Each orc possessed
- (2) potions of cure light wounds
- potion of enlarge person
- chain shirt
- sap
- warhammer
Nothing detects as Psionic, and there are no clues as to what was occurring here other than the slain pigs and farmer.
With a low bow to his friend Kazushi Squirm hobbles over to the corpse of the farmer.
"I have some way with the extraction of truths, people find me... Persuasive. I would be happy to make inquiries, but I need my privacy."
"If you think it needed, squirm. I suspect they were doing what they appeared to be doing, murdering and looting." Kazushi replies to Squirm as she starts to gather the orcs gear. She then adds "How about we take one of the boar carcasses with us and eat it for supper? It will make a good change from trail rations."
” Get her talking, buddy. I'm going after that low-life."
Kazushi, not wanting to see Squirm terrify somebody, even a murderous orc, helps Christaph load the wagon.
"Don't be hasty!" Aidan stops Neils running off to catch the orc. "You don't know the terrain."
Once the others are loading the wagon squirm takes some rope and trusses up the stunned orc. As the creature begins to come around squirm manifests empathy before speaking. As the words flow its arm, a twisted, tentacled appendage emerges from beneath the folds of its cloak and caresses the orcs face
"your friends are all dead, they died fighting, they were strong. You are weak, you lie here wimpering like a half blood. Tell me what I wish to know and I will set you free and then kill you in battle, how an orc should die. Deny me and I will cut your throat where you lie. Where is your camp?"
The orc, clearly afraid of the dromite, answers in a quivering voice, "No set camp. We move from place to place. With the earthquake, found this farmer as easy pcikin's. Was gonna have us some good dinner tonight in his farmhouse over there, but not no more with you all.
"Gonna give me my hammer back? Make it quick?" she answers a bit more steadily.
Neils pulls against his brother, turning to face him with frustration wrought across his face.
"But, they..." he starts "they killed him."
"And Squirm is now questioning one of them," Aidan tries to reason his brother. "We'll know if they have a camp or something. Running off into the woods unprepared is rarely a good idea."
"This farmhouse, how far? Did he live alone? I must confess my only lie to you, one of your companions lives. He fled, a coward. But I see you are brave, ready to face me, not like him, where does he run to?"
The tentacles continue to squirm, caressing her jawlone
"Farm house is over there." She points southeast through the woods. Bout a minute walk. Dunno where we went. Away probably."[/b] It becomes clear that the orc is not the brightest torch in the dungeon.
Turning the caravan guards can spy part of a porch through the dense tree copse.
"I suggest we leave the orc tied up here and go investigate the farmhouse. The downside is we will have to leave the horse and wagon untended."
Neils shakes his head. "Too risky, she could wriggle her way free. Someone needs to stay here and keep an eye on her."
"I can do it" he suggests.
"I think you are right, Neils."Kazushi says as she starts to move towards the farmhouse.
"I agree with both of you. I'll go with Kazushi."
"thank you."
"Goodbye"
Aidan looks at Squirm and clears his throat.
"Well... I guess we all go the farmhouse."
Deciding that their next course of action should be to explore the farmhouse, the caravan guards side-step the female orc who lies dead next to her companions.
As they approach, the see a typical one-story farmhouse. There is still a live pig in a wooden pen squealing loudly. As always, the guards are hyper-aware of their surroundings, checking for traps and possible clues as to what transpired here.
Near the pen the find numerous tracks, all consistent with the farmer and his orc killers. No other clues are found. Inside the house are items consistent with a pif farmer living on the edge of a forest. There is no sign of a struggle in here.
Kazushi is going to sweep the area with detect magic, on the off chance it may reveal something, then see if she can find tracks from where the orcs approached the farmhouse, reasoning we may be able to follow those back to where the orcs came from.
Nothing detects as magic.
[
"Hey! I thought someone was going to keep watch over the wagon? I don't think we should walk off and leave it alone out here in the wilds. I guess I'll stay by the wagon. I just hope no hostile enemies show up!"
"Always forgetting me Mr Christoph."
Says Squirm from where it stands beside the wagon
"Off you go to play houses with the others, I can watch the cart. I daresay there may be something valuable to claim in there!"
"Hey guys, see if you can help us find where the orcs came from. Expert woodsman, uh woodswoman, I am not I am afraid."
"I'm not much of a tracker, sorry."
Climbing onto the wagon bed Squirm has a better view of the tracks around the area...
"Miss Kazishi, seems like maybe there's a pattern here..."
"What is it you see Squirm?"
"...Maybe not, I've lost it now."
Squirm waits on the wagon for the others to return
Kazushi lets the pig out of it's pen and then returns to join Squirm on the wagon, saying to the others "I think we have finished here guys. Time to move on. "
With a longing look at the empty home Squirm begins the wagon once more continuing down the track...
"Yes, let's get a move on!"
As the caravan guards continue their trek to Vensnak, they see In front of you is a perfectly circular hole, in the middle of the otherwise normal ground. It seems to open into some sort of underground space. The cave is 10 ft, deep, and a circle 20 ft. across, with the center 10 ft. circle occupied by a large mound of dirt that has fallen in from above.
"It looks like a pitfall trap. We should probably be careful around here"
"I think you are right on both points Neils. Maybe we should have one or two of us walk in advance of the wagon to see if they can detect signs of disturbance to the ground that may indicate another of these. Is there anyone with applicable skills. Not me I am afraid. And that is not just because I would prefer to ride on the wagon. Honest."Kazushi pokes her tongue out as she finishes speaking.
"I'm generally good at spotting or hearing things, but maybe we could tie a rope around my waist and be tied on to the wagon at the other end just in case something should happen to me?"
[b]"Sounds like a good idea. Try poking the ground before you."[b]says Kazushi in reply, before tying a rope around Christaph so hopefully it will arrest his fall if he encounters another pit trap. When finished, the arrangement resembles one of those things used to prevent toddlers running off.
Squirm leans down and gives a little tug on the rope
"on you go, ya!"
Anybody who cares to look will see a broad innocent grin on the little things face.
As Christaph approaches the hole, he continuously pokes the ground before him. As he nears the hole, quite close, the ground suddenly falls in front of him. Luckily his preparations with poking the ground and rope keep him topside in the earthen slide.
We will go around the hole. I mean way around, taking extra care not to get near it, and having Christaph prod in front of the wagon as well. Then continue, with more prodding in front of the wagon.
"That's a big ol' pit, a lot of effort to go to..."
"What say you all? Shall we try to go around this hole? Is there enough room to get the wagon around the hole without getting close to it? Or do we want to investigate the hole to try to find out what is causing it?"
"I guess we could try investigating it, if someone wants to go down there. You already have a rope tied around you so we can lower you and pull you back up, want to go down Christaph. It looks like a deliberately laid trap to me."
"I think it's just a trap. What's the point in investigating? We should just get around it."
The going has been smooth and easy for the novice wagon drivers up until this point. The gaping hole has left only a very narrow path with which to drive the wagon through without running a wheel into the pit or lodging it in a wayward root.
Squirm hops down from the footplate and hobbles over to Christaph, taking the rope from him it ties the rope around its own waist and head for the pit, droping the excess rope over the edge and climbing down it before anyone can say anything.
"At least let someone hold the rope!" shouts Neils as he panics to grab the very same rope before some act of fate whisks Squirm away.
Kazushi, who had been looking intently into the pit as if staring into the void, quickly grabs the rope behind Neils. I am glad it is Squirm she thinks, in light of her small size and limited strength, while saying "Got it."
"Squirm!.." Aidan tries to stop him but the dromite is already got down the pit, joining the others and grabbing the rope.