much he had grown as a person, that he recognised the problem, instead of ignoring it.

Before Valen could walk away, Jax caught him by the sleeve, stopping him leaving. "I mean it... I am through with scuffeling with you Boss. I am undermining you and it is not working for any of us. I am sorry for that. I will do better!"

Valen's fists clenched as Jax grabbed his sleeve. A red haze started to fill his vision. The voices began to whisper. But as he heard Fury's words he quickly calmed down. Turning a smile spreading across his face, Valen placed a hand on his second's shoulder. "I know you do, Fury. You're a good man. You just have some impulse control issues. But it's nothing that can't be worked out. I know we don't always see eye to eye on things, but that's why I chose you as my second in command. I don't want you to be afraid to speak your mind when you disagree with something. Just be sure you come to me in private so we can discuss it. We don't need the rest of the group thinking we won't work together. We need to stand together on things. I know it will take time but I think we can do it. Agreed?" Valen's hand raises, open for a hand shake.

Jax pauses for a moment, frowning in thought, before smiling and shaking Valens hand. "Agreed. We can do this a lot better than we have been. I'm not going to lie Boss, I can not wait to leave this cursed country!"

Gremm strolls up as the two shake hands. His arms engulf both of them, lifting them both up in a bear hug.

"I'm glad we could all be a big happy family!" he guffaws.

He sets them down and proceeds to laugh his head off.

Laughing right along with Gremm, Jax claps the bigger man on the back. "Thanks Big Guy!"

Once everything has appeared to settle down between Jax and Valen, Helena quips "Glad to see your lover's quarrel is over." She then goes about setting up a fire and begins cooking a delicious smelling stew.

The night passes uneventfully, nobody was even spooked by any shadows. However upon the Carnival fully waking, you hear a commotion from the caravan's camp. Going to investigate either as a group or a few of you, you discover two of the spare horses have been killed their throats slashed by wicked claw marks.

Swearing loudly in several diffrent languages, none of which he can speak fluently, beyond the couple swears he knows, Jax sits down hard on the ground. "This is getting serious..."

Survival to find and follow any tracks
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Gremm shakes his head at the sight. Almost immediately, he quitely observes the scene, as if it's a motion he has gone through before.

"See anything we can use Big Guy?" Jax looks up at Gremm.

Scrubbing a hand roughly down his face, Jax stands, taking a step back and looking over the scene slowly, seeking for anything out of place.

Perception-1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29

I think we have this crime scene covered.

Haha! Pretty much yeah! Fury & Gremm - Crime Scene Investigators.

While neither Gremm nor Fury find anything on the ground each is able to find something among the trees.

Frowning softly, staring up in to the tree, Jax shrugs and sits the musket down against the trunk, before drawing the dagger from his belt. Gripping the dagger between his teeth, he begins to climb, slowly, making sure to take every step slowly and carefully.

Climb (Taking 10 if I can)-1d20 + 12 ⇒ (1) + 12 = 13

"By the gods. What would do such a thing?" Looking around the corpses Valen casts a spell searching for any magical auras or residue.

I'll use detect magic and see if I can't find anything.

"Someone who knows they can't get away with doing the same to one of us. Don't you think this looks more and more like delaying tactics? Something to get us to move more slowly and cautiously? Either that, or this is a mind game played by a being even more arrogate than I currently sound"

He looks over the horses.

"We're probably going to have to reimberse the merchant for these. Anyone know the going rate for a horse in these parts?"

Jax looks back over his shoulder and grumbles as he clings to the tree, with one hand, pulling the knife from his mouth with the other. "To hells with that. It was not his wife, his daughter or him. He can pay for his own horses!"

Gremm yells out to Jax.

"Be careful up there! It looks like this was the work of more than one person."

"I'll be careful. But you catch me if I fall Big Guy!" he laughed softly, sticking the knife back between his teeth, before continuing to climb.

Acune attempts to identify what killed the horses dungeoneering 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24, a slightly worried frown on her face, before slipping an arrow to the nock of her longbow and inspecting the edge of the space where the horses had been tethered. perception 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28

After a couple of close calls, and decent amount of difficulty, Jax climbs his way to the shiny object, which appears to a well made, yet plain ring.

Valen finds no magic auras, and Acune likewise comes up with nothing. Whatever killed the horses struck from the skies.

Frowning at the Ring, Jax shrugs, before slipping it in to his pocket. looking back over his shoulder, to make sure no one is close to him, he tosses the knife behind him, to spin end over end and land on the ground, a safe distance away. "Not climbing down with that in my gob... Might lose my tongue!" He begins the slow descent back down, till he comes close enough that he can just jump.

Climb-1d20 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19
Acrobatics-1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

Turning to the ladies and Nine-tail. "Either of you three make heads or tails of this?"

Nine-Tail has his mask pulled across his face, ready for action, although nothing seems to be wrong. "Hard to track what walks on air, Boss. But give me a moment."

He opens his senses to the increased senses his mask bestows on him as he looks aobut, Wise Grandfather, do you see anything I cannot?.

Perception -> 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11 If it helps

Pulling the Ring from his pocket, Jax bounces it in his palm once, before holding it out to Valen. "What ya see Boss? Use the magic in them there eyes if'n ya please!"

detect magic on the ring

"I'll just keep watch."

The ring radiates no magic. It appears to be well crafted, but is just a plain gold ring.

While the loss of the horses is disconcerting and mildly disturbing, it doesn't slow the caravan much. The day passes uneventfully, and night finds you nearing a small town.

Bouncing the ring up and down on his palm, Jax walks along slowly, whisteling softly to himself. "Town up ahead Boss. We should probably pull our Caravan in to the Town itself, after this morning. What do you think?"

"Agreed. But Why don't we send some people in first. We got lucky in the last town, but most of Ustalav has a reputation for being suspicious and wary of outsiders. Gremm, you, Miri, and I will go into town and see if we can't secure some lodging for the night and a place to store the wagons. Fury, you get the wagons pulled off the road so traffic can get through. Stay alert and ready in case whatever has been hounding us shows up or we're not so welcome." Stepping down from the wagon and walking over to Miri and Gremm, "You two ready?"

Saluting Valen, Jax moves to the head of the caravan, waving his arms over his head. "FOLLOW ME AND STICK TOGETHER. ANYONE WHO SLACKS OFF OR SLIPS AWAY WILL BE GETTING SWEET BERTHAS' KISS BETWEEN THE EYES!" Patting his Musket with a dark grin, Jax begins to move off the road, towards a wide open meadow, just a stones throw away.

Acune smirks to herself and helps Fury.

Will be gone for three days for robotics event, sorry.

Upon entering the village, you feel this is definitely more like the stereotypical Ustalav town then where Mirri and Helena are from. It seems dark, even though its not yet really nightfall, and nobody seems to be out on the streets, which is definitely odd. Its of the hour where people should be coming home from work for dinner or going to a tavern or inn for the same.

Torque also helps Fury get the caravan off the road.

"Hells, we're at the field execution stage already? There I was thinking you had a soft side Fury"

Jax smiles companionably at Acune before turning to Torque and laughing softly. "Hell that is soft... I am offering them Sweet Bertha not Gwenavier!" Jax grins, patting the slightly dulled and chipped Greataxe that hangs over his shoulder.

[b]"I can bullseye a pixie with Bertha but I couldn't hit a barn with Gwen!" He laughs sharply and begins to direct the traffic on to the green.

Nine Tail sets out to scout around the parked wagons awaiting the return of their august leader.

Perception -> 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

But does not range far. Or see much.

Gremm looks around, a bit spooked.

"Now I know the area is a bit dead, but this strange even for Ustalav. Do you think what's been harrasing found its way here?"

Valen sweeps his gaze through the seemingly abandoned village. "This certainly is odd. Lady Miri, do you know anyone from this village that may be able to offer us any assistance or know what is going on here?"

Acune excuses herself to go join Valen and the others as soon as her work's close to done.

Mirri looks very confused and perplexed "Umm, I'm not sure how to say this, but uh, I've never seen or heard of a village in this area. I have no idea what town this is...."

BUM BUM BUM BUM!!!...Cue spooky music.

Slowly turning to face Miri with his eyebrows raised, "Surely you're kidding lady Miri."

Sense Motive Check 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11. Just as a joke, you know.

She shakes her head "Unfortunately not. While I do spend the majority of my time in the tavern, my free time is always spent roaming the nearby wilderness. While it is dangerous to be sure, I am quite well versed in avoiding trouble, and can handle myself in a fight. This town is one I have never come across before. Unless you want to explore this town right now, I suggest we go back and talk to Helena. She's got a surprising amount of random lore stored in that pretty head of her's"

"Agreed. It's getting dark and who knows what will happen when that happens." Turning Valen along with Miri and Gremm head out of the village. While doing so he is ready and alert for any surprises. "I wonder..." Looking around for a moment he casts quietly.

Detect Magic

"Getting out of here sounds like a good idea to me."

Gremm takes a look around.

Perception
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

Valen, nothing registers as magical.

When you all get back to others and tell them about this town, Helena is quiet for a few moments, as if trying to remember something. "I've heard stories, really rumors and tall ones at that, about towns that mysteriously show up out of nowhere. I suppose if they are true, that could be what you all stumbled upon"

"That doesn't sound safe in the slightest. I reckon we should try and skirt it and keep going."

Does the terrain around the town let us skirt it easily or do the wagons risk getting bogged down if we don't take the road through it?

"I agree. There were no traces of magic within the town that I could find. But stuff like that isn't to be trifled with. If it disappears and we're still inside who knows what could happen. I'm with you Torque. I say we try to go around."

"Agreed."

I'm going to be gone for spring break, likely with no internet access.