Vaylen Trade Guild - Couriers with a Difference

Game Master Wolfwaker

Knowledge nature is trained only, yes?

Kalum climbs on to the top of the carriage, loads a cold iron bolt into his crossbow and starts scanning for ambushers.
perception 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

"I can pray for help. That works sometimes. Or we could leave the carriage here and go on on foot. Or we could set fire to the tree...." Kalum starts 'helpfully' making suggestions until someone else starts talking.

All knowledge skills need to be trained to know any information with a DC higher than 10.

Kalum hops upon the carriage, and though he can see no hostiles nearby; there does seem to be some kind of dwelling built into the hillside further along the path to the left.

It occurs to you that you've not heard the redcap call for going on ten minutes now, and the last you heard it was before you came to the fallen tree branch.

"...or we could ask the people in that house for a saw..."

OK, I will take someone and go investigate the house.

Not to instill too much paranoia. But I'd like to know what each and everyone's plans are at this juncture :)

Kalum checks he has line of sight to the house, then settles in on the top of the carriage.

"We could probably drag the branch off the path using a rope and leaver system but this could take a great deal of time and honestly I would rather be back out of this forest as soon as possible. I fear that if we leave anything behind us unguarded then we will never see it again on our way back out."

Shorga, would it be too much to ask of you to volunteer Ursa to help moving the tree? She's strong, and we can leave Thunder or Boots still hitched to the carriage so that it's not rendered immobile and can't be captured.
BTW have we settled on a name? Zephyr is nice, but Turnip is just all sorts of awesome :)

Since everyone seems to like turnip so much, maybe some synonym of fast and turnip? like agile, fleet, hasty, snappy, or winged? (i.e. The Hasty Turnip) I actually kind of like the sound of the Winged Turnip haha.

Kiren moves slightly off the road to get a little better look on the dwelling and notes that it looks to be built physically into a mound of earth. From what he can see of doors and windows it's likely sized for a halfling or similar sized creature. You can't see in the windows without moving out of sight of the road.

Kalum looks towards the dwelling from atop the carriage, but notes that he can't actually get a straight line of sight on to entrance to it.

Whats the plan folks - anyone heading off to look at the hobbitish home with Kiren?
Or are you staying out and attempting to move the tree branch?

Shorga rides near to Kiren, seeing the log is too big to move quickly, and offers to ride with him to the house.

Shorga is near Kiren, on Ursa, next to the tree. Apologies for posting rate! Bot if needed.

On vacation, may be sporadic but should be able to check in occasionally. Kiren will go knock on the door with Shorga as backup.[/ooc]

Shorga wouldn't be able to get off the road while on Ursa. So unless challenged in ret-con, I'll assume that Shorga dismounts.

The two party members move off to the hill based dwelling while the others remain with the carriage.

I will call a greeting but if nobody answers I'm not going to break in.

"Kiren - I've lost sight of you." Kalum calls out

Kiren finds no answer from within to his greeting.

Shorga approaches the house cautiously, and gets a whiff of rotted fruit. "Do you shmell that Kiren?" He runs a finger through some of the thick dust on the dwelling, "Thish place sheems quite desherted." He waits along with Kiren as he calls out, but none answer. "Shall we return? I am loathe to break in, but I am curioush." Turning away he feels a nearly overwhelming desire to solve the riddle of the odd structure and smell emanating from it, but turns away in the end, dismissing the odd sensation.
K-Whatever: 1d20 ⇒ 17. If I can learn anything with a DC 10 as he is untrained.

Perception at house: 1d20 ⇒ 15

"What smell? You mean the fresh bread? Reminds me of the bread back home."

perception
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

hope i got that number right ...in car

Shorga nods halfway before doing a double-take, "Fresh-bread?! That ish the shickly shweet shmell of rotting fruit shir."

assuming Kalum hears this

Kalum makes a mental note not to let Kiren cook.

"Something is very strange about this dwelling."

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

Kiren walks around to look in the back yard.

I continue to sit at the wagon, looking around warily for the red caps.

"So, Icarus. Where you from?"

"Me? Where am I from? Well you see... That is... uh..." I lapse into silence for a while. "I am from a big city, I don't rightly remember the name, my parents where traveling salespeople and we traveled a lot. I left them when I was rather young and have been traveling on my own ever since, I guess you could say I am from all over."

"Wow. Travelling salespeople. That sounds great! Varisians?"

The house is set into the side of a hillock, and Kiren's attempts to find it's rear are foiled by the earth. The only entrance you spy is the door that you knocked at that was unanswered.

Kiren knows of illusory magic that might be the cause of the differing perceptions present - but without the ability to detect them you don't know if any is present.

Shorga does not know of anything matching this experience, apart from the usual nursery rhymes that are told of the fae's duplicity and ability to sway minds. His external inspection of the dwelling does not elicit any further information.

The song of the red caps has not been heard in all the time that you have been stalled at the fallen branch.

Apologies for the delay - Monday blues.
Way forward? - any further investigation of the house? and how do you intend to remove the branch blocking your path?

Well I had this idea of tieing Ursa and Thunder to it and leaving Boots strapped to the carriage, but Otis wouldn't do it without Shorga's permission (more out of fear of retribution than anything else). Failing that, both Thunder and Boots can be unhitched and used to move the branch. Some rolls to go along:
Handle Animal: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
Know:Engineering: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
Ride: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

"Shorga, I am reluctant to enter this house. I fear there is some strange magic here. Let's go back to the carriage and try to move that branch with the horses."

Nobody has an axe, right?

No axe here.

Shorga eyes the house distrustfully a final time, "Agreed, I dishlike the look, and shmell of thish place."

He moves back to the road with Kiren and sets about helping Otis, getting Ursa into position to try and pull the tree aside. Breaking off the smaller branches he can reach to reduce drag. He occasionally glances out at the forest, trying to catch sight of whoever is causing them such trouble.

Handle Animal: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23
Ride: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 13

Kiren pauses and glances back for a moment, then turns to follow Shorga. "That was odd, for a second I felt like I really needed to go in the house."

"I believe that by pooling Otis, and my knowledge we should be able to get this tree out of the way rather quickly." I set the break on the carriage and hop down to assist with rigging the branch to move.

With the assistance of Thunder and Boots, a makeshift yoke is put together and the branch is able to get dragged sufficiently to the side to allow the carriage to move beyond it. It takes a good twenty minutes and some elbow grease, but is relatively easily done. You re-harness the horses and set yourself back upon the path.

After you've travelled for about five minutes... you hear the red cap's song faintly in the distance once more.

You've a ways to travel yet before the spot where the honey is meant to be... the main question is whether you want to attempt to provoke an encounter - or continue on warily?

I say provoke. But, assuming the redcaps were the ones who nailed the other fey in the clearing, they seemed uninterested in facing him at that time.

Shorga's jaw muscles clench as the singing picks up again, "Doesh anyone know how to get the dang shinging fairesh to shpeak to ush?"

"Booze." says Kalum firmly

Sorry, left the Axe in another game
"For us, or for them?" Otis inquires half-seriously.
"I'd also like to know how those redcaps feel towards the bees. Perhaps we could somehow make them deter each other? Although I wouldn't want to be in a position where we have to fight both."

Quietly: "Maybe we can draw them to us."

Loudly: "Can you stop the carriage? I need to go relieve myself, out there in the woods."

Kiren hops down and disappears into the trees.

Shorga ponders his companions answers, trying to find the best solution, and then watches as Kiren suddenly moves off alone into the woods. Muttering as he watches him go, "Thish sheems like a poor idea." But he makes no move to stop the elf.

"Otis, you can take over driving again if you would like, I know you are a better driver then me." I say, then watch Kiren leave.

"I could drive" Kalum offers "I've never driven a wagon before."

Otis hands Kalum the reins, then switches positions with him, taking Kalum's place as a lookout.
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

"what do I do?"
what do I roll?

Wait for a minute. If the redcaps don't try to ambush me I will return to the carriage.

Otis begins to patiently instruct Kalum on controlling the horses using the reins. Driving (aid another) 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (16) + 14 = 30

Kiren's attempt to inspire an assault by making a silent target of himself to one side of the carriage in the woods is executed flawlessly... that is, he flawlessly manages to move into the woods and remain alone for a minute or two without any harm befalling him.

Kalum is able to take the reins and easily control the carriage while the horses are predominately calm. But he gets a sense that it might be a much different prospect if the horses were not working with him, or needed to be convinced to perform an action they were not already undertaking.

No need to roll, unless you're in a situation that requires it. Guiding a carriage along the path is easy, so take 10 covers it handily even without having the profession.

A bit relieved: "Well, let's be off then."

30 on the aid another---that was a really good lesson.

I just had a better one in another game - natural 20 on aid another to improve AB in combat...

Well that was eventful I quip.

Then I begin speaking in Sylvan to the creatures around us.

"Cén fáth a bhfuil tú bodhraigh dúinn sióga beag le do caipíní dearga? Ba cheart duit a fhágáil dúinn féin agus dul ar do bhealach a dhéanamh, níl rud ar bith anseo ar do shon."

Using Irish since that is where most stories of the fair folk originate.

As Icarus speaks the song wafting through the undergrowth pauses as though almost to listen. Once his words have passed into the forest then the noises are quiescent and nothing more can be heard.

Perception 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

so close...