"Now, it's not that I want to, you see? But I think we should look at where we fought yesterday should we not? Could we not see more of what might have been causing all this? And possibly help some more wretched people before it happens again?"
"Think tha's int right there Ynyr. Back we go lads."
The group head back to the hill; in the daylight they can see the ruins much more clearly, as well as the tracks at its foot, leading both up to the hill and also several more heading off to the north, away from the hill and village. It appears as though several creatures milled around in this area to judge by the ground up nature of the earth.
Healaugh examines the tracks and ground for clues about what kind of creatures the group may be following.
Healaugh believes them to be humans wearing shoes and boots.
"Off we go lads. Summat to follow here."
"Do you think, if I made up some words about our exploits here and you sang them to your hurdy-gurdy...? Do you think she might....?"
"There came a group of travellers, six,
Who saw some large creatures up to their dirty tricks.
They followed them through the thick of night.
And when they found them, they started to put things right.
They won a fierce battle against fearsome odds.
You would have thought they must have had help from the Gods.
But they did it themselves, and soon all the nasties were dead,
But the place smelt so bad, they went to the village for bed.
They...
They..."
"I'll try to finish it later"
Ynyr pulls himself together and follows the tracks with the rest of the party.
"I'll try to finish it later"
Ynyr pulls himself together and follows the tracks with the rest of the party.
Darvyl gives Ynyr a sour look, then returns his attention to the tracks.
Healaugh pats Ynyr affectionately. "Reet lad. You write song and I'll work out accompaniment for it. Might need a bit of work like, but tes good start."
He pauses for a second. "Tha'll not mind if I mebbe change scansion a bit? Just for musicality?"
A bit more searching by the light of day at the site uncovers manacles, a broken key, and evidence that a blanket was perhaps used to try to obscure the tracks (not very well though).
The heroes follow the tracks as far as they can and then follow what seems to be a well-used trail across pasture and farmland for 2 miles or so northeast of the hilltop ruins.
They find themselves back on the coast. Short cliffs overlook a scenic beach ringed by shallow, sandy dunes. Waves crash gently on rocks to the north and a narrow peninsula juts into the bay to the south. A decrepit windmill and what appears to be an abandoned farmhouse lie among fallow fields gone to weeds on the peninsula. A narrow, double-masted galley-style warship is anchored in the waters off the beach, towing a small cog. Tents are pitched on the beach and the smoke of several campfires rises into the sky. The ground slopes down toward the cliffs and a wide gap offers easier descent to sea level.
Healaugh scratches his head as he tries to dredge up anything he can remember about the beach or the boat.
"Summat seems familiar. Can't rightly put finger on what though."
Healaugh recognises the beach as Horsejaw Beach, so-called because of the peninsula's shape.
The halfling fisherman recognises the ships as Luskan in origin, being a mixture of designs, with a basis in the Northman culture.
"Northmen."
Healaugh's face twists. "Pirates..."
His muscles tense as he prepares to plummet down the gap and accost the ship.
"... don't like pirates," he adds unnecessarily.
Healaugh considers the situation and his companions. Looking dubiously at Ddraig, he says "Happen we might want to get a bit closer. Quiet like. Think tha canst manage that Ddraig?"
"How's about I go with Nechtan and Darvyl and take closer look?"
Healaugh realises his chances of making a discreet approach will be better without the clanking form of his dragonborn friend.
"Happen rest of you can keep lookout and send word if tha sees owt strange."
Nechtan squirms a bit, unaccustomed to the idea of being the voice of caution.
"Nae attack.", he tells Healaugh.
"Ah, finally, doing our job," Darvyl mutters. "Yes, let's go."
Nechtan, Darvyl and Healaugh make their way down the gap, scrabbling to the level of the beach.
Nechtan helps the trio find the least obtrusive way down to the beach.
Stealthily towards the beach (1d20 6=22)
Healaugh takes advantage of his size to slide like a small shadow towards the beach.
The adventurers hear a piping call from behind some rocks and then the baying of hounds. A loud wood wind instrument makes a clarion call and then pipes out three times.
Healaugh is too startled to respond quickly.
Initiative for Ddraig: 1d20+1 = 14+1 = 15
A pack of hunting dogs appear over the rocks and dunes, and the source of the music becomes clear also; a rather inebriated looking being with the torso of a man but the legs and horns of a goat.
"Everywhere we turn, there's abuse of music. Can't be doing with that." Healaugh looks grim.
Initiative
Darvyl
Ynyr
Ddraig
Satyr Piper
Healaugh
Hunting Dogs
Nechtan
Greylan
The satyr and the hounds move in to ambush the heroes...
Initiative
Darvyl
Ynyr
Ddraig
Satyr Piper
Healaugh
Hunting Dogs
Nechtan
Greylan
"Healaugh, fall back!" Darvyl cries, likely unnecessarily.
GM:
Darvyl steps into the gap left by the halfling and whirls his scourge about him, laying into the hounds.