But first we'll explore the last room.
"Wait here, tater tot. We'll take you home once we've cleared out the fort. Your place or ours?" Hazel winks, and her eyelid sticks closed. She decides to roll with it.
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Despite her struggles with depth perception, Hazel descends the ladder. Boxes and barrels line the sides of this dark, wooden room. Dry goods, nails, canvas, fresh clothing, and other basic supplies were kept in this chamber, located under the former fort. Although Muhdzuzi nibbled on the contents of the large crate of rations here, it still contains 100 gp worth of food.
The hunter follows closely.
But not too closely, lest Hazel get the wrong idea.
(Not that Hazel has any []i]right[/i] ideas.)
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PRIMARY: Check on the people of Fort Breakthrough and report back - Partially complete (only need to report back)
SECONDARY: Look out for herbs on the way to Fort Breakthrough - Not started (need to perform search around the fort)
SECONDARY: Bring payment or weapons shipment back to Vethorn - Partially complete (weapons found)
SECONDARY: Check in on Quinn Vanicus, and bring her back if you can - Partially complete (found corpse)
SECONDARY: Deliver parcel to Witterwil Farm - Complete (parcel delivered en route to fort)
"There's a wrong that needs righting, but to do it we're going to need supplies - lots of supplies. Let's see if we can find those herbs, then return with our shipments and knowledge. Something tells me there's something big on the horizon after that..."
Dwynnweer thinks on the body they found. Should we bring the body back as well? I volunteer for tribute to carry it.
Right then, the oread says with a nod. We need to gather some herbs on our way out of the fort, then haul the weapons cache and poor Quinn back to Pridon's Hearth.
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With one room left to explore, the group heads to the northeast tower (where they fought the Grippli) and climbs down the ladder.
Three beds lie along most of the northern wall of this wooden chamber. A large wooden trunk along the eastern wall is opened, exposing haphazardly tossed clothing. The odor of spoiled meat wafts out from under the clothing. A cabinet runs across the southeastern walls, and a ladder ascends fifteen feet to the only exit.
A cursory search of the room uncovers a large, fragrant package of dried and pressed jungle plants with a note saying, "Quinn, please drop these off with Heri. Make sure she pays you up front for them, and tell her I'll have more red fern soon!"
When the chest is examined, the source of the odor is evident. Under the clothes is the body of a man. He's been brutally maimed, with claw marks and a chunk of his shoulder missing.
Having completed the search of the very broken Fort Breakthrough, the group gathers its findings. Kord stuffs items of value into Oyin's haversack, Dwynnweer jury-rigs a makeshift contraption out of broken planks, allowing him to drag the corpse of Quinn Vanicus. The Song'o halfling Muhdzuzi sticks by Jareth's side. Hazel keeps just one eye open for danger.
Ready for the trip back, the group leaves the fort. They search the surrounding area for a number of the items on Heri's list.
(Survival or Knowledge Nature checks, please)
Hazel takes 10 on Kn: Nature for 18.
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With the combined effort, Hazel's guiding innuendos allows the group to find pretty much everything on Heri's list. By the time you finish, the hour is late and you're forced to camp. You make do in the fort, staying away from all the signs of death as best you can. The next morning you finally depart Fort Breakthrough.
The weather begins to worsen once you leave the fort; drizzle, light rain, and gusting winds begin buffeting the area as the first vestigial storm strikes the coast. Wandering animals desperately seek shelter from the coming storm, which you spot in the distance as you travel. A constant, gray haze covers the sky, darkening to an ominous black in the west.
Laden with numerous items, you all decide to tie up the loose ends before reporting to the sheriff.
You head over to the Countinghouse of Abadar, body in tow. When Banker Sifreth appears, the old woman takes one look at the body and hangs her head. A tear rolls down her cheek when she finally speaks. "Thank you for bringing Quinn back. I had prayed to Abadar that fortune would smile. Alas, that is Desna's domain and she has chosen to be fickle. You brought Quinn back, such that it is," she says, handing each of you a platinum coin. "I must attend to the remains. Thank you for your service."
It takes some time to pull out all the items from the handy haversack, but Vethorn briefly smiles when you return his shipment. When you briefly explain that the soldiers at the fort won't be needing them, his smile disappears. "Sad news then. Well, I am true to my word. Here's your payment." He hands over 95 gold pieces in a simple leather pouch. "You'll get preferential pricing from me going forward. I can't thank you enough, so I hope this will do."
When you bring the herbs back to Heri, she's excited and thankful. When you pull out the package that you had found, she's surprised. "I'd forgotten about that! Wow, gee thanks man! Hang on." She rummages around in a back room, four vials with clear liquid in them. "These things are a cure for when you're coming down from anything recreational, if you know what I mean. They're yours. Oh, and have one of these," she adds a bottle with a reddish liquid in it. "It'll close up any cuts and mend bruises, like magic."
With all your side quests extra work cleared, you seek out Sheriff Adaela Praet. They find her at the docks. She turns to the group. "You're back. That's good. But why do I get the feeling that you don't bring good news. Tell me everything."
No news is good news, Dwynnweer begins, but the news we have is not no news, it is not good news. Which, since no news is good news, makes it inherently bad. The oread stops after this ramble, and looks to Jareth for help.
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Kord smiles as he weighs the coins in his pouch. "Plus we still have a fair amount of booty to divvy up. We need to do that before we go. I've already put my name on a few things." Kord smiles, "I promise I wasn't greedy."
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"Sheriff, indeed the news isn't good. Really Jareth should be doing the talking here . Let me try to sum up. The fort's been sacked. Looks like they pissed off some gripplis, and the land itself had begun encroaching on the fort."
Kord passes over notes the party's taken and the scraps of writing they found. "You've seen the shipments and the dead, so you can guess the nature of the fort."
Kord backs up to let someone more eloquent take over.
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The sheriff understands Polyglot, so she and Muhdzuzi begin conversing. The halfling tells his story.
In Common, Sheriff Adaela says, "He says that the fort was attacked by lizardfolk. That already differs from what you said about Gripplis. Lizardfolk doesn't make much sense to me though, as we never see them so far south, or so aggressive. Unless you have anything to back up his claim, I'm thinking he had something to do with the attack. I'll take him into custody, and will question him to find out the real truth."
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"The tater tot bodies had bolts from the militia crossbows, but someone...or something...stuck them in post mortem. It was a frame job, and a clumsy one at that. My...friend...has run dozens of insurance scams, so I know what I'm talking about."
...
...
...
"The friend is me."
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Several hours pass since your return, and you find yourselves sitting comfortably in the Stone Hall. The fireplace crackles, but a dampness seems to find its way into the inn somehow.
A peal of thunder can be heard as you relax, drinks in hand. The weather takes a swift turn for the worse as a powerful storm front breaks away from the growing mass offshore and begins barreling directly toward the tiny town. A quick glance outside shows that it's getting bad. Really bad.
It comes almost as no surprise when the door bangs open and a young deputy steps in. He takes off a sopping wet cap and makes a beeline to the four of you. "I'm sorry to do this, but Sheriff Adaela Praet has sent for you four. It's an emergency!" You have only a few moments before you're ushered out.
The storm, because that's the only thing you can call it, is intense. The wind pushes at you, making the trek slower than normal. Eventually you reach the sheriff, who's standing on a corner talking to another deputy. She stops when she sees you all.
"GOOD, YOU CAME!" Adaela yells. "I'M DEPUTIZING THE LOT OF YOU, AS WE NEED ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET." She curses, then motions you to an area of cover. It's much quieter, and she continues. "Being a deputy is important, and you will have the authority to issue orders and perform arrests if needed. But what I need right now is help making sure the wind doesn't knock everything down, that nobody gets any ideas and peace is kept in my streets, and that supplies like food, water, and clothing are secured. Got it? Good. Now get to it."
skill checks: Diplomacy to reason with townsfolk, Intimidate or Profession (soldier) to cow them into helping, Perform to keep people entertained and relieve stress, and Sense Motive to determine moods and assign the townsfolk tasks to keep them occupied. The PCs can also attempt Charisma or Intelligence checks to motivate people with charm or logic. A PC who succeeds at DC 12 check using any of these skills or abilities earns the town 1 Preparation Point.
skills or abilities earns the town 1 Preparation Point.
The sheriff raises your hand to stop you for a second. "Oh wait. If there's anything else you can think of that'll help this town weather this storm, anything you can provide that I've not thought of... now would be a great time for that."
Hazel has...none of those skills. But she could spend 10 minutes to perform an Augury by consulting her Harrow deck and try to determine where their efforts will be best focused.
Otherwise:
Hazel spends the rest of the time thinking of ways to abuse her newfound power.
Dwynweer knows little about construction and building, and less about handling people.
But he knows how to bond with animals, and works to soothe and cajole them during the storm.
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Hazel considers using her talent for seeing the future, but is quickly swept up into the immediate needs of the town. She and Jareth put their keen intellect to work organizing the townsfolk. There's mention of spreadsheets, resource optimization, and utilization as the two essentially project management the people into place.
Dwynnweer and Kord turn their attention to getting the town supplies where they need to be. The hunter manages to make livestock move, with one particularly difficult draft horse only seeming to listen to him. Kord's approach is more direct, with him simply lifting and hauling boxes and crates at an unrelenting pace.
Approximately 20 minutes later you all regroup, and set to some additional tasks.
Kord works with the newly coordinated teams to board up windows, using his knack for climbing to get windows in harder to reach places protected from the accelerating winds.
Hazel knows she can do it and puts her back into it, lifting crates and making lewd remarks at several of the men. Their general discomfort seems to get them to move faster.
Dwynweer throws in alongside Kord at boarding things up, tirelessly fetching the supplies to him while Shwyurr perches alongside the strongman atop the peaks, nose to the wind and warning of any shift that might come.
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Hazel sets to the task of helping move supplies. Her old bones remind her that she's not as flexible as she used to be, resulting in only a token effort.
Kord and Dwynnweer climb like monkeys, continuing to secure things in place and board up what needs boarding up.
Jareth can be heard shouting from below, strategically directing people to each task as the wind whips up a fervor.
You're pretty sure the preparations made will have to do, as the worst of the storm is fast approaching!
Across the way, the group spot a tall creature with a rough, green hide. Its hands end in claws, and its bestial face has a hideous, tusked underbite. They see it bash through a door, grab a few valuables, and step out. It begins making its way to the bakery, which you all know has important supplies!
Dwynnweer glares in disapproval of Hazel's latest swipe right from PathTinder as he grabs Kord by the arm and whistles for Shwyurr. We must needs to protect the town stores!
Hazel checks for a ring.
Then she gives him the ol' hairy eyeball.
-2 AC, DC 15 Will