For various reasons the strange paths of fate have brought each of you to the small town of Belric. Located on the western edges of the Arthfell Forest of Andoran, Belric is a quiet town whose economic fate rises and falls with need and price for lumber.
As such, it's not all that much of a town and with the current market price of wood the loggers and assorted crafts work at a steady, determined, unrushed pace that gives off an air of almost indifference.
Sadly for adventurers that means that there isn't much in the way of employ currently, and, out of slight desperation and waning funds, each of you has responded to a posting from a small farm collective on the eastern edge of town. The reward of 10GP a wolf pelt does not sound like much, but it's better than being hungry!
You stand assembled in front of a large barn filled with hay next to a smaller sized pen that looks like it could hold 30-50 head of sheep. Outside of the brutally slain corpses of 2 such beasts, the pen is currently empty and the eastern section of the fencing has been broken into pieces.
The lead farmer, a weathered old hand, that has seen more than his fair share of seasons in the field speaks-Thank you all for coming. We have suffered the depredations from the wolves of the forest from time to time and accept their occasional attacks as part of the price we pay for living so close to the woods. However, never in all my years have I seen wolves break down a fence and make off with an entire herd of sheep.
Any wolves that can pull a caper like this off are going to be more than the most stout farmer is want to deal with. That's where you all come in.
We need you to track down the four-legged villains that did this and eliminate them as a future threat. In addition, any help you could give us in rescuing and returning some of our lost sheep would be much appreciated.
Feel free to look around the pen, but the tracks leading back to the woods are fairly clear. If you have any questions, well I'm here to answer them.
Take a look around the pen
-haha, non-observant doofus-
Naugrimm wanders about surveying the area and tugging at his beard while trying to figure out this puzzle. Have the 2 dead sheep been eaten? Can he tell how many wolves were involved or how big they might be by their tracks?
If the sheep have not been eaten, he will ask the farmer: “Why’d they kill these two and just leave’em?”
Weed carefully makes his way through the forest....looking for a suitable camping spot...and hears voices....
-ive found my way in I hope-
oppps….weed has....never mind
Eterran seems a little lost in this new realm of animal husbandry.
Naugrimm believes the two sheep have definitely been mauled by something.
Weed stares about somewhat blankly.
Knowledge nature or survival rolls will help if you have them.
Gesturing to Eterran.
"Over here lad, tell me what you think. Can't make heads nor tails of these mauled sheep."
Do we know Weed? Was he a guard as well?
Gesturing to Eterran.
"Over here lad, tell me what you think. Can't make heads nor tails of these mauled sheep."
[dice=survival]1d20+3
Do we know Weed? Was he a guard as well?
You have only just recently made Weed's acquaintance. He and the tiny gnome called Ardaxolion both showed up to the farmer's posting for work.
I believe the technical term is *small* . . .
Ardaxolion walks over to investigate the scene of the attack, the tracks, and the fence to see if he can identify how a wolf could have torn it down.
To the dwarf: I think I know what you're getting at, Mr. Dwarf. Seems like a very strange attack, indeed. We should make haste in case something worrse than a wolf awaits us!
weed is still discovering who he is....after his escape from pirates...and trying to adjust to his new found freedom....and what his abilities are..
this is code for I still have to figure out the specifities of this class combination.....
hmmmmmmmm…...I would have to agree with the little fella...well....the small one...theyre both quite little....
What do you see Naugrimm?
Eterran moves over to look at Naugrimm's find.
weed is still discovering who he is....after his escape from pirates...and trying to adjust to his new found freedom....and what his abilities are..
this is code for I still have to figure out the specifities of this class combination.....
hmmmmmmmm…...I would have to agree with the little fella...well....the small one...theyre both quite little....
OOC: At 1st level you are either a fighter or a rogue, not both, so you need to pick one. Let’s say Fighter, so you level up your character as a fighter getting all the abilities that a 1st level fighter gets. When you get to 2nd level you choose again, this time you take Rogue and get all the abilities of a 1st level rogue. Every time you level up you get to choose which class you advance in.
To the gnome: “Name’s Naugrimm, no need to get excited, doubt anyone or anything’s comin’ back soon, seein’ as they ran off with enough mutton to last through winter.”
To Eterran: “You tell me lad, you know more bout such things than me.”
To the h-elf: “Quit skulking about and I’m not small, you’re unnaturally tall.”
Eterran's skilled eyes determine that while the pair of sheep have in fact been eaten, they were killed by blade cuts to the throat. He thinks some of the bite marks look like they could have come from a wolf, but others....not.
He is also able to just pick out some tracks that come from booted feet and not wolf paws. The boot tracks have been cunningly laid in the middle of the herd passing, making them very difficult to detect.
Looks like someone's been trying to disguise their tracks. I see boot prints hidden among the herd. Hmm, wolf and disguised human. Could be werewolves.
To the farmer:
"What kind of condition do the wolf pelts have to be in to warrant 10 gold? I'm thinking' my axe is likely to make them a bit unpresentable. And what about werewolves? I hear they can change from wolf to man. If'n we kill it as a man do we still get 10 gold?"
After the farmer answers.
"Let's get moving' we're not gettin' any richer standin' here."
Follow the tracks.
The farmer responds-Just do your best with the pelts. If you can bring them back good enough for resale, great; if not the gold is worth not having to worry about losing another flock of sheep.
As for werewolves, I'm guessing that if you run into any of those I won't need to pay out any pelt fees to you lot and more like I'll be looking for new folk to take care of my wolf problem. Desna's blessings.
Survival and perception checks if you please.
Grumbling to himself: "Some folk just lack faith."
After Naugrimm's comment about unnatural tallness:I like the way you think Naugrimm! And I'm not in a hurry to chase after them, just eager to get going! As for the "mutton to last winter," one wonders how wolves herded sheep
To the half-elf's comment about smallness, the gnome makes all of the half elf's hair stand on end.
On our way to the woods:
The party follows the wide swath of sheep tracks into the woods for a few miles, every now and then picking out a boot track in their midst with wolf tracks at the edges of the herd's route.
At one point the tracks pass through a small stream and into some hard, rocky terrain and the party completely loses the trail. In fact, looking about, you think that you have lost your sense of direction completely and are not sure exactly what way you came in from or even what way is West.
The natural sounds of the forest that seemed to welcome you earlier now sound a little more mysterious and even ominous as somewhere high above the sun passes its zenith and begins to descend.
Is it early enough that we can make more checks to try to regain the trail or do we need to camp for the night?
You can make some more checks
Let's see if we can pick anything up.
Tugging at his beard in frustration, Naugrimm looks about.
Hmmm, maybe the farmer was right to doubt us.
Ardaxoloin looks around, confused:
The party wanders about for a few hours with a growing sense of desperation, until they stumble upon a small stream. You think it is the same one you passed through earlier, but maybe a further up from where you crossed. (?)
The light in the woods is growing dim and you count your blessings that a combination of low-light vision and darkvision prevent you from becoming even more lost as dusk falls upon the forest.
The party can continue to look for the way back, look for the lost trail of stolen sheep, or make camp (or some other option you choose).
“Let’s make camp, might be we’ll have better luck finding the sheep tomorrow.”
For watch:
Yes, I think you have the right of it, Naugrimm.
Watch
Naugrimm please make a DC 15 Will save.
+5 v. Spells/SLA
If he is saving against a spell or SLA he saves, if not he fails.
spooooooky
Naugrimm feels a strange tingling sensation for a few seconds and then nothing. Moments later a humanoid creature with the legs of a bald goat, a completely hairless body, and a horned head with infernal visage bursts out of the dark woods roaring in frustration-YAAAAAAH! The warning tingling prevents the doughty dwarf from being surprised, but the ferocious fey begins with the initiative.
The creature is a Forlarren-the bastard spawn of a nymph.
Claws on Naugrimm:
“Up lads! Foes!”
The creature claws at Naugrimm once more as his companions wake from their slumber:
Eterran swings his greataxe
Cast color spray on the creature (DC 17)
Naugrimm is pressed back by the creature only his armor and shield keeping his flesh from being clawed open.
How does Ardaxolion propose to hit the creature without hitting the others in melee?
Waiting on Weed.
Hard to say without seeing the battlefield...
Perhaps we can say I went before one of the allies to ensure enough space?
If not, can we assume that Naugrimm and Eterran are arrayed such that I can hit only the fey's square with one of the 5x5 ends of the cone??
If both are no, I can use Acid Splash???
Hard to say without seeing the battlefield...
Perhaps we can say I went before one of the allies to ensure enough space?
If not, can we assume that Naugrimm and Eterran are arrayed such that I can hit only the fey's square with one of the 5x5 ends of the cone??
If both are no, I can use Acid Splash???
If only Eterran were a sensible race like dwarf, halfling or gnome, then you could just aim high.
Acid splash OK, otherwise double move and cast next round
Acid splash then:
The goat-man claws at Eterran as he rises , and his goat hooves have him nimbly dance about avoiding axes and acid!
Sensing that fight might quickly turn against it, the creature suddenly leaps and charges at Eterran with a savage headbutt attack!
Naugrimm will channel healing energy.
don’t forget your fey foundling
“Quit yer clowning about and cut it down Eterran!”
More acid!
Attack!
Headbutt this!!
-7 hp
Ardaxolion manages to fling a burning glob of acid into Naugrimm's back for 3 points of damage.
Eterran absorbs the savage gore attack of the goat-man and in rebuttal, with a thunderous stroke of his axe, rips through the things midsection cutting it in twain.