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Orlan keeps a sharp eye on the forest ahead.
Raznik moves stealthily along the old road.
Anjo searches for signs of the other wagons.
Teja also uses stealth
Xun uses his sixth sense to feel for forest spirits.
JR frees the wagons once again from a gnarley root.
The group makes slow progress between the snowfall and nearly having to drag the wagon down the old road. Along the journey, the road branches off several times, typically only for a short distance before rejoining the main path or reaching a dead end. The seemingly endless rows of conifer trees create a serene yet monotonous backdrop.
While the weather has obscured the trail, Anjo spots obvious signs that the caravan before them ran into similar difficulties, such as an abandoned wheel along the side of the path and damaged branches.
Time seems to pass slowly as you seem more of the same trees after each bend in the path. Along the way, Xun is the first to sense a manifestation that looks like a transparent humanoid shape outlined only by the snow, as if the forest itself were clinging to an invisible person. It seems to look at the party for a moment, then moves slowly toward you in a non-threatening fashion, hovering just above the ground. It’s moving slow enough that any individual can easily avoid it.
Anjo: - tracking
Teja: - stealth
Orla: - keen eyes
Xun: - investigation
Junior: - search
Raznik: - stealth
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Xun hides his head under his hood. You can see him looking to the sides and sometimes up to view the crown of trees.
After some times he speaks up:
"There is some presence here, it is looking upon us. It might be a good thing or a very bad thing. Time will tell." says Xun and makes sure that his weapon is ready and his drum is in his hand.
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Raznik appears from behind a snowdrift. "This one of the spirits that wants a person for speaking... Raznik do it! Goblin voice for spirit!" The goblin raises his hand like someone will call him. After a moment when no one does, he approaches the spirit.
Nice spirit. Nice to Raznik, ok?" He reaches out to touch the spirit.
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Xun notes the presence of the spirit.
Teja cautiously approaches the spirit tying to speak to it peacefully.
Raznik recognizes it needs someone to speak for it so he approaches and reaches out to the spirit.
JR agrees and tells Reznik to wave his hands if he needs help.
Orla watches with interest.
When Raznik reaches out and touches the spirit, it appears as if the spirit flows into the Goblin. Raznik arches his back and arms fly wide to his side as his eyes roll-up.
Another recent memory surfaces you see a caravan of three wagons passing it is beset by a blue-gray serpentine cat-like creature with many legs and glowing blue eyes. While the guards are distracted repelling the attack, you see a sneaky humanoid with a fox’s head and tail infiltrate one of the wagons and then sneak away holding a sack of valuable relics.
Raznik doesn’t recognize the cat-like creature, but fox head thief he is certain is a Kitsune a race of crafty shape-changing humanoids common throughout Tian Xia.
As Raznik absorbs some of the spirt’s personality he gains its increased agility and 5ft bonus to speed, but also a fear of the forest at the binning of each encounter make a DC 5 flat check or be frightened 1 for first round. Both effects are for the rest of the adventure.
After a few moments, Raznik body relaxes and he comes to his senses eyes darting from side to side and looking ready to run.
Anjo: - tracking
Teja: - stealth
Orla: - keen eyes
Xun: - investigation
Junior: - search
Raznik: - stealth
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Raznak's eyes go wide when the spirit touches him as his goblin mind and body tries to process what is happening. Outwardly, he does little more than tremble, moan, and drool on himself, but you've seen Raznik do all of those things before...just maybe not all of them at the same time. By the way his eyes dilate and then go ghostly white.
After just several seconds, the goblin's eyes refocus and he lets out yelp. His eyes look to the snowy shapes around them and you see fear. He runs to Anjo and grabs his leg, seemingly for help. Then, he looks up at the human and screams. He looks at the others and when he sees Teja, he screams again. He finally dives behind Xun and sits there shaking. "Bad touch, bad touch! Something hunting in the forest! It got them!"
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Once Raznik has calmed down, he tells you more. "I was the spirit in their life, being chased in the forest. Something chased me down and attacked me! Then I saw the carriage. It was being attacked by a weird blue cat. It had too many legs. Many-legged cat fight with guards, but then a fox-person stole the relics out of the carriage! Kit...Kitsune? One of those! They can be humans, yes?!" He points warily toward Teja. Maybe it's just the remnants of the encounter with the spirit, but the goblin seems more prone to fear than normal.
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"Blue cat with 6 legs? Kitsune? Sounds like banditry to me." JR tries to remember if he's familiar with these descriptions.
"Sounds like we still need to find that wagon and hope our agents are still alive then track down the thieves.." He looks at the fresh snow and shakes his head "Not very likely with this new snow covering up clues."
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Jr is worried about Raznik, he seem mostly himself hard to tell what is normal for a goblin.
Raznik seems to recover mostly.
Eyeing the goblin Teja ask for more information.
Raznik shares the spirits memories.
Teja can’t recall anything that fits Raznik’s description of many-legged cat.
Orla recalls a tale of a mutant many-legged cat that can turn invisible.
Xun also comes up with a blank on the cat.
Anjo can’t recall anything about the cat.
Oddly enough Taznik can feel in his gut the quickest paths to follow to catch the lost caravan and the forest paths seem unusually clear and free of obstacles. You eventually catch up to the lost caravan.
The caravan’s members are exhausted and retreat into their wagons when they see you, except for two people who call out from a guarded position at the center wagon ”We are Lin Po and Ti Lan, who are you?”
Anjo: - tracking
Teja: - stealth
Orla: - keen eyes
Xun: - investigation
Junior: - search
Raznik: - stealth
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Xun stops as he sees the caravan. As he hears his allies all talking to found pathfinders he observes.
The half-orc says quietly so that the people on caravan would not hear that:
"Stay alert companions! They are here in the wild for more than 6 weeks. We don't know what happened during that time, the forest could easily drove them mad."
As he does that you can see that he holds one of his leather bracelets with odd symbols on it.
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Seeing the caravan they been searching for, Anjo has his bow out as he checks the area.
Orla Introduces herself and the party to Lin and Ti. Trying to reassure them.
Lin Po steps out, ”Thank the gods it feels like we have going around in circles for weeks.” He eyes the forest with suspicion.
Teja steps forward more reassuring explaining they are here to help.
Lin smiles ”I hope you know the way out. I suspect the venture Captain will be disappointed in us, some of the most valuable artifacts have been stolen.”
JR ask about the weird cat.
Lin sighs with frustration, ”That beast has harried us from time to time, we fire a few bolts at it and drive it off, but it keeps coming back”
Xun eyes Lin Po, he and the other caravan works seem exhausted and weary but otherwise acting as expected. Xun tells he companions to stay alert reminding them the caravan has been lost for 6 weeks.
Lin Po shakes his head, ”Has it been that long, it’s easy to lose track in this forest. The paths change. We tried to back track but the trails we used had vanished. It’s like the forest is keeping us here.”
Controlling his fear Raznik eyes the caravan, It looks the same as the spirit within him seems to agree.
Lin Po looks at the forest again, ”We have some spare weapons you can use if needed to help guard us.” Lin rummages in the wagon and pulls out three weapons: a composite shortbow with 10 arrows, a greataxe, and a greatclub.
The snow is still falling hard enough to hamper you vision as you are speaking with Lin Po. Suddenly a group of birds are startled and fly off in panic and the horses are acting nervous. None of you see anything threatening.
Weapons count as 3 treasure Bundles.
Anjo: - Scouting
Teja: - stealth
Orla: - keen eyes
Xun: - investigation
Junior: - search
Raznik: - stealth
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Xun is distracted.
Anjo scouting is keeping everyone more aware.
Teja senses tingle and she draws her weapons.
JR takes cover and readies his quarterstaff.
Raznik stares at birds flying.
Alearted Orla looks around for the source of the trouble as she cast shield. She doesn't detect anything north of the wagons.
Out of the west a blue-gray serpentine cat-like creature with many legs and glowing blue eyes jumps from cover and attacks one of the center wagon horses. Going for the neck it latches on sinking its teeth deep into the horse’s throat. The horse thrashes wildly as the many-legged cat claws at the horses belly disenbowing it with one strike. The horse collapses into the crimson stained snow.
Lin Po and Ti Lan retreat to cover of the wagons and ready to use a crossbow.
Porachas vs horse
to hit flat footed
to hit flat footed
Anjo: -
Teja: -
Orla: -
Xun: -
Junior: -
Raznik: -
Cat?:
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Orla rushes forward heedlessly to the west as she hears one of the horses keen a death knell. She spies some action from the form of the felled horse, but still is too far away to make out what she sees. She pulls her star-knife free.
"It's up here, y'all! It's mauling horses! I don't know what it is - I can't see it too well!"
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Anjo designates his prey as the moves forward with weapon in hand.
Teja rushes forward through the undergrowth towards the unknown creature. She has never seen or heard of such a beast.
JR reminds everyone to be on the look-out for its partner. As he crawls under a waking for cover. The Sorcerer doesn't detect any other attackers.
Orla rushes forward through the undergrowth into an open area and draws her weapon.
Anjo: -
Teja: -
Orla: -
Xun: -
Junior: -
Raznik: -
Cat?:
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Xun climbs on a wagon and pulls out his drum.
Raznik climbs over a wagon as he makes his way to hunt his prey.
Anjo recalls what he can about the creature as he moves.
Lin Po fires a crossbow hitting the creature once.
The Porachas moves and attacks the second horse biting the neck and ripping open its chest with a claw killing the second horse quickly and efficiently.
Porachas vs horse
Action Move 5ft
to hit
to hit
Anjo: -
Teja: -
Orla: -
Xun: -
Junior: -
Raznik: -
Porachas: +5 dam
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Xun looks at how quickly the second horse was slaughtered and his face turns pale. His shaking hands do what he does best, first bits are quiet and sometimes out of rhythm. But soon the music begins to sound loud and clear, and the trees themselves begin to fill with the sounds.
After Xun gets his fear under control, he begins chanting in his native tongue. He fetches on the soul of the slaughtered horse and gets it pain and suffering as it died and shares it with the Porachas.